Although most techno albums are built purely for dance floors–whether it’s anthologies or a bunch of tracks in a similar style–the ones that stand the test of time are those that make permanent connections with audiences. Simply put, Jake Fairley’s latest album, Touch Not The Cat, rocks. He fleshes out harder styles like acid and schaffel for all the power they’re worth. The absence of pretence, and perhaps the non-stop nights of hometown Toronto, have helped him generate an album with anthems that are suitable for the grittiest of underground clubs at 4 am, the drunkest of basement parties, or firing up a local football or hockey crowd after a big play. He’s living in Berlin for now, because that’s where the work is, but as a proud Canadian he took out a few minutes for SEE last week.

You’re basing yourself out of Berlin now. How’s that been and what precipitated the move?

I’m enjoying it. There are all kinds of people from Canada here. In fact, there are more people from Canada in the scene here than there are from the States. I miss being home, but at least I know that my friends and family will be there in a few years. Now’s the time for me to tour, put out records, and to be part of the international scene–and Europe is where I’m going to see more of that.

What did you enjoy the most about putting together this album?

Although I’ve had a couple of collections, this is the first time that I set out to make an album through concept rather than amassing songs together. It’s a lot more time consuming but it’s been fun, and I’ve been able to do a lot of different things because there are a lot of ways to go into each particular song.

There seems to be a return to melodies, songwriting, and vocals in techno. Be it fun, or dark. Matthew Dear and Plastikman’s latest are obvious examples. Have you enjoyed that?

I’ve been doing vocal tracks for a long time, but now it definitely helps me to not feel as alone. I think it’s been more fun for the scene to not be so clinical, to come out of its shell.

Some of the tracks portray you in a "week long bender" mould. Are you all about the party?

Um... yeah... I party. I still party hard. The album also reflects that I enjoy going to more rock ’n’ roll parties, and parties with my friends–more than just dance parties and club nights. Although, I go to more of those now than ever before.

There are a lot of styles at play here, and it’s really well composed. Minimal, acid, schaffel...

I guess that I don’t want to feel stuck in any one genre. There are so many sounds to techno, and music for that matter. My stuff has always been about things from my experience. The rock-sounding stuff is just a reflection of who I am. I don’t know. It’s just been a series of long, straight lines since day one. There’s a certain percentage of stuff on each line. It isn’t like I woke up and decided to put these things together. It just seems that they’re converging now.

Do you feel you’ve reached a certain level of success? Are you enjoying it?

I seem to go back and forth with that. Last year I was pretty frustrated. How successful I feel seems to be measured by how productive I feel. I’m very pleased with what I’ve just made, and I like the potential of having full Canadian distribution through Paper Bag and Universal, so that makes me feel good. And successful, I guess. Regardless of how things turn out, I’m just going to keep doing this as music making, and everything that surrounds it is what makes me happiest.

Jake Fairley’s Touch Not The Cat is available in Canada on Paper Bag/Universal.