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DJ Wired talks to us about the Rise of the Hope and parties, ahead of his upcoming set at Tribal Village on 14th January 2022!

Ben Fraser’s Sabretooth hits Planet Zogg!

Reported by Johnny M / Submitted 07-01-09 22:03

With a unique sound blending “full on psy trance and driving techno,” Ben Fraser aka Sabretooth has been carving up dancefloors up and down the country with his live show. If you haven’t already heard about the Sabretooth Records head-honcho, his new album, his launch tour or his residency at Planet Zogg in Sheffield, then you’d better step inside!

Ben is often celebrated as a secret hero on the underground dance circuit for his punishing live sets and his innovative production style. He set up Sabretooth Records in 2005 and has gone on to release over 50 tracks digitally, spanning and interweaving the trance – techno – hard dance – psy spectrum. His unique sound is united by a driving energy and attention to detail second to none. More recently, he’s focused his efforts on a project entitled Sabretooth, a snarling techy twist on the usual full-on psy trance sound, I got together over a few beers to find out more.



Happy New Year Ben! What are you up to at the moment?

Thanks, same to you! I'm currently busy preparing the release of my new Sabretooth 2 album- mostly doing promotional work during the week and a busy gig schedule at the weekend.

I’ve heard your new Sabretooth 2 album- sounds rocking! Tell us a bit more about it.

Glad you like it! The album is the follow-up to my psy trance debut Sabretooth and hits stores on the 30th January. I must admit I'm very excited about it. I feel I've managed to really push the boundaries of the traditional full-on psy sound by fusing it with other genres: there's a definite techno and nrg feel to some of the tracks and I've also experimented with some breakbeats. More to come on that front I hope! I'm particularly proud as I've done the mastering and artwork myself besides producing the music. Overall I think the album really epitomises what the Sabretooth sound stands for: deep, dark and driving!

Why the use of the Sabretooth moniker for your albums, as opposed to the usual Ben Fraser name?

Most psy trance artists use a pseudonym of some sort and as my label is Sabretooth Records, Sabretooth made sense. To be honest, I like to think of Sabretooth as more of a reference to the sound and the brand than myself as an artist, hence naming the new album Sabretooth 2.

You're releasing a second full album only 12 months after the first- that's pretty quick! How long does it take you to write a track?

After the initial inspiration, I often write tracks in a day now, though more typically I'll get the basics down in a few hours, do the arrangement and automation in a day and then spend a few more short sessions tweaking things and tidying everything up.

What is your current studio set-up?

I've always been entirely laptop-based. I'm currently running Logic 8 on a MacBook Pro. I use almost exclusively the on-board Logic effects and synths, with a particular liking for the ES2 soft-synth. I get all my acid from the awesome Audio Realism Bassline, which is the only external plug-in I really use regularly.



You set-up Sabretooth Records in 2005- what prompted you to launch your own label?

After my first 12 inch release on Planet Zogg Records, I realised that many labels were not as open minded. I decided that starting my own label was the best way to release my tracks without having to compromise musically. At first the digital format was ideal as it involved little financial risk, but I'm glad I've moved on to releasing CD albums too- I've always thought that outside the psy trance scene, decent artist albums are too few and far between.

You’ve toured your live set extensively over the last few years- what have been your favourite places to play?

I've enjoyed all of them really, but my trips to Poland always stand out. They are always extremely welcoming out there, and the crowds have so much energy. It's also refreshing that things are not so genre-restricted as in the UK, so I've enjoyed mixing up all different styles in my sets without worrying about what I'm expected to play. They also know how to party I must say!

You’re in the middle of your Sabretooth 2 album launch tour- any dates you’re particularly looking forward to?

I'm probably most excited about my album launch at Planet Zogg in Sheffield on January 23rd. It’s the home town leg of the tour, so it means a lot me, and it is always really special playing to that crowd. The Zogg guys have been putting on parties for years now so the production is always top-notch. I always get a long slot too, so I can really make the most of Planet Zogg’s open-minded music policy by progressing from my psy stuff to harder techno and trance- I might even squeeze some breaks in there. More importantly though, the atmosphere is always electric- the dancefloor is inevitably rammed all the way til 6am!

My set at Illuminaughty in Manchester last month was good fun. They had pyrotechnics on stage which was a great way to get the launch tour going. I'm also looking forward to performing at the Q-Club in Birmingham at Astrix and Friends on January 31st- it's going to be an honour to play at such a legendary venue alongside such a figurehead of the psy scene.



What exactly does your live set consist of?

My basic liveset is Ableton Live-based, with a MIDI controller. Over the years I've grown more and more confident at experimenting with Ableton, so you can expect plenty of exclusive mashups and remixes alongside tweaked versions of my tracks. I've also put together a live drumming based set, where I supplement Ableton with improvised percussion from MIDI drum pads. It's great to be able to include a proper performance, and crowd response is always fantastic. So far the pinnacle has been the Discoteka set at Planet Zogg in March last year, which included myself on drums, Greg Zogg on guitar and Propulsion on the dials...It felt like a proper live band, amazing!

Sabretooth Records- what can we expect in the future?

Besides the new album, I've recently changed digital distributors (now with AgentAudio.net), so I need to sort out getting the Sabretooth Records back catalogue available on all download stores again. I've got various techno, trance and hard dance EPs ready to release once that's sorted. I’ve got a load of tracks that I’ve produced with Greg Zogg, so we’re contemplating releasing them in some form on Planet Zogg Records in the next year. I'm also starting to think about a Sabretooth 3 album, which would consist of various remix projects, and possibly Sabretooth 4, which would be a kind of retrospective album featuring reworks and remastered versions of older tracks. In other words: bigger, faster, deeper, better, phatter, slicker, etc!




For a chance to win two tickets for Ben’s album launch at Planet Zogg on January 23rd at Plug, Sheffield, along with a copy of Sabretooth 1 and Sabretooth 2 check out the HarderFaster competitions page here!


Planet Zogg
Send an eFlyer for this event to a friend Include this Event in a Private Message Direct link to this Event
On: Friday 23rd January 2009
At: The Plug [map]

From: 22:00 - 06:00
Cost: £8 before 11 / £10 after
Website: www.planetzogg.co.uk
More: Ben Fraser's SABRETOOTH launches his new album of deep dark driving psychedelic techno trance SABRETOOTH2 with a UK and European tour. This home town gig at the night Ben has been a resident at for many years - perfecting his trademark collision of psy and techno - looks set to be a stormer!!

Who could play alongside SABRETOOTH and not appear wishy washy? Why, our old friend ED TANGENT!! Promoter of Sunrise (manchester) for many years and now back and making very big waves on the psy circuit. Come ON!! DIL & GREG complete the bill as ever...

The venue will of course be flouro’dtof*ck (as our early flyer used to say), there will performers, UV stalls, visitations, a large outdoor area, the ace Cush-Tea stall, tough, pumping and very cosmic sounds, and one of the most mixed, up for it crowds your likely to come across.. disco dollies to dreads, punks to ravers…hippies to clubbers… in fact anyone up for a party is welcome & present on Planet Zogg!!
Flyer:
Region: N England
Music: Hard Trance. Psy Trance. Nu NRG. Deep Techno. Techno. Breaks.
DJ's: Ben Fraser / Sabretooth - LIVE
Ed Tangent (Sunrise)
Dil (Planet Zogg / Karma)
Gregg Zogg (Planet Zogg / Ripsnorter)

Who's Going? (8) : Ben Fraser, Dan da Man, Earth Angel, Ed tangent, Jake, James Downton, madjon, PSYLICIOUS 



Check out an exclusive Sabretooth live set: http://www.sabretoothrecords.com/downloads/sabretooth.zip

Sabretooth 2 is out on January 30th with distribution by Arabesque. Check out a preview of the album at www.myspace.com/sabretoothrecords

For more info: www.sabretoothrecords.com / www.planetzogg.co.uk


Photos courtesy of Ben Fraser. Not to be reproduced without permission.
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Other Features By Johnny M:
Ben Fraser bares his Sabreteeth with RMX
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
Comments:

From: Dubster on 9th Jan 2009 09:54.41
Planet Zogg is an absolutely brilliant night. Well worth the long trip there from people down South.

Unique, classy little venue, great people, wonderful sounds.


From: Dan da Man on 15th Jan 2009 14:33.57
i'll be arriving from china the day before haha
Big grin bring it on

From: Jake on 18th Jan 2009 16:56.15
Looking forward to the party on fri Smile

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