SCSI-9
When SCSI-9 created Digital Russian for Berlin's Force Tracks, the album won them comparison to Metro Area among others. Overload spoke to Anton Kubikov and Maxim Milyutenko in 2003 about their debut LP and life in Russia.
How did SCSI-9 come together?
MM: Back in 1997 I was looking for some DJ contacts to make music with. I had synths and a computer already. Then a friend of ours introduced Anton to me saying that we probably should stick together – so we tried it, and it was good.
Which labels are you currently recording for?
AM: Mostly we do just one-shot projects. I can’t say that we have enduring partnerships with particular labels – probably only with Force Tracks and Trapez – and I must say that none of the labels gave us too much backup so far. It’s just like “you’ve got some new tracks? Cool, let us check them out”. That’s it.
What is Moscow like to work in?
AM: Well, it’s no worse than in Beirut anyway.
Can you tell me a little about your respective backgrounds (family, musical roots etc)?
AM: Well, there are some relatives of mine involved in music, but I haven’t been strongly influenced in that aspect by my family. My parents have nothing to do with music at all. When I was a kid I was excited by The Beatles and Abba and The Pesniary, a Russian vocal band.
MM: As for me, when I was six years old I got kicked off by J-M Jarre and Space. My father bought me their albums and we listened to them together. This was the first synth bacillus to infect me. As a teenager I became a huge rock and metal fan, Kiss and AC/DC were my favourites. Only in 1994 did I go to a trance club in Hamburg (called Tunnel) and together with some psychedelic experiences this was the turning point. I decided to study audio engineering after that.
Do you have your own imprint? Any plans to get one?
MM: We started thinking about it last autumn after our gig at Fabric. I have a very close friend who is living in Hamburg and is a top notch designer. I asked him to think about a logo for SCSI-9. Well, he is still thinking about it... saying that he doesn’t like the project name too much and stuff... regretfully we don’t have any logo so far.”
What’s your DJing like?
AM: Ugh... ergh... huh...
MM: Well, I am no DJ. Never was. Anton is my favourite and the best motherfucking DJ Russia has got, in my opinion. His taste is pretty close to the music we make and to what we like to hear when we have parties. And his technique…he’s the only DJ I know who never speeds up or slows records with his finger. He works with the pitch slider only. And he’s playing very quick…
How long have you each been DJing/producing?
AM: I’ve been DJing since 1994 and in 1997 I composed my first own track.
MM: I’ve done production and arrangement work since 1996.
You seem to have found a niche amongst the current clicky/glitchy stuff. Do you respect your peers/work closely with anyone?
AM: We think of our work as the reflection of the whole European and American electronic scene. I can’t say that we are close to anyone particularly, it’s just all of them.
Please tell us something we’d never find out ourselves about SCSI-9.
AM: I’m afraid that you must ask the KGB about this.
Do you like traveling/the DJ lifestyle?
AM: Yes, of course!
Please explain the name SCSI-9.
MM: It was Anton’s 'invention'. Someone told him that you can only connect 7 devices to a SCSI chain, so he thought like “huh, SCSI-9 is something which can’t exist. But now it does! Cool!” We were not making house music together at that time so he didn’t ask me. Now we both think it is not too interesting anymore, but it really took us years of hitting the same point to get a little bit acknowledged so we can’t drop it now. It was very funny when in London some good fellas did pronounce it like “skizzy nine”. Maybe we can switch to this one some day…”
How did techno and house break in Russia?
MM: (Laughing) It would take you several pages. In fact it was much the same as in your place, just later in some years. But like with the rest of pop music we reacted on something foreign and strange. Like for white Americans it was new and foreign when Elvis introduced black tunes and black dancing to them. It was a rush, it was new, it was druggy. Exciting. You know the rest.
Please tell us about Digital Russian; how long did it take and what were your goals for the record?
AM: It was about four months of work. But it was never like, “we’ll have an album, so we must do this and this.” It was like making tracks all the time. Some went on EPs but we were quicker than our labels. There was a joint idea with Force Tracks to make an album in 2003 for several months and when they said “go” we had about 6 spare tracks and we made the missing ones during six weeks or so.
MM: When the tracklist was ready we faced the fact that unfortunately we can’t put some tracks which we thought to be essential on this album. For example, “E-Lastic” or “Cologne” or even some tracks previously released on the same label. This would be our next goal: to issue an album where all our personal favourites would be there, no matter what label initially published this or that track.
How do you work together (who does what)?
MM: Anton is always a musical fountain. Always whacking with the computer and the synths. Even if we don’t meet for just one day there will be stuff ready that I have never heard before. Then we take any of his short proposals and finish it (well, when he makes it through the whole night there’s often actually nothing to finish). Then we arrange and mix down together. We often box for the opportunity to reach the keyboard. I have to watch balances and overall sound. And all of the mastering. When performing live we play from two machines so each one has his part.
