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Local Guides
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ANDY MOOR
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by
Tamara Holmes
February 14 - 20, 2008 |
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Andy Moor always wanted more out of music. As a result, he
currently hovers on the 30 spot of the World DJ Poll and has a
tour schedule more dizzying than a trip through Alice’s much–
loved Wonderland. Beyond solo work, Moor is also a member of
collaborative acts such as Leema & Moor, Tilt and Whiteroom,
meaning that, by the age of 20, he was already hosting sold–out
crowds desperate to hear his production and DJ skills.
“Hard work creates luck in any area of life,” says Moor, fresh
from the Los Angeles–based 50th Annual Grammy Awards where
he was a nominee for Best Non–Classical Remixed Recording for
his full length mix of ‘Angelicus’ alongside Carl Craig, Eric Prydz,
Dirty South and (eventual winner) Benny Benassi. “You can only
get so far in life when luck outweighs the amount of work you put
in. If you are lucky and get to a certain stage in your career, then
you must be extremely lucky to get to the next step. Then, it’s
almost impossible to rely on luck to get to the step after that. I
was lucky enough to be born with an amount of natural musical
and technical ability.
“But I could also have been lazy, therefore getting nowhere if
I just pursued my laziness.”
Moor grew up surrounded by music. A skilled pianist, he also
took to other instruments which he learned to play by ear before
hitting on an unusual choice in high school. “I was the last person
to choose my instrument,” laments Moor.
“The only instrument left was a bassoon so I ended up with that.
My mum encouraged me to play whilst I was young. The first toy
piano was bought for my sister but it wasn’t long before she
realized that I wouldn’t let her get on it. She also encouraged me
to not quit playing instruments in high school but I thought I was
‘cool’ and that no ‘cool kids’ played. We devised a plan where
nobody ever found out and I played after school. Unfortunately,
none of the instruments I play are particularly useful [in my new
production style] outside the orchestra or sound effects area.
“Beyond this, I don’t think anybody influenced my choices. If
anything, they encouraged me the opposite way.”
Moor was on an uphill battle then. With electronic music only
just hitting popularity, he first tried to get his school to purchase
an electric keyboard. Next, he tried getting into studios to try and
watch how it was done. Not much worked and, in the end, Moor
credits the dance music industry — and it alone — for influencing
his next steps towards the genre. Since joining the industry full
throttle, Moor says that not much has surprised him about the
work along the way. “When I first got into the industry, I met
some good people, but also a lot of people who were very
arrogant and you wouldn’t trust them not to take advantage of
you, which they often did. Since I broke away from that side of the
industry, everyone I meet are really amazing. Nearly everybody,
from promoters to other artists, are far fetched from what I would
expect [someone like] George Bush thinks we are all like.”
The biggest and most refreshing surprise about Moor is that
he’s not a self–described perfectionist. With most DJ/producers
admitting to spending hours tweaking minute beats in the name
of flawlessness, Moor insists that his tendencies to behave like
that are few and far between. “Unfortunately, I’m not [a
perfectionist]. At least, not consistently which, being consistent
would take me closer to perfectionism! I am a perfectionist when
it comes to certain details, but then I will get bored or tired on
the next part and rush that [part] through. So, you get a hot pot
of really good, well thought–out sounds combined with something
that I had no inkling in improving. I’m not sure perfectionism
should have a place in music as a lot of the most creative things
come from accidents and the way you interpret those accidental
sounds.”
Since Moor finds himself in a collaborative position more
often than not — through both his side projects and remix
partnerships — it limits even further any desire to be a
perfectionist in production. “Motivation and inspiration,” Moor
affirms when asked what he finds most inspiring about working
under the guise of Tilt, Whiteroom, Leama & Moor, and so forth.
“On my own, I sometimes go off on a tangent in the studio and
it’s nice to have someone there to keep me from doing this.
Working with someone helps me to stay motivated, and bouncing
ideas off each other is a priceless act in improving the working
environment. Working on my own is also nice and I can just go
and get done what I want without sometimes explaining things,
but the benefits of working with someone greatly outweighs
[this].”
This is something Moor intends on vamping up in 2008 with
a recent change in the career landscape. The Grammy nod
coupled with a host of killer sounds on the horizon has seen a
schedule much busier than he had considered. “I had intended on
taking less time touring and more time in the studio to finally get
my solo album finished, but so far it looks like I’m going to be
spending a lot of time on the road again. I love touring and am
obviously grateful for this, but its important to get a balance
between touring and studio work, which I intend on getting right
before the end of the year. I enjoy both [touring and being in the
studio], but at differing times. If I am in the studio, then I’m
looking forward to getting on the road, and vice–versa. I get
equal satisfaction from both.” V [TAMARA HOLMES]
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