UNIVERSAL RELIGION EXCLUSIVE: Know Your Artists “ZEN MECHANICS”

As a lead up to the Universal Religion 2012 Edition, we are going to be releasing exclusive interviews with your favorite artists. Some of them you may have seen before, some you shall have the joy of catching this April in Nepal ! This is simply a space to “Know Your Artist”, the person behind the music and the soul behind the sound.

So, to start with, we have Zen Mechanics, hailing from the Netherlands. Zen Mechanics was launched in 2002 by the multi-talented Dutchman Wouter Thomassen … read on to know more about this dance floor magician …….

You are a one of a kind Dutch import and Zen like in the world of Psychedelic & Progressive Trance, tell us your real name?

Wouter Thomassen..and thanks!

How did you take up Djing, your earliest influences?

As a kid I was very much into the music my parents and older brother used to play around the house…bands like Kraftwerk, Joy Division, New Order, and Krautrock stuff like Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze etc. I guess that’s where my obsession with epic futuristic music stems from. Then later on around ’94 I heard Future Sound of London’s Lifeforms album and that was like an epiphany for me. Pretty soon I immersed myself in electronic music, got some decks and started throwing parties

with my mates where we were spinning stuff ranging from Ambient, Detroit Techno to early Goa Trance. Later on I got turned on by the underground Trance scene that started blossoming in Amsterdam during the mid-nineties and I’ve been heavily involved in that ever since. I started producing pretty late though..around 2003.

You are with top class labels Iboga, Flow, Neurobiotic & Nano how’s that going?

Very well, they’re all mates and releasing on such prolific labels has definitely pushed my ‘career’ forward.

What’s the difference of the two projects Citizen & Transmissions that you oversee as an artist, can you elaborate?

I released a couple of Progressive tracks as Citizen & Spanner on Flow records, but it’s not something I’m doing currently. Transmissions in Bloom is my Ambient project. I’ve always been making Ambient on the side, though I haven’t been able to focus on that as much as I’d like to. Working on new Zen Mechanics stuff and traveling around doing gigs has been my main thing for the last couple of years. However I’m trying to get an Ambient album out there as soon as possible.

Having traveled the world over which is your favorite festival or club? 

Boom, Ozora and Rainbow Serpent are my favourite festivals…very keen to play both Boom and Ozora again this year! I’m more of an outdoor party person and not really into clubs, though I was honoured to play at Yellow club in Tokyo, a legendary venue in the history of Techno and also the famous Paradiso ‘temple’ in Amsterdam.

Your association with Digital Om, how did that happen? 

They made me an offer I can’t refuse: a gig in Nepal + touring India! The India tour was rad, well organized, met lots of beautiful people and also the Digital Om are a very shanti crew.

Your thoughts on playing at Universal Religion 2012 in Nepal?  

Can’t wait to play my music in such a majestic place! Also I love the fact that it’s gonna be the highest place on earth I’m ever gonna perform.

Any new releases, production wise coming up this year? 

Yep working on a new Zen Mechanics album + a new project Zentura (with Ace Ventura)…We’ve done a bunch of tracks already and will start releasing a few of them soon. Also I did remixes for Son Kite, Avalon, Liquid Hook, Fearsome Engine, Vertical Mode etc and a bunch of collaborations, most of which will be released within the next couple of months. Also I started a label (SourceCode) with my mate Erik (from Liftshift) and some other veterans from the Dutch scene. We’ve just finished compiling our first CD, which turned out to be a total blaster and we plan on releasing around May.

When you reflect back on your musical career, what’s the best thing you’ve done?

Performing in a buddhist temple in Tokyo to a crowd of people who weren’t allowed to speak, smoke or drink…just dancing. That was a unique experience for sure. Also Luminate festival in New Zealand and Vortex in South Africa were very special and rootsy.

What do you do to unwind, any favorite cuisine?  

The usual I guess…hanging out with my love, music, nature walks, beach, movies, epic books. I’m a sushiholic.

Your thoughts on your travels in India and Nepal, in brief? 

India is one of the most exotic, far-out countries on the planet and it was quite an experience! Traveling Nepal has always been on top of my bucket list, so can’t wait!

How do you make music, what’s your ideal process? 

There’s no ideal process really…I start with a kick and bassline combo, jam with some loops and sounds till I start zoning out…about 2/3 days later I get out of it and there’s a track…then the most boring part starts: mixing and finalising the damn thing…this can take weeks. The ideal process is where I do the whole thing under 3 days, before I get bored with the project and wanna move on.

What format are you using as a Dj..ever played on vinyls?

Yeah I’ve played vinyl for years, switched to CD’s later on, but last year I switched to Traktor for DJ-ing. Way more convenient. I still spin vinyl at home though, I have a massive collection.

Is there a particular element that you like to imbibe in your tracks?

Chi

What message would you like to give to upcoming producers/djs, who aspire to be like you?

Remember what Psychedelic Trance is truly all about and put some soul and personality in your music..I wanna hear what an artist has to say, not just big flashy production, random movie quotes or how many neat audio tricks you can pull of in a track.

What does the cultural and music world of Universal Religion invoke in you?

Not sure I get the question…Anyways I’m not too keen on religion… maybe change it to Universal Love heheh

Where can your fans find you in 2012 as an artist?  

Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel and some of the summer festies around Europe like Ozora, Boom, Glade, Antaris, Tree of Life etc. It seems to get more epic each year!

Check out more on Zen Mechanics :

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zen-Mechanics/316528892799

http://soundcloud.com/zenmechanics

Check out information on Universal Religion at:

www.urnepal.com

http://www.facebook.com/universal.religion.nepal

Courtesy Priya Sen

Know Your Artists – Introduction

Universal Religion is love, and love is the universal religion. Every year in Nepal we build an environment which brings together beautiful, like-minded individuals, music devotees, creative artists and dance lovers from around the world!

We at Universal Religion aim to bring together top class DJs, producers and artists to create a thrilling and exciting journey in the world’s most spiritual and divine location—the Himalayan mountains. In this space, we are going to get you up, close and personal with these magicians of the decks. Get to know the person behind the music and the soul behind the sound. This section will feature regular interviews with your favorite artists, both Indian and international. While some of them will be playing in the festival this year, others have been associated with Universal Religion for several editions. Come, read about their musical journeys, get to know wild stories, and discover quirky traits which you would never know otherwise.

With the festival growing in the love and support we have received from our attendees and musicians, our aim this time is to make this our most special and exciting edition yet! With 2012 being a massive year of energy shift and momentum, the psychedelic community is coming together to celebrate this wave of positivity and change around the world. We hope these small insights into your favorite artists will get you to love them more and understand their musical style better!!

We hope you enjoy reading these stories of your favorite artists.