Psymedia : <\/em>United Beats Records\u00a0is a few years old now. What\u2019s it like working with a new label considering how rocky the music industry is?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nMekkanikka :\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>It\u2019s been a few rocky years since the whole scene moved into the digital format, but it feels we are finding ourselves more independent from distributors and more in control of our music\/projects. United Beats Records<\/strong>\u00a0has been growing a lot lately and I believe it will grow stronger within the next year. Lots of great music will be released in the coming year.<\/p>\nPsymedia : <\/em>You\u2019ve released several albums in your career. Do you think the format works or do listeners want music quicker in EP format? How much do you think the physical packaging, artwork and titles of tracks contribute to the artist\u2019s vision?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nMekkanikka :\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Well I still enjoy a full album, 2-3 tracks in an EP doesn\u2019t quench my thirst, whereas 9 tracks tell you a story, it allows the artist to fully express himself. The physical packaging has lost it s value of course, but this already happened when the music industry moved to CD format. Vinyl was a true work of hard with great covers. It really was a way to express the whole vision of an artist.<\/p>\nPsymedia : <\/em>How would you compare the sound and production of your work now to your earlier years? Do you mainly make use of hardware or software? Take me through the process of writing a Mekkanikka\u00a0track.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nMekkanikka :\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>My sound has changed quite a bit over the years. I appreciate when artists evolve. My first album on Spirit Zone<\/strong> was made with sampler, synth and a mixer all hardware and then the output of the mixer was recorder onto a DAT machine. Later on I moved into the digital world using only digital plug ins and synth. Right now I am back to the full analog spectrum of thing. I write with Logic using plugs, but then I run everything through a Summing device (Egret-crane song), Analog EQ (JDK), analog Compressor (Millennia TCL-2), Analog convertor (BURL b2) and a new toy called M\/S Mastering by SPL that allows me to split the stereo signal into a Middle\/Side signal, so I can treat the center and the side separately.<\/p>\n