Eclectica: from broken beat to brukstep
The Ecletica crew have been tirelessly organizing parties, DJing, producing and releasing records without a need to create furore staying true to their underground roots. Eclectica’s sonic trademark, as it name suggests, is hard to pigeonhole. From broken beat, jazzy electronica, Detroit techno, deep house all the way to madstep and brukstep, they’ve managed to shun all the style boxes and carve their own niche. The crew has brought the likes of Altered Natives to Prague even before the British producer hit the big time. Eclectica is set to play at this weekend’s MUAH! Festival in Brno alongside Sevensol & Bender from Germany, fledgling Czech house duo Popper-C and others. On this occasion, we’ve asked Eclectica founder Michal Bureš aka Blue Black to fill us in about his brainchild.
What is the history behind Eclectica?
I set up the digital label Eclectica Recordings in 2009 as a natural branching out of our community of DJs and producers of the same name, which has been active since 1999.
Can you name the producers and DJs behind the label?
Blue Black, Limyth, Forest, Jazzyhead, Foxman, Anya Stuart, Lindee and Tall. I should also mention members of our befriended collectives with whom we often collaborate on our events, such as Volnej Pr?b?h, Glitch.cz or Owntempo Records.
Is it at all possible to define Eclectica in terms of the various music genres?
I’d say futuristic beats with a nod to the black music tradition and an eye firmly set on future and technology.
Plenty of labels nowadays are busy thinking up various methods of how to forge even closer relationship with their fans. Are you also trying to present Eclectica in other ways than through publishing music?
Even though I work as a marketing manager by day, Eclectica is solely about music and those who are involved with it. For the last twelve years, I have been surrounding myself with people who know what they want and look for it. The few people, who are into brukstep here for instance, will know us and vice versa. I try to strengthen the community through direct relations with foreign producers some of whom I invite to our parties, others to remix our releases, etc. And this works great.
How are your parties doing? Do they still take place in the Prague club Palác Akropolis?
I stopped the series of our regular monthly parties Eclectica in November 2010 with Afronaut playing, whom I’ve dreamt of inviting for the last ten years at least, GB and SoulParlor. We would also invite local talent as well as the foreign one including Altered Natives, Inverse Cinematics, Moonstarr, Kay Suzuki or Jonny Miller. All this without any sponsors, faithful to the DIY ethos. Everybody understood this and supported our underground idea and love of music. I have a family now though and cannot afford to pay for everything from my own pocket.
You also work in Czech radio and have a regular show there. Can you tell us more?
I have a show called Drop Out on Radio Wave and Tall also has a show there called Cookin‘.
Do you have enough opportunities to play and promote the sounds you love here in the Czech Republic?
Eclectica will focus mostly on production. Almost all of us have become fathers, so this mode suits us. To be honest, it also reflects the situation in the club scene here. Promoters do not know where to put us and many are scared to present this type of sound in their clubs.
Forest – Madstep (Cyberworks Remix) by Eclectica Recordings
Limyth – Sound And Sane (Blue Black Remix) by Eclectica Recordings
MUAH! FESTIVAL
23 July 2011
Airport Medlanky, Brno
Line up: Sevensol & Bender /DE, Rafo /SK, Eclectica Showcase, Popper-C live, Falujah
Published July 20, 2011.