The Chaotic Good Interview

From honorary mention of Kavinsky’s Nightcall remix competition, to winners of Dim Maks & Heineken remix competition and the release of an EP in a MONTH! The Chaotic Good name seems alarmingly close to the definition of what he does, producing GOOD CHAOTIC music. Good intro, Good outtro, catchy lyrics, amazing build-ups and unbelievable drops are just the basic ingredients. Which then have to be mixed, chopped, grilled and cooked with the help of an arsenal of vintage synthesizers and funky midi controllers such as M-Audios Axiom 25 and ableton live. And obviously all these tools and ingredients are then measured and put to their best with the help of one talented Chef.

So we at AWB decided to treat our loyal followers to an exquisite interview with the very Chef.

Bon Apetit


AWB: How did TCG come about?
TCG: The TCG came about from a love of art and music, pure and simple. I am a classically trained musician and artist and I enjoy being able to use both in my work. I bring an 8 ft tall, 600 lb. robot with me to all of my shows. It dances. I believe dance music, and music in general for that matter, will become much more visual as time goes on.

AWB: Why soooo much free stuff? (Haven’t seen this much generosity before)
TCG: Music should be free! Performances, on the other hand, maybe not. My live sets involve quite a bit of work (including setting up the robot and everything) and it's a better way to make a living in my opinion. Listening is free. Experiencing is not.

AWB: How did it feel to win and get to dj alongside legendary Scratch Dj Jazzy Jeff?
TCG: Ha that was a very surreal experience. He personally selected our remix and that alone was quite an honor. To get respect from anyone is special, and to receive it from one as distinguished as him was incredible. His live set was amazing of course, and to hear him give me 3 shout outs during it was even better!

AWB: Besides the obvious exposure you got from winning the competition and having your remix released on Dim Maks’ compilation, has it also opened any other doors? Calls from other Labels? Other producers?Gigs?
TCG: I'd say the biggest door it has opened has been the online community. My plays on soundcloud have quadrupled! And the blog response has been fantastic. Several producers have asked for remixes, and I've received several gigs as well.

AWB: If you could work with only one producer, who would it be and why?
TCG: Danger. Hands down. His songs are so musical, unique, and of course, bitcrushed. Can't get enough of those crushed bits.

AWB: Also I hear that you have just added this gem (TS 10 Ensoniq) to your synth collection. Why of all synths did you choose this one?
TCG: It was free. Haha I borrowed it from a friend for use on the EP. I really love the early 90's shredding guitar synths it cranks out. It's all very kitsch and eccentric. Plus it has that great fluorescent display!

AWB: Besides the TS 10, what other kind of equipment do you use?
TCG: I'm mostly digital. I use Logic and Ableton exclusively: Logic for Midi and composition, Ableton for audio. I also heavily use an analog filter box called the Sherman Filterbank 2, and a couple other esoteric analog devices.

AWB: What is of major appeal and mystery to me and your fans is the unique electro sound you guys have. I find it hard to say you sound like Justice, The Toxic avenger, Mr Oizo, Andys Ill and so on. And yet it is proper good electro. Also can we expect to hear the I Fight For You remix (full mix) be featured on the EP?
TCG: The upcoming EP is 100% original music! I would like to include the I Fight For You remix on there (which I came in 3rd place for that remix competition) but I find it hard to include remixes on my EP. I like to own it. The entire EP will still be 100% free- as well as all my remixes of course.

Fight For You (The Chaotic Good Remix) by theChaoticGood

AWB: In one word, how do you describe the type of music you make?
TCG: 01001100101001011010110010101101011001010101001

AWB: What are your influences?
TCG: First and foremost- Daft Punk. I know everyone says it, and for me it's absolutely true. I wouldn't be making electronic music without their influence. After them, I'd say classical music has influenced me a lot. I played classical piano for 10 years growing up, and listened to Mozart fairly heavily. I like incorporating the theory I learned growing up to Dance music, which I see as starved for proper thoery. Now if I hadn't told you that, you would never think I applied classical theory to my music, but that's the point. Great music is felt, not heard, and that's where theory comes into play.

AWB: Do you consider yourself a DJ or a Live producer (Such as Deadmau5)?
TCG: I definitely consider myself a live producer- and in fact I use a very similar live setup to Deadmau5. I use ableton exclusively live, triggering samples via midi controllers, etc. I try to play as much original music as possible when I dj, and I really look forward to the day when I have enough original music to do a 2 hour set.

AWB: Do you get looked down on by a lot of DJs who use cdjs and vinyls? Would you advise aspiring DJs to stick to what they like to use or to first learn how to mix with vinyls/CDs?
TCG: I'm a firm believer that the ends justify the means. How it gets done isn't important. What is important is that you feel comfortable using what you use, and that the music sounds good! When it comes down to it, it's all about song selection. And yes, I do get looked down on because I didn't spend 10 years learning how to properly spin vinyl. I'm sure the native americans had a similar argument to the spaniards using guns, when it took them a lifetime to learn how to use a bow and arrow.

AWB: On the Subject of modern DJs, would you agree that DJ stands for both Disco Jockey AND Digital Jockey? Because at the end of the day, the job of a good jockey is to ‘cheat’ the listeners into thinking that the track hasn't changed.
TCG: It could stand for anything as far as I'm concerned- I don't see why they can't be called musicans. Not as dramatic I suppose. You could say I'm a disc jockey- but the only discs I'm jockeying are hard drives. Digital Jockey is an effective acronym, yes.

AWB: Should both types of DJs be seen as equal or should they be seen as 2 different types of entertainers?
TCG: I see a big difference between the two, but I definitely believe they are equal. I am equally entertained by both! And entertainment is the goal, is it not?

AWB: How do you manage to carry those huge Mac monitors to your gigs?!
TCG: Ha I get made fun of quite a bit for lugging my iMac to shows. As a musician, carrying a little thing like an iMac to a show is nothing. I consider myself blessed to have an instrument so small! Think about drummers! As to why I use an iMac instead of a laptop, well, I simply enjoy having all that screen space and extra computing power that the iMac provides. Some of my ableton setups get pretty heavy on the CPU and memory banks.

AWB: And finally how many concerts do you attend a year? And which ones were memorable?
TCG: I usually attend one every other month. I'm afraid of crowds. Haha. The most memorable for me was probably one of the shows I played with Le Castle Vania this year. The energy he brings live in incredible!

His assistant, sexy as fuck if you ask me

Some tasty tunes by TCG:

Summer Lovin' (The Chaotic Good Remix) by theChaoticGood

Pop Singer (The Chaotic Good Remix) by theChaoticGood

Baby Blue (The Chaotic Good Remix) by theChaoticGood

Stay tune for an exclusive sample of the up coming EP.

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Heineken Remix Competition photos

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