Q&A \\\\\\\\\\ KRYSTLE LOVE B
Krystle joined Girls on Decks in 2012 after meeting Isis Graham at a
fundraiser for the Organ Collective. The two hit it off right away given
that they both have a passion for music production, indie rock and
electronic music. As many people are aware, there aren't many female
music producers in Calgary so when they met, the relationship was "OMG BFF" status fairly quickly. The girls laugh about the countless hours that
have been spent mindlessly texting about "nerdy music stuff". The two have
shared the stage multiple times performing live sets and now that
Krystle is Djing, there are even more opportunities for her in Calgary
to show her many musical talents. If one thing is clear about Love B, it
is that she is fully engaged and committed to her craft. She attends workshops to improve and grow her knowledge and works hard in the
studio on most weekends when her counterparts are raving at clubs.
Technically nothing stands in her way of solving recording and
engineering problems and we love her for it. Pouring out a new piece of
music every week with each one sounding even better than the last,
there's not doubt that the world will catch on to her explosive talents
very very soon.
You made your start in music playing in different bands in both Calgary and Vancouver? Tell us about your experience playing in bands?
I was only ever in one band but my experience with it had been bittersweet. It was a good run while we lasted, I learnt a lot about the local music scene and made some great contacts and new friends. But I was young and my interests, influences and taste in music were evolving which conflicted with the interest of my band mate. I like that I now have full control over my own sound and what/where I want to take it.
We all know that touring has its ups and downs, especially as a group.
What were your least and most favourite things about touring?
Least favourite things:
brushing my teeth in a McDonald's washroom....worst thing ever. Not showering every day. This is actually a normal thing for most touring musicians, that you don't get to shower a lot. The longest I went was 4 days straight...that is never happening again. Also, sleeping in the trunk of our tour van next to the spare tire and not being able to eat properly!
Favorite things:
The experience! I had so much fun and it's definitely something to remember. Being in a different place, city, province and sharing your music is a great feeling. It's hard to explain but I love all of touring (minus what I said earlier).
What has been the funniest or most embarrassing thing to happen to you on stage?
I remember one show I played (with my band) where the sound coming out of our mac book just stopped right in the middle of a song and there was a huge crowd. It wasn't anything on our end specifically but one of the other bands had just bought new lighting for their show. They offered the lights to us for our set. Turns out Fluorescent lighting and the way our rig was setup did not mix well. Every time the light switched or turned on/off, our sound would drop...then come back...then drop again. That was fun trying figuring out what the hell was going on.
You've worked really hard to create a signature sound with your personal tracks. Listeners find beautiful pop melodies over some edgy bass lines and really well written drums. Do you feel that your sound is transforming?
Definitely. I'm still growing, learning new things and being exposed to different kinds of music. Especially this past year, being more involved with Girls On Decks, I've listened and have been introduced to genre's of music that I had never really given a chance and now it's something I listen to on a daily basis. I'm still growing and still learning and I always like experimenting with sounds. So transformation is evident.
In the past, some would have viewed being a woman in the music industry and being a tough and dirty job. With the global outlook changing on this, how do you feel about being a female producer in 2013?
It's hard to make your mark in such a male dominated industry. But there are more women coming forward with great music and gaining popularity like Maya Jane Coles or just recently Krewella. I feel excited about being a female producer because I feel that more and more women will come forward as time goes on. I want to see a female producer make it into the Beatport top 10 and hold their spot! I have hope it'll come within our generation! that would be rad.
What kinds of music can listeners look forward to from you as a producer in 2013?
More House music!
House is the first genre that had me hooked onto electronic music, my first electronic track was a house track. So I'm stepping back from the "Poppy/Electro" sound a bit and going back! You can also thank Isis Graham for re-kindling my love for deep house.
When and why did it become apparent that you wanted to perform as a deejay instead of doing live shows?
I basically became bored with the same set over and over. I love every song I write and produce but playing them over and over gets tiring. With DJing, you can at least play other tracks in your sets. I have also become less interested in singing live. The way I used to play live, I would sing and "DJ" at the same time. It's cool and different but a lot of people don't really know how hard it is to sing, try to sound decent, remember the lyrics, making sure you hit the right button at the right time, counting bars in your head, twisting knobs etc. all at the same time. it's really hard! So I'm cool with playing my recorded tracks instead. it's more fun and not as stressful.
You're quite the technical wizard, what is your current studio set up?
My studio isn't actually so technical. I use Ableton Live Suite 8 for everything. It is my main DAW. I have various VST's and plugins that I use such as Native Instrument's Massive, Arturia Mini-Moog Original/EFX and plugins like Dada Life's 'Sausage Fattener'. I also have some midi controllers/keyboards I use for producing. I have an Akai APC-40 (which I also use live), an acoustic guitar, a few microphones..both dynamic and condenser. I also have an auto-tune vocal pedal which I used to love using live as it gives that "Daft Punk" sound. Other than that, I have a pair of studio monitors and a pair of studio headphones I used when I don't want to be loud. That is pretty much it.
If you could have one piece of gear to complete your collection, what would it be?
There's too many to choose from! but I'd say top three... Native Instrument's Komplete, the new Ableton Live 9 Suite and Sylenth. Any of those would be amazing.
Who are your favorite deejays & producers right now?
All my current favourite DJ's happen to also be my favourite producers so I'm going to 'hit two birds with one stone' here.
DJ's/Producers:
Isis Graham! yep.
Maya Jane Coles
Louis La Roche
Broke One
Russ Chimes
We heard you have an Iron Man costume that you made yourself, are there any chances you will be wearing this onstage anytime soon?
Maaayyybeeee. but it gets quite hot in there.
Random thought: I wish I was Tony Stark! (haha)
WHOSTAKNOW?!
Zoot Suit or Boa? Zoot Suit!
Link or Zelda? neither...I like Skyrim
Macciato or Cappucino? Tea!
Marvel or DC? Marvel and of course Dark Horse
Joan of Arc or Joni Mitchel? Joni Mitchell
Madonna or GAGA? Madonna for sure.
Xena or Buffy? Buffy!!
Marie Antoinette or Mary Magdelyn? Marie Antoinette
Ableton or Cubase? Ableton all the way! it's all I use!
G.O.DCAST TRACKLIST:
Koloah - Don't You Know (Original Mix)
Vax - Siren (Original Mix)
Julio Bashmore - Batty Knee Dance (Original Mix)
Jacques Greene - Another Girl (Original Mix)
Machinedrum - SXLND (Original Mix)
Jacques Greene - (Baby I Don't Know) What You Want (Original Mix)
Lando Kal - Further (Original Mix)
Midland - Bring Joy (Youandewan Warehouse Dub Mix)
Lando Kal - Clockin (Original Mix)
Doc Daneeka, Abigail Wyles - Tobyjug (Lando Kal Remix)
Wax - 30003 B (Original Mix)
Machinedrum - DDD (Original Mix)
AM Static - Sum (Krystle Love B Remix)
Mosca - Dom Perignon (Orignal Mix)
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