David Morris has fans that are worlds apart; from DJ Zinc to Pete Tong his work as Boy 8-bit has found its way into the ears of many. After starting life as a rural boy hailing from Cornwall where the only early electronic musical education was a distant branch of Our Price and chart dance music, his music has been championed by a whole host of people including Fake Blood, Diplo and New York’s Trouble & Bass crew.
Ahead of his topping of our Room Two bill tomorrow night we caught up with him to shoot the breeze and find out a bit more about the chip tune monikered maestro. Oh and he linked us to a recent upload of his BBC Essential mix for your ears too!
Your next release is coming out on Turbo. Having had releases on so many different labels, do you feel a stronger affiliation with any one label over the others?
Well my first release was on Fake Blood's old label, so I feel a strong affiliation with that because not only was it my first release, but also because he has become one of my best friends. I spent a lot of time touring with Diplo and the people who run Mad Decent so there is also a strong affiliation there - the same with Trouble and Bass.
I only really met the Turbo people recently through this release so hopefully the same will happen with those guys. I have been lucky so far in that I have been able to tour with the labels I release on, that definitely helps build bonds.
I understand that Theo Keating (Fake Blood) really took you under his wing and allowed for your talent to be fully realised? Do you two ever get to spend time in the studio together?
We've never really spent that much time in the studio together.. We tried once, but at the time we both used different bits of software so I just ended up getting frustrated. We are currently working on a track together "over the internet"... Which should see the light of day in the next few months!
I've had a listen to your Old Amiga Tracks on your Soundcloud page. It's not only refreshing to see an artist that doesn't take himself too seriously but also great to see the early experimentation with sound that so many producers hide. Do you approach tracks with a strong initial idea in your head or do your ideas come from hours of experimentation still?
I definitely find it easier to get my ideas down now, so there is a little less experimentation involved.. But I still like to experiment with things and will definitely be taking that approach more when it comes to an album. A lot of my original tracks come together pretty quickly and will just be a product of messing about, like 'Yard Birds'. But 'The Keep' came about because I wanted a super repetitive banger to put in my sets so I bashed the original demo out in about 2 hours... I that instance I knew what I wanted.
I have no idea if I that actually answered your question!
It's clear that you like to incorporate elements from a number of genres into your sound, from baile funk drum hits to squelching techno lead lines. Are there any combinations of influences that you've attempted to mould together that simply didn't sound right?
Mixing rock and dance music doesn't really work that often... Its pretty naff. Or trying to get a rock asthetic in dance in general.. Most people fail miserably, playing a wack riff on guitars over the top.... Rubbish.
If you weren't a producer, what do you see yourself doing?
I worked in a post room for a bit.. I enjoyed that. I have a degree in Software Engineering, so maybe something along those lines... I just find computers a bit dry now. Every man and his dog has some "IT" experience... It used to be a lot more fun.
Do you still regularly listen to heavy metal?
Yes, as often as possible...
There's an amazing promotional photograph of you taken on a rollercoaster. Was that hard to capture? What was the thinking behind it?
That was with the photographer Dan Wilton, it was his idea to go to Southend on-Sea where they have a little theme park on the sea front.. We had to sneak the camera on to the train, which was difficult as we were the only people on it half the time so we had the stewards full attention. We then had to wait until we got to a certain part of the track and start shooting. It worked really well. I think the person running the ride thought we were crazy though, we went on it about 10 times.. It was also too cold to be in just a T-Shirt. I suffered.
As an electro/techno DJ, how do you feel about going on to do a set after a main room dubstep act?
I was recently sandwiched between two dubstep arts, the one before me being very "main room" as they say... The kids were really into it, lots of moshing and stamping around... definitely doing its job! Very difficult to follow in terms of energy levels and I didn't really try to... You just get on with it and do you thing. There are going to be people there who appreciate what you do..
What's your favourite thing about playing at fabric?
The fact that almost 10 years ago I was there as a punter... And now I'm playing there myself!
What's your highlight of 2010 so far?
Releasing two records that people have been in to.... and being able to continue doing what I love..
Having reported last week on the launch of WetYourSelf’s new record label – we even gave you an exclusive minimix of forthcoming WYS! Recordings material (which you can grab here if you missed it) – the trio of WYS' Sunday night party starters Cormac, Jacob Husley and Peter Pixzel went even further and grabbed Pig & Dan - the techno minded duo they’ve secured for the very first 12” release on their fledgling imprint- for an exclusive interview.
WYS: You haven't played together for a while. How long has it been? What have you been up to and what can we expect from the new performance?
Pig & Dan: I think the main thing to expect is new sounds and new grooves by the bucket load...We have both had our heads down in the studio recently taking time out for our creative side and now it’s time to get out there and project the new sounds.
What are the plans for the future?
Apart from releasing loads of music and touring, as we always have, you will see the reopening of our old record label, Submission. We had to take a break from running our own label purely because of the effort it needed. We have a lot to do in a day of the general madness and now are very lucky to have somebody to start to manage the label for us.
How do you feel your sound has changed over the years?
That’s a hard one, we have never been that conscious of what we do or create, and we believe that that’s one of our advantages. I think we have learned a lot down the road and we are always just trying to better ourselves and are seldom happy with the end results. This keeps us on our toes and makes us keep on trying to do better…
What has been your musical journey?
As far as influence we both hold a very similar opinion on what affected us in a big way. Throughout our journey musically we both found that anything that moves you is what we go for. It doesn't matter what the genre of music it’s all about the feel and whether it grabs your balls or not.
What inspires you at the moment?
Everything… day to day life and everything that surrounds us. Technology is also very inspiring at the moment purely because it’s once again like experimenting like it was with the good old analog gear, now that software is becoming more organic. That’s very inspirational.
What other passions do you have?
Music.
You have performed two times before for us at WetYourSelf. What are your memories from these gigs?
Good times. A crowd of music lovers and not just folk who are there for the wrong reasons. It seems clear to us both that the followers of WYS is a team of true music lovers.
You are now releasing a full EP on WetYourSelf Recordings why did you choose to join the family?
That’s easy; we have known you for some time now and seen where your ambition lies. You hold the same passions we do and that’s the kind of family we all want to be a part of. Or not…?
WYS! 001: Pig & Dan –‘Ay Que Ver’ remixes by Alex Kid, Jacob Husley & Peter Pixzel is out Aug 31st. The release party this Sunday at the 3 Room WYS Bank Holiday Special featuring Pig & Dan in Room Two. For full line up/ticket info go here.
Maayan Nidam’s music has found fans in high places since her first release under her Miss Fitz guise, ‘Drifting On’ was released on Jay Haze’s Contexterrior imprint. The Israel born Berlin resident he’s put records out on numerous labels – including Perlon, Freak’n’Chic and Wolf + Lamb - under numerous names – including Miss Fitz and Laverne Radix – and she’s hitting Room One this Saturday alongside Craig Richards, Seth Troxler and Nicolas Jaar. Ahead of her slot she put together a podcast exclusive for the Hybrid Life website; so to bring it to you we packaged it up alongside a neat little interview...
You released your debut album last year that features a number of Cuban instrumentalists; you seemed to have travelled a lot, would you say different cultures have influenced your work?
Definitely! I pick up ideas from everywhere. The more I travel the more I notice the similarities between different cultures but also the different expressions they take. This doesn't show directly in my sound, (I wont add a Japanese gong after visiting Tokyo) but it stirs the ideas I have, so for example you could recognise it in my mix of different genres or in the subtleties of movement and buildup.
In a relatively short space of time you've amassed an impressive portfolio, with releases on Perlon, Freak n Chic and Wolf + Lamb. It must be reassuring to gain such support early on in your career?
I don't think working in the studio for over a decade would count so short of time. However, my first releases grabbed the attention of some big heads in the scene and some artists; and for them I hold much appreciation. That gave me a lot of confidence to do my own thing instead of following the charts.
How did the moniker Laverne Radix come about? How does Laverne differ from your other aliases?
Laverne was born in Detroit a few years back at the Tesh by the infamous Lee Curtis (although Seth claims credit for it as well). Laverne is simple. The tracks she makes don't take her much of anything. She gets in the studio, breaks out a kick and a snare adds some magic and boom, you got a lil' something something.
Under my own name there's independence in the music, it's more personal, not really bound to any patterns.
Tell us one thing about yourself that no one knows?
I'm a big fan of the old scienterrific series, Cosmos. I think Carl Sagan is the coolest thing to have walked this Earth (and that fake Mars). I’m also in love with David Attenborough's voice. Love going to sleep with him narrating a Planet Earth DVD in the background.
Your latest EP on Wolf and Lamb is 'Greatest Tits' - did you have anyone particularly in mind?!
‘Greatest Tits’ is a pun on greatest hits (which was the original name of the EP) and those who don't live under a rock would know that 'tits' is also slang for something lovely.
To get a bigger picture about you, which three records best describe you?
I change with the seasons so I can tell you that right now I'm feeling like heavy beats & freaky pads...
First finding his feet behind the drum kit of a punk band, Stupids, renowned drum & bass producer Tom Withers – probably better known as Klute – has always had somewhat of an individual outlook on his music. Along with the vibrancy and texture of his own d&b productions, his label, Commercial Suicide, is home to the work of people like Amit and SKC, producers who push boundaries within their chosen tempo(s). Never one to pull any punches his fascination for the intensity of thrash music and his keen ear for the weird and warped, has been encapsulated on his numerous releases to date, but with his new album, ‘Music For Prophet’ set to see a release at the end of this month and a slot lined up in Room Two this Friday we caught up with him to shoot the shit on his music and stuff…
He went the extra yard and compiled a Top 10 of his favourite punk albums too.
So, the new album’s nearly out. Care to give the low-down on it?
Well, it’s not quite out just yet, but almost. There’s a big chain of events involved with an album release, sometimes there are some weak links and things get delayed, nothing too serious this time, so we’re now going ahead with 26th July 2010. It’s a great album if I may say so myself, perhaps think of it as my ‘Exile on Main Street.’
This is now your sixth album to date; do you ever find yourself running out of ideas? How do you keep inspired?
To say that I never find making music difficult would be a lie and would indicate that I am a machine rather than a human musician. Ebbs and flows are part of nature so; yes sometimes inspiration feels like it’s gone for good. I think you'll find that it’s every creative’s worst nightmare. You just have to keep going to break through the brick wall, and then it comes flooding back.
A lot of people, including us, are very intrigued about the reforming of your punk band The Stupids. What anchored you in to getting back behind the drums?
For a few years now I’ve secretly fantasized about recording a hardcore/punk EP for fun. Coincidentally the original guitarist for the band got in contact and we started to play again. The chemistry was there and eventually we decided to record a new album and do some shows. It’s been great and we’re soooo much better than we ever were. Drumming and singing at the same time and talking to the crowd in between the songs is such a different experience to DJing, I love it. It makes we want to grab the mic during a DJ set and start abusing the crowd in between tunes. They’d love it!
So how has ‘The Kid’s Don’t Like It’ been doing?
It's been doing really well, I think people are blown away that we actually managed to reform and make a better album than ever.
Do the years of being immersed in drum & bass ever seep into your work with The Stupids?
Yes, I think so definitely. My drumming is much more "funky" if you can imagine that in the punk.
There’s a lot more movement in d&b than in punk rock, the crowds always dance whereas with rock they often just stand at the front and nod their heads. Back in the day it was the complete opposite. Stage diving; crowd surfing; the lot. How things have changed…
How do you find balancing tours with both The Stupids and yourself as Klute?
Well, last year it was tough, but great fun. This year so far I’ve had to set aside time to finish off the Klute album project and take it on the road. We'll be back for some more Stupids next year. I’m desperate to make another record.
Where are you going, tour-wise, with each name?
Klute will be going everywhere this year – in the last two months I’ve already been to Australia, New Zealand, Prague, Mexico, Budapest and Berlin. After that’s calmed down a little, The Stupids will finally get back out to Europe to tour extensively and also Japan.
And how does the atmosphere of a rock venue fare with that of a club?
As I said before, quite often rock crowds are a bit inert. That’s certainly not true all the time but I still find d&b crowds a lot more expressive and less self conscious. Who’d have thought!?
In a past interview you stated that it is a of part human nature to sub categorise; with genres being merged and submerged across the board, do you feel people, as a whole, have become more open to diversity in music throughout the years?
Yes I do think people have diversified in recent years, but I’m not entirely sure how much they are absorbing. From what I can see, people have lower attention spans in the advent of more choice and as a result they are exposed to more.
Although it’s hard to believe, Marco Carola’s fabric31 album, released at the tail end of 2006 ,was the first compilation he ever mixed. Lucky us!! Fast forward to today and after mix CDs on labels like Time Warp, his Party Animals double disc package alongside Nick Curly is the next Cocoon Recordings smash to hit the shelves. To juxtapose the release – and his imminent appearance in Room One on Saturday 31st July alongside Rhadoo and Heartthrob (Live) – we asked the Italian master to look back at his first mix CD whilst we offer up copies of his newest at the same time.
Think back to your debut compilation for Fabric (fabric31) what are your favourite tracks showcased on the mix?
I still like all the tracks – I don’t really have one favorite track. I see the mix as a whole.
How much planning went into the fabric31 mix compared to more recent mixes?
fabric was my first mix CD, so I was paying a little more attention then but it’s not much of a difference.
What were the ideas behind fabric31?
The idea was to show a mix that would represent me playing in the club, but at the same time trying to balance it with knowing people would be listening at home or in their cars.
What does fabric31 symbolize to you?
Really good DJ gratification.
Where and how did you record the mix?
In my studio in Napoli, I recorded it live.
How do you feel playing at fabric since then and how has your style evolved since then?
The first time I played at fabric was many years ago and my style was much harder. I would say I haven’t changed music but for sure the music I’m playing today is softer than what I was doing in the beginning. And I’m still trying to evolve everything so it’s hard to say at what point is the ‘now’.
To scoop a copy of ‘Party Animals – Marco Carloa and Nick Curly In The Mix’ simply email us the answer to the following question:
There are few voices that are as instantly distinct and powerful as the cult-worshipped master of soul Bilal Oliver. A voice and steez packed with as much flair as unpredictability, Bilal’s fine-tuned, off-the-wall intonations have soared and sauntered across beats of all different sizes and shapes. His impeccable ‘1st Born Second’ album, released on Interscope in 2001 (and recorded at the ripe age of 22), harks back to the ingenuity and stylistic grace of rare soul legends - comparisons to Curtis Mayfield and Prince ran rampant, and for good reason. A few years later in 2006, his hugely-anticipated-and-highly-pirated ‘Love For Sale’ lit up the internet to unparalleled degree but, as one of the biggest mysteries in neo-soul history, never quite lit up the charts. The masterpiece – which featured a wide, colourful range of Bilal’s own smooth jazz-inflected productions - was never released, despite the hype machine righteously making immense waves around it. Regardless, ‘Love For Sale’ still stands tall as a veritable classic, and any self-respecting music collector holds a prized copy close.
Outside of his solo work, the vibrant member of the otherworldly Soulquarians collective has also made his way on to beatific records across the board – from Talib Kweli to Common to Musiq to Robert Glasper to Beyonce. Most recently, he’s been locked in the studio with all manner of exciting producers working feverishly on his forthcoming LP for Plug Research, due out in September. Ahead of his live spot here next Wednesday for Benji B’s Deviation party we caught up with the man himself to talk direction and why its taken him so long to get back to the UK...
How does it feel to be returning to the UK for your first gig in 6 years? Why do you think it’s taken so long to get back over here?
It’s taken me so long to get back over there because I wanted to wait until I had some more material to share with you guys. I’m really excited about this new material and this is definitely an album that I always saw myself playing over there for you guys anyway.
Your next project, is forthcoming on Plug Research in September, can you tell us a little bit about it, who you’re working with on a production tip?
I worked with Nottz, 88Keys, Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra and Tone Whitefield… It’s not a lot of producers on the album, the album has a specific sound and everybody that worked on the album - we really wrote every song from the ground up. ‘Airtight’s Revenge’ (the album’s title) means love when I say it. My revenge means love. I still have more love to give. That’s the thing about this album, it happened by accident. I was doing this album for myself until my friend Steve heard the music and convinced me that the world should hear it.
How’s it sounding? What can we expect?
The music is doing what I’ve always done as far as mixing genres… It’s a little more guitar driven than usual but it’s a mix of a lot of different sounds and styles.
You’ve worked with a whole heap of collaborators in your time, who do you consider some of the best? And who would you still love to work with?
J Dilla is one of the best casts I’ve worked with … I love working with Questlove, Shafiq, Erykah … Pretty much everybody that I’ve worked with in the past, I’d love to work with again. I’d love to work with Flying Lotus, Danger Mouse, Madlib, The Gorillaz… Thom Yorke.
Mathew Jonson is a man that needs no introduction to lovers of techno. The Canadian burst on to the scene in 2001 with tracks like ‘Typerope’ that were picked up by Ricardo Villalobos and DJs worldwide. He has since founded the hugely influential label Wagon Repair, which he has nurtured into an established outfit for artists like Konrad Black, Seth Troxler, Ryan Crosson, Minilogue, Dinky and his brother Nathan Jonson aka Hrdvsion (who Mathew collaborates with under the guise Midnight Operator).
Not content with running a label, producing solo material and touring across the globe, Mathew has collaborated with a number of other producers and artists over the years namely forming the group Cobblestone Jazz with fellow Canadians Danuel Tate, Tyger Dhula and now, The Mole. His use of synthesis is second to none and ‘Marionette,’ perhaps his most well known track, has become a classic record inspiring a generation of fellow artists. Most recently, at the beginning of this week even, Mathew finally unleashed his long-awaited debut artist album on Wagon Repair. ‘Agents of Time' is a 10 track collection of Jonson’s art, building upon his signature sound by veering into slower, more expansive, more contemplative territory. We are beside ourselves to be hosting his live set on our Room One stage this Saturday.
While you read, we pulled a special treat out to celebrate the release of his debut album - here's the set from Mathew's live London debut at fabric in 2004. Enjoy.
Hi Mathew, how are you?
Im good thanks. I just had a great weekend with the guys at Cityfox club in Zurich and now in the studio all week getting ready for fabric this Saturday!!
What is your earliest memory of music?
My father is a musician so it would be him of course singing and playing the guitar. I was lucky to grow up in a house filled with all sorts of musical instruments and as kids we were always allowed to play them. There were drums, flutes, dulcimers (hammer, and other kinds), electric and acoustic guitars and even slide ones played in blues, folk instruments like spoons and washtub basses and washboards, even a harpsichord. My parents enjoyed having their friends over on weekends to play music and sing songs. Usually the musicians that would perform in the theater that my dad helped run would stay at our house so I was around music all the time.
What were you like at high school, was this when you first discovered techno?
Yes I discovered techno first on the local university radio station CFUV. A DJ, and now friend of mine, by the name of Ice E Fresh would play on there every week and thats how I found out about techno. I met some girls that took me to my first rave and then was introduced to other people who were writing electronic music. One of the first was actually a party that Tyger Dhula (from Cobblestone Jazz) was doing, where Derrick May and Juan Atkins played at. We did not know each other at the time but it's funny how things worked out and now we have a band.
With regards to your early work, what inspired you at this time in your life?
Mostly hip hop and rap music as I had never heard techno or house at this time. But also some early electro like Cybotron - Clear, Rockit from Herbie Hancock, and Goodlife by Innercity (Kevin Saunderson). I was really obsessed with break dancing when I was young so also things like Kraftwerk and stuff from the Breakdance movie soundtrack.
How long have you been thinking about releasing a solo album?
A few years. I decided though not to release anything and put my focus on Cobblestone Jazz instead though as I was planning to move to Berlin so did not have much time to write with them over the last year before I left Vancouver. I'm happy I waited though, I like how this album turned out more than the last ones I had that were not released.
What does the album’s title, ‘Agents of Time,’ refer to?
It's about time travel and futurism for the most part. I draw a lot of inspiration from the idea of technology and the future as well as inter-dimentional time travel.
The album consists of predominantly new material but includes a previously released single and a new version of perhaps your most well-known track, 'Marionette.' Was there a reason for including these tracks?
The version of "Marionette" is actually the original version that was made before the single that came out and was never released. I thought at the time that it did not have enough happening in the track but now actually prefer the simplicity of this one if compared. I wanted to include "When Love Feels like Crying" as it was made during the same time period as the rest of the music on the album so seems to fit nicely. I also was going to originally have "Ghosts in the AI" on the album as well but decided it was better not to have so many previously released tracks on it.
Being a member of Cobblestone Jazz, what are the benefits of working by yourself?
I go deeper when I'm on my own. It's something a bit more personal and more meditative, which is necessary in my life.
Is there anyone else you would like to work with at the moment?
Squarepusher, or some drum & bass guys would be fun. Or vocalists would be great. It would be fun to work with Nelly Furtado again sometimes I miss working with her, it was fun.
What’s next for you musically? Are you happy doing what you are doing for the time being, or is there something else you would like to test out in the next 5 to 10 years' time?
I really would like to do more film scores. The one I did with Cobblestone Jazz and Hrdvsion for the "Faust" soundtrack was so fun. A ton of work...but very rewarding. I hope we can release it soon, we are still waiting for rights from the German film board.
There was no hiding from the buzz, clap and rush of Dan Curtin’s‘Lifeblood’ album launch this Saturday, as rhythm lovers danced knee-deep in kinetic grooves and hypnotic dancefloor minimalism. Taking over Room Two, the Mobilee crew are one of Berlin’s most recognizable brands; uncompromisingly unique, they keep the family vibe at its core, building on the talents of a small group of artists including Pan-Pot, Sebo K, Exercise One, all lead by the fearless and faithful head honchos, Anja Schneider and Ralf Kollmann.
With nine album releases under his belt, Dan’s tireless thirst for sonic innovation has seen him mark down on labels, Strictly Rhythm, Sublime, Paper, Nepenta, Down Low and Rush Hour. With this being his first LP in three years, the Midwestern native has outdone himself, showing music-heads a potency of the house and techno genre and what it’s truly capable of. Taking time out from his ‘Lifeblood’ tour, Dan reflects on his latest workings, linking a selection of tracks to a kindred representation of artistic snap shots that will provoke unexpected emotions, moods and ideas. Drawing upon the grabbing and controversial ‘Zeitgeist’ documentary that purports to tell the real truth about Christianity, 9/11, and the International Bankers, he also strips it back to his roots in hip hop production and for the grand finale, he shows us the golden video for the dynamite release, ‘Mr Bean Do an E.’ Yes you heard us right, this is Rowan Atkinson at his best, teaching us some world-class moves that we hope to see you trying out on fabric's floor very soon.
I See Light
Awakenings, realizations, knowledge, understanding....
Best heard: In the club in the early hours when things are getting messy!
Perfect Affair
Drawing influence from hip hop, tribute to J Dilla, Electric Relaxation, getting away with stuff you shouldn't, the pure emotion of Maggot Brain....
Very few people can lay claim to having had such an impact on dubstep in the last decade as Vex’d have. Carefully crafting an aggressive, more mechanised strain, the production duo of Jamie Teasdale and Roly Porter were the progenitors of a whole new legion of producers and the ripples of their influence are still resonating across the hardcore continuum and through bass music in general. Their debut album, released in late 2005 by Planet Mu, remains one of the most accomplished and critically revered albums to have come out of the scene and their sophomore effort of sorts, ‘Cloud Seed’ – a collection of unreleased material (new and old) and remixes that worked perfectly as an album in its own right – has quickly gained the same sort of praise following its release, also on Mu, earlier this year.
Having stepped out from under the Vex’d umbrella over the last couple of years following geographical relocations, Jamie has been making his own serious waves with his solo material. 2 EPs on Mu, the first under the Jamie Vex’d moniker and the 2nd under the Kuedo guise, as well as a smattering of remixes for Hotflush Recordings boss Scuba and Philly bass pundit Starkey has seen him delve into entirely new territory and in many ways his material has been the antithesis of Vex’d’s precise industial work. Drawing on slouching beats, vibrant multicolour sound palettes, kaleidoscopic synths and juddering bass his recent ‘Starfox EP’ was one of the most exciting things to have come out of the recent surge of skewed beat makers.
With Kuedo set to touch down in Room One this Friday as part of Tectonic’s debut takeover (featuring Pinch, Skream, Kryptic Minds, Youngsta, Pursuit Groves and DJ ThinKing) we shot him some questions about his projects, old and new, his native Berlin and a whole lot more.
Hi Jamie! How are you doing? Could you please introduce Kuedo for those who might not be up to speed?
I’m good thank you. How's you? Kuedo is a name I'm using for some of the music I do. I needed to get more spacey and warm than Vex'd would allow and Kuedo is the space for that. It doesn't mean anything in particular. I pronounce it Que-do... like Cluedo without the L.
Have you always been producing solo stuff outside of the Vex’d project?
Yep of course. I've been writing tunes off and on since I was 13. I didn't try to release any of it until Vex'd, but I was always in the habit of writing music outside of that.
Why did you decide the time was right to focus more on your solo material?
A lot of ideas had been building up for a while, things developing within and around me, and this growing pressure to be more natural and personal in the kind of music I create. The right time was actually from the beginning, I could've done the two, but honestly I lacked confidence... I was hiding behind Vex'd a little bit. But when the internal pressure to follow up on writing a different kind of thing started really building up, consuming a lot of my thoughts, I realised the best thing was to dive in and take it on by myself.
Initially your solo material was under the Jamie Vex’d name. Why did you decide to make the move to the Kuedo alias?
Putting out a record as Jamie Vex'd felt natural at the time but ultimately that music was a new project, it's not a division of another one. Plus it's too close to being personal, using my first name, I need some space between the output and my home world. I don't know how permanent it will be, I'll let it have its own life. I’m sure I'll have different projects eventually, by myself or with others. In the DJ world some people totally merge their inner sense of self with their work projects, that's kind of dangerous sometimes, that can get messed up. To me they're just project names, words to describe a set of ideas, they live and die in their own time; they have their own lifespans. Also, if I met another musician who was totally inspired by the same ideas and we worked well together, there is nothing really to stop us from writing Kuedo tunes together. That would get weird if we were called Jamie Vex’d though, that would get awkward.
The music you are making now is very different to what you were making as part of Vex’d. Is this - the more hip hop influenced, synth driven side of things - something that you have always been into?
I wouldn't put it down to this genre or that, it's more trying to paint different kinds of pictures and stories. In a way its easier writing Kuedo beats though, because it's closer to most of the music I've listened to through out my whole life. And yes, hip hop & colourful melodic music have been a big part of that.
With the first release on Bristol's Tectonic imprint that has veered away from the deep dubstep sound the label has made an emphatic mark on the global music scene with, Brooklyn producer Pursuit Grooves has indelibly made her introduction. Fusing a plethora of styles into her sound on 'Foxtrot Mannerisms,' her debut album for the label, she creates a wholly emotive groove, peppering her boom bap drum signatures with vocals and raps to great effect; aptly producing a soulful mix of heady beats and accomplished songwriting.
Ahead of her live show in Room One on the 11th June we caught up with her to get a quick low down on what she's about and grab a quick chart of her new jack swing favourites.
For those that don’t know, who is Pursuit Grooves?
I am a music producer/ beat maker, MC/vocalist, DJ, live performance artist.... etc etc... A lover of things that are creative, progressive and fun; looking for soul in all the right places!
There are traces of a variety of sounds in your music from hip hop and funk to soul and disco and even dubstep; where would you say your music is rooted?
I was born in the Washington DC area and that's where my groove lies. I grew up listening to music that made you let loose and move a certain way. It's a certain swing and rhythm that makes you bounce. When I go home and catch the radio on a Friday or Saturday night, I'm in flashback heaven.
Is there any thread that you feel ties together all the music that you make?
It’s more of a feeling; making sense of the genres encompassed can be a bit much.
You work as an MC, a vocalist and a producer. Which came first?
MC. Producer. Vocalist.
Is there one that always takes precedence?
I love making music; that will always come first. Being an MC or vocalist is like extra sprinkles on top!
Is it difficult to decide which of your tracks to vocal and which to keep instrumental?
I can usually tell when I'm making it. I enjoy making instrumental tracks, though the ones with vocals always seem to get more attention...
You recently had an EP come out on the Tectonic imprint, which at first glance seems a bit of an unlikely pairing. How did that come about?
Pinch and I connected on the land of Myspace, which actually still works occasionally! Sometimes it’s cool to check what’s happening next door if you feel the walls shaking. I'm happy I shook the walls loud enough and got his attention!
Do you think that you have much of an affinity with UK music?
The thing I love about the UK is that there are always new genres popping up, like hybrids of past things with a new twist. I seem to have a connection with this vibe because my music tends to be a hybrid of this soulful urban electronic club music.... I feel like they understand what I'm doing. At least I think so! It appears that they have an appreciation for things that don't quite fit into one particular section, which is a bit harder to find in the States.
Have you played much in the UK before?
I played at CDR at Plastic People last year which was really cool. The sound system there is ace.
What does your live setup consist of?
An SP 505 and a microphone. I keep it simple to travel with. Plus it’s what I use as my production base so I'm very comfortable with it. The buttons are perfect for my live playing as well and I like that no one else is using it! That wasn't my point but that's just the case.
Are you looking forward to your set in Room One at fabric?
Extremely; I just hope people get there early enough to catch me.... they really should!
We heard a whisper that you're big into new jack swing... Would you mind collating a few of your favourites for us?
Sure... I could have picked so many more but this represents the new jack era in feel, dress and sound. Enjoy!
If we told you’d be able to hear colour and see sound this Saturday night at fabric, we wouldn’t blame you for thinking we were a few nuts short of a fruitcake. That is until you witness the wonders of Crosstown Rebels' leading lady, Deniz Kurtel and her recently exposed 'creature of the night,' aka a self-made LED light installation that will ignite a sensory overload and take your dancing feet into a whole new dimension. Deniz’s LED artform first came alive in her secret workshop at Wolf and Lamb’s favorite hang-out, the Marcy Hotel in Brooklyn. Since then, her impressive artistry has been laying down technicolour spectacles that generate a raw flow of energy between the visual experience of colour, sound and emotion.
On a musical note, we are very happy to welcome Deniz into the labyrinth of fabric alongside her fellow rebel ravers, label boss Damian Lazarus, Parisian star Dyed Soundorom and the inimitable Jamie Jones, who are now taking on the European leg of their Rebel Rave Tour. Her smash hit 'Yeah' (feat Guest of Nature) has been denting dancefloors worldwide; not to mention her punk-funk techno remix of 'Fables & Fairytales' (by N/A featuring Rosina)...just two big reasons to get your hands on her hotly tipped debut album out this year.
Reminding us once again that the ‘future is rebel,' catch Deniz’s words on her LED mastery and some of her major influences here...
I've been involved with LED art for a couple of years before I started making music and it's a nice coincidence that these two art forms work very well together. When I was talking about the Crosstown Rebels tour with Damian, he encouraged me to build an installation for the tour and I wasn't so sure of it because it was going to be the first time I'm playing live and I felt like it might be too much to handle at once, but I'm very happy that I did. It's a big effort to travel with it and set it up, but it definitely adds a lot to my show and is worth the effort.
The first time I got interested in LEDs was in 2006 when I went to the Burning Man Festival for the first time with Zev and Gadi (Wolf+Lamb), and afterwords Zev gave me a bunch of his LEDs and I started making installations with those at Wolf+Lamb parties, and later at places such as 3rd Ward, School of Visual Arts, the Burning Man festival, The Rabbit Hole, and Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts.
Visual element has always been important in music, in adding another dimension to the experience...In my LED projects before I started making music, I was preprogramming patterns, now I'm experimenting with connecting the lights with my sound, where the lights are responding to the data coming from my music. Right now I have a combination of patterns that are preprogrammed and ones that are feeding live from audio. It's a work in progress, and I'm constantly working on developing a more intelligent communication between the lights and the sound. The installation that I will have in my fabric show on May 22nd is what I built for the Crosstown Rebels tour back in February, and this will be my first show in Europe with it.
Joe Nice is a name you may have come across or heard whispered in the corners of raves, if you have any interest in one of the fast growing dance music genres; dubstep. Hailing from Baltimore, Joe’s the man with bounds of energy, charisma and presence behind the decks. Patrolling the cult hub Dubstepforum since day dot, he was the first DJ from the states to play at DMZ and is highly regarded for bringing the sound to the States like no other. Holding his own radio show every 1st Tuesday of the month on Gourmetbeats.com, more often than not you’ll find him spinning the freshest dubs straight from the studio.
Joe also runs one of the States’ premier dubstep nights, Dubwar, at Love Club in New York City. With past guests including everyone from Mala, Loefah and Coki to Kode 9, Scuba, Pinch and Skream, next month they celebrate their 5th year and we thought it was about time we caught up with one of our favourite stateside DJs.
Name: JoeNice
Age: 34
Hometown: Baltimore, MD, USA
So I’ve read that you were born in UK, how familiar are you with the UK, how often do you come back?
Actually, I was born in Southampton, I came to America when I was 2. I try to get to London twice a year, I love the city.
What were you listening to growing up as a kid?
The cliché answer would be, “I listened to everything when I was a kid,” but that’s not true. I had a box full of tapes The Police, Bob Marley, Whitney Houston, The Mighty Sparrow, Michael Jackson, Van Halen, Al Green, The Jones Girls, Prince. I was all over the map but I can’t say I listened to ‘everything.’
Did you always want to become a DJ or was that something that happened organically?
Being a DJ interested me, but it wasn’t really an ambition. I was a child of the 80’s where the DJ and the MC were on equal levels and equal billing: DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince, Eric B and Rakim, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo… see what I mean? The MC was always in the spotlight, but the DJ was the one holding things together – the glue. I listened to a lot of radio when I was a kid and Baltimore is a house music town, soulful house, we also love our Baltimore Club. You’re 15, looking for a hobby and music was mine. You get decks; you get a cheap mixer with ‘HI’ and ‘LOW’ (no mid). Life is great. You start buying records. You start imagining what could be. You become what you’ve imagined.
When was the first time you remember hearing the ‘dubstep’ sound? Do you remember what your initial thoughts were?
I heard the sound in 2001 and my initial thoughts were, “WTF is this?” Not to sound melodramatic, but hearing dubstep for the first time was a sonic epiphany.
You reside Baltimore, how do they react to the sound out there, is there a following?
There’s a following here, but just like a lot of other cities, it takes time for a sound to catch on. It takes time for change. Granted, there are some followings that are bigger than others. Part of that is the size of the city. Part of it is enthusiasm and interest from those in the city/market.
I know you are a huge fan of DMZ, what does the night and music mean to you?
When I went to the first party, it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. For those that are reading and remember 3rd Base, you know what I’m talking about: Turbosound 12k rig with no limiters. Basslines were running through you. Their night was the inspiration for Dubwar.
You were the first DJ from the US play at DMZ, what’s your memory of your very first and the last session you played. (I saw you at the 5th Birthday, which was one of my favourite sets)
Thanks for the good words. I had a great time there. Feels like home. Yeah – I was the first [US DJ]. My first time playing there, in September 2005, my first thought was, “Joe, don’t screw this up.” My second thought was, “You didn’t come this far to fail.”
The soundsystem and amount of people didn’t intimidate me. I was in my element. The other memories include the people. There wasn’t nearly the hype with the music as there is now. People were there for the sound, the heads, the community. There was also a feeling that everyone there was going to be a part of something that would grow.
Hailing from the oft cited musical melting pot of Bristol, Tectonic is one of the newest additions to our burgeoning FABRICLIVE residencies roster. The offspring of arch-innovator, Pinch, Tectonic has become one of the most revered imprints working in and around dubstep, housing albums from Cyrus, 2562 and Pinch himself alongside high profile technoid 12”s from Skream and Benga, 140bpm excursions from Flying Lotus and deeper work from Joker and Jack Sparrow. Constantly pushing the sound towards the deeper end of the spectrum, Pinch’s label has never confined itself simply to one style, choosing instead to harness the low end and stark drum patterns so engrained in dubstep, in a plethora of different ways.
“I always used to say that Tectonic is primarily a home for deep and heavy forward-thinking music,” Pinch explains asked about the roots of the Tectonic sound, “but I think there is a bit more to it than that - which is harder to pin-down - but could be quickly summarized as “...that I'm into!” You can't expect to shape a new sound with every release, but you can focus on putting out material that is on the fringe of what's happening more commercially, and I try to do that with Tectonic.”
“I guess what I’m saying”, he continues, “Isn’t really about being leftfield or challenging for the sake of doing so; but not being afraid to step away from the trodden path to try something new. It is a dubstep label first and foremost, but I don't believe in rules, there's only ever guidelines.”
Centred around dubplate culture and the quality of how a tune sounds over a big and properly tweaked rig in the dance; it comes as no surprise to learn that it’s a big part of Pinch’s Tectonic process to road test tracks. Cutting possibles to vinyl so he can hear the extent of the productions in an environment he’s completely accustomed to, its Pinch’s own personal barometer that gauges suitability.
“If I like how it works on the dancefloor, how it sounds loud and so on, I'll find out if it's available for the label and then look to put it out. It's a process that works for me as I get to test drive upfront material, giving my DJ sets a bit more edge and also I get to see how the tracks work on the dancefloor before committing to a release.”
Going on crowd reaction and his own eagle ear Pinch has successfully managed to position the label at the forefront of the scene since its inception back in 2005. The Tectonic imprint has become a label people look to for inspiration as well as an outlet for great, fresh takes on modern bass music that fits into Pinch’s grander vision and aesthetic. Take the latest release on the label, Brooklyn-based MC and producer Pursuit Grooves’s ‘Foxtrot Mannerisms,’ is an album that embodies Tectonic’s willingness to buck fickle genre restrictions drawing more on the touchstones of hip hop, house and soul than ‘dubstep.’
“Pursuit Grooves sent me a track over myspace ('Start Somethin') which was nearly dubstep tempo (a touch slower) which I decided to cut to dubplate and played a couple of times at the end of a set. It became apparent that most of her other music reached other genres more directly than dubstep - you can hear a lot of hip hop and housey influences in her music for instance - but it was all really good. I couldn't believe she'd not had any offers from other labels already.”
The album defiantly steps way out from what some may perceive as the ‘classic,’ rolling Tectonic sound but Pinch is confident that Tectonic’s core audience is willing to share in their vision.
“It makes me feel confident in the strength of label's following that we could carry this off. I'm also very lucky to be working with so many talented artists,” Pinch concedes. “As you build a relationship of trust with key artists you can come to trust what they want to do also and a perfect example of that is 2562 who's second LP for Tectonic, 'Unbalance', was less accessible than his debut 'Aerial' but has gone on to sell just as well if not better regardless.”
The growing confidence and support has (luckily for us) led to Tectonic joining the FABRICLIVE family, and it is certainly testament to the growth and evolution of dubstep, in all of its multifarious permutations, that Tectonic will be diving straight into Room One come Friday 11th June.
“It's a real honour to be hosting Room 1 at fabric and I hope the Tectonic vibe fits the space… I can't wait to hear the bass push through those crazy under-floor speakers you have in Room 1! I’m slightly anxious, but I’m certain the vibe will be great regardless - the line up across all three rooms is fantastic - I couldn't have asked for a better start to it!”
Deep house has really come to the forefront of club music over the last few years, for better and for worse. In the better sense it has spread a more soulful, sophisticated vibe throughout dancefloors proving that audiences don't always need bangin' stompers or gurntastic swooshes and crescendos to keep them moving. For the worse however - and as is such the case with when 'the next hot' genre falls into the limelight - fleeting amounts of producers seemingly come from out of nowhere (suddenly deciding minimal techno isn't 'cool' anymore), endlessly imitating everyone else's sound until any signature touch is completely filtered out and the core essence of what defines that particular sound is left completely forgotten.
Obviously, this rather pessimistic statement does not tie in with everyone, at least not to those who are in touch with, and have respect for their roots. To try and name check the true cats in the game though would only result in a frankly astronomical family tree displaying the inspired evolution of deep house, that’s littered with the high probability of forgetting to pen someone in.
One particular label however, right in the heart of our beloved big smoke, is one that clearly values the meaning of 'deep.' From recognising and representing its peers in Detroit, to sourcing raw talent wherever in may reside around the globe - all of whom offer their own unique stamp in groove-based dance music – London’s Third Ear Recordings has been consistent in its mission of bringing pure, wholesome sounds to light. As previously mentioned, Third Ear is down with the big D, and the label was responsible for releasing a collection of one of the cities freshest sounds via its Detroit Beatdown series back in the label's early days. Now, another trio of Detroit players are stepping up to represent deep house in its truest form; taking the shape of a stonking four-tracker, set for release ‘around the end of May.’
Defenders of the Deep House World; an idea curated by Detroit’s Mike Huckaby and proposed to Guy McCreery of Third Ear features Huckaby, Rick Wade and Norm Talley (also of the Beatdown Brothers). Anyways, enough rambling... the truest meaning of deep (in a musical sense) would be better heard from none other than the aforementioned chaps; here Guy McCreery and Mike Huckaby shed light on what it all means to them.
Guy McCreery
“Before I discovered House and Techno, I was listening to Jazz, African, Latin, and 20th Century classical [music] mostly. I was drawn to the dance floor from hearing mixtapes and mixes recorded on cassette by a friend around 1993. The original Psychotrance mix CD (possibly the first mix cd?) mixed by Mr C was instrumental. There was an Orlando Voorn track called ’Play It Loud’ under his Baruka moniker that really caught my ear; it was so sinuous and slinky. To me, this was the moment when I thought machines could be funky because the machines are just musical instruments like any other. It's the musician that counts... of course!
“Hearing Kenny Larkin's 'Track' from his ‘Azymuth’ album on Warp and Carl Craig's ‘Landcruising’ album were also key, and were the two pieces that drew me to Detroit initially. Before that I was feasting on the Harthouse stuff (Hardfloor's ‘Respect’ and ‘Acperience’) and Jam and Spoon's 'Stella'. Kenny Larkin's 'Track' still captures my attention completely. It is a great dance track and still sounds very experimental.
Third Ear's relationship with Detroit stems from hearing those early Detroit tracks and from hearing Derrick May DJ. To me, Detroit electronic music in its pure form is like jazz, and that for me is where music starts... no limits. The touchstone for all music for me though is Miles Davis. But that's another story...”
Mike Huckaby
“I was inspired to make music from the roots of the Detroit Electronic movement in general. It was a time in your life where you saw yourself playing a role in the movement regardless of technical knowhow; the technical knowhow in terms of using the gear and synthesizers to create. The music gave you something to study and pursue.
“Deep house is best described by warm colourful sounds, emotional chords, and tones that strike a general feeling of peace within the listener. The same feeling that a banging peak hour dance floor tune with epic builds is the same feeling inside the mind of a deep house head. It just takes half the work to generate this feeling... that's the greatest thing about deep house."
This Saturday, 8th May, Third Ear presents Defenders of the Deep House World; a full-on house takeover of Room Three featuring sets from Rick Wade, Norm Talley and Mike Huckaby. Blaze this Mike Huckaby Promo Mix loud, come down, and support the D.
'Sleep Less'... if there is one person who knows about lack of sleep it would have to be Jesse Rose. Take the month of March 2010. Jesse went from Berlin to Tokyo to play at Womb, back to Berlin for a day in the studio before heading off to Paris for his Made to Play residency at La Regine, then direct to London to sign a new act, back to Berlin for ten hours and it was off to L.A for the start of his U.S Tour, which ended in three gigs at WMC (Made to Play vs Rekids & Get Physical Beach party being the highlights), before jetting off to Mexico to play an extended set at Santanera in Play Del Carmen and then an after-hours on the beach before jetting back to Berlin to finish a remix for Sound Pellegrino. Feel tired just reading this? Try actually doing it!
Jesse's sleepless antics have acted as the inspiration for his latest set of EPs. His first releases on his Made to Play imprint, 'Sleep Less (Night One)' is out now on vinyl and digital formats, and will be followed by 'Sleep Less (Night Two)' on May 10th. With fabric's very own 30-hour sleepless marathon returning this weekend with our second On & On... & On event, it seemed only appropriate that we asked Jesse to fire over his top 10 tips on how to survive a sleepless rave session...
1. Sleep lots before you start and eat a good meal
No use going out for a semi-rave Thursday night, save it up for the weekend proper and eat a good meal before you go raving, the energy from the food will be a life saver on day two.
2. Stay Consistent
Whatever your tipple, don't over do it - doing five shots of tequila when you enter the club is not going to help you out in the long run… Slow and constant will keep you going for days.
3. Choose the people you take on this mission wisely
What you really don't want to do is go out with mates you know will want to go home after two hours, won't like the music, or over do it too fast - and that includes your girlfriend (unless your girlfriend happens to be Judy from fabric, she'll be up two days longer than anyone).
4. The Blag
Unless you’re Richard Branson and fully loaded with cash, you’re going to need a few blags to get you through a two or three day mission. Know the door girl, makes friends with the bar staff, know a man that drives - these things will keep you going when everyone else has had to drop out.
5. Deodorant
Running on no sleep and tackling a two-day bender can leave you smelling like arse. Be liberal when applying your deodorant and keep a little travel size version in your pocket.
Stacey Pullen is one of those rare artists that manages to remain one step ahead of the curve while maintaining a strong appreciation for what's come before him. Putting his mark on the !K7 'DJ Kicks' mix series in 1996, to this day it's still considered one of the most futuristic mixes in the game (more on that later, with insight from Martyn too). As our leg of the D25 tour lies just around the corner (it's this Sunday y'all), highlighting Detroit's 25 years of innovation and artistry, it seems a fitting time for one of its most seminal players to have a moment of reflection. Read on to discover Stacey's thoughts on the last 25 years, his plans for reviving Black Flag Recordings, the new music he's working on, as well as the best bits of his back catalogue that he’s digitally re-releasing...ride through his wisdom - from past, to present, to future, and back.
What are you up to today?
At this moment now, I’m just getting everything together before I leave on the D25 tour. I’m tidying up everything, listening to music, trying to finish up this mix that I’m doing, trying to make sure everything’s squared away for my new release that I’ve got coming out next week, and making sure all the stores and distributors got the record and all that good stuff.
Speaking of which, we’re really digging your new BFR joint, ‘Get Up,’ in the office.
Yeah, that’s what everybody says. I kinda decided to release it that way because I wanted to build up the anticipation – so come out with the ‘Alive’ track and have ‘Get Up’ be even better than the first.
But I don’t think you can really compare them; ‘Alive’ is such a different vibe.
That’s true. I had the ‘Alive’ track done for a while, and I kinda sat on it for a minute – because music is ever-changing, and I’m always being inspired by things. So I sat on it for a minute, and I gave the original to a couple of friends and they played it out. But when I played it out, I felt like there was something missing. That’s the good thing of doing your own music, being your own boss, is that you get a chance to let the work find itself. So I did that track and I did the Hi Tek Soul mix, which was the perfect compliment because I’ve done the Hi Tek Soul parties with Derrick in the past, and I wanted to put that stamp on it just because I’m kinda affiliated with it.
You just mentioned that music’s ever-changing, and that’s along the lines of something Carl said the other day…if that’s the case, how do you know, or decide, that something’s finished?
You know it when you hear it, but it may take a day – it may take a week. I’ve been in the studio recording, recording, recording…and then I'll get bored of it, and take a break – and I’ll come back to it with a whole different energy. So you really don’t know. At the end of the day, you just gotta stop. (laughs) There is such a thing as overproducing. I remember I was working with Derrick years ago; we did a remix for a track called ‘Wiggin’.’ And he said, ‘You know, I like the track – I like the remix that you did – but you did too much!’ That’s what happens when inspiration’s just flowing like that. So now what I do is – if I go too far, I’ll take a couple of parts out and I’ll set it aside for a totally brand new track. So it’s constantly evolving. It never finishes, because if I doing a track off of a track that I already did, then that’s the continuation of that track. I just have to stop sometimes, but that varies – anywhere from two hours to two days!
Right now, I’m working on a mix for Jamie Anderson and K-Alexi – the track is called ‘Cyclone’ and that’s on a label called Mija Recordings. Actually, how that came about was I charted the track on Beatport, and the owner of the label contacted me about a remix. So I’m finished with production - I had to stop (laughs) - so now I’m just finishing and arranging it, and making it that powerful 7-8 minute DJ track that will definitely keep people on the dancefloor.
After speaking to Carl last week, we’d love to hear your take on D25…
I’m really happy to be involved with the whole 25 years of Detroit techno, because to be honest, when I first started out doing music, I had no idea…well, none of us had any idea that the music was going to take off the way it did. And now it’s 25 years later. I can still remember years ago, when I didn’t even know none of these guys. I was just one of those outside guys trying to get in. So for me now to, be a major player in this - and being personal friends with these guys, most importantly – it’s like more than anything I could’ve imagined. And now it’s all about the history – can’t nobody take that back. No matter how many different genres of music come and go, or how many tracks come out per day, or how many promos I get, you can’t erase that history. And that’s really the most important thing that I’m appreciative about.
Speaking of “how many tracks come out per day” - as someone that’s been involved in the game for so long, do you feel as there’s an overwhelming, almost suffocating, surplus of music these days? Sometimes I find myself wondering how many DJ mixes I can listen to in one lifetime, or how on earth I can manage to file all of the tunes I get sent.
Yeah, I was talking to this guy, and we were talking about the whole music world, and releases, and mixes, and everything. Years ago, there was a point where I had a problem with people recording my DJ sets, because it was a copyright infringement – you know, I didn’t want anyone having a mixtape without paying for it. Now it’s no longer about the track of the month, or the track of the year – now it’s like the track of the hour! So that puts a whole new twist on things. But I think, at the end of the day, what we’ve done with D25 is that we’ve made timeless music, so we can play music from 25 years ago and it still sounds as fresh as it did when it first came out. And it still sounds as innovative as a lot of the music that’s being made today, even though there are so many producers, and endless possibilities with making music and different sounds, and being innovative with technology. We’ve kept it that way, and we have that defined sound, just like that Motown sound of the 60s. That sound has been around since the 50s/60s, and you can still listen to a Motown record and instantly know it’s a Motown record.
There’s a lot of really interesting parallels between the two. Actually, wasn’t your dad a Motown singer?
He was a singer in a band called The Capitols, they had a song called ‘Cool Jerk,’ which was a one hit wonder. He sung around in a lot of other local Motown groups, but with that group in particular, he was touring with them as well. Of course, the different path that people take in different lives led to the demise of the group. Have you ever seen a movie called ‘The Five Heartbeats’? That was pretty much the story of my dad and his career: a lot of different personalities together and then all of a sudden, one guy goes this way and another goes that way, and before you know it the group is disbanded. People had families – my dad had me, and now I’m the continuation of that.
2020: a time of social decay among burnt out landscapes, crumbling buildings and the smell of injustice in the air. It's an awful time, as you can imagine. A bit like Robocop really; drugs and violence on every miserable street corner coupled with the bludgeoning atmosphere and wretched knowing that no one gives a damn anymore. There is, however, a soundtrack to this time; one of equal despair, but one that you can get down to - the industrial technoid backlashings of MOTOR. Luckily enough for us though, the duo helmed by Mr. No and Bryan Black come from a decade prior to this time, and have been tearing floors apart with their bloody concoction of hard futuristic techno and industrial rock.
With three albums already under their belt and another in the works, MOTOR are clearly on the up. They've been the go-to guys for remixing artists from every end of the spectrum and, like their peers - Depeche Mode and Throbbing Gristle, are taking the live rock mentality of a group to the club. On Saturday 8th May, MOTOR will be tearing up Room Two and probably turning it into a metaphorical bloodbath, but before the health and safety brigade stamp us down on this we caught up with the darkest dudes on the block to chat about their rising success, recording music in hotel bathrooms and touring with the Mode.
Firstly, can you please introduce yourselves... Bryan Black:Hello, this is Bryan Black. Mr.No: Hi I’m Mr.No, often referred to as “the French bad boy techno rocker.”
You have a heavily industrial sound and aesthetic. What have been your inspirations? BB:Many of the bands we have remixed or toured with: Depeche Mode, Nitzer Ebb, Throbbing Gristle. As well as early Aphex Twin, Autechre, and piano works by Ligeti and Philip Glass. We haven’t modeled any of our songs on other artists music, but surely all the years of listening to electronic, industrial, ambient, classical and punk has made an impression on us which ultimately seeps into our music. Mr.No: For me it was always the analogue sound. My favourite artist is Mr Oizo.
Coming from completely different continents, how did the two of you meet and how does this affect working on music? BB: We were both living in London when we met. I had gone to London in the late 90’s to study film and graphic design. I met Mr No through a mutual friend. We started to hang out and discussing music technology. I was considering starting a pure electronic project after years of making industrial rock music. It seemed Mr No also wanted to ditch the rock scene and make some stripped down dance music as well. Mr.No: I was playing drums as a session musician in Camden’s Underworld with this dreadful rock band called Dirty Harry. My friend Jared Lelouche, a crazy American poet, turned up with Bryan who was not impressed, but somehow we bonded in the dressing room afterwards when he heard about my electronic project. BB: Mr No had a studio in East London at the Fortress. We started playing around and started making demos, all of which were signed to Gigolo and Novamute almost instantly. Nowadays we live in separate countries, so we make music in hotel rooms when we tour. The hotel bathroom operates as the vocal booth. We get noise complaints quite often, but that’s to be expected.
Quite possibly THE nicest bloke in the biz; David Wolstencroft aka Trus'me has garnered much respect from all areas of the musical field since the ultra mega 'Nards' got massive airplay, and equal amounts of love, from the likes of Gilles Peterson and Benji B. For as much as Trus'me is a lover of the good times and a globe trotting party starter, he is also a man with a strong business savvy. Having juggled a business degree and MA with a nighttime course in sound recording, this vault of knowledge got thrown into the melting pot and now David Wolstencroft stands tall with not one, but two carefully structured and very successful music brands: Prime Numbers and D3K (Disco 3000).
If one good thing came from the Iceland incident the other week, and rather selfishly on our part, it was that the Manchunian had to cancel his overseas slots and find other ways to fill his heavy schedule; like answering a few questions for us and whipping up a sweet mix for the heads.
Firstly, please introduce yourself.
Some of you may know me for producing long players such as 'Working Night$' and 'In The Red,' or for four-on-the-floor club tracks such as 'W.A.R Dub.' Although producing is not the only string to my bow, DJing is my first love and what internationally I'm recognised for most. Prime Numbers is a record label I began in 2007, which has slowly grown in strength, concentrating on Quality over Quantity. PN has been supporting mainly UK artists, who choose to think differently in these modern times of electronic music. The label is an open book - literally if the music is good, regardless of current trends, it will supported by myself and the Prime Numbers family. It doesn't stop there though, D3K is both an events company and an agency I run with fellow like minded friends. D3K, short for Disco 3000, is a melting pot for like-minded individuals to think differently and open their minds to music of all genres. If the music is good, forward in its approach, but still remains deep in the past, then you’re sure to hear it played in one of my sets, as well as any D3K event.
How did the name Trus’ Me come about?
We all use it day to day in the English speaking world. Trus'me is an abbreviation of course from the saying 'Trust in me.' A positive tick we all use at the end of a sentence to drive home that you need to believe this, it's the truth. I guess what I'm trying to ask the public is to trust in what I do. What ever I do it comes from straight from my heart, I only support, produce, releases or play music I truly believe in.
Due to the style of music you produce and your infamous decade-jumping DJ sets, would you consider yourself a nostalgic?
Not at all - my slogan is to embrace the Past, Present and the Phuture. I use this in everything I do, whether it's organising a festival line up, producing an LP or compiling a DJ set. You have to show where the music derived from, where we are now and what we should be looking for musically in the future. I believe that's my role or job per se, and I take pride in what I do.
For those who don’t know, can you please explain the difference in what you do with Prime Numbers and D3K?
Prime Numbers is a platform to support producers and musicians that I love musically and perhaps don't get the break or support they deserve. My role is not only to release music from the likes of Linkwood, Fudge Fingas etc, but also to brand, market and push their music through the right channels. Essentially D3K is a framework that acts as a big sister, providing a platform for my artists and similar acts to play across the world. Not only do we organise a festival once a year, but we coordinate both live and DJ events in Japan, Australia, Brazil, USA, Canada and Mainland Europe not forgetting our regular shindig here at Fabric.
Will there be another D3K festival?
We are in talks with a new location, which we'll be announcing in the forthcoming months to take place on September 17th-19th 2010. The new location has everything we were looking for to host the next addition. More details coming soon please check www.disco3k.com to keep updated.
Prime Numbers is a label that primarily focuses on signing UK artists. What UK talent is grabbing your attention?
I always have an eye on our fellow label Modern Love, which predominately pushes UK acts too. There has been some great releases from that camp of late. My friends at Firecracker have a great line up for the rest of the year, and there are various UK acts releasing with Rush Hour recordings, which always floats my boat. There is a wealth of talent in the UK, it's just pushing them to release that stuff...in the UK we do it more for the love than the biz.
Carl Craig is a strong, defiant visionary that’s dedicated his entire life to his craft; someone that’s pushed by art, and someone that pushes art back. Continually shape-shifting and reinventing himself under an endless number of monikers (Innerzone Orchestra, 69, Designer Music, BFC, Paperclip People, Trez Demented, to name but a few), Carl has been at the forefront of many important movements over the years. Beyond his obvious contributions to the second wave of Detroit, he’s been largely credited for pioneering Drum & Bass (with Innerzone Orchestra’s ‘Bug In The Bassbin’), he’s presented a link between electronic music and films (creating a soundtrack for Warhol’s provocative ‘Blow Job’ earlier this year at Unsound Festival, for instance) and he’s artfully combined electronic music with orchestral compositions (re-interpreting Ravel and Mussorgsky with Moritz Von Oswald; or their Versus project Francesco Tristano and Les Siècles Orchestra). His latest musical venture, the experimental project ‘No Boundaries,’ fits the name entirely, with productions that are as creative and mind-expanding as it gets. Carl describes the project best himself: "Unexpect the expected!" Certainly a notion that has followed the artist throughout all of his work.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Juan Atkins’ seminal Metroplex imprint this year, Carl envisioned the D25 tour - a celebration of Detroit’s history of innovative electronic music. When discussing D25, he commented: “I think the economic devastation that the city has endured over the last 30-odd years helped us to fantasize about a brighter future, it is this fantasy that we put into our music.” Being an arts commissioner for Detroit’s government these days, Carl Craig’s proactively helping to create that brighter future for the Motor City. The rest of the world may dismiss the city as being trapped in dilapidation or dereliction, but bubbling deep in its roots lies an incredibly vast and wonderful heritage of music: from gospel to Motown, from The Electrifying Mojo to a vibrant legacy of jazz musicianship, from Dilla to Jeff Mills. D25 celebrates the D for all of its beauty and creative force, its progression and influence, and its character and indelible legacy. Starting this year with an immense WMC party (with a lineup that defies description: Carl Craig, Juan Atkins, Kenny Dixon Jr., Theo Parrish, Kyle Hall, Kenny Larkin, Kevin Saunderson, Monty Luke, Stacey Pullen), and a variety of events lined up throughout the year, D25 will come to our doors over the course of this weekend’s ‘On & On’ raveathon with Mr Craig, Stacey Pullen and Monty Luke. After that, Carl plans to take on the globe, and incorporate a more visual element to the tour, converging film and art into the concept. Read on to find out more.
How’s everything in Detroit today?
Great. I’m just driving to the car wash right now and it’s a sunny day. To me, Detroit is the most beautiful place in the spring or autumn. We have such beautiful trees, especially in my neighborhood – magnolias…and in my back and front yard, we have a lot of Japanese maples that are a burgundy, purple-ish colour. The city’s full of really rich colours.
We’re honoured to be given a chance to celebrate the city’s richness here…
Thank you. It’ll be great to keep it going because D25 isn’t just about me, Stacey and Monty; D25 is definitely about the other guys that started the whole shebang – Derrick, Kevin and Juan, of course. But it’s also about the guys that you might’ve seen a resurgence from recently, like Shake and Dan Bell. And of course KDJ and Theo Parrish and Mike Clark, Mike Grant, Mike Huckaby, Mike Delano Smith. And I wanna put guys out there that nobody knows – for instance, there’s this guy Al Ester that has been around for eons, you know – the guy has never left Detroit basically. And I can honestly say that he’s one of the best DJs that I’ve ever heard, not just one of the best DJs from Detroit, not just DJs from the US. I’ve known him since we were all going to the Music Institute back in 1988, ’89. So we’re talking serious stuff. That’s the plan with D25: we bring out people from the woodworks that have been some of the best in the aspect of music playing as well as the guys that are the best at music making. It’s to introduce people to all of the talent that comes from here in Detroit. Also, because we started this agency, Detroit Premiere Artists, the opportunity of having this booking agency is finding new raw talent as well from Detroit. Of course a new talent that’s out there already that a lot of folks already know of is Kyle Hall. But there’s the next step of guys that come from backgrounds like Kyle’s, and people from completely different backgrounds, that we have the opportunity to expose.
How did D25 all come about?
This year is the 25th anniversary of Metroplex Records. So that’s technically the 25th anniversary of techno. We have plans to do events around the Movement Festival here in Detroit, but also expose the music in a way that is relevant to both 25 years of techno. There’s also the idea that we’re going to show films as well, like some of Jeff Mills’ films that he did his work to. There’s a wonderful film by Jacqueline Cole that’s about the relationship between electronic music and gospel in Detroit. That includes Electrifying Mojo, who was a big influence here on the radio, and it’s just a really fascinating piece of work. And also some other projects – one of them is Versus that I did with the symphony. And a friend of mine has done some animated art – not animated in the sense of manga cartoons, she’s a painter that does some really beautiful and sophisticated work. At some point, it’d be good to integrate that visual aspect of what we’re doing with D25 as well. Hopefully we’ll develop it into a whole multimedia kind of thing. I’d like to see it documented in some way that we can have this as a legacy.
If there's one thing missing in Room One, then a jacuzzi is top of the list. Well, all our wishes have come true as Jahcoozi (not too dissimilar to the frothy whirlpool alternative) drop it like it's hot at EC1's finest this Friday. The raucous BPitch trio will be celebrating a launch of their own, alongside our own FABRICLIVE 51, with their latest LP (which BPitch themselves described as: “the album nobody expected, but perhaps that is the only possible outcome for a band that holds unpredictability as its one constant principle”), ‘Barefoot Wanderer,’ being unleashed this week.
We have no idea why they're called Jahcoozi - in fact that would have been a good question to ask - but rather than indulge in hindsight, instead we went for the (not so) obvious...
If you were having an after-hours in a jacuzzi - dead or alive, who would you invite?
ROBOT KOCH
I would invite my dad cuz he never actually saw me play ever.
I would invite Motorhead cuz Lemmy is Lemmy.
OREN GERLITZ
I'd invite 3 dead writers and one live musician :
Jaroslav Hasek (Czeck) - the writer of 'The Good Soldier Schweik.' The book is hilarious and I've read it numerous times - I'm sure the guy would be a good laugh...he was known as a crazy bohemian and drinker...wicked sense of humor.
Mikhail Bulgakov (Russia) - great writer. My fave from him is 'Heart of A Dog.' He had a rather hard life with Stalin being hard on him, and I guess he could use a few after-death drinks.
Shamuel Yosef Agnon (Israel) - my all time favorite writer. I don't think he' s much of a party dude, but I'd like to chat to him nonetheless.
Hugh Masekela (South Africa) - Jazz musician. I love his music and vibe, and I'm sure he'll be great company.
SASHA PERERA
Sasha's Dad (Nagamuttu Ravindranathan)...haven't spoken to him in years so it could be a good opportunity to link up! Sai Baba....so that Sasha's Dad has somebody to talk to. Ravi Shankar...so that Sasha's Dad has something he can relate to while hanging in the chill out/opium den a.k.a. Lava Lamp Heaven.
Jackson 5...so that they could compare the soft-curl bounce of their afros with that of Sai Baba and discuss their different approaches to hair-management. It could also help tie in Frizz-Ease as a sponsor for the whole event. However, Jahcoozi's management will politely decline the Jackson's kind offer to perform at the party. Robot's favourite band Motorhead will be invited to play instead, and that for the whole night.
Hugo Schneider....my crazy next door neighbour who makes tonnes of weird art as well as cuts my hair, and makes me headpieces or clothing - some of which are made from weird stuff like tree bark, soundproofing foam, Bavarian table cloths or material his aunty brought back from her package holiday in Egypt. He could talk Sai Baba into getting a different haircut.
Günter Wallraf...the infamous German undercover journalist & writer. So he can disguise himself as a Kurdish toilet cleaner and document the whole event from the point of view of a Kurdish toilet cleaner.
J.G.Ballard...to use the event as inspiration for his next Sci-Fi, Distopian future orgy novel, which will of course be turned into a Blockbuster movie followed by a revolutionary new brand of crisps...yes, we want the whole media package.
Moondog...to make tunes with us at the barefoot after-party which will go on till the day upon which the next leap year is celebrated.
Shyam Selvadurai....author of the book 'Funny Boy,' which tells the story of a gay Tamil boy's childhood which takes place before the backdrop of the events leading up to the pogroms/1983 riots in Sri Lanka. He should come so that me and my dad are not the only Sri Lankans in da house...
Mathew Jonson
There was no hiding from the buzz, clap and rush of 
If we told you’d be able to hear colour and see sound this Saturday night at fabric, we wouldn’t blame you for thinking we were a few nuts short of a fruitcake. That is until you witness the wonders of 
Quite possibly THE nicest bloke in the biz; David Wolstencroft aka 
Carl Craig
