L.I.E.S.

As part of our label profile, Crack touches the surface of the L.I.E.S. mystique

Fusing electronic audacity with punk defiance, the L.I.E.S. label emerges triumphant from the increasingly lawless underbelly of American dance music.

As a result, a great deal has ben said about L.I.E.S. since its emergence in 2010, lauding label boss Ron Morelli’s gritty DIY approach, tying together a series of white label releases of unwavering quality spanning nervy lo-fi, lawless techno, unhinged acid and beyond. These releases all have one thing in common: the L.I.E.S. mystique. Helped in part by word- of-mouth tip offs and his day job at New York’s A1 records, the label grew organically out of Morelli’s ability to tap into a wealth of previously unheard producers of a particular breed of lo-fi insouciance.

Championing a new wave of electronics with an attitude that has seen them controversially dubbed ‘insider dance’, ‘outsider house’ and ‘graffiti techno’ in a single breath, as we speak to him from his Brooklyn home Morelli admits it’s been less complex development than it may appear. “Essentially there were no initial ideas or goals for the label, it was actually really simple. I was around a certain bunch of people who had music lying around that wasn’t being released, and it ended up being the right place at the right time. There was no real goal other than to just get some music out and see if there was a reaction or not.”

At once humble and radical, L.I.E.S. has demanded attention since day one, but most notably turned heads in 2012 with 21 inimitable releases. An essential body in the vogue of faceless machine jam techno fronted by the likes of The Trilogy Tapes and PAN labels, the L.I.E.S. catalogue reprises hazy memories of the uncompromising hardware-generated sonics pioneered by industrial royalty such as Joey Beltram and the Crème Organisation imprint.

Taking aesthetic reference from Bunker Records and the infamous 90s Hague squatter scene, whose endless acid-fuelled raves and mean machine techno taped on broken cassette recorders is embodied by the pounding and paranoid sounds of the seminal Unit Moebius, Morelli holds a retrospective gaze on the halcyon days of an early underground scene that, perhaps unintentionally, embodies a certain defiance to electronic music’s increasing tirade of polished production and pampered ego.

“It was really just the same thing as if you start a garage punk band. You just plug the stuff in and you play a couple power chords and there you go. And essentially that’s what they were doing when they started making electronic music as Unit Moebius. It was ‘use whatever’s around you and just make music’. There was no pretension.” And it’s that visceral spontaneity the L.I.E.S. foundations were built on. “They were coming from a 100% musical stamp, where they just wanted to have an outlet and do something creative that resonated with them. They just did it because they love to do it and they wanted to do it, there was no notion or idea and that’s, y’know, really punk”, Morelli relays. “They created something of their own from something around them, and that to me really made sense.”

The L.I.E.S. premise was equally simple. Morelli created something of his own by tapping into a seemingly endless stream of artists, usually shrouded in mystery, always as relevant as they are refractory. From the disorientating techno of Steve Summers to the swirling visual psychedelia of Svengalisghost and the nightmare sounds of Vereker, the catalogue as easily harbors the spirit of 90s rebel acid and techno culture as it does soundtrack a dystopian vision of the future. Aligning this jagged industrial spirit with the relentless ghetto house- inspired tracks of Delroy Edwards, Xosar’s glistening techno and the quasi-tribal nature of Bookworms, all these releases carry an intrinsic, unplaceable L.I.E.S. quality.

Uncompromising at its worst and snarling at its best, this eclectic, even alienating sound palette has come to characterise the imprint. In the same way they channel punk rock sensibility through electronic music, L.I.E.S. has become immune to limitations. “There are no boundaries for it at all” insists Morelli. “It’s what you want to make of it, it really is. You do what you want to do.” With a rugged approach to production that comfortably sits on the edges of house, techno and experimental, Morelli opens up further about the label’s mantra of commitment to pushing onwards into unexpected directions. “There’s plenty of music that is quote-unquote ‘underground’ that I would not consider underground. It’s just faceless, cookie cutter, boring music but it still exists in the underground.”

The label’s refreshingly frank aesthetic is based less on perceived obscurity, more on Morelli’s avant-garde principles. “You’re forced into that, yknow. This music, even if you sell 5000 copies of a record or 6000 copies of a record it still remains underground. So when you say underground its really more of mind-state and an attitude that you have- an approach to how you do things. Rather than ‘selling out’ or becoming commercial, it’s a mindset of how you work and how you choose to conduct your business, to present your ideas and your music.”

Within this approach, Morelli expresses an inherent distaste for polished, normalised electronic sensibilities, having previously reflected on growing up when techno was for the kids who ‘had orange hair and wore JNCO jeans and went to raves in Burger King’. Now, with the present day proliferation comes the increasing intellectualisation of the genre that just doesn’t sit right with the intrinsic principles of ‘dance’ music.

“I’m just not from that world” Morelli stresses. “It’s machine music: plug in, play, jam. I’m not trying to make this stark statement and say this is something it’s not. It’s a bunch of people who are music aficionados and lifelong musicians who are committed to music. But other than that, no one’s trying to say it’s something it isn’t. Like, in New York in the 90s, that’s what it was: it was a lot of misfit kids getting together and just partying. Maybe more so overseas than here – because over here no one really gives a shit about it – too many people are really, really thinking about this stuff. It is what it is. It’s club music. If it’s not club music then you have the wrong idea about it.”

Though seemingly unhindered by the current musical climate, Morelli opens up about the changing face of New York’s club scene. It seems clear the city, transformed by gentrification, is hardly the dance music stronghold it once was. “There’s plenty of promoters and there’s plenty of people that want to do stuff. It’s just like … in the 90s there were raves under the Brooklyn Bridge. That would never, ever happen now. And that wasn’t so long ago, you know what I mean? That would be impossible to happen now. Everything is relegated to stale clubs or crappy underground spaces that don’t really work.

“There’s a lot of good music that comes out of the city right now, but as far as a place you can go out and party and have a supportive scene, that doesn’t really exist and that’s because the climate of the city has changed. There’s more interest in electronic music than four or five years ago for sure. It’s just that the avenues to play live or to DJ are not really there in a way that’s conducive to supporting the people that are around. And it’s just because the city is a city for rich people. It’s not a city for artists and musicians on any level. It’s not a city for the working class. It’s just transformed. And that’s life. That’s how it goes. Things evolve or devolve, that’s just how it is.”

And the evolution of L.I.E.S.’ worldwide reputation has been seemingly relentless; see the constant demand for each successive vinyl release and a non-stop L.I.E.S. tour which received a rapturous reaction from European crowds. Although the type of acclaim implies an increasing momentum that may threaten the label’s esoteric pull, Morelli sees no such issues. “I’m not opposed to it. If people like the music then that’s cool with me. The objective is not to stay obscure and for no one to hear the music. The point is for as many people to hear the music as possible.

“I think a lot of people have misconceptions about the label, that it’s just this traditional premise- it has to be one way or the other. That’s definitely not the case” Morelli is eager to emphasise. “That’s the whole thing. The label’s not opposed to digital, it’s not opposed to using soft synths and being in a computer. I don’t care about any of that. I care about the end result: that the music is good.”

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L.I.E.S. ARTISTS:

DELROY EDWARDS

You’ve said that your early relationship with electronic music was heavily influenced by dancehall. Does this still influence what you do as an artist?

I’m defiantly influenced by dancehall, because it’s the music I grew up on. But I take influences from everywhere.

So what other artists are inspiring you right now?

Greg Beato, Lee Gamble, Kareem, Vereker, Three 6 Mafia, Russell Haswell, Parliament, DJ Rush, Nursing Home / Pom Pom Records, Aaron Dilloway, Funkineven … too many more to name.

Your releases are notably raw, what approach do you take to production?

To be honest my knowledge of recording is limited, so I just go with the formula I know. I do what sounds good to me at the time. The tracks are raw because I don’t really edit my stuff or dress it up with effects and shit, I try and keep it to the point: no frills.

In terms of releases, what do you have coming up this year?

A lot of stuff planned for this year. I got a few projects about to hit streets, more details on those soon.

(Delroy Edwards has recently launched his own label L.A. Club Resource)

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STEVE SUMMERS

Much of your productions come as a result of a live jam or are recorded in a live take, how does that work?

We hit record on the ZOOM [handheld recording device], play for a while and then stop.

You and other L.I.E.S. artists get together to jam quite a lot. How do you go about it?

It’s pretty casual. We’re friends so we just hang out like normal and then sometimes when we’re in the mood or the neighbour’s router needs to be reset, we make tracks.

We hear Ron Morelli has banned the 707 from production. How has this affected what you produce?

It was actually very helpful if you understand what he’s really getting at. I think what Ron was trying to do was say that the days of using the 707 in a more traditional way are over, for us at least, and that we need to keep pushing ourselves to experiment. I heard a great recent live recording of [L.I.E.S. artist] Jahiliyya Fields where he is only using a 707 for drums, but in a way that feels different.

You are also releasing on Confused House, can you tell us a bit about the ethos behind it and what we can expect from the label.

Production-wise it’s more of an in-house thing and as such won’t be functioning as a label looking outwards for new material. Everything will come from within. We view it as an open-ended work in progress, where each release stands on its own but also ties into a larger whole. Confused House 3 will be out in September or October and it explores a different, somewhat darker palette, but still feels connected to the other releases.

(Head to the Confused House launchpad here)

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SVENGALISGHOST

You’re revered for your passionate live shows, what approach do you take to your sets?

It’s sometimes important for me to see the evolution of the party, where the energy of the night begins to sweep me up into a sort of altered state of consciousness so that I can become a conduit for this cosmic energy. I wear the shades so that I can totally lose myself, and become one with the music. Occasionally I come out of the trance and realise ‘fuck, I’m onstage now’.

Your productions carry a futuristic and at times psychedelic nature, while retaining some of that gritty Chicago sound. Is this a conscious decision?

Most definitely, I feel like Chicago in the mid-80s was a really experimental time for producers. Chicago was a lot grittier as a city which I feel was a petri dish for the music that was produced at that time. The futuristic aspects come from the writing of William Gibson and Aldous Huxley. These proponents of this dystopic future where the high technology is commandeered by the low lives! And maybe the psychedelic nature comes for the many acid trips I took while living in Mexico. That time definitely opened up some forbidden neural pathways. My main goal is to induce a trance or some type of hypnotic state within the listener or dancer. I guess seven months of daily acid consumption turned out to be a positive thing after all.

Which other artists are influencing you right now?

I’ve been digging this cat Gunnar Haslam, Dungeon Acid, Frak, Nicobus Tase, Greg Beato, The Sun God, Jahiliyya Fields and many more.

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TEREKKE

While a majority of L.I.E.S. releases are hard hitting and slightly chaotic, yours are more refined and at times ambient. Is this a true reflection of your work?

I’d like to imagine my work is still chaotic, it has no pre-formulated song structure. I enjoy jamming on a sampler, synth and drum machine, there is a master clock. There are loops and patterns, filters and envelopes, sequences come and go but nothing is kept forever. I sometimes provide sonic accompaniment for a friend and yogi when she teaches her practice in NYC. She is profoundly inspiring and a lot of ideas sprout from this environment. From there rhythm is added, bass and drums interplay, samples get ripped from vinyl or cellphones. It’s all recorded to tape or computer and sent to Ron.

From an artist/producer perspective, what’s exciting about releasing music through L.I.E.S.?

Ron Morelli is zero BS, very respectful, always honest and sometimes funny. He lets the vision thrive.

Which dance tracks are inspiring you right now?

L.I.E.S. – Comeback Dust (Legowelt Remix), Svengalisghost – Hidden Cities, Sade – Paradise, Laurel Halo – Throw, Marcos Valle – Estrelar …

What more can we expect from you this year?

There is a good chance I will be in Europe Fall ‘13 to play some live dates. Maybe I will put out some more music if it feels right but someone wise once said to have no expectations, just be kind.

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Steve Summers and Terekke appear at the Dream States vs. L.I.E.S. event at Corsica Studios on October 19th. 

Words: Anna Tehabsim

Photos: Anastasia Filipovna, Welcome To The Room, Kane Aaron