'I really don't think I will ever quit techno' - Jamie Behan Interview
The roots of Bastardo Electrico were planted in the city of Cork, Ireland, all the way back in 2002. After all the celebrations over the weekend we caught up with label boss Jamie Behan to get down to the nitty gritty of where it all began and where it’s heading.
The label, originally established as a club night, has grown to be a fundamental part of the Irish electronic music scene in all aspects over the past 16 years and huge credit is due to the people who have been pushing their love for techno in a city where, maybe, it has not been so welcome at times.
Throughout the years the sound of the label has developed off the back of influences from Detroit and Chicago to create a loyal fanbase who recognise them as influencers who have hustled to keep the techno scene alive despite the obstacles. We also touch base on Jamie’s view of how the scene has developed in Ireland, advice to someone who is just starting their journey in the industry and Sunil Sharpe’s presidential election...
Why did you first start Bastardo Electrico and what was the vision of the label at the time?
Well there really are two separate but interlinked stories here with the club night and the label. The club night grew naturally out of house parties me and my friends were hosting. There were no techno nights in Cork at that time for us to go to or for me to play at even though there was quite a large and hungry fan base for techno, so it seemed like a good idea at the time! As for the label, the gem of an idea had been there from the beginning, to put out releases by friends and artists associated with the club night. I think it was around the beginning of 2008, at a time when there weren't that many labels putting out the kind of weird, nasty funk techno that I wanted to buy, play and listen to myself. Sunil Sharpe sent me over some tracks he had been working on which were exactly what I was looking for and we decided to put them out as the first release on Bastardo. So I guess there was no grand vision for the night or the label at any point. It was simply put on parties because I wanted to listen to music that I liked and put out records by friends who were making music that I wanted to hear.
Over the last 16 years Bastardo Electrico has grown immensely. Do you feel you still have the same aspirations for the label which you had at the start, and have you achieved these aspirations?
As for the clubnight, there was never any grand plan or aspirations for it to grow into anything huge, I just wanted to put on good parties and create a real techno scene here in my adoptive home city of Cork. This city was always and probably always will be to an extent more of a house music town. The techno scene has never been huge here at any stage and it was practically extinct when I first started putting on parties. However, fast forward 16 years and there are multiple clubnights besides my own focusing on techno here in Cork such as "Under the Rose", "Thirteen", "Prospekt", and a lot of young techno DJs and producers coming through over the last years. It's a really healthy scene for such a small city, with a diverse crowd of people coming to gigs and showing just as much support for nights featuring local and Irish DJs as ones with big name international guests. In that respect, in helping in some small way to foster this scene, I have achieved something through keeping the parties going down through the years.
On the label front, well to tell the truth I can't say I have. The label has only been operating fitfully over the last few years with releases dropping here and there occasionally. If I'm honest a big reason for this was I was putting on way too many parties! This created a massive juggling act trying to balance promoting, DJing, personal life and commitments outside of music which led to the label being sidelined. I also had an unfortunate run-in on one release with a distributor that went out of business which ended up being a rather hefty financial setback. However, I suppose in ways it stayed true to the initial vision in that I did only put out music I felt strongly about rather than firing out release after release because I felt I had to. And I'm not finished just yet! I'm scaling back on the parties slightly and I’ll only be running 5 or 6 a year so as to give myself more time to focus on relaunching the label and my own productions.
16 years is a very long time to be in any business, especially in the music business where it can be very demanding at times. You must really love what you do, but have you ever thought about throwing in the towel? And if so, why?
Hahahaha oh god yes! So many times! Financially music can be a cruel mistress sometimes, especially as a promoter when you're suddenly after losing a few thousand euros on a gig and you don't know how you're going to pay your rent never mind anything else. This can be disheartening to say the least. However, this is when your love for what your doing is tested, your loyalty to the cause so to speak. So yeah while there are times when I have said to myself why am I doing this, I still keep coming back to it. And although I may not continue to run clubnights for the rest of my life I really don't think I will ever quit techno, I don't think I could. It's in the blood!
What’s been the proudest moment of Bastardo Electrico to date?
There have been many great moments through the years but I would have to say putting out myself and Stephen Mahoney's first collaborative EP as "Flexure" on Bastardo was definitely the proudest moment. After years of procrastinating it was amazing to finally release my own music on my own label on vinyl. There is something very special about being able to hold a piece of music that you created in physical form on wax in comparison to a digital release.
How do you feel the Irish electronic music scene has grown in the past 16 years and do you think it’s healthy at the moment?
It's a completely different world to 16 years ago. One of the biggest contrasts being the amount of producers who are coming out of Ireland right now and the standard of music they are releasing. 16 years ago there was only a handful of people putting making and putting techno such as Decal and the D1 crew. While people had started to write music on computers this was still at a very primitive stage so the ability to make and release music was almost exclusive to people who owned or had to access to hardware.
Nowadays all you need is a laptop and a copy of Ableton and I think the success of people like Sunil Sharpe, DeFekt, Lee Holman, Myler, Eomac etc. has spurred on a new wave of Irish producers and instilled them with a real DIY spirit. Now you have, and I'm just talking about techno here, people like Tommy Holohan, Doug Cooney, Pineal Navigation, Xerophkz, Rustal, ELLLL, Mode 1, Stephen Mahoney, and many others (I'm probably forgetting a load of people) who are making waves internationally with their music. I think this in turn will further inspire a new generation of techno producers. So at last we seem to have rid ourselves of that terrible old Irish inferiority complex and what we have is a wave, a genuine movement which importantly isn't focused around one particular group of people.
As for the scene itself here in terms of gigs and events, the issue of opening hours and outdated licensing laws always looms large. Eventually it will happen and our scene will be able to blossom and I think what matters right now is that there is a young and passionate following for techno and electronic music here in Ireland. They are the future.
What advice would you give to someone who is just at the dawn of their career?
First of all, work your ass off! Spend as much time as you possibly can producing, practicing, and learning. I'm in this game almost 20 years and I'm still learning and I still have a lot to learn. Don't follow trends, don't play or make music just because your friends like a particular style or so & so big name is playing it. Research and listen to as much music from through the years as you can. Take influences from this and craft your own sound and your own style based on the music that you yourself genuinely love, be yourself essentially, not a copy of someone else. Persevere. It's not going to happen overnight and there are going to be a lot of setbacks and disappointments along the way.
At the same time, don't think you're going to get rich & famous, you shouldn't be in it for those reasons anyway. You should be in it for the love of the music. If you are then stick with it. You will be rewarded!
What’s next for both the label and yourself as an artist?
Up next on the label is a killer EP from Doug Cooney which I can't wait to put out. Doug has been on fire lately with, for example, his EP on Orbis getting support and plaudits from a lot of big players in the scene. I'm really happy to see him getting this exposure as he is one of the good people in techno who is doing it for all the right reasons, has true passion for the music, and works really hard at honing his craft. I'm excited about his Bastardo release which features 3 absolute bombs from Doug and a great remix from German producer Krenzlin. Techno in its purest form thats exciting and full of energy. I also have an EP ready to drop from another talented young Irish producer Thomas Kilmurray. Expect to hear more of this guy in the future as not only is he a great producer, he is also an amazing DJ.
After that, early next year I will be releasing my own debut solo EP on Bastardo. It's about bloody time you might say but I'm hoping it will be worth the wait! I also have solo tracks coming on a couple of various artist releases on other labels, a new Flexure release with Stephen Mahoney in the pipeline, and working on a couple of releases with KilleKill boss DJ Flush under our alias the "Cork Bangers" which is also a improvised all-hardware live project which we debuted at Griessmuehle in Berlin last month. My DJ schedule is also getting a lot busier with more international gigs starting to come in so exciting times ahead at a job which I really really love and am so thankful to be able to do. What could be better than sharing a love for music with likeminded people?
So, there you have it, the in’s and out’s of all things Bastardo. We’re disappointed we missed Jamie & Sunil go head to head for an all night set over the weekend but we’re sure it was a night to remember nonetheless. Make sure and keep an eye out for those new releases dropping on the label soon and we’re excited for the next instalment of “Cork Bangers” which we got to chow down on at Griessmuehle last month.
Keep an eye out for part 2 of our Bastardo Electrico birthday edition where Jamie shares 16 tracks which remain integral to the imprint's long running history.
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