Technasia's Charles Seigling- Where East Meets West

Hong Kong's Amil Khan and Europe's Charles Seigling together form Technasia, well established players on the worldwide international techno scene. While Amil remains based in Hong Kong, running the pair's identically named label, Charles tours the world, recently performing throughout Asia. Catching up with Skrufff's man-in-China Seb Bayne recently, he appeared enthusiastic about Technasia's progress.

Skrufff: What is the idea or philosophy behind Technasia-

Technasia: "The confrontation of culture and ideas. East meets west. The success of Technasia comes from the fact that ideas and ideals of the individuals in Technasia have always been confrontational, pushing the barriers further. Technasia is much more than an artist or a label; it's a mix of my European artistic, musical, social and philosophic influences put together with Amil's."

Skrufff: You and Amil recently performed a live show at Skol Beats in Brazil, how was that received-

Technasia: "Very well. Though it was not my first time in Brazil. I have been there twice already for DJ tours. The scene is growing really fast over there and people have really caught on to the music. The festival was just amazing; 50 000 people for 12 hours of partying. We played on the main stage for the sunrise ... magic."

Skrufff: How does a 'Technasia' live show actually work-

Technasia: "We try to take a very musical approach not like with a DJ set and try to welcome the listener into the Technasia musical world, like on our album. We have to think to make them dance, and we also have to entertain them as the public also comes to see us in person. The live performance has to be listened to but also watched, so we use a lot of vocal tracks of mine, real instruments and sometimes percussion like a Gong."

Skrufff: As a DJ you play techno on three decks, mixing records in and out quickly, why have you chosen this style as a DJ-

Technasia: "It's really a feeling thing. Live performances need to be prepared in advance with rehearsals and studio work whereas DJ performances are very intuitive. I have to be in phase with the public, on the same wave. Mixing records fast is just a trick, a technique, like scratching or shuffling. If my set goes into a very intense techno vibe, I need these skills to makes it even more intense. The public wants that emotion and vibration. Playing fast and with 3 decks sets me free, and then sets the public free."

Skrufff: You are based in France, Amil in HK, how do you guys work together with this distance between you-

Technasia: "Well, it's not very easy as you can imagine but technology like the internet definitely helps. We would not have been able to run Technasia 10 years ago. Communication has now become so easy, convenient and cost-effective. Amil is also very busy of recent times taking care of Technasia the label and all of its subsidiaries like Sino, Startracks and Plus (with my first DJ mix CD recorded in Beijing one year ago). So I have to concentrate more by myself on composing music."

Skrufff: When will the next Technasia single be released and will it be similar in style to funky/Detroit sound of 'Evergreen' and 'Force'-

Technasia: "Yes ... and no. It's again something different, a musical direction where people are not expecting us to travel, but we like to give surprises. We stayed quiet for a time after the huge success of our album. We wanted to have a break. I was also very busy DJing. This new single will be released in November. Before that time, there is also a Technasia remix album coming in September featuring excellent remixes by Claude Young, Funk D'Void, John Tejada, Renato Cohen (a talented new Brazilian artist!) and Technasia."

Skrufff: How do you find Chinese crowds compare to a European clubbers-

Technasia: "They're very different. In Europe, people have an a very good knowledge of this music since they've been living with it for more then 15 years now whereas in China, it is still a pr Tags

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