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10 questions with Jem Panufnik of Soul of Man
Breaks pioneer and Finger Lickin' co-founder Jem Panufnik talks about keeping mixes simple, programming his own beats and the pant-wetting power of a well-placed hi-hat
Jem Panufnik is one half of breaks stalwarts Soul of Man, as renowned for their classic breakbeat releases - including Love & Hate, Between the Eyes and Gonna Keep On - as for the Finger Lickin' label they set up. Launched in 1998 and now based in London's Camden town, the label has become one of the world's leading independent leftfield dance labels boasting artists including The Plump DJs, Krafty Kuts, A-Skillz, Lee Coombs and The Drumattic Twins. With a unique insight into both life as a producer and label manager Jem takes to the Sounds to Sample Hotseat.
Who's currently rocking your world as a producer and why?
The dance scene has got exciting again in the last couple of years, with producers like D. Ramirez, Switch, Justice and the like, but it'll be interesting to see how long the glitch and electro flavours last – it's become pretty samey for a while now as others jump onto the bandwagon. Trentmoller is a great producer with a love of textures and interesting sonics. But I still marvel at the skills of '70s producers like Wayne Henderson and Rodgers & Edwards: how fat are those mixdowns?!
What is the key ingredient to a great track? Breakdown? Style of production? Bassline?
For me there has to be an irresistible groove that keeps you engaged. Creating sounds and managing levels is the easy part: it's how they interact with each other and how you bring them in or strip them down that matters. I'm not into the 'my bassline is fatter than yours' mentality. I saw Wally Lopez play an open air gig in Spain recently and the introduction of a tiny well-placed 808 hat three minutes into the track made 4,000 people wet their pants. Now that is class.
Do you mainly use analogue or digital soft synth sources? Do you think analogue really makes a difference?
I think analogue makes a difference in many ways. I have a few old synths: a Juno 106, Korg MS10, Roland Synth 09 and JX3P, and sampling those for me is still leagues ahead of plug-ins - not just sound-wise but for the whole hands-on experience. I'm still fairly new to plug-ins, and automation is a wonderful thing but I slightly resent the 'too perfect' results. I miss mastering tunes dub-stylee, standing over the mixing desk punching tracks in and out, twiddling a synth line resonance or whacking up delays on the spur of the moment while the DAT tape catches it – or not. Often I'd do three or four different takes and choose the best one. The unpredictability makes it more exciting and magical things happen that you could never repeat.
How do you see the dance music industry developing over the next two years?
It's clear that dance music is far from dead. Like any good underground movement it keeps reinventing itself. The industry is having tough times at the moment because of illegal sharing but the cynics said cassettes and home recording would be a disaster for the music industry and we survived those. I'm confident the movement will find a way, be it through a new technology / drug / type of packaging, or by blending in different types of media like visuals or more live elements. The tough times are making people try harder and forcing them to get off their fat repetitive arses. Bring it on.
When building a track, how do you normally work? Do you start with the drums and build your way up from there?
More often than not I start with a sample or concept that gets built around, although it invariably morphs into something quite different by the end. Beats define a dance track and are the dominant force, but for me if you start with the beat you’re going to find it harder to find a clear and unique direction later. All great tracks have their own strong identity so it’s better to start with one big idea rather than trying to find one when you've got a load of loops running. How many times have you found yourself with a great backing track and ended up tearing your hair out trying to create a focal point for it?
How important do you think it is to have your music mastered commercially? Can you do it yourself as effectively and what tools would you recommend?
In the olden days I used to mix everything down myself and back then you could get away with it. As production standards have risen to the extremes of now it’s important to optimise your master as much as possible. I’m not really that technical so it's great to have someone else's expertise in choosing the right compression for your kick or bassline (and the use of their pricey soft/hardware and acoustically treated room!).
Any advice on monitoring? Quiet? Loud? Do you prefer flat and boring speakers, headphones or big, phat and chunky monitors?
I have two different types of monitors. I have a love/hate relationship with my Yamaha NS10s – they're cruel and uncompromising but their honesty is second to none. When I want to stop being anal about the production and want to listen to the track as a piece of music I turn off the NS10s and run my mix through a pair of custom boxes made by my mate Sam with Dynaudio components. They’re the complete opposite of the NS10s – lovely, rich and warm – and you can't help listening to the music in a different way.
Any arrangement secrets you want to share with us?
For a dance track it helps if you DJ because you can imagine what the track would be like to bring into the mix and what effect it might have on the dancefloor. A DJ background helps you plan how to pace things and also teaches you to be restrained: music for dancefloors is more about instant gratification – get too complex and you’ll scare everyone off.
Loops or programming your own beats from single hits and why?
Programming my own for sure. I was a drummer originally so I really enjoy programming beats.
What is the secret to being a successful producer?
I think it's a team effort between me and Justin [Rushmore, his production partner]. I have an in-built resistance to musical trends and genres whereas Justin always has his ear to the ground and is easily influenced by what's going on at that moment. It sometimes ends up as a tug-of-war but both points are equally important in creating music that is not only individual and has a longer shelf-life, but will also attract our notoriously pernickety customer - the DJ. Most importantly we’ve never forgotten the key reason for dance music - to make people shake their goddamn butts!
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Soul of Man are signed to Finger Lickin' Records. This Year Finger Lickin' celebrates its 10th Anniversary and to celebrate the occasion, Soul of Man have put together a 3CD box-set that showcases some of the best moments from the label's illustrious musical history, which features exclusive new tracks and remixes from Plump DJs, Krafty Kuts & A-Skillz, Stanton Warriors, Lee Coombs, Drumatic Twins, Utah Saints and of course, Soul of Man.
To buy the box-set see here. For more info on Finger Lickin' and Soul of Man visit: www.fingerlickin.co.uk
(c) 2008 Sounds/To/Sample