Exclusive Interview: Cybersutra
CyberSutra is a live electronic music project that DJ/Producer and percussionist Scott Binder (SF) created with his good friend and talented producer Nathan Heal (Seattle). Weaving together elements of Electro House, Melodic Trance and live improvisation, with their recent radio hit “Summer Sutra” feat. Tiff Lacey, being featured on Pete Tong’s fast trax and having House Legend DJ Dan sign “Lick it” to his label, CyberSutra has quickly become a household name.
FHM: The New Miami Times describes CyberSutra as ‘an electronica outfit with the sensibilities of non-electronic musicians.’ Can you tell us a little bit more about that? What is your artistic vision?
CS: Both of us spent our early musical careers performing in live bands, so when we started CyberSutra it was very important to us to keep that live performance element in our shows. It’s more than just throwing in some loops and producing a dance track, or standing behind the turntables and spinning a prefabricated playlist. It’s about engaging the crowd, connecting with the fans in a more personal and energetic way. We like to bring the energy to people, and the more fun we’re having, the more fun the fans seem to have.
FHM: What motivated you to enter the dance music production realm? What do you hope to contribute to the music genre’s fanbase and industry as a whole?
CS: In 1998, we bought Paul Oakenfold’s ‘Tranceport’ album and have been hooked ever since! Around that time, we were both studying music production in college. That marked the beginning of our vision to share our music around the world. We are trying to give people something different and something they haven’t heard before, but most importantly, we want to make them dance.
FHM: Your debut single was picked up by DJ Dan’s ‘InStereo Recordings’ last year. How exactly was the group discovered? Do you have any advice for aspiring producers on landing on quality label deal?
CS: Dan is one of our favorite DJ/Producers. We used to listen to old mix tapes in the early part of the millennium, but the first time we met in person was at the Burning Man Festival in 2007. After we got back, he heard our song and the rest is history. As far as aspiring producers landing a quality label deal, anything is possible. Just keep believing in yourself, and remember that even though you may hear 100 no’s, all it takes is one yes.
FHM: Your next big single is called ‘White, Trashy and Blonde’ and features the vocals of Melleefresh. Is there a background story behind this track, and does the title refer to anyone in particular?
CS: We are a big fan of Melleefresh’s work on the Deadmau5 tracks so we were really excited to work with her on ‘White Trashy and Blonde.’ She has been on our radar as a vocalist for a while now, so it’s a really fun opportunity. And yes, it does have a story’ Melleefresh wrote the lyrics about a person that she knows, and no, they are not best friends.
FHM: Is it true that you primarily perform live sets instead of DJ sets? This is still relatively rare in today’s dance scene. What sort of unexpected challenges do you have to deal with?
CS: During our sets, we perform live African percussion and live keyboards while taking turns on the turntables. Our goal is to eventually create a full live multimedia show with minimal or no turntables at all. But at the moment, the turntables are very much a part of our live shows.
FHM: What dance & non-dance music producers are inspiring you currently?
CS: Wolfgang Gartner is off the hook, Junkie XL is definitely cranking out some really cool material, and we have always been a big fan of BT, DJ Dan, Daft Punk and Infected Mushroom.
FHM: What is your opinion on the current dilemma that producers have when marketing their productions? Do you agree with the legal, retail MP3 model (e.g. Beatport, Junodownload, iTunes, etc.) of selling tracks? Or do you support the blogosphere model of simply giving it away, and letting the viral marketing take care of itself?
CS: We work very hard on our productions, so we agree with the model of selling music because it is one way to get compensated for our dedication. Music is a product just like anything else. But at the end of the day, creating music is about sharing it, so we do give some of our music away. It gives us a chance to spread the love and allows more people an opportunity to hear our sound.
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