Antix (Iboga Records, New Zealand)

Hey Barton, how’s it going mate? What’s new?

Yo Jesse, all is good over here...just about to start the remix of SCS - Nameless Blameless.

I take it you enjoyed the party I in Cairns; you looked like you were having fun… Tell us a bit about your recent journey to Ozzieland, and some of the highlights while you were here…

Cairns was killer....yes I had a lot of fun as you know. I played in Melbourne and Cairns on that trip, both were really nice parties. But Cairns in particular was extra nice. Beautiful place, wicked people and a fat sound system...it was just a really nice vibe there. Actually one of the best parties i've had in a while. My trip up to the Daintree just topped it off...the sweet icing on the top!

You guys are considered legends of our scene these days; you’ve certainly made an impact on a lot of people… Can you tell me about how you discovered this music, and what initially drew you to it? What acts inspired you early in the piece? Who do you think have had a big impact on the sound of Antix…

It was a late Friday night back in 95...we were cruising the streets of Auckland actually the notorious K road when I stumbled across a hooker...we really hit it off and before I knew it we were back at her place in Otahuhu. We were having it large when she put on a mixed tape. I said "wait, hold on, stop....what’s this we are listening too?"...she replied "this sweet cheeks is psychedelic trance... do you want a copy" I said..."fuck yeah" and..... OK now the real story which is not so glamorous. :) My friend was into it, he gave me a tape, I dug it...I started to by vinyls.. Then I moved to Japan to by studios equipment 'cause I knew I wanted to make this music. The stuff X Dream were doing, the Flying Rhino label, also Massimo Vivona and some techno gear like Rob Hood and Jeff Mills to name a few ...it was this kinda music that inspired us. These days Iboga and Digital Structures having been pushing our buttons also a lot of progressive house artists which I guess have influenced our sound to what it is today.

“Lull” was considered a classic album, but to me “Twin Coast Discovery” represents a definite maturation of the Antix sound since “Lull”… Tell us a bit about the process that went into making the album, and why is it called “Twin Coast Discovery”? It’s a famous rd in NZ isn’t it?

Well, the first track of the album we finished was Forever Changing, so I guess that was the bench mark we followed. We didn't really have a definite idea of what we wanted. We were just writing music that turned us on. Experimenting with vocals, new production techniques we also had a new studio set up, so the sound was a lot tighter. I dunno, we just wanted to make cool, fat groovy music the made people liked to dance to, hopefully we achieved some of this, maybe all...who knows, but we had fun doing it. Twin Coast Discovery is a tourist route here in NZ that travels from East to West. The name encompasses us being brothers, the discovery of new sounds, it’s a journey, similar to our musical journey and it also has a NZ feel. It sums up the whole album perfectly.

The newer Antix style seems friendly to different scenes, it has some deep/tech-house and breaks influences… has this meant more widespread gigs in other scenes that aren’t so “trance” oriented? House/club scenes are booking right now, are you getting a piece of that pie as well?

Yeah for sure. Here in NZ we are getting some nice bookings, we got asked to support John Digweed, unfortunately we won’t be able to do it, we leave for Brazil soon for a month tour, but yeah, slowly we are getting more bookings in this genre which is really cool!

Fiord is your new project, the last track on the album (“hiding place”) is listed as a Fiord track… please tell us a bit about this new project, who it involves and what sounds its going to push?

Fiord I guess is a more progressive alias, maybe like what Minilogue is to Son Kite. We are going to push this project to some progressive labels and see where that takes us. We are talking closely with English label Plastic Fantastic about some possible Fiord releases with them. So a slower, breaky , housey vocal vibe to some it up. It involves myself and Hayden, and the last Fiord track I wrote with Nicolai Krauss. You may remember him from an old Manta compilation as Mokie…

I hear Hayden is also working on some more Monday’s Millionaires stuff, can you enlighten everyone about that? Coldies for Goldies was a very big track here on our festival circuit (its still getting played!!!)…

Yeah, MM is a collaboration of us and the Phony's.... and I hear Hayden is whipping up some new ones as we speak, so lets see what rears its groovy head from the Iboga studio.

What’s in store for Antix now that the album is up? I hear you have some remixes with Phoney Orphants coming soon? What other labels are you working with at the moment? Any other compilation releases, tracks or collaborations you want to mention? Any artists that you haven’t collaborated with but would like to?

Recently we collaborated with Rob Salmon for the track Tame the Beast with a release soon on Flow with a Andre Absoulte remix on the flip. Also a new remix for Vibrasphere from his new album and a Phony Orphant remix is on the cards too. As mentioned before watch for some new Fiord tracks, possibly on Sentient records form the UK, as well as re release of Le Lascard and QITNL on Sentient also. I’m sending a new Fiord track out there which I did with Nicolai Krauss its called Hammer and Tongs so hopefully that one will get picked up. So keeping pretty busy. Also watch for the new 12" release of Twin Coast remixes with a Fitalic mix of Little Honey and a D-nox and Beckers mix of Le Lascard, this is out on Iboga very soon.

In your DJ set I see you play music by some other artists, please tell us a bit about who inspires you right now… who is making amazing music? What’s in your CD player at home right now? Are there any new artists you’ve heard lately that deserve a mention?

I’m inspired by so much, I recently got back from Japan, and Dj So from Plusquam blew my mind, playing only vinyl, actually he is one of my favourite DJ's. I’m playing a mix of his at the moment. Andre Absoulte is making some nice stuff, I'm loving James Holden and his label Border Community, Trent Moller from Copenhagen, wicked gear! Beckers of course, D-nox deserves a mention for his DJ sets and Infusion never cease to amaze as well, there is so much cool music out there the list could go on...Chab's new album on SAW, also the Deep Dish album!

You guys seem to tour a lot, it must be hard to get both of you in the same place at the same time… Tell us a bit about your touring the past while, where have you been? Where was your favourite place to visit this year? Anywhere you’d like to visit that you haven’t?

Yep, touring is a big part of it all...I’ve been this year to Japan and Ozzy, Hayden has been all over Europe, Canada and the USA. We leave for brazil in a couple of weeks which I’m really looking forward to, its somewhere we haven't been and finally we are going so that's wicked. I’m meeting Hayden there and we've got a tour of 8 gigs, we stay for three weeks. I’m then playing in Buenos Aires on the way back to New Zealand. Then I go to Mexico in mid November and stop in on the US on the way home before heading back to Sydney and Melbourne for December, so its a busy few months ahead for us, actually is been a busy year! Haven't been to Russia, would love to go there!!

Slow-Burning Studios is your studio at home in NZ… Tell us a bit about it? What does it consist of? You guys do work outside of the trance/house scene… can you tell me a bit about it, what are some other projects you have been involved in?

Slowburning is our company. Generally its a multi media company which concentrates on music of any description really. We do commercial music for TV, ads and promo for companies. I've also been doing a bit of mastering too which has been really good. Its the main reason why we can not travel together, someone has to be home taking care of business.

There’s a lot of amazing progressive music coming out of Australia and NZ at the moment… who are your favourite southern hemisphere producers and DJs? Why do you think there is suck a strong following for prog down here?

Yeah, its a hot spot for music, I really like Luke Chable from Melbourne, also Freq, SCS, Phil K, Kasey Taylor. I’m not sure why, maybe the climate is colder down these parts, we like it chilled and groovy, I guess its a extension of what we are like as people.

What kinda stuff do you get up to outside music? Any hobbies, interests or things that you pass the time with? I hear you like to snowboard a bit…

Yeah, I love snowboarding. I’ve been down to the mountain a couple of times this winter. I’m stopping over in Utah in December so hopefully get some nice snow there too. I enjoy the odd game of social cricket also sailing and a bit of running.

Any last words, thanks or people you want to mention? Anything else crazy profound?

Yo to you all, thanks for all the support and 1 cold beer in the chilli bin is better than 2 warm ones in ya hand. Peace!

Thanks a lot bruthaman, nice to chat to you again… Hurry up and come back across the ditch, we miss you already!!!

Sweet as sweaty balls!

Interview with Barton Stromm by Jesse Kuch