D VOID OF FEELINGS

While the name Lars Sandberg may not yet have the cachet of Dave Clarke or Dave Angel, tracks by the 26-year-old Glaswegian have ripped up dancefloors and stirred souls in equal measures for the last two years.
Recording as Funk D Void and Chasers for the indominatable Soma label, Lars has released jackin trax ( Jack Me Off and Bad Coffee ) and deep, soulful techno ( Sides of Iron and Soul Man ). Each production has succeeded in disproving the jaded techno is dead theory and has further consolidated his position as one of the most exciting electronic producers around. With Funk D Void s debut album, Technoir, currently available, we took the opportunity to talk to Lars about his past, present and future.
Having played at his own club, Blackout, the previous night with labelmate Percy X, Lars is still in remarkably chatty form. Although the night in question didn t go as well as planned, he remains adamant that Glasgow remains one of the last bastions for techno.
It s dying elsewhere, and I think that s because there s something lacking in a lot of the techno around. It s the same with house music. I love deep, funky house music: there s only so much cheesy stuff you can take. Unfortunately a lot of techno DJs just play bangin music and that just gives the whole scene a bad name. Stuart McMillan is the best DJ I ve ever heard because he plays deep, percussive techno. His club (Slam in Glasgow Ed.), Bugged Out (Manchester) and Voodoo (Liverpool) are the best techno nights in the country.
Lars introduction to clubbing began as a DJ at the age of 16. Playing chart hits in under-18s clubs , he discovered acid house and believes it saved him from becoming a radio DJ! When the first acid house club opened in 1987 in Glasgow, Lars would put a basketball under his duvet and sneak out of his parent s house to experience the new music.
Whenever you ask a DJ what turned them on to dance music they always mention a pivotal track. For me there were three: Nude Photo , The Chase by Moroder and this bhangra house track I loved! I think that in the early days we were all dazzled by the concept of DJing. Myself and a mate would go out wearing matching bandanas and luminous Hawaiian shirts with Acid written across the front! He went on to become a professional golfer!
Lars, meanwhile continued to DJ, and became involved in music production by hooking up with a music professor from Glasgow University, who already had all the necessary studio equipment to make dance tracks. I got into techno production quite slowly, says the man responsible for the sounds explored on both Soul Man and Bad Coffee. But although there are tracks of varying bpms on it, my LP Technoir is a techno album. It covers all forms of techno and house, and is my interpretation of the music I like. For example, I d prefer to listen to deep, headphone techno at home than Jeff Mills tracks.
Although Lars says that he isn t sure what he ll be doing in five years time ( but it will have something to do with music ), his more immediate plans revolve around playing live and DJing. I ve done about ten live shows since January 1996, and I m always nervous before them. Mind you, even if I m DJing I get nervous. When I was DJing in Spain last year, Jeff Mills and Josh Wink were down the front watching me, and I was playing Mills records! Can you imagine that?!!
With as much difficulty as imagining techno music without Lars Sandberg s unique touch. n
Funk D Void s Technoir is out now on Soma. Funk D Void plays the Red Box, Dublin on July 5th.