Planet Potato vs Dropzone Preview: Interview with Rob Tissera
Reported by Latex Zebra
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Submitted 24-03-05 17:55
From their beginnings at the Juno rooms in Turnmills to now being Essex’s premier hard dance promotion, Planet Potato has done big things in a very short space of time. They attract the cream of hard dance DJs, including Andy Whitby, K90, Tara Reynolds and Paul Maddox. This Saturday, they link up with their resident DJ Charlotte Birch’s Drop Zone night to present a very special first birthday party at Club Ego. The same night will also see the Essex debut of their new brand of funky dance – “Kinky U”.
Booked for this Saturday alongside the residents and guests like Graham Gold and Nick Rafferty is Rob Tissera, a DJ know for his funky roots as well as his hard Dance skills. I managed to catch him before he jetted off to Florida, for this look at what he does and more importantly what he has planned for the future.
Where are you from or rather where does the name Tissera originate from?
It’s a Portuguese name. My mum is from Dublin and my Dad’s Sri Lankan. He has some Portuguese roots.
You’ve been part of the scene since the acid house days, how did you first get introduced to the scene?
Like the current electro craze it was the big thing. I had been into hip-hop and funk at the time but it started to creep into my subconscious and from that moment on I was hooked. I wasn’t really into it, but then my best mate from school moved to Manchester and kept telling me about the Hacienda. I ‘borrowed’ a car from work and went to Nude on Wednesday night to see Pickering and Graham Park. I was blown away by how fresh and exciting it was. It was a great alternative to the beer and fighting culture that seemed to be popular at the time. After that, I went to a couple of warehouse parties and the rest, as they say, is history.
My favourite productions of yours have always been under your Quake guise as they always used my two favourite sounds, trance & acid. Given your acid house beginnings have you always loved 303 orientated tracks?
Yes definitely. Most of my productions have a little 303 action particularly in the middle of them.
How do you get inspiration for new productions?
That’s a good question. I just chuck lots of things at the wall and something will stick. I look for interesting hook lines and work at creating cool bass lines. I then develop the melody from there.
I often try and incorporate elements that are completely new, but occasionally I work with things that have worked in the past. I’ve recently finished remixing ‘The Day Will Come’, which originally reached number 30 in the UK national charts. This tune works because the lyrics, vocal and melody were all completely original and it has ‘big room’ sounds which are accessible to lots of different groups. It’s being released on Steve Hill’s label, Massif, in June so look out for it.
I also like to use vocalists with a good set of lungs, like Marsha Day, who recorded the vocals for ‘Stay’. I don’t like to use pretty Norwegian girls, who are popular with many artists, because they don’t have the power in their voices.
Moving on from that, do all your different aliases for production lean towards a different sound?
Yes, for example, my first tunes, such as ‘Kick up the Volume’, were house tunes, which I produced under my own name. When I started to make trance tunes I used Quake as the alias.
You should watch out for my new alias Filter Funk. This is the production alias, which I’m using to showcase my house night Kissdafunk’s sound. House fans should look out for the first tune under this alias, called ‘To Da Bone’ which I’m going to release later this year.
And on that note you should also look out for my remix of Kat People by Freefalling, which I did with Technikal. I have to say I’m very pleased with the outcome.
Having been involved in the scene since the beginning what are the biggest changes you’ve seen over the years? Also are there any changes you’d like to see?
Things change all the time. Like everything in life is constantly evolving. The 80s seem to be big at the moment, but I’m not sure what the next big thing will be. As crazes seem to be re-visited so quickly these days then maybe it will be the nineties. Who knows!
Do you think the vibe is the same as when it all first started?
I think it is for the people who have just got into the scene. I meet people all the time that have that excited look in their eyes just like I did when I first started clubbing.
In this day and age everyone wants to be a DJ, why do you think that is?
It’s true that lots of people want to be a DJ, but not everyone. I meet hundreds of clubbers who just love the music and just want to go out and have fun. I still think the vibe is there but is just more diverse than it was before because there is so much more choice of genre and type of event to go to.
What keeps you going after all this time?
I’m a very driven person who likes to keep busy. I’m also very positive about change and I love to embrace technology and new ways of doing things. Currently I love messing about with Abelton and Cu-base as I can really push my sound. Every tune I play I will have re-mixed and re-edited it first, so every record you hear me play will be a unique version.
More parties these days are hosting house rooms. You play house as well (promoting your own Kiss Da Funk Night) as hard dance. Why do you think the two styles sit so well together and do you notice a change in crowds at house only nights?
I talk to lots of people and go to plenty of after parties and the vibe I’m feeling is that people are into everything. People can equally love The Killers, PVD, Paul Glazby or Tom Neville. I think for both a DJ and clubber it’s important not to be closeted. You should have an open-minded approached if you want to get the most out of it.
How do your prepare for a set?
I spend about three days a week in my studio re-editing tracks on Abelton, creating acappelas, strengthening difficult mixes and generally trying things out. I like to try and mix tracks in different keys and this sometimes takes practice. The analogy I like to use is of Tiger Woods practicing for the GTA. He practices by hitting 600 balls at a time to make sure he has the perfect swing for each shot.
I also like to put a lot of energy into each and every one of my sets to make sure they have as much emotion and meaning as possible.
You have your upcoming set for Planet Potato this Friday, have you got anything special planned for their birthday?
As I mentioned in my last question, I will put the same amount of preparation into every gig I play. I’ve also been working on a few interesting acappelas which you should listen out for. It looks like it’s going to be a great party so I’m looking forward to it.
Do you still enjoy playing at more intimate smaller events?
I love both. Intimate smaller venues are great because you can connect with every person in the room and create a real party. Large events are also fantastic because it really gets your adrenaline going. I’m playing at Dance Valley later in the year, which I’m very excited about because I love to play to massive crowds.
Having played the world over, which country has the best crowds?
I’m not sure really. I’ve encountered great crowds everywhere. One of my favourite crowds at the moment is at my night at Kissdafunk, which I co-promote with Tolley. It’s a crowd of very friendly, good looking people who just know how to have shed loads of fun. As I also promote the night it adds to the adrenaline rush.
For more info on Rob go to www.robtissera.com or www.kissdafunk.com
Rob's pics courtesy of Joey XXX, Paul Underhill, Pink Kitty and Rob Tissera. Planet Potato pics courtesy of Planet Potato.
Early Bird tickets will be avalible from www.planetpotato.com as of 4th January 2005 priced at £8.00, after that advanced tickets priced at £10.00 will be avalible via www.ticketweb.co.uk & www.e-listlondon.com
Saturday 26th March 2005, marks a new era as Planet Potato return to Essex to take on Charlotte Birch's Drop Zone in what is lined up to become the Biggest event ever to hit the county in this special one off event.
Planet Potato's 1st Birthday Celebration
2 Great Promotions batteling it out in the Main Room
3 Rooms of the finest dance music catering for all tastes
20 of the UK's most respected & breakthrough DJ's
The introduction of the 'Milan Clan' dancers
The official launch of 'Kinky U' the funky sound of Planet Potato
The return of 'Baby Spud'
Enhanced Sound System brought in for this night only
Multicoloured Lasers & Effects Lighting throughout the venue
Street Entertainment whilst you que.
Free CD to the first 200 people through the door
For all those worring about trains, there will be speciel deals on hotel rooms for the evening as well as coaches from all over Essex taking too and from the venue.
Trance. Hard Trance. Nu NRG. HardStyle. House. Bouncy House. Deep House. Funky House. Hard House. Tribal House. US House. Vocal House. Funky Techno. Techno. Breaks.
DJ's:
:: MAIN ROOM :: Planet Potato V Drop Zone
-- Hard Dance & Trance --
From: Macavityon 24th Mar 2005 20:30.16 This can't be anything but a good night if good old Bobby T is playing.
From: Maris Piperon 24th Mar 2005 20:54.45 Nice interview. Also Great to see a line up that stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the major london events. It's the reason i've seen in a lon, long while NOT to travel out of Essex at the weekend.
From: ~delted8019on 24th Mar 2005 20:57.01 *note to self* Do not pull stupid faces when having your photo taken with DJing Legends
From: Macavityon 25th Mar 2005 10:51.42 I love his new tune Beautiful (like you)...
From: ~deleted9412on 26th Mar 2005 10:41.37 Deffinatly our biggest event to date, and with suchj a host of top DJ's in attendance, im sur ethis will be a great Party for the people of Essex as well as our travelling supporters. Rob is deffinatly a DJing legend and i for one am glad that we have managed to get him down to help cellebrate our 1st Birthday
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