belgrade.techno - Inerview with Fred Giteau

Interview with Fred Giteau

founder and owner of the Product Of France label (POF), a the well known DJ and a hq artist, who already came three times to Belgrade (on 21.12.1996. @ the POF party, 24.05.1997 @ the Insomnia rave, and finaly on 5.07.1997 @ the Sorce party, held on Kalemegdan fortress). His last visit seemed like a good reason to talk to him. Let us hear what he has to say about...

...the POF label:

I set up POF in 1995 as I was fed up to work for somebody else. Before this, I started a label called Step 2 House for a company called Happy Music. But I understood that I would much more realized myself by working on my own. In fact, POF is my own company.

I like all kind of music as I’m on the scene since the beginning. I used to organize parties and write for techno magazines in France, Germany. I bring John Acquaviva, Richie Hawtin, Moby, Beltram, Speedy J in my parties in France. I also knew Miss Djax at her beginning and helped her with giving her gigs in my parties. At this time, she was not even really a DJ!
So some years ago, we were talking about techno, there was not really another style. Then the german trance came with DJ’s like Sven Väth and I loved this sound. Later, I met Tsuyoshi

Suzuki and released an album from him on Step 2 House. I found the psyche sounds really interesting. It was a sort of cross of the german trance and the progressive uk sound. Then, everybody gave the name goa trance which has really no meaning for me as the first so called go parties in France and Europe were a kind of mixture between electro, acid, techno, etc (early 90’s)... So I want POF to be like the whole music and I like to see an evolution in the sound. It’s always good to go further !

...psychedelic trance and goa trance:

I hate people who talk only about goa. These people are kids who know music not for long. Last gig with Mark Allen, a guy came and told us : «You are not playing Goa ! It’s not good,

Goa music is the best !». Well... Some people like Mark, Tsuyoshi or I are playing trance music or psychedelic music. When you listen to some music as Pink Floyd (Meddle), it’s already psychedelic music. The word goa is a fashion word and now in France and rest of Europe, it’s nearly finished. People who talk about goa music are people who don’t know nothing really about the music. They help big companies to make commercial music. Even Tusyoshi is changing his music style, playing more breakbeat stuff, more techno psychedelic.

I mean, we play trance, that’s it !! As for myself, I like groovy stuff for the legs with psyche sounds and melodies for the brain. Can be a good techno record, a good trance record, a good breakbeat record, I will play it.

...vinyl DJs:

For me a DJ can play DAT a bit as I’m doing. I mostly play on DAT some unreleased song

from my artists. For the rest, I prefer to play records as you can really build something different by mixing. People who are playing only DAT and songs from other people are music players but not really DJ’s. That’s my own point of vue. Some DJ’s play DAT because they play their own productions. In this case, it’s OK too. With DAT, you can’t really mixe. If I’m playing a more techno record, I like to put it in the beat.

...drugs:

I never took any LSD in all my life !! Maybe strange for somebody who play psychedelic music, but that’s true 100%. So I think this is the best answer to your question !!

...regarding evolution of music:

As I told you, the music is changing, that’s why giving name like goa trance as no sense. When you have made everything on one style, it’s good to go forward. That’s why on Pof, I’m looking for new directions to trance. Bringing more techno sounds, more jungle sounds but still psychedelic music. So I can’t tell you what’s gonna happen in the next 5 years as I’m not god (!) but trance will always be there for sure. I would say that now, you’ve got big trends like techno, trance, jungle, etc... So called goa is part of trance, but the psychedelic word is ok for techno, jungle, etc... It’s more a feeling you put in music, also due to your own music influences.

...MUSIC he listens to :

I like to listen to all kind of music when it’s good. Music brings happiness. I, also like very much old classic bands like Pink Floyd, The Doors. As for electronic music, everything that brings me to heaven !

...why Belgrade keeps him coming so much?

Just because I love Belgrade and the audience give it back to me. As far as people like me, I will come and be there. I’m also working very closely with Gordan on the trance line up. So I’m bringing more and more people. It’s like building a nice story between Serbia and me.