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LJ Parker Kane ( 01.08.2008 - 21:20 GMT UTC )
1. As a very special guest for Trancesound.net, having this exclusive interview, could you introduce yourself to the community and share with us information of you as a person and an artist aswell ?
LJ Parker Kane: Special? Nah.. Just ordinary guy with little different kind of dreams. Anyway, I am finnish guy called Timo Reunanen also known as Parker Kane, born in 1980 and resident LJ of Monday Bar. Yeah, I'm a light jockey, guy who just want to play with lights.
2. Many people would have chosen a different path to become DJs but you have changed that idea and then choose your path to become a top LJ instead, could you tell us how did you became interested in being a LJ rather than a DJ ?
LJ Parker Kane: I think it's because I don't want to be front of everybody, but I want to do something great, something that everybody can see and I don't need to be in spotlight. For me, music is only half of the show, visuals are the other half. I think, clubbers these days are more demanding and expect more and more from parties. Common belief is, that it's really hard to control lights, but it's not. You just need to push buttons. Or then, I just think it's really easy.
3. We know that you are taking your musical knowledge into your work and transfer that whole knowledge into visual effects, but could you share with us further details of your musical experience so far ?
LJ Parker Kane: When I was a child, I played quite a lot of piano, mainly classical stuff, Adagio, Pour Adeline, Phantom of the opera and so on. Thanks to that, I have rhythm in my soul. I also now and then produced a song, mainly really dark and distracting 303 acid stuff. Yeah, I joined the Dark Side, hahaha!
4. Could you tell us how do you find the keys in the music to link the visual effects so that they are fit for each other. Are there any special musical features you are looking for while planning the effects ?
LJ Parker Kane: Foundation is everything. First I do like every lighting artist would do, I find out the mood of the on going music, what colors to use, how fast lights needs to move and do I need to strobe. This is the most important stuff, because illusion is easily broken if music is slow, warm and beautiful, and lights are like old school hardcore gabber mode. You get the idea. When foundation of lights is solid, I add effects. Linking some lighting effect for some instrument or sound effect, so everyone will get illusion that lights are controlled by music and DJ. For example, before break I play little bit with strobe and it's intensity, and in the break I blind everyone with massive blinders. It's really hard to explain how I do the things what I do. It's like what Morpheus told Neo: "Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is.You have to see it for yourself."
5. As far as I know, You have been performing as LJ for about 4 years and more by now, how does it feel to see your work evolve through out the events that you are taking part in ?
LJ Parker Kane: It feels really good, because I'm really demanding what I do. I mean Really Demanding. I remember when I had done this stuff about year or two, in one gig very good friend of my told "We have watched your doing for about two hours, and need to say that you have been doing awesome job!". I was speechless.
6. How long did it take you to understand the programs that are needed to control the lighting effects ? Did you have to learn any other programming languages aside this task ?
LJ Parker Kane: It took ages! I'm not sure, but it took about year or two developing my own style and how to do it. These days it's quite mature. How I did it ? I needed to hack the software little bit, develop my own additional features for intend use lot of time to fine tune it. For example, I can now control my system via my mobile phone. Nowadays I have started to learn Grand Ma lighting table, because it's so awesome, flexible and you can do almost anything with it!
7. There are several control programs that are needed to control all the systems around, but can You share with us, further details of what program do you feel is the best fit for you in this kind of job and why ?
LJ Parker Kane: I learned this in hard way, because it doesn't matter what controller you use, only what you can do with current setup. You can do great lights with simple controller and bad lights with great controller. Because electronic dance music changes so fast and you need to respond quickly, so for me, I need lot of buttons, faders and little bit flexile controller.
8. Since the visual effects are always directly linked to the events, and I reckon these are one of the best part, along good music, good venue and the right place, are there any special ways to train your skills as LJ and could you tell us what it takes to prepare yourself for a lighting show ?
LJ Parker Kane: It's really hard to train, mainly because there are so much different kind of lights in market, those are quite expensive and sometimes you don't even know what you will have. I think only way to train, is to work hard. Ok, not that hard, just work even little bit, so you can gain experience. When I prepare, I search for mixes of DJs who are going to play in that particular gig, find out how they play, what kind of music they play and little bit brainwash myself . For me, it's really important to have good mood, because everyone can see that from lights.
9. Let`s go back in the days... Tell us about your first club gig called"Traffic", since it was your first gig in a club, how did you prepare yourself for this event ?
LJ Parker Kane: Traffic. I didn't know how to prepare, what to expect, but I was so nervous. Really. My first gig! With two moving lights and strobe! I didn't know what to do with them. But it was good gig. I had so much fun back then.
10. What would be the best ever visual show you have ever constructed, could you tell us how was it like ?
LJ Parker Kane: This is really difficult question, because every gig has its own atmosphere, but there are three gigs I have to mention, Monday Bar XL featuring Carl Cox, Laserpoint 2008 and Club liQuid. At Laserpoint and Monday Bar I was like little child in Christmas Eve, so much stuff, so much to play with, but still, technical guys at both gigs did so awesome job with designing and building it. And after both gig I was "End already? No way!". Club liQuid wasn't so big and massive, but its atmosphere were so unique. There were cliff wall behind glass, which I colored with washers. It was simply beautiful.
11. You were selected as one of the best LJ's in 2005 Finnish Club Awards, how did you feel about it when you found out that your job as LJ have been noticed so well ?
LJ Parker Kane: I was touched. I didn't know what to say, I thought nobody knew what I really do, because most of the clubbers won't "see" lights, but their sub consciousness will. Good lights and visuals boost up the feelings that music creates. When I see clubbers screaming and dancing like there is no end, it gives me energy to continue my work. I have to thank everyone who voted me back then.
12. Please, tell us about your future, are there going to be any upcoming visual shows you would like to share anything about with us, being the first to know ?
LJ Parker Kane: I think big Big BIG for the future! There are always upcoming shows from me, but I'm too shy to tell my word domination plans.
Interview made by Tony Peltonen aka ACrIkeD (TranceSound.net forum moderator)
Links:
Lj Parker Kane @ MySpace
Schulman Management official website
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