CFCF
Recently had a chance to chat with producer/remix artist CFCF and ask him some questions that are on the public's mind. If you haven't heard any of his tracks then let me catch you up. CFCF is a young dude from Canada who has more fun with his tracks and remixes than most. From pop hits, to guilty pleasure, to his own melodic originals, he always seems to take his songs in a direction that is original and often times unexplored by other musicians. Lately he has remixed the likes of Justice, Crystal Castles, Heath, Spank Rock, and many more. The kids blowing up! Interview below....
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BF: When I listen to your tracks I definitely get the sense that they are 80's/ late 70's influenced, though in a completely different way than most. I couldn't put my finger on it, but when I was listing to your track "The Explorers" I realized that the title implied what I actually liked so much about your tracks. The feeling of exploration, adventure, and discovery people were creating when synthesizers were just coming around. Do you feel you approach song writing from that same perspective?
CFCF: Yeah, I've always liked that sound of early synthesizer melodies, very simple and optimistic. The Hannah Barbara logo, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I was watching David Cronenberg's Shivers a while back and there was a little synth melody, some incidental music on a radio that made me giddy. And growing up in Canada we got all those National Film Board documentaries with early electronic music soundtracks... That Boards of Canada sound, very warm and friendly but something's still off.
BF: There seems to be a lot of interesting electronic music coming out of Canada lately. MSTRKRFT, Felix Cartel, Chromeo etc. Is there a noticeable electronic music scene in Montreal or other places in Canada? How has it changed?
CFCF: I don't know... I'm not part of a scene, myself, at least I don't think I am. I'm very detached from other musicians. I don't talk to bands, and I don't play live. As far as I can tell, electronic music is doing as well here as anywhere else! But I'm not always aware of it.
BF:Have your tastes at all been influenced by the new surge of music available on the net?
CFCF: Well yeah, I think that's the same for everyone... Lots of obscure stuff I wouldn't be able to find in picked over record stores around here. The resurgence of the italo disco, that is 100% thanks to the internet because most of those records are so hard to find. And you know, I use it to seek out other artists from way back that I wouldn't know about without having that sort of convenient click and play sort of thing available. Old synthpunk bands like the Units, or early electronic music like Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co. who are really amazing.
BF: I absolutely love your Spankrock remix. Do you find your self listening to a lot of hip hop/bmore/club music or is it rare that you find music in those genres that you like? .
CFCF: Hip hop, definitely. Club, sometimes. Bmore, not at all. I can't listen to most bmore, and I don't play it when I dj. Lots of people dig it, that's fine. But yeah, definitely rap music, although I'm usually out of the loop with new rap music. In high school I would watch rap videos at my parents' house for hours on end, but now I don't have cable.
BF: When I saw you had a remix of The Jets "Crush on You" I had a good laugh. The song has always been sort of a in-joke/guilty pleasure between my friends and I. What's your history with the track and what inspired you to do it?
CFCF: That song is great! The Jets are so good. I don't know, I was listening to a remix of Midnight Star's "Midas Touch" that Boards of Canada had done as Hell Interface, one of my favorite tracks, and it inspired me to do that remix. You can hear it, I'm ripping off their remix full-on. And that Alan Braxe & Fred Falke tune "Intro" samples some vocals from it. And I thought it'd be fun to put that cheery, corny, Aaron Carter song in a different context.
BF: What's next on the agenda for CFCF? More remixes? Singles? An album maybe?
CFCF: Just doing what I can. I've been a student for a while, we'll see where that goes. Just making tracks whenever I can, remixes when I get the opportunity. You know, Big whup.
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Thanks again to CFCF for getting back to me. Checks out the tracks below and keep an eye on him on his myspace.
Love it
Even though the original is played out you got to love the lounge feel.
Marie this is for you.
A CFCF Track that is WAY clubworthy
