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June 28, 2006
Seymour Butz Interview
by Tatu Vuolteenaho
Seymour Butz is a DJ and producer from Sydney, Australia. He plays
at clubs in Australia, London and in the US and has a DJ residency at
Kens at Kensington, a legendary gay sauna in Sydney. He has produced
three Sauna Sessions mix CDs and has also produced and remixed music
under the name Stereogamous.
"A lifetime of listening to disco is too high a price to pay for
being a gay man, and a whole night of listening to pop trance is too
high a price to go to a gay bar. Inspired by the deep porn
soundtracks from 70's bareback video's and just how at odds this feel
good gay music is with the nadir of one-dimensional euro cheese
infecting the speakers of so many gay sound systems. It's about
bringing something dark &
provocative & predator-y back to you earhole."
(taken from Stereogamous MySpace profile)
T: How old are you?
S: Im in my extremely late 20's
T: Is Seymour Butz your real name?
S: It my sauna name. Taken from a cruel childhood taunt for being
the fat kid at school. Pre puperty, I didnt know that I could own it
so well.
T: What was your favorite music as a teenager?
S: I recieved "Destroyer" by Kiss and Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" for
my 5th bitrthday - cool older sibling guided me well. In my teens it
was a mix of gayish synthpop and angular guitar stuff like Fugazi and
Talking Heads.
T: When did you start DJing and when did you start making music?
S: I had my first radio show in the 80's in Hobart, Tasmania,
playing devo and snakefinger. One day a nightclub (ok the only night
club - the downtowner - known as the 'Downtrousers' - cause "the
gays" went there) phoned up cause the resident dj hadn't shown. My
friend put on eyeliner and gelled my hair - this was pre electroclash
irony. I started doing wierd reel to reel re-edits at the station to
take to the club, all pre digital age.
T: How has your DJing style developed over the years? When did you
get into the sound that is on your sauna sessions CDs?
S: When I arrived in Sydney in the early 90s there were 3 styles of
music - hinrg, higher nrg and higest nrg. I basically started out
just swimming against the (main)stream. I really need to hear
something masculine/grubby/deep and sexual rather than "sexy." It
didn't exist so I just found an (steamy) outlet. The 'crackademic' of
meth and the one dimensional arythmia that is sweeping gayland is
another reason to keep pushing it sideways.
T: How would you describe the concept 'horizontal dancing'?
S: It's music to get all sweaty grindy to. Raising a gland, not your
hands. It's not chill out, its more "warm-in".
T: What is the difference between the music you play in the clubs
and the music you play at the saunas?
S: Playing at Trough Faggot Party, Club Kooky and Chunk is more for
beer drinking and sweating it out. You can still keep in hot and
horny with out resorting to fluffy filler.
T: What kind of requests do you get when you play?
S: Can I have your number? "when do you get your break?"
T: Many of the events you play are sexually charged.Do you just stay
cool and play music or...?
S: Playing in just a towel, its not unusual to get propostiioned.
Whenever I get offered blow job or a rimming while playing my respone
is usually "Im a professional, not a prostitute" I will take phone
numbers or make someone wait till the end of my shift. They usually do.
T: Do you also play at straight or mixed scene? Would you be
interested?
S: Ironically since playing at the sauna I've been asked to spin
for Kylie, Linda Evangelista, Natalie Imbruglia and more foxy ladies.
They may be hetreosexual, but I wouldn't call them straights. Gay is
the new straight isn't it?
T: How do you find all this great music you put on the CDs?
S: I suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder when it comes to
tunes... always looking over my shoulder to hear what's around the
corner. Fortunately the "sauna" genre has found some enthusiastic
followers and I have great friends making music especially for the
tubs. Like The Presets (www.thepresets.com) They wrote 'Steamworks'
just for me, after telling them salacious details about the great
sauna chain in North America. I just played there for Toronto Pride -
it was a tsunami of arse! I also have made strong links with homo
brothers like Khan, Kid Congo Powers, Paul Mac and Aaron Carl. They
make me want to create for our own.
T: The music you play could be seen as alternative, different and
advanced if compared to the general gay scene music. Often DJ
is expected to play what the crowd wants. Do you educate the crowd
to be receptive to your sound or you just find the right kind of
crowd? Do you sometimes have to go towards 'cheese' just to keep the
partygoers happy? Or do you get surprised that how advanced the crowd
generally can be?
S: Homos are wise and have great taste in music. Bar Managers and
promoters generally are about making money, so sadly the cheese seems
to make it onto the musical platter first. I'm more comfortable
playing in a grimey bar that a flash circut party. We have been
culturally opressed for too long, by ourselves!. All those "glad to
be gay" and "fire island anthems" compilation cds have pushed us into
a very narrow corridor. Im happy to smash that sequined box.
T: Where can you buy your sauna Sessions CDs?
S: Distribution is difficult from territory to territoy. Get in touch
and I will touch you back. And hook you up with a disc!
T: Could visually more flamboyant queens and the sound you provide
in a club go well together?
S: Of course! Flamboyant queens stretch the visual boundaries and
music is the sonic perfume. Do you want to wear GAP or Comme de
Garcons?
T: Any tips for those who would be interested in DJing at gay
saunas?
S: Approach your favorite sex club and get on the decks. Remember,
it's not a dance party. However much you love Madonna, we don't need
her when your throwing someone into a sling. Think about what you
want to hear when your being penetrated. Tops should learn how to
take it before plying someones earhole with sound. At the end of the
day cubicle music should just be an aroma. Versatility is the key.
Links
http://www.myspace.com/stereogamous
http://www.saunasessions.com
http://www.saunasessions.blogspot.com
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