IMPRINTS: Green

Name: Green
Location: Amsterdam
Founded: 2005
Latest Release: Joris Voorn - Nobody Knows LP
Artist Roster: Pitto, Stimming, Joris Voorn, Ripperton, Roland Klinkenberg

As both a producer and DJ, Joris Voorn has steadily become one of the better known names in the world of house and techno.  He's been at it since 1997 but started to acquire serious attention in '09, when he was commissioned to create a mix for the esteemed Balance series and also released his now classic song, "Sweep the Floor." He runs two labels, Rejected and Green, the latter of which focuses on the more pristine, melodic side of electronic music. We talked to Joris about Green, his new album, and the shitty piece of gear that taught him how to write dance music.

THUMP: You recently posted this quote from Jeff Mills on your Facebook page… "Techno wasn't designed to be dance music, it was designed to be a futurist statement." Can you elaborate on what this quote means to you and does this mindset apply to your own music?
Joris Voorn: No it doesn't apply to my music, but it's an interesting statement nevertheless. When you think of how Jeff Mills and his like-minded Detroit friends were exploring new musical grounds in the 80's. It was based on a combination of Motown soul, jazz and avant garde European electronic music like Kraftwerk―all with then cheap electronic instruments like Roland 909's and 303's―it all makes sense. They were making a futuristic soundtrack to the industrial landscape of Detroit, the Motor City. Making music in the 2014 Amsterdam is a very different process. Especially when you take into account how difficult it is to be revolutionary and avant garde in electronic music these days. Espcially considering everything has been done before.

On the other hand, the quote does relate to this album in the sense that Nobody Knows wasn't designed to be dance music either. It's meant to be a listening experience rather than a clubbing experience.

The release schedule on your label Green is relatively sparse and only includes a select few artists. How do you choose who and when you release on this label?
Green is like a musical playground to me. It's a record label that allows me to think differently about releasing music than my other label Rejected, which is mainly dancefloor focused. Green is about melodies, atmospheres and textures that go beyond the rules that are set in dance music generally. That's why Nobody Knows is the perfect fit for the label. We are not extremely active in finding new artists all the time, but rather listen to what friends send us. That way we keep the family small and that's very comfortable for now. But if we get any fantastic demo's from a new unknown talent we'd be more than happy to give those a chance.

The theme for the artwork on your Green releases is usually pictures or graphics of serene outdoor settings. Can you explain how this art is created and why you select art like this for the label?
I started using full frame pictures since the first release in 2005. I've always been a very visually oriented person and believe in the power of photography. Plus, how amazing is it to have a 12" record with an amazing full frame full cover photo?

In the beginning, all of the photos were my own, but as we had more releases through time, my designer Paul Swagerman started looking out for other people's photos as well. I never really realized the photos were of serene outdoor settings, but now that you mention it… I guess it's the spacious and somewhat mysterious setting that reflects the way we feel about the music.

Where was your new album, Nobody Knows, written?
I've written most of it in my studio, especially because most tracks are based on sketches that I recorded here with guitar and bass guitar―that's how most of the melodies and song structures started. Some tracks have parts that were replayed by Shawn Lee in his London studio. The vocals were written by Kid A and Matthew Dear, and also recorded in their own studio in the US. Matthew even did all the processing on his vocals, so I didn't touch those. Kid A's vocals were raw takes that I processed and layered myself, which was interesting as I had never worked with vocal recordings before.

Did you have a vision for an album before you wrote any songs for Nobody Knows?
I started making random musical sketches for fun in 2008. After a while I had collected a lot of those and they sounded OK. But transforming them into full album tracks turned out to be a challenge, especially because of the new direction I was taking with them. Most of these sketches also didn't make it to the final album, and others were very heavily remixed and unrecognizable from their previous versions. But that's where the root is―in those guitar and bass guitar loops.

You have stated you do not play keys all that well and it can be laborious for you to come up with the melodic elements in a song. Can you explain what the process of writing more melodic tracks on the album like "The Monk" or "Sweets for Piano" was like for you?
I so wish I had played the piano instead of violin when I was young. It would have made my life so much easier as an electronic music producer. The way I come up with melodies is just by trial and error mostly. I play with samples and midi notes endlessly until things finally fall in place and the main melody sounds somewhat decent. "The Monk" was based on a sample that I started messing around with by changing pitch and creating a melody [like that]. Later, I added other sounds and elements.

"Sweets for Piano" actually worked almost the same. It's built from samples from a classical piano recording, then cut up, pitched and layered to an actual melody. It's great working like that; it feels very creative and this creative use of samples can bring great surprises that you wouldn't find when you're making music from the start.

The Roland MC-303 was your introduction to producing house and techno music. Can you elaborate on how this gear influenced you as an artist?
I read about a 303 in a book about electronic music and was like, 'OK I need that.' This was in 1996 and I went to the music store to buy one, but the guys there were looking at me like I was from Mars. It turned out they stopped producing the 303 in 1986, but they did have another 303 in store that just came out: the MC-303. A whole different kind of thing, but what did I know! So I bought it with some crazy credit deal that kept chasing me for years, but at least I was able to make my own music! Kind of…

The sound quality was horrendous, but the MC-303 showed me how to program beats and melodies. When you have little you have to be creative and make the most of it, so I used the machine till all the knobs were broken and walked away with some experience on how to make electronic music.

Ten years ago you released your first album, Future History. As an artist, how have you changed and evolved since then?
Things change, people change, and so have I. The other day someone commented on Facebook that I used to be underground techno and electro and now I'm 'a commercial artist.' I get those comments every now and then, and it says probably more about the writers than about myself. I haven't stood still these last 10 years; I have changed a whole lot and got so much further than I could have ever hoped for. Musically and sonically, this new album is so much different than my first―and yet it's made with the same passion for music. I hope to be able to continue making music for a living for a long time, and change is inevitable for making that happen.

Joris Voorn's new album, Nobody Knows, is now available on iTunes.