TEA Podcast #12 - Zadig

It's said the most exciting time in an artists' career is when they is about to break. Zadig aka Sylvain Peltier may be known to the net crawling bloggers, dusty knuckled DJ's and his fellow electronic music producers, but it's the broader techno community that Zadig is about to breach.

2010 saw Kenny Larkin's remix of Zadig's Dark Nebular tilt a few heads in the the Parisian's direction, but it has been his most recent release on Technasia's Sino and the launch of his own CONSTRUCT-RE-FORM imprint that has fast tracked the Frenchman as a one to watch. Zadig's 'new classic' sound is a traditional yet engaging approach to producing techno and one inspired by such luminaries as Surgeon, Luke Slater and Robert Hood.

Ahead of TEA's 12th Podcast Zadig shared with us how the mix was recorded, his Voltaire inspired alias, plans for the future and love for a Chinese classic.

How and where was the mix recorded?

I recorded the mix at home using two Technics SL 1200 Mk2 and Allen & Heath Xone 62. I recorded the mix directly into my sound card in one shot, no digital editing. I then put the mix through my tube amplifier to give it a bit more power and heavier sound. It was a very spontaneous mix with a range of tracks from recent releases to some older favourites. I tried to create an atmosphere within the mix that was introspective and sometimes explosive.

Tell us a little about the name Zadig. Does it share any relevance to Voltaire's famous Book of Fate?

Yeah for sure. When I was very young I saw an adaptation of the tale of Voltaire. I later read the book and when the moment came to to choose my alias, the name of Zadig came naturally. I feel very close to the character and to the notion of fate.

You used Mathew Jonson's - Learn To Fly in the podcast which is very Jean Michel Jarre sounding. Has Jarre influenced you in anyway being French?

Jean Michel Jarre was not a huge inspiration of mine. I find some of his tracks interesting but his work isn't quite abstract enough for me. Mathew Jonson on the other hand is one of my favorite producers and live acts, 'Learn to fly' is very close to his best work yet. My revelation of electronic music came when I saw Belgian EBM band Front 242 live, I was totally blown away. After that I discovered labels like Harthouse, Drop Bass Network, Generator and Axis which furthered my liking of Techno and Hardcore but I was also into US Hip Hop, Jazz, House, and Ambient styles. I was really into guys like Joey Beltram, Luke Slater, Jeff Mills, Daniel Bell, Robert Hood, James Ruskin and Surgeon. Not long after was I inspired to make music of my own. Naturally I turned to the legendary machines of this sound, the TR 909, 808, Juno 106 and so on. I decided to make my own tracks and looked at making what I call "new classics". A sound's texture is very important to me and plays a big role in my production. I always try to be somewhere between the old school and something more modern.

You also just launched CONSTRUCT-RE-FORM. Tell us about the lead up to you starting the label and what plans do you have for the future?

I had thought for a long time about creating a label but I never felt ready artistically or technically until now. My dealings with other labels as such as Syncrophone and Sino helped me recognise what was needed to start a label. I don't think it would have gone very far without the help from John and Didier from Syncrophone and Charles Siegling aka Technasia. I work very closely with my engineer Mathieu Berthet, he takes care of the mastering and cutting and helps me a lot technically. I often ask my friends for their opinion, especially Maxime aka 'S3A' and Simon aka 'Birth of Frequency'. For the label's upcoming releases, CRF002 is some very sharp, metallic and industrial sounding techno from Antigone, a young Parisian artist. It will feature a remix of mine which will be a bit deeper and dubbier to balance out the EP. CRF003 will be another Zadig release with a remix from a famous Berlin artist and CRF004 is from another young artist 'Birth of Frequency' with a track fully charged and powerful techno.

Tell us about your relationship with S3A and Birth of Frequency.

Maxine is one of my best friends, he has been prodcuing and DJing for quite a few years now. We enjoy sharing with each other our ideas and points of view, not only on music but also on life. Last year we shared a studio and launched the ‘Friendship Connection" project. We brought both of our worlds together and released some tracks through a new Parisian label called Panam. It received a warm welcome and rasied support from artists like Marcel Dettmann, Delta Funktionen and Smear, so that was great. At the moment we are working on a follow up and Maxine is preparing for his next release as S3A which will be a bit more housey. Simon aka Birth of Frequency is my younger cousin, he discovered Techno a few years ago and I can see the same passion and enthusiasm in him that I had in my younger years. His music is already telling a story whilst remaining full of charm naivety.

What's coming up next for Zadig?

Right now I am working on various projects. I have a few collaborations with other artists, the first being for Sino,

and the second is with 'S3A' on Panam. I also have a remix coming out for the label P & D as well as another release on Arnaud Le Texier's label - Children of tomorrow. In short, a lot of work ahead.

What is you favourite tea?

Jasmine tea

1. Versalife - Solenoids Of Insomnia [Clone West Coast Series]

2. Stefan Lohse - Fog Patches [Uncanny Valley]

3. Unit Moebius - Dolfinarium [Clone Classic Cuts]

4. Developer - Edificio (Silent Servant remix) [Modularz 4]

5. Mathew Jonson - Learn To Fly [Minus 108]

6. Fanon Flower - Prado Oscuro [ Modularz 4]

7. Shed - Well Done (030 edit) [Solocation 1208]

8. Zadig - Re-Form [CONSTRUCT RE-FORM]

9. Aaron Carl - Wallshaker [Millions Of Moments]

10.Zadig - Dark Nebular [Syncrophone]

11.Johannes Volk - Supersymmetric [Exploration]

12.Trucate - Jack - [Truncate]

13.Samuel L Session - Part 7 [Figure]

14.Anthony Shake Shair - Frictionalism (Skudge floor remix) [Rush Hour]

15.Splice - Trouble [Farden]

16.Developer - Revisiter [Modularz]

17.Levon Vincent - Invisible Bitchslap [Deconstruct]

18.Johannes Volk - Energy Field [Exploration]

19.Unknown - A1 [Manzel]

20.Shutter - B1 [Hem]

21.Cosmin TRG - De Dans [50 Weapons]

22.Voyager - The Third Planet From The Sun

23.Truncate - Focus v2

24.Splice - Cobra [Farden]

25.Roman Lindau - Sub Suggestion [Fachwerk]

26.Surgeon - Sleep (Ultra Violet) [Dynamic Tension]

27.Vakula - Theo Sun [Archipel]