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Modular magic from the Freerotation co-founder.

Back in the mid-'00s, Steevio was a regular user on the production section of mnml.nl, a popular message board at the time. Its users would regularly ask him questions on all aspects of the production process, and he was always happy to help, offering authoritative advice backed by years of experience. Though he was never secretive about his craft, an aura nevertheless built up around him—a dreadlocked former free-party organiser holed up in North Wales with a killer setup. These days Steevio is most widely known, along with his partner, Suzybee, as the founder of Freerotation festival, which next month reaches its tenth anniversary, but he still seems as passionate as ever about the possibilities of electronic music production (even if running the festival means he has much less time in the studio than he'd like). He gets his kicks from a modular rig that itself has become a little mythical. The full setup is Keith Emerson-esque, and has only been used live a handful of times outside of Freerotation (Steevio offered to bring it to London for this film but said the whole process would have taken a week in total).

Building the rig has been worth the effort—it's helped Steevio develop a style you could spot in a blind test. He's fond of slippery melodies and subtly broken beats, a sound that comes from a desire to stand out in the house and techno pack. "I got bored of hearing the same 4/4 motifs like snare drums and claps on the beats 2 and 4, which is the common house method of punctuating the rhythm," he said in 2012. These one-take jams usually end up on his own Mindtours label, although there have been releases on UntilMyHeartStops and Schmorgasbord as well. Barring any further delays at the pressing plant, there'll be a new Modular Techno EP on Mindtours and a track on a compilation EP for the Freerotation label (alongside tracks from Anthony Child, Duckett and Tom Ellis) in the coming weeks. For now, put aside 15 minutes and watch Steevio weave his modular magic.

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Credits:
Director - Patrick Nation
Producer - Debbie Butts
Camera - Patrick Nation, Debbie Butts, Guy Clarke
Sound Engineers - Rich Cufley