The Californian based hardware obsessed producer Selective Response was a name that started to get some circulation in all the right places, after his releases on Bandcamp were picked up by Dax J, I Hate Models, Perc, Cleric and Amelie Lens. After starting his own label Crisis Of Man in 2019 he has been steadily producing a selection of his own releases focused solely on a heavier, industrial and punishing techno sound with EBM influences.
We premiered his track ‘RX-93’ on the last release which came out in August. You can check that HERE.
We are excited to see what else he has coming into 2021, with some talk of a VA on the label as a way to bring some other new and exciting acts to the brand.
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us about your next release. You are quite new to the scene – tell us how the last two years have been for you and what you are most proud to have achieved?
It will be 10 years this October since I entered the music scene, although in a much different type of music. I’m proud of a few things. First, I’m proud I followed my instinct and decided to start this project. All the signs seemed to point to this being the way forward.
I was very fortunate to receive early support from Cleric, Reflec, and Amelie Lens, which lit a fire under my ass.
To meet these people who inspire me so much is amazing, and to become good friends with some of them is rather surreal at first but then when you realize you click on so many levels and it just becomes effortless. It’s also awesome to meet some amazing up and coming artists and seeing them just crush it.
Stuff like that is what keeps me inspired. Seeing either friends, acquaintances, or just people you’re a fan of doing extremely well for themselves is super rewarding because you know they deserve it shows that with hard work and dedication to the craft, you too, and achieve great things.
All of your releases are on your own label Crisis Of Man – why start your own label in such early days of your career? Any hurdles?
I’ve pitched my tracks to plenty of labels who like the sound, but don’t feel it fists their label. And fair enough! Rejection is good, but it’s not the end. Each one you thought would be a great track, idea, or business idea that gets shot down is just more fuel to the fire.
That being said, I had a solid library of music that I was sitting on, and after getting rejections labels that previously interest, but it’s all the same. I’ve always wanted to do a proper label. I have another one already, but it’s dormant at this time so the main focus is doing Crisis Of Man correctly.
I have a small team which is my manager Emma and myself, and she’s a great person to bounce ideas off of because, while we might have the same desired outcome, she knows the most efficient way to be more efficient and ways to create great opportunities for us. She works her ass off, and I truly appreciate her. We help each other in various ways and have excellent teamwork skills. It’s an honour to work with her and has been instrumental in opening the doors to amazing opportunities. To that, I say thank you so much, Emma, for everything you do for me and the brand.
Do you plan to release on other labels or focus on the development of Crisis Of Man?
As of now, I’m going to focus on bringing in more outstanding local talent who are already gaining some momentum and create a full-on West Coast techno front that helps show how many world-class artists right here in the West Coast area. With enough time, teamwork, and dedication, the LA area, SF, SD, and all the other pockets in between start to support each other and help turn the West Coast a premiere destination for cutting edge electronic music.
Support for your music has come from some big hitters including Perc, I Hate Models, Cleric, and Dax J – how did you get your music into their hands? Can you tell us a little more about who has provided the most inspiration this far for you and your music?
That’s pretty much the most surreal part honestly. Like when I said, becoming friends with them and connecting on such deep levels the results are great friends and we all check in on each other. Cleric was one of the first who hit me back and said he loved the tunes, and that was pretty early on. From there I just kept meeting people and the cycle continues. Asking if it’s cool to send a track I think this person would like and start chatting from there.
As far as inspiration, different people at different times, but right now Perc, Dax, and few others are the standards I have my eyes set on.
Your last EP ‘Corruption’ was full-on madness. Tell us about the backstory to these two tracks and how they differ from the last few releases on the label?
I start working on them earlier this year, and they just naturally evolved into serious hitters and learned some new tricks from a friend of mine that took them to the next level. They differ in that they are newer and overall much more intense. COM004 was an introduction to all my new music.
Do you think there will continue to be a demand for darker, faster, and more industrial techno during and after the CV19 issues and the lack of parties and raves worldwide?
Absolutely. You can see it in some of the more mainstream artists dipping into the underground and playing some pretty banging records at like 143-144. If they make it work than cool. The right atmosphere can turn primal and people are on another level having the times of their lives getting all the stress out.
Tell us three positive things to come from of lockdown for you which maybe others can adopt?
I feel like the biggest thing for me was not stressing about being list disciplined than I should have been, but the actual quality of my work greatly improved. Every time I face a situation like that, I always forget that’s most likely the way it will end next time, meaning don’t stress about that shit and just press forward knowing a breakthrough is coming.
The second thing is that I mostly had beach access and would go surf most days and got into a good rhythm. It also taught me that there will always be some way to share music with everyone in a creative way some way when faced with less than ideal situations.
Finally, tell us a bit about this mix you have done for us? What’s new and different from some of the last we have heard online?
The main difference is fresh records from myself and friends, but other than that I always try to mix things up and keep each new mix interesting and different from the rest. The intro on this one is great, and I tried to ride the bpm out a bit more on this one compared to quickly increasing it like on other ones. I’m curious to see how the IDs work here since I have no way of testing them in a club, but hopefully everyone enjoys this.
Check the tracklist HERE.
