Haul Together Now

Melbourne techno luminary Mike Callander is bringing Antipodean techno to the world with the credible Haul Music, which he runs alongside fellow DJ Craig McWhinney and live laptop auteur Christian Vance. The three have consistently produced solo music for Haul, exchanging remixes. But now Callander and McWhinney have formed their own live outfit, also called Haul Music, performing their fifth gig, no less, at Good Friday's Melbourne Techno Collective (MTC) bash. The Lucky Coq event ties in with the ingenious Best Of Both Sides 2012 festival. Callander, a product of the western suburbs, has a unique view on Melbourne's cultural schism. “Historically, I would have always said I like it on the north side, but in the last couple of years there's been a huge shift away from that,” the DJ says. “Now most of my gigs are on the south side – Revolver every week and gigs at places like Killing Time… There's lots of stuff happening. I feel like the previous argument of the north being bohemian and the south being sort of snobby – those lines are really blurred now and it's less important than it used to be. But I guess if I had to choose somewhere to have a coffee, I'd do it on the north – and, if I was going clubbing, I'd probably do it in the south!”

Callander, then in his early 20s, first left his mark on Australia's 'Techno City' in the early 2000s, promoting the club Fokus. The sometime politics student went on to enjoy a prestigious residency at Honkytonks (he mixed its commemorative compilation Honkytonks: The Last Dance with Aram Chapers). And he'd play abroad, notably in Berlin, DJ T a faithful supporter. Callander began booking Revolver Fridays' back room in late 2010 after a three-month stint in Europe (Revolver has also hosted the Haul Music Haus Party). Even then, the Yarra divide was discussed, the venue worried that the city's techno kids might not rock up. But come they did – together with locals. “I really feel like part of a family now,” says Callander. Above all, the DJ ensures that the night is devoted to “adult techno” – and “cool house music”.

Beyond that, Haul Music is at the forefront of an underground global techno movement. The label launched digitally in 2008 with Vance's Too Long On Venus. Callander provided the second EP, Drone – with more since. In recent times, Haul has signed other artists' music. Look out for Patience from Melbourne's Paul Graham, aka DJ Booshank (Callander has remixed it). “He gave us a demo of quite a few tracks a little while ago and we were absolutely blown away.” Haul's first vinyl issue was Callander's 2011 Twilight. At this stage, the “gang” will solely press up wax for their own EPs, Callander says. “The costs are very high and the return is generally zero, so it's 'buy your kids a job' kind of stuff – it's reinvesting in yourself in some way.” Indeed, the Haul founders subsidise the label with other income: Vance is in the restaurant trade, McWhinney works as a graphic designer, and Callander DJs solidly. Still, they plan a lavish vinyl package for the upcoming Haul Stars. “We've invited a few people to submit some tracks – some other Aussie techno heroes,” Callander teases. 

The Haul triumvirate are known for their divergent sensibilities – and outlooks. Vance is an exponent of hi-tech soul, upholding the musical and intellectual values of Detroit techno's 'godfathers'. He's infamous for not tolerating 'debased' electronica – and fans adore him for it. Callander is equally loved for his charming diplomacy. “I think we're different enough that it just works,” he considers. “We can exist in our own little headspace, each of us, and not step on the others' toes – and that's how it's successful. We're all very opinionated – some of us are more forthcoming with those opinions than others [laughs] – and, between the three of us, we could easily really be at loggerheads quite often on a number of issues. But we're able to write a lot of it off as, 'Oh well, that's just how that person is'… So it's a healthy working relationship where the differences are kind of advantages, rather than hindrances. On a taste level, we each have to trust each other's judgement.” Regardless of the solo track each of the posse contributes to Haul Stars, the others will wholeheartedly accept it.

Callander's biggest project yet is his – and Haul's – inaugural 'artist' album, Antarctica. It came out last month, albeit only digitally. “My music's way too weird to press on vinyl in an album format – it'd be commercial suicide,” Callander reckons. He spent months on Antarctica, largely “dark chill-out” over club fare. Yet its release was, Callander admits, extremely lowkey. “I intentionally didn't do the whole publicity promo push because, look, partly I was probably afraid to read the feedback [laughs] – and partly I was wanting to just make a statement that I'm really happy with this and I've done it and I don't really care about what anyone says or thinks when it's out.” He figured it'd be “pretty unpalatable” to anyone but “really keen techno listeners.” Ironically, Callander has been astonished by the “incredible amount of positive feedback.” “One of the great indicators has been, the day after I released it, I just did a little Google search – you know, 'Mike Callander, Antarctica' – and the first six pages of Google results were all pirated illegal downloads. I was like, 'Shit, I must be doing something right here!'” True. Brit Dave Seaman licensed the single The Blinding Light & The Darkness for his Renaissance Masters comp. (Alex Smoke signed on to remix it.) The DJ is currently assembling a remix album.

Techno is, Callander says, in a curious place, post-minimal era. Lately, the music has made a resurgence – but the scene, though forever mutating, is inherently “fragmented”. Callander tends to see it in terms of a “stadium” (or festival) techno, with a “basement” (club) strain, the latter more grown-up. He raves about Saschienne's album Unknown on Michael Mayer's Kompakt, Sascha Funke teaming with his vocalist/instrumentalist wife Julienne Dessagne to create soulful Teutonic techno. “That's the best thing I've heard in a long time.”

That Callander and McWhinney have followed Vance by developing a live show is down to promoter Richie McNeill, who sought something different for December's Stereosonic Festival. They've since triumphantly hit Sydney. The duo next mean to cut an EP modelled on their spirited set. “We've got this set-up where we basically take elements of each other's music and just jam,” Callander explains. He handles the melodic parts and former rock drummer McWhinney the beats. And Callander is “loving” it. “It's a whole new musical journey for me because I've been DJing 11 years now – at least getting paid to DJ for 11 years – and it's nice to have that excitement again where you're shitting yourself and you're not sure if it's gonna work. There's a lot of pressure, [but] potentially the outcome can be incredible, so that's a really nice sensation.”