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Master H
Following in Daft Punk's footsteps
05/01/2001 -
Scotland has proved to be a hotbed of dance music in recent years, spawning a whole host of talented DJs and producers including DJ Q, the duo Slam and Aqua Bassino. Tucked away in the Highlands, in an office in Glasgow, Scottish dance label Soma – run by Orde Meikle and Stuart McMillan (the two halves of Slam) – has earned a well-deserved reputation as a pioneering force on the club scene. Renowned for its eclectic mix of artists and the quality of its production, Soma has won the support of an impressive number of star DJs including Laurent Garnier and Dave Clarke. After helping Daft Punk rocket to fame, Soma is now about to launch the career of a hot new French electro hope by the name of Master H.
Master H – better known to family and friends as 27-year-old Hassen Gouaned – honed his turntable skills in his hometown of Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France. Establishing a brilliant reputation as resident DJ at the "Richelm" club with his cutting-edge mixes of rock, hip-hop and disco, Master H went on to get dancefloors jumping in Saint Tropez. Spotted in a Saint Tropez bar by one intuitive nightclub owner, Master H was soon spinning the turntables at two top international nightspots: "Le Cabaret" in Paris and "Chaos" in New York. From there his career took off with lightning speed.
When "Chaos" organised a dance party at the "Winter Music Conference" (an annual music conference held in Florida attended by the crème de la crème of the international dance scene), Master H guested behind the turntables. Talent scouts from Soma spotted his potential and signed him up on the spot. Two years later Master H went on to bring out his debut EP May Flower. While continuing to hold down a residency at a Glasgow club and perform regularly at Le Queen in Paris, Centro Fly in New York and The End in London, Master H has also been busy in the studio working on his first album. We caught up with the French whizzkid before he slid behind the turntables at The End in December 2000.
Working out of a town in the French provinces is hardly the easiest career path for a DJ. How do you feel about the fact that there's such a big difference between Paris and the rest of the country, particularly the south of France?
It's true that it makes a huge difference if you come from Paris, but in a way I think it's good that things are like that. I really enjoy playing in clubs in the south of France because people are more laidback down there. You don't have this whole pressure to look trendy and people don't have that whole snob thing about music. People go out clubbing down in the south to relax and have a good time. There's a real party ambience in the clubs down there and, personally, I hope they never lose it! It's thanks to the fact that I managed to capture that southern party spirit in my music that my mixes made such an impact when I started playing on the Paris club circuit. I owe a lot to the club scene in the south of France – and somewhere down the line my music will always pay tribute to it!
Your career has taken off at lightning speed and these days you play regular slots in the hottest clubs on the international dance scene. How did you manage that?
Things took off really quickly for me once I started playing "Le Cabaret" in Paris. "Le Cabaret" was one of the hottest venues in clubland at the time and a lot of celebrities and VIPs from the nightclub world used to hang out there. I got another lucky break when someone I used to work with in Saint-Tropez went out to New York to become manager of "Chaos" and invited me out to play there. It was thanks to my gigs at "Chaos" that I got my monthly residencies in New York. Then I played a set at the "Winter Music Conference" in 1988 and ended up meeting the guys from Soma. I was really lucky. I didn't set out with any particular career plan in my head. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I was a big success!
You signed to Soma after a chance encounter, but if things had worked out differently do you think you'd have ended up working with them anyway?
Well, to be honest, my career path has been pretty atypical. I'm a DJ – I didn't have to get involved in making my own records. One night I was playing in New York and a friend came along to watch my set and said that with the way I mixed stuff on the turntables he was sure I could do something really good in the studio with a bunch of machines. And that's how I came to record U Gave Me Love which was released on the American label Funk La Planet.
Things moved in pretty much the same way with Soma. I dee-jayed at Stuart McMillan's wedding and ended up going into the studio with Soma's sound engineer, Andie Gillespie, the very next day. And in less than 24 hours we'd come up with Mayflower. Things have happened that way all along. I mean, I never planned to put out an EP, then an album. Things just seemed to happen like that. But I'm obviously really happy about it. I like working with Soma – it's like one big happy family. Everyone who's signed to the label is free to do what they want, but at the same time there's this amazing loyalty to Soma.
What can we expect to hear on your forthcoming album?
Well, one thing's for sure, the album will include tracks from my debut EP Mayflower - which came out as a sort of 'test' in October. Basically, the album's a real mix of things, throwing together all the musical influences I've imbibed over the last 11 years of dee-jaying. It's like you get in the studio behind the machines and all the different sounds that have influenced you over the years start coming out – everything from rock, soul and funk to disco. Recently we were in the studio working on this piece which revolved around mixing electro beats with Middle Eastern sounds, because I really wanted to do something which reflected my roots.
The album's basically a reflection of who I am and where I come from. I really wanted to get in touch with my musical roots, so I ended up going down to Marseilles to record these Arab percussionists. In my head, I had this idea that the end result would be a mix of rhythms and 'vibes'. But what we ended up with was a piece of Middle Eastern electro-funk. The whole album's a bit like that really. It shoots off in lots of unexpected directions. I'm planning to invite a few guest stars into the studio too - DJ Q's going to guest on a track called HQ and do something on Silicone Soul too.
Is being French an advantage these days when it comes to making a name on the club scene?
Well, I've emerged on the dance scene in the wake of a whole wave of French dance groups and DJs, so that's obviously been a bit of a boost to my career. I don't want to bite the hand that feeds me or anything, but I actually see myself as working outside that whole ‘French Touch’ thing. Personally, that's not the kind of music I get off on at all and it's not the sort of stuff I play myself.
Don't get me wrong, I think groups like Daft Punk make brilliant music. The problem is there are too many people jumping on the bandwagon now and bringing out weak imitations of what they do. Basically, I'd say being French helps you make a first contact – but after that you're on your own. Making it is easy, what's difficult is staying on top!
Interview: Pascal Médecin
Translation: Julie Street
Master H's album 13is due for imminent release on Soma
For further information on Soma check out the label's web site.
