Dont Party interviews :: Fukkk Offf

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In August Dont Party teamed up with Be.Collective to bring you one hell of an amazing night headlined by the bass producer from Germany that needs no introduction: Fukkk Offf.

The party was crazy with Fukkk Offf tearing the dance floor a new one with his high-energy, deep-bass filled set that took the night into a sublime, body moving frenzy.

So now that SA knows his music, we thought we’d catch up with Fukkk Offf, a.k.a Bastian Heerhorst, to learn a little more about this world renowned electronic producer.

Dont Party presents

the FUKKK OFFF interview

Your name can cause quite a stir when seen on a poster or flyer. Despite the expletive ‘Fuck” being used there is also ‘kkk’ and ‘fff’ which if you read very deeply into it can be seen as ‘666’. How did this name originate and were any of the above, deeper insights, meant?

Haha…indeed that already caused a lot of stir. I just wanted to make the name “fuck off” more unique and provocative. To be honest there are no deeper insights in it but it gives some stimulations for interpretations.

What did you do before your music became internationally known? Did you have any ‘normal’, day-to-day grind work experience?

I just tried to survive with a lot of typical student jobs…I was really broke when I produced the first FUKKK OFFF tracks in 2006.I really enjoy all the travelling and the fact that I can earn money with that what I like the most now. I dont know if I could appreciate it that much if I didnt´t had the hard times without a penny. I quit my daytime job 6 months ago cause there was no time left for that..otherwise i´d have kept it because it really helped me to “stay on the ground”.

Coco Machete took on ‘Rave Is King’, probably the benchmark Fukkk Offf sound, how did this relationship or signing with the label come about?

It started with my first single “I´m a freak”.Sean from Coco Machete found me on myspace before it was overcrowded with millions of those “new rave projects” Coco Machete was a highly respected NY house Label before I got signed so I’m very glad to release on that label.

I believe you produced and self-mastered most, if not all, of your released tracks in your bedroom and on hi-fi speakers!! Do you believe that technology should not be a primary focus for budding producers and that it doesn’t really matter what gear you have in order to produce great music

Yes I think if you know your speakers well enough it is no problem…at least not for that “in your face” kind of music Of course technology should not be the primary focus…but I remembered the time when you needed a lot of money to be able to produce a good sounding track. Nowadays everybody has that possibility so the most important thing is what you make out of those tools.

Do you still produce out of your bedroom and what equipment do you use now; still hi-fi speakers?

I just bought a pair of monitor speakers which of course makes a big difference but to be honest some of my hifi system produced tracks still have a better sound…

What software do you use and are you a VST junkie?

I use Ableton Live which i´m very happy with since it was possible to use VSTs…Of course I like to try out all the new VST stuff which comes out but at the end I try to keep my arsenal as reduced as possible and so I really know how the stuff works that I use…

You recently came down and gave South Africa bass! Did you enjoy your time and set in SA?

Yes!! when that Gig was announced I couldnt belive it. I think without this music thing I would probably had never made it to Africa…The party was fantastic and the 4 days I spend with my hosts where great… I hope that you will invite me again next year !

How did the crowd respond to your music?

Good! I even saw some stage divers And those big foam middlefingers where a great idea!

Did you have any reservations before coming down to SA? If so, have they changed at all?

I didnt´t really know what to expect but Cape Town is a very beautiful and cool city! Of course that high contrast between rich and poor shocked me a bit. But I had a great time with a lot of very nice people!

What many might not know is that you perform your set LIVE. What equipment do you use for this?

I use Ableton Live a launchpad and a korg nanokontroll which is in my opinion a cheaper and lighter way of using an Akais APC40…I still don´t really like to stand behind the laptop all the time so at the moment I´m preparing a live set with my Ipad. There are a lot of cool ableton controllers coming out where you don´t even have to stare on your laptop screen anymore…but I have to check how it works in a sweaty,shaking club though…

Why do you choose to perform live and not just DJ your tracks?

I just have more possibilities to play around with parts and samples of my own tracks,I was never a real DJ and I think it should stay to those who know their business…I´m also not that interested in checking out the newest shit…

After you have created a track how do you then break it down for your live performance?

I separate all the parts in groups to audio clips so that i´m flexible and able to play other drums and sample for every track.

You haven’t released anything for a while, when can we expect the next release??

Right now my latest EP called “worldwide” just came out and we expect a remix edition of that next year… I also had some other co-operations for example an EP with my buddy “zero cash” and a lot of remixes…

What more can we expect from Fukkk Offf in the future?

At the moment i´m, still working on my next album which will be released next year and a lot of other co-operations…I just had the whole month off and i´m looking forward to tour around again and hope to come back to South Africa asap!