Vapourspace: On Remixing Progressive Rock for 2002

When Mark Gage released his superb experimental techno album "Themes from Vapourspace" in 1994, the album's reception put him on a par with his American contemporary of the time Richie Hawtin, aka Plastikman. While Hawtin went on to become a globally recognised DJ, Dale retreated somewhat, not helping his media reputation by labelling his music "neo-classicist electronic."

However, despite his unwillingness to embrace mainstream marketing niceties, he's remained recognised and highly rated, recently being recruited by seminal progressive rock label Magna Carta to remix tracks from their roster. The Result, Sonic Residue from Vapourspace, is a highly varied and original collection of work covering tracks from some of the greatest rock musicians of all time. From Peter Gabriel's bassist Tony Levin to Billy Idol's guitar prodigy Steve Stevens, he's reworked their tunes to impressive effect for the new album. Skrufff's Benedetta Ferraro asked the questions.

Skrufff: How did this project with Magna Carta come about-

Vapourspace (Mark Gage): "Believe it or not, one of the owners of Magna Carta in Rochester NY, which is where I live, read about me and heard my name coming up frequently in conversation, so he asked me 'to do something' with his label. I'm never opposed to take on something if I consider it interesting or different, so I did. In the past, I remixed Todd Levin who was on Deutch Gramophone, a classical music label, so this idea wasn't new to me. I don't really care which artists are involved in a project, if they're famous or belong to a certain genre… I'd work with them if there's something there which is interesting for me too."

Skrufff: What does Magna Carta release mainly-

Vapourspace: "There are two sides to the label. One puts out tribute albums, especially to big prog rock bands like Genesis or Yes, for example. The other involves new prog rock artists putting out new, original albums. I made it clear to them that I wanted to work with that latter side of the label and their most recent releases, which date back to nearly two years ago, the time when I first got involved with them."

Skrufff: Despite the cheesy tribute aspects surrounding Magna Carta, it actually hosts some of the biggest rock musicians in the world, on its roster …

Vapourspace: "And that's why I also accepted their offer. I was getting master tapes of Tony Levine, Steve Stevens, and Terry Bozio, who wouldn't want me to screw around with it. I had the chance to spend a whole year working on these tracks in the comfort of my home studio, why would I miss such an opportunity-"

Skrufff: Have you had any criticism for working with old progressive rockers-

Vapourspace: "Well, sometimes I don't like the elitist attitude that exists among artists in the electronic music circles. I'm not above other people. I don't pick up a track to remix thinking 'it sucks and I'm going to do a better job with it'. I've heard artists like Richard James adopting this attitude in an interview, it was some time ago so he may have changed his views now, saying that he would agree to remix, if the original track really sucked and he knew he could do a better job. I'm not on that vibe myself."

Skrufff: Why would Magna Carta be interested in venturing in electronic music, to branch out to a younger market perhaps-

Vapourspace: "Maybe, but I don't know how successful they would be with my releases appearing on their label, if they want to get young people to buy. Typically, my music is so heady that it might hit young people, but it has to be the thinkers. Those who love to tap their feet may be happier listening to a happier sounding DJ. I think it's more likely that the label wanted to bring more light to their album acts, that wouldn't normally get as much coverage in the media as their tribute acts do."

Skrufff: The burning question. How much of a prog rock fan are you in reality-
Vapourspace: "Well, I just turned 40, so I am familiar wi Tags

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