WWW.HOUSEONMAG.COM - RALF GUM - 2012
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it’s very useful for the older generation to teach the younger generation on how to get there. I get a lot of requests to mentor people, but because of time limits it’s not possible to give feedback to everybody who’s asking. On the hand if time allows and if I think the song is almost there but just need minor tweaks, I always try to give feedback. Since you asked whether I turn down some requests yes I do. There’s a lot of young talent here in South Africa, who’s doing music. For them they don’t need a big studio and a lot of equipment to do music anymore – just a computer and a few programs. It then enables a lot of people to do productions [which is a good thing] but it obviously lead to copious amount of productions – more quantity and less quality. And some try to get a remix done by established or what they call ‘big named’ DJ/Producers purely because they think that it might help their career [and not add the extra effort in their work] so yes based on these reasons I’ve mentioned I turn them down. To add on that, as much as a big name DJ remix might help you to make a step further in your career, in the end it is ultimately YOU that need to deliver. If you fail to follow up on the remix that was done for you - by yourself; you are then considered as a one-hit-wonder! I like the emphasis you are making on the idea of ‘following up’ on your work, so it does become a one-hit-wonder. Your latest album ‘Never Leaves You’ did you use the same framework as your previous album to conceptualise and follow up or you took on a fresh tangent completely or is it the case of the people you collaborated with who make it different and unique? Uhhm, I think I stayed pretty close to what I’ve been doing since I started doing music, which is Deep/Soulful House music - but I think it’s important for every artist Image credit: Christo Doherty
to try and progress somehow, hence I’ve worked with a lot of great musicians on the playbacks even more than on the first album. There is a lot of ‘music’ going on in the album. I’ve also collaborated with the names I’ve never worked with before, just because I’ve always wanted to work with them and because of their great song writing skills. In ‘Never Leaves You’ the focus is even more on the songs than it was on the previous album. I’m quite proud of the collaborations I’ve got on there, but for me it’s a logical continuation of where I come from musically so it’s not a very big change. I just try to deliver even better songs than before.