- Planet E's Sebastien San pumps it up on this week's RA podcast.
- When Sebastien Pastore popped up on Carl Craig's Planet E imprint last year under his moniker, it may have been a surprise to those who'd checked his previous releases on International Deejay Gigolo. The robotic funk of his earlier work had been replaced by epic Detroit-inspired modulations, but it seemed that the dancefloors weren't complaining. The endlessly building melodic techno of "Rising Sun" found its way into countless DJs' boxes over the summer, and since then he's been courted by Rush Hour and Echocord for more of his colourful techno workouts.
After spending his youth listening to funk and disco, the club culture of new wave and industrial opened Pastore's eyes to France's underground music scene. And after new beat and Chicago house started to creep into the playlists of those parties, Pastore embarked on his love affair with electronic music. Detroit techno was his next passion, and in the mid '90s he launched the now defunct Shield Records, which was responsible for releases by Kevin Saunderson, Lee Purkis and Fabrice Lig. His ongoing affection for Detroit is apparent in both his recent productions and his RA podcast, which is both dark and groovy in equal measures. We caught up with Pastore by e-mail to talk about the mix, Mad Mike and his forthcoming full-length.
What have you been working on recently?
I've been quite busy in the studio lately. There's a new Planet E single coming up, there's also more stuff coming up on Rush Hour, Figure and a special project I did with Aaron-Carl for Mule Musiq. I also completed a remix of Soul Designer for Third Ear, and my second 12-inch on Echocord Colour is out now.
How and where was the mix recorded?
In my studio with two decks and a bit of editing in Logic.
Can you tell us a little about the mix?
I tried to put together some of my favourite tracks from the last few months. I think the mix (more or less) reflects my DJing style.
What are you up to next?
Aside from my studio work, I'll be DJing a lot more this year.
How did Carl Craig pick up on your track "Rising Sun"?
It was the fastest thing ever. I sent him a demo of the track via e-mail at around midnight on a Sunday, and he mailed me back half an hour later! No need to say, I didn't get much sleep that night!
Do you have any plans to release another full-length?
I'm working on it all the time in fact. It might sound a bit cliché, but I want it to be more than a collection of club tracks. I want it to have some depth, so it takes time.
Can you tell us a little bit about when you met Underground Resistance's Mad Mike?
That was a key moment for me! I met him at the Submerge building in the late '90s (when it was still located on Grand River). He has to be one of the nicest, most down to earth guys I've ever met. I don't want to speak for him, but he's a true hero—more people should be aware of what he's doing.