From Beats International to the big beat revolution, from house parties in Brighton to Housemartins in Hull. Prolific sampler, tune maker and hit creator Fatboy Slim is gracing the Space Terrace at our closing party on September 25th.
Over the years he’s played infront of thousands, won a grammy and attracted a quater of a million people to Brighton beach one Saturday afternoon. Needless to say, his superstar status is without doubt deserved – capturing the hearts of fans around the world and collaborated with the likes of Spike Jonze, Bootsy Collins, Damon Albarn and Christopher Walken.
He’s also famous for his affinity with Ibiza, the heady days of Manumission and it’s infamous Carry Ons – as well as meeting his wife on these fair shores.
We can’t wait to welcome him onto the hallowed Terraza and in honour of the occasion he’s taken time to answer our 11 Questions…
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
Hunter S Thompson ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
No they hated pop music and thought I was wasting my time and would never make a living. Obviously that made me want to do it even more.
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
Make plenty of mistakes so you can learn from them, then have plenty of fun making new mistakes.
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
I worked in a record shop to pay my way through college and DJ’ed 5 nights a week in clubs in Brighton. Turned properly pro in 1985 when I quit my day job, moved up to Hull and joined the Housemartins.
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
In my old house next door, full of vintage gear (I still write on an Atari ST) we have Pro Tools but the rest of it hasn’t changed for decades.
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
I try not to think of what I do as a ‘product’ and how to sell it. On the whole, I get on with what I do and let my trusty manager and record company do the ‘marketing’. My one input was to never change the Fatboy Slim logo, just so people can recognise it.
How would you describe your work?
A travelling vagabond who swans round the world borrowing bits of music and using them to turn other people on…
Who were your teachers?
Grandmaster Flash, Carl Cox and Jon Carter
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
They have to listen to my whole vinyl collection helping me decide which records to put back and which to give away (that’s about 10,000 by the way). They then have to take home the ones I don’t like….
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would that be?
Wasps definitely, they make no positive contribution to the planet.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
At the age of fifteen Alex Niggemann‘s older brother took him to a techno party in Düsseldorf which was a turning point for the young musician, pointing him away from the sometimes limiting discipline of classical piano and towards the world of electronic music. Since then, residencies in his home town grew to a move towards Berlin and all that great creative city had to offer.
Alex found work as a studio assistant to DJ T, running errands, capturing vinyl, mixing tracks and archiving records. This led to fellow Get Physical stalwarts Booka Shade discovering they had a promising producer in their own ranks. A lauded remix of Booka Shade’s “Darko” followed on a vinyl only release alongside Tiefschwarz and Radio Slave.
After finishing his engineering degree things began to snowball for Alex in 2008, during that summer he was signed to Supernature the home of UK duo Audiofly. They released the Black Rose EP in 2009 followed by critically and commercially successful releases on 8bit charting highly in many end of year lists.
Gigs across the globe followed and in the spring of 2010 he launched his Soulfooled label in the aim of responding quickly to artist needs and creating a platform for artists to release music quicker. The music represents Alex’s standards across old school disciplines of Chicago and Detroit orientated sounds.
Ahead of Alex joining We Love in Miami, we’ve asked him to answer our 11 Questions all about his past present and hypothetical future. You can download an exclusive mix he’s recorded, here.
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
Electroschock by Laurent Garnier. It totally changed my view of that glamourous DJ-life I had before.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
Yeah always, my Mom especially when I was I kid and wanted to learn piano. After my interests passed to house and techno music she wasn’t that happy… but my dad continued supporting me until he died unfortunately last year. Without him I wouldn’t be where I am right now! RIP Daddy!
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
It was a hobby for me until I graduated school. I had to decide what I wanted to do for living. So I moved to Berlin and started to study audio engineering to increase my technical knowledge about producing music. When I did the remix for Booka Shade on Get Physical, I knew that I made the right decision. That was the point where I got professional.
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
Everything which you have done or which has happened in the past influences your life. As I also had a lot of really bad experiences, I think this definitely made me withstand things better and reminds me to not give up until I’ve reached my aims!
Reaktion
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
I just built my new studio on the 1st floor of my flat in Berlin. I spent a lot of money to make it perfect. It is a room in room construction, with all the finest acoustic elements to make the room with all the techniques to sounding perfect.
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
Well, I would say I’ve spent a lot of time with updating social network sites etc. I think the internet is an important medium, which more and more becomes an entertainment medium. But at a certain point of the career which I have right now, I cant do it on my own anymore. I mean, I still post / tweet a lot of things, I think it is very important to keep in touch with your fans, but for all other things I have my press agency. I definitely think that press and social networking became one of the most important things in this business, as there are too many “self-called” DJs / artist you have to stand out from! But all the marketing doesn’t effect my creativity as I do it most of the time when I’m on flights or in hotels, where I usually don’t produce.
How would you describe your work?
Just one word! Travelling! Playing and producing isn’t work for me. I still have a lot of fun doing that.
Who were your teachers?
Me, myself and my brother, who taught me the first skills in DJing. I mean I had some idols I was always and still looking up to like Ken Ishii, Steve Bug or Emmanuel Top, but they unfortunately couldn’t teach me anything personally because I didn’t know them. So I was learning most by trial and error, until my studies where I refined my technical background.
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
Show them how it’s when someone steals their possessions and let them life without them for a while.
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would that be?
As I think, that every animal has its function on mother earth, I wouldn’t do it, because the natural balance will be broken. If the question would be only about a species including us, I would say human. As we are the most useless species. The world could life in its balance better without us!
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
It would be the epoch of Rococo, as in this time most of the most brilliant creative people have lived. Such as Mozart or Goethe!
Thanks Alex. Connect with him on twitter and facebook. Download his mix, here.
A genuine crowd favourite and stalwart contender in the Discoteca, James Zabiela has moved into Terraza territory over the past couple of summer seasons at We Love Space, which in his own words “feels like a promotion”. There are few artists we could claim to have such an integral force in terms of the sheer energy and excitement they bring to the table. For this reason, we’re bringing James and his technological gusto to Ministry of Sound for part two of our New Year spectacular alongside Joris Voorn and Simian Mobile Disco in in the main room on one of the best sound systems in the world. Read more about the event here.
In other Zabiela related news he is currently nominated for top Essential Mix of 2010, a “lush soundscape which cleverly weaves in, and takes inspiration from, Duncan Jones’ movie Moon.” You can vote here. We reckon it’s between James and Four Tet for the top spot, both brilliant mixes as it happens.
Over to you, J Z.
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
No, but I did read Russell Brand’s ‘Booky Wook’ surely the greatest piece of literature since Shakespeare.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
Yes, they bought records and my first turntables.
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
I’m not sure at which point I’d say professionally but my first paid gig was for £20 which I was more than happy with.
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
I think I learn something every time I play. No two audiences are the same.
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
It’s in my attic in Southampton but a lot of the stuff I work on is done on the road on my laptop.
James
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
I never thought about that type of thing really and I don’t like that side of it, I just wanted to play records but since the explosion of social networks it means it’s become a competitive place if you want to stay ahead. I wouldn’t say it’s effected my creativity directly but for a while I was spending so much time on these sites keeping them updated and answering every query it took time from my days where it could be beats. I miss the days when I just had a website to update and that was it. I do enjoy a bit of twitter every now again though. That’s the easier one of the lot. Obviously there are other marketing jaunts I’ve embarked on such as giving away my mix album and working with Pioneer which has helped my creativity in a really positive way.
How would you describe your work?
Well the work bit is the travelling and all the ‘marketing’. I’d describe the DJing part not as work but as a pure joy.
Who were your teachers?
Sasha. Lee Burridge. John Digweed. Danny Howells. Now I look to more producer based artists for inspiration rather than DJs as thats an area I’m moving more into so Ramadanman, Modeselektor, Addison Groove, Midland, Apparat, Shed.
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
I’d make them tidy my flat.
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would that be?
Humans. Let the machines take over.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
Heidi has quickly established herself in Ibiza endearing herself to fans at We Love Space and fellow artists and DJs alike. She currently holds down a monthly slot with the In New DJs We Trust show on BBC Radio 1 where she gets to interview her favourite up’n'comers while showcasing the latest and greatest from her passion for booty-shaking techno, house and disco.
There is a ‘Varsity Workout’ mix you can download on her profile page to listen while you read, or why not check out her latest show on Radio 1 which is still available on the iPlayer.
Heidi also featured in our favourite video of the summer, have a look at the bottom of this post. With that, Heidi, it’s over to you…
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
I was really into reading biographies for a long time then it all got a bit same same for me, musician turned drug addict who turned their life around… blah blah. Fun to read and interesting but then I got bored and my friend turned me on to David Sedaris. I absolutely love this guy. Hilarious. He is very observant and writes about the everyday life situations and about himself and his childhood in those situations. All of his books are brilliant. I just bought the new one. Haven’t started it yet. Nothing life changing but very light hearted and they make me laugh out loud. Just what I need when I’m sitting in the airport wanting to get home.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
My parents were very into their music. They were quite young when they had me and my sister. They listened to a lot of classic rock, folk and blues. Music was constantly playing in our household… many times until 4am on a school night. Having children didn’t stop them from living their lives. I guess they were the reason why I became so involved with many different genres of music.
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
I moved to England permanently in 2000. Soon after I started working in record shops then in 2003 I helped open up London’s Phonica Records. That’s where I gained the knowledge and connections in the electronic music world. I sort of accidentally fell into the DJing thing. People kept saying I should do it because they liked my taste. I didn’t ever think it would end up being my career today.
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
I’m not sure. I guess I just do it without thinking about it too much. It comes naturally for me. If something moves me I always gravitate towards it and see where it takes me.
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
I don’t have a studio. I’m not really a producer. I have done some music with my ex-boyfriend. We lived together and he had a beautiful studio. Full of a million vintage synths. Its fun but I prefer to be out and about. I have a hard time concentrating in a studio and channeling my ideas into one. So at the moment I just travel around and play other peoples tunes. Maybe one day my mind will calm down and I will be able to sit still long enough to make an album.
Heidi high up in the Red Box
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
I haven’t really had to do that seeing as I don’t really make music. The radio show I do on Radio 1 “In New DJs We Trust” speaks for me. I play what I love and have guests on that inspire me and that is my outlet. To try and bring underground dance music to a wider audience.
How would you describe your work?
Well by work you mean DJing… I would describe it as a super fun night out on the dancefloor. I love to see crowds get down old school style. No chin strokers allowed.
Who were your teachers?
I didn’t have any. I had to teach myself quickly. I went from not knowing how to mix to being put in front of 1000 people. For the first few years I was literally learning in the clubs. Yes I made plenty of mistakes but 5 years on I have figured it out. Some people might disagree but there will always be the critics. As long as everyone is smiling and dancing their asses off I have done my job for the night.
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
Rip all their finger nails out with a pair of pliars and then pour white spirits over them.
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would that be?
Honestly at the moment I wouldn’t choose any animal. Our planet is suffering with enough of that thanks to us.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
I would kill to go back to the 1920′s. I’m so in love with the fashion from that era and it was a time of tremendous change in America. I wouldn’t mind popping into the Victorian age either. Well, I would like to visit most era’s before I was born. I’ve always been fascinated by history.
In 2007 Ruairi Dunne joined the We Love… team as editor of We Love TV. Born in Ireland, raised in deepest Scotland and schooled in London, Ruairi’s left-of-centre intellect was instantly evident in his edits. Having spent most of his formative summers surrounded by the lush greenery of the Scottish North East, the jump to a life of hedonistic debauchery in Ibiza was somewhat of a culture shock for the intrepid film maker, but four years down the line, although toying with the idea of a stretch in Strangeways, Ruairi definitely now calls Ibiza home. His first ever video for We Love… coincided with the release of our first ever CD, mixed by Serge Santiago and Riton. Ruairi’s subsequent videos have gone on to feature interviews with some of the biggest names in dance music including The Chemical Brothers, Jeff MIlls and Groove Armada and featured performances from musical luminaries such as Grace Jones and Aphex Twin.
Wise beyond his years and affectionately known as Roogle in the office due to his encyclopaedic knowledge of almost everything, we have slightly tailored our 11 questions to some more befitting a man of his persuasions.
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
Steinbeck’s opus East of Eden is the tale of Cain and Abel told through the prism of the Salinas Valley in California. It’s a story about man’s capacity for self destruction, guilt and free will. Also the complete works of Kurt Vonnegut are more relevant now than ever as the gap between science fiction and reality becomes nothing more than an optical illusion. I like American writers in general, they don’t have the same stylistic hangups as the English.
Was there one film or incident that first encouraged you to study filmmaking?
There was nothing in particular, it was mainly a desire to advance from the small town in which I grew up. I would like to name-check Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) as a stunning depiction of industrial slavery and class warfare. However, calling what I do filmmaking is a stretch at best.
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
I tend to reflect badly on most events I encounter although the monstrous anonymity of London was as inspiring as it was terrifying. I held on tight and survived with not a single hair out of place.
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
My studio of sorts is within the We Love headquarters on the port of Ibiza town. It’s a hive of activity during summer months but calm and contemplative during winter. My desk is three times larger than anyone else’s but there still isn’t enough room for all the DV tapes, hard drives, DVDs, coffee cups and general detritus of video editing, much to the consternation of our office manager – Big L.
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
I suppose my job can be broadly described as a marketing exercise in itself, a 21st century bill poster for Generation Z.
How would you describe your work?
Trying to avoid the obvious mistakes of others. I hope some of what I do can be an antidote to the lowest-common-denominator promotional videos produced in Ibiza for the over-sexed, under-socialized viewer I have so much contempt for. It’s an exciting position to be given the access and creative freedom I am provided with.
Who were your teachers?
Technically, Aaron Cazzola and Marco La Nave in London. I doubt there is anyone better than Mark Broadbent for learning about the vagaries of the murky depths in music promotion. Also Kristie for learning how to ask the right questions.
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
There is too much stuff in my house, I would suggest to the burglars that they keep the lot.
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would that be?
Pandas have had it far too easy for too long in my opinion.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
April 15th 1987 in order to test the auto-infanticide paradox.
Do you ever get bored of making videos of effectively the same thing for 16 weeks each summer? If so do you think this translates into your work and how do you go about rectifying this?
My main problems this year were feckless lethargy and indescribable scorn, but without those I wouldn’t have ended up hanging out with losers like you. Yes, you.
Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton founded DJHistory.com in 2000 as a way of promoting their book Last Night A DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey. Since then it’s attracted a loyal following of hirsute DJs and record collectors and become a support group for vinyl-related Aspergers sufferers. In 2008 they relaunched the site with a shiny coat of paint, a music shop and a slightly more professional approach. Their aim remains the same as always: to document the rich history of dance music and to collect and share knowledge about fantastic music.
Despite growing up in Lincolnshire only several cornfields apart, Bill and Frank met on the corner of Bond and Broadway in New York in 1994. Within a week they’d decided to write a book together on New York disco, having spent several nights trading club stories collected from Sound Factory veterans, Roxy drag queens, and a couple of ancient gay truckers from Jersey. Thanks to guidance from Doug Young at Headline, this idea greatly expanded its horizons and became 1999’s Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, the first book to trace the entire history of DJing.
In the wake of their magnum opus, Bill and Frank’s partnership led to further books, including best-selling DJ manual How To DJ (Properly), and a long-running series of professional house parties known as Low Life. As well as their long-toothed experience as music journalists and magazine editors, both are DJs; Bill is also an experienced producer, remixer, chef, and catalogue consultant, and Frank has been known to be a senior digital creative in the world of advertising. Today Bill is moonlighting as our interogatee ahead of his birthday takeover of El Salon.
Skill Bill
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
Bill Brewster: Yes. Mrs McGinty’s Dead by Agatha Christie. It was the first book I’d ever read for pleasure rather than schoolwork. I was stuck indoors one summer after I left school suffering badly from hay fever, found this book and started reading it. At the end of that summer, I’d read about 20 Agatha Christie novels and was hooked.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
Bill Brewster: They did, yes. I played E flat clarinet in the school orchestra, but I was lazy and stopped playing regrettably.
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
Bill Brewster: I was originally the singer in a band (back in 1981) and we got a record deal with a semi-trendy label, put a few singles out, toured a bit and then it all collapsed into recriminations and all that mallarkey. We were Grimsby’s answer to Tower Of Power. Anyhow, that gave me the thirst for it, but I started DJing because I couldn’t be arsed having arguments with the bass player about how loud his amp was. As a DJ, you’re a dictator, which is probably my natural inclination.
Viva la revolution
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
Bill Brewster: I think everything you’ve done in the past inveitably flows into what you do now. It’s a natural process. But, I suppose, what is advantageous to me is having been buying music regularly since the early 1970s and keeping up with current trends, it’s easier to recycle and revive older records when a particular sound is in vogue.
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
Bill Brewster: I don’t have a studio, but I’m working with Alex Tepper on a project, Hotel Motel, which we’ve been doing since last November. Alex used to be in Futureshock and he works with Steve Lawler, Nic Fanciulli and loads of other house chaps. We’ve got stuff coming out on Under The Shade and Home Taping. We’ve got our capes and leather long johns ready for the forthcoming Top Of The Pops appearance.
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
Bill Brewster: Ha ha. I’m absolutely shit at marketing myself. I didn’t even have an agent till a year ago despite DJing for 25 years. My wife’s always mithering me for being a bit of a div, but there you go. So I can honestly say marketing issues have never affected anything I do. I tend to jiust go with what I want to do and hope that people are digging the stuff that I do, whether it’s writing books, faffing about on websites or DJing and throwing parties. It’s in my blood to get up and do stuff, and I can’t see that changing.
Four Bills
How would you describe your work?
Bill Brewster: Eclectic. I have a very low boredom threshold, so as soon a I get competent at something, I want to stop doing it and do something else. Not good for marketing but good for sense of self and well-being.
Who were your teachers?
Bill Brewster: Roy Bainton, who used to run a musical instrument shop called Gough & Davy in Grimsby in 1970s, was the person who first introduced to me a wide variety of music; John Peel, a saviour for people growing up in shit towns in Great Britain; Danny Tenaglia, my mentor when I lived in New York.
feat. lots of Bill's old DJ mates
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
Bill Brewster: I’m a Marxist and, as the philosopher Pierre-Joseph Proudhon argued: Property is theft. Mind you, if he touched my records, he’d get a good stomping.
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would that be?
Bill Brewster: Cats. I don’t like the way they look like they’re plotting against us.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
Bill Brewster: May 1971. Grimsby Town won the Fourth Division championship under Lawrie McMenemy. I was there when they did it, but I was too young to appreciate how great it was and in our present straitened circumanstanes it’s hard to see it ever being repeated.
As part of their summer residency in Ibiza with We Love, Tirk and The Pool have pulled in their special August guests in the form of Stevie Kotey and Bottin for some interrogation. Thanks to The Loop blog for the Q & A.
Bottin, a producer, DJ and sound designer from Venice, Italy was raised on late 70s Italian disco and kitsch horror soundtracks which shines through in his imitative but always forward looking sound. His album Horror Disco goes down particularly well while cruising down the Autostrada from Milan to Turin on the way to listen to an 18 hour party of Berghain resident techno… as we did here. He shys away from the more soulful and retro elements of disco giving a warmer and less polished aesthetic than his Scandavian nu-disco contemporaries. More influenced by John Carpenter, Lucio Fulci and Goblin-esque robo-cult-disco than the sounds of late 70s NY or Philly.
Stevie Kotey was brought up in a time when definitions were looser and scenes and sounds more indistinguishable than today. As tea-boy for Audio One studios in Soho his belief in being part of the music industry was cemented – lucky us! Under guidance of his Bear Funk label a wide audience were exposed to the likes of Todd Terje, Prins Thomas and Lindstrom for the first time. When it comes to his own production, Stevie Kotey dips and delves into all things nice. Don’t miss his connection to the mighty Chicken Lips with their electro funk, dubby sounds and rocky disco. A true bear knows no hibernation.
So expect a reckless blend of retro-futuristic sounds and contemporary electronica set to light up the floor in El Salon at We Love on Sunday 22nd August. In conjunction with Resident Advisor, expect a special night all round with Carl Craig, Mathew Dear, Miss Kittin, Derrick May, 20:20Soundsystem Live, Steve Lawler, Motorcitydrumensemble and more… phew!
Click flyer for more info...
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
Stevie Kotey: I couldn’t choose just one, different books for different times, different moods all determine whether your reading something life changing, But I suppose John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and Pimp by Iceberg Slim have all had a lasting effect. Oh before I forget, though it’s not a book The Viz comic equally has had a great influence on my life.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
Bottin: No, there are no musicians in my family (apart for one of my uncle that plays flute). My parents did not specifically encourage me but they didn’t try dissuade me either and they bought me my first synthesizer when I was 12 (a Korg M1, the clerk at the shop told’em Pink Floyd used to so it must’ve been a good one).
Stevie Kotey: No not really, unless you’re a classically trained musician or top producer, working in music was always deemed a bit of laugh and not a real job, especially when you’re self employed. I’m sure they hoped for more.
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
Bottin: I often learn my mistake and I’ve done quite a few mistakes. Like trying do music that I don’t actually feel or producing for people I don’t share a similar taste with. Now I know the only way is to develop your own trademark sound and that’s what I’ve been doing in the recent years and I do not intend to stop.
Stevie Kotey: Every minute of everyday past experiences help me to judge new situations, how to judge people you meet, when to be nice and when to be an asshole. Different strokes for different folks. There’s nothing like experience especially in music.
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
Bottin: My first record deal was for a track on Irma Records Italy, in a compilation called Sister Bossa. It had a sort of Brazilian rhythm, acoustic guitar and vocoder. Quite a strange arrangement now that I recall it. Shortly after that I started making music and sounds for commercials and websites.
Stevie Kotey: Lucked out completely, I had a good careers teacher; I studied a bit and just applied myself. You can work in music without the help of anyone, but it usually doesn’t pay well. If you want something hard enough you make it happen, but essentially I invested everything I could both mentally and financially into releasing music.
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
Bottin: It’s in Venice, I have all the gear in my apartment. I’m lucky since my neighbors work till late at night and they never complain about the screaming synthesizers. I have 8-9 synths, most of them cheap Italian machines from the late 70s and early 80s (Farfisa, Siel) among the non-Italians I have a Roland SH09 and a Moog MG-1 Concertmate. Although I believe the most important piece of equipment in any studio are the speakers.
Stevie Kotey: Well I don’t really have one, I couldn’t afford to have a bespoke studio anymore, I have a little set up at home Mac G4 (old skool) some outboard synths and sound modules. If you know what you’re doing you don’t need much.
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
Bottin: No marketing issues at all. I’ve been doing this type of music since a while, then when Lindstrom and all the so-called “nu disco” came out I was sort of lucky since label started wanted to sign my stuff, the same stuff nobody seems to want before. I’m very active promoting my stuff on the internet though: twitter, facebook, soundcloud… I only use those for promotion, I very rarely write about personal stuff.
Stevie Kotey: Well yes you need to promote your own shit these days but, I’ve never been one for self promotion, nothing makes me cringe more than receiving weekly emails from DJs about what they are doing and where they playing etc, surely your music and your DJ sets should do the talking for you? I’m only on facebook five months ago so I’m trying to do more, as for affecting my creativity I say less profile updating and more music making.
How would you describe your work?
Bottin: Artisan-like and restless.
Stevie Kotey: A&R, production, remixer, a thinker, bringing people together and hopefully something that will be remembered when I’m no longer here.
Who were your teachers?
Bottin: My teachers were the records of Steely Dan, Earth Wind & Fire, Claudio Simonetti, Celso Valli. I took piano lessons when I was a kid, but that was the only proper music education I got – though later (at 18) I took some jazz and orchestration lessons and I also learned a lot by playing piano and hammond organ in a big bang.
Stevie Kotey: Well my teachers are my record collection, everything I want to know about music or life can usually be found in a record I own or want.
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
Bottin: They will have to buy me an extremely sultry dinner at a very expansive restaurant of my choice.
Stevie Kotey: I say we get medieval with that shit, flogging in the town square. naked embarrassment of the highest order, then a t-shirt that’s say’s I’m a fucking scumbag thief that has to be worn for a couple of years.
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would that be?
Bottin: Pigeons and people who feed them.
Stevie Kotey: I can’t wish that on any animal no matter how naughty they have been; only the big man upstairs decides who stays or who goes.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
Bottin: I would love to see Venice when it was at its prime, before the plague, Napoleon and all…
Stevie Kotey: Easy April 26th 1977 at Studio 54 Bianca’s birthday party
Thanks to Ben Terry and Matty J at The Pool London / Tirk for the original article at their blog The Loop. More 11 Questions here. For a little taste of something to expect from Bottin and his horror disco roadshow, check the video below…
Although the origins of Simian Mobile Disco lie in the relatively prosaic rock n’ roll territory of a bust up of indie band Simian at a fish restaurant in Texas, the depth and breadth of James Ford and Jas Shaw’s passion for electronic music is apparent on listening to their diverse but focused catalogue.
Below is a mix James and Jas have given us for our soundcloud page. We hope it’s a good indication of where their “wobbly, psychedelic, atonal techno” will be going this season, both on the Terraza and in the Discoteca. It’s apparent on listening how their sound has developed from “hip-house crunkadelic poonstep” to a love of unadulterated, long-form, four to the floor acidic beats.
SMD will be releasing a series of 12″ singles on their new imprint Delicacies. Each track in the Delicacies series “will take the name of an exotic, and often bizarre, delicacy from around the world.” The first release is Aspic / Nerve Salad a set of driving instrumentals, dark beasts with enough futurism to keep your brain occupied.
You will find Simian Mobile Disco playing an exclusive residency in Ibiza for We Love at Space this summer on the following dates – Sunday 4th July, Sunday 8th August, Sunday 5th September and Sunday 19th September. They bring an infectious brand of hypnotic minimalism meets maximal electronica and their sets are guaranteed show-stoppers from start to finish. So come on down for an act you won’t find anywhere else in Ibiza this summer.
You’ve got something to do while you listen, take a read of SMD answers to our 11 Questions. James and Jas, over to you…
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
James: The first book I really remember having and impact on me was The Twits by Roald Dahl. It was gruesome and funny and really opened up my imagination as a child.
Jas:Über Sinn und Bedutung by Gottlob Frege is one of the most interesting books I’ve read. Not exactly a page turner but it outlines an alternative logic to that set out by Aristotle. The paradigm is not without it’s flaws but it was instrumental in opening up enquiry into the basic logic of language and meaning rather than assuming it to be sound.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
James: There was always a lot of music in the house when I was growing up and my parents forced me to learn piano, which I hated but now I’m thankful for. My dad played in a band so there were often instruments around the house that I could learn on. I was playing in a band by the age of ten so my parents had no option but to support me, although they often asked when I was going to get a “proper job”.
Jas: No, quite the reverse. In fact they still ask me when I’m getting a proper job. Slightly annoying but I can’t really blame them, the music industry is irrational and unfair and not something that you would recommend anyone to get involved in. That said, I love making music and never forget what a privilege it is to be paid to do something that you love.
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
James: The good thing about music is that you can never totally figure it out. It’s black magic. Every day you learn something new which you apply the next time you make music but just because something worked once, it doesn’t mean it will work a second time. The more experience of making music in different circumstances, with different people, the better. Every day’s a school day.
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
James: I have played music from a young age and been in many different bands ranging from a 20 piece Sun Ra type outfit to playing in clubs. The first time I earned decent money was probably when I started drumming for 808 State in Manchester, although I was still at college. I suppose I became “professional” when our band Simian got a record deal after college?
Jas: I’ve been making music since I was a kid, playing violin then guitar and keys in bands. At college I got into recording and James and I started building a studio with some friends. The first time I could really have been called music my profession was when Simian got signed but I had been doing music seriously for many years before that.
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
James: The studio where we make SMD tunes is in Hackney. It’s a room basically filled with analogue synths, drum machines and odd sound processing boxes we pick up on the way. Each bit of equipment has a quirk or an interface that alters the musical decisions you make at every level. We have a computer but we try to use it like a tape machine. Most of the sounds are made with real machines and our hands. I think it makes you use a different part of your brain than when pushing a mouse around?
Jas: It’s slowly grown from a dodgy computer and an old mixing desk with a few guitar pedals in a bedroom to a rented room in a rehearsal studio with pro-tools, a vocal booth, tons of synths and some nice bits of outboard and a better mixing desk. Many of the old guitar pedals that we started off with still get a lot of use though and I still think that a bedroom studio is a valuable thing. All the fancy gear in the world is no help if you can’t get at it when you have an idea in the middle of the night.
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
Jas: We don’t worry too much about marketing, I’m still a fan of the idea that good material sells itself.
James:I think any modern musician is aware of marketing to some extent. It’s hard not to be. There is a danger of being too self-aware though. I’ve been in a few situations where trying to second guess peoples expectations is detrimental to the music making process.
How would you describe your work?
James: When we started SMD we were aiming to make “good old fashioned analogue party music”. We have strayed through many genres including electro and pop but at the moment we are aiming to make techno. Wobbly, psychedelic, atonal techno.
Jas: I feel lucky to say that my work involves messing around in studios and then playing the results in some of the best clubs around the world. It really is fantastic and I don’t take it for granted.
Who were your teachers?
Jas: There was a shop in Manchester called Pop records and the guy in there recommended me a new record every week. Some I liked immediately, some it took a while to get my head round. He got me into many great bands, nice second hand vinyl copies as well.
James: Lots of people have inspired me. Some of them I have met, some I haven’t. The ones that come to mind are: Joe Meek, Brian Eno, Phil Spector, Graham Massey, Conny Plank, Rick Rubin, Vangelis, Aphex Twin, Oliver Huntemann, Carl Craig, Moondog, Prince, Raymond Scott, Delia Derbyshire, Sun Ra.
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
James: It really depends on the situation, what was taken, was any violence used, what were their motivations? To a certain extent, it someone was desperate and trying to feed their families then you wouldn’t want them to be severely punished. I would leave it to a judge and jury. Someone who spends their whole lives trying to administer fair punishment is surely in a better position than me to decide what should happen.
Jas: They’d have to wire my studio back up.
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would that be?
James: Excluding insects makes it difficult, as I would definitely get rid of wasps. I hate wasps. Pointless, spiteful creatures. I’d maybe get rid of rats instead then?
Jas: Let’s go for chickens. A strange choice you might think but lets face it, everything tastes like chicken; we are not going to miss it. Yes, eggs are nice too but other animals lay eggs and they are just as nice.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
James: I reckon the week leading up to man landing on the moon would have been pretty exciting. That, mixed with the late sixties cultural explosion and acid would make for a pretty fun week.
Jas: Quite probably a week working at Moog Music in the 60s, tinkering with synths and establishing the logarithmic 1-volt-per-octave pitch control and separate pulse triggering signal.
Many thanks to James and Jas for taking time out of their hectic schedule to answer our 11 Questions, check out below to get an idea of the kind of thought process which goes into every aspect of their work…
As part of their long-running commitment to new sounds, Chew The Fat! has led itself to the Discoteca for a monthly residency at We Love Space over the course of the summer. Fat! parties originated from from early south London drum n bass raves and became among the first to push the emerging genre of breaks in the late 90′s. Founder Paul ‘Trouble’ Arnold championed new musical territory at prestigious (and now sadly closed) London clubbing venue The End, firmly placing his roster of burgeoning DJ talent at the epicentre of new musical territory. Paul Arnold is clearly as passionate as ever about showcasing fresh talent: “A club night is only as good as it’s DJ’s and a really good club night has a really good resident DJ. Take Erol Alkan at Trashed, Layo & Bushwacka at The End and Craig Richards at Fabric to name a few. Chew the Fat! has been the home for resident Foamo for the last year and a half and is the intrinsic link in evolving Chew the Fat! through the new decade with ever more popularity in what will be its 13th year this year. At only 21, Foamo has soaked up all that has been good in dance music for the early part of his life, from this he has developed a fresh and unique natural ear for sound which you can see and hear in his amazing DJ sets, quality remixes and productions which have been tearing up clubs and dance floors all over the world. Now is Foamo’s time, with his residency at Chew The Fat! Extending to their four We Love parties in Space Ibiza, it’s your time to check him out!”
Foamo has kindly provided a new mix which you can download here. He’ll be appearing monthly with Chew The Fat! and their Discoteca residency this year. Catch him alongside the likes of Felix Da Housecat, Steve Aoki and DJ Pierre on the following dates; 20th June, 11th July, 15th August and 19th September. Foamo, over to you…
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
I’ll be the the first to admit that I am not the world’s greatest reader but if I had to choose one it would be Catcher In The Rye.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
They never actively encouraged me to start making music though I was exposed to all kinds of music from an early age. I have definitely been influenced by their love of music. Their record collection is huge.
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
For me, making music is a hobby that has got out of hand over the years. I went to college to do A-levels, but fucked up and in the end I left – mainly because I was spending too much time on my music. After college I got a terrible job and when the DJing really started to kick off I’d spend all night making music then go to work having had just a couple hours of sleep. I remember having shows in other cities on a weeknight and driving straight to work the next day. When I got my first Australian tour I couldn’t get the time off work, so I quit!
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
I am rubbish at learning from past experiences. I am always making the same mistake twice.
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
Until about 2 years ago my studio was a computer and a pair of headphones. I have upgraded since then, but it’s still quite basic. I have a separate room in my flat I use as a studio now. I prefer working through the night (fewer distractions) so I’ll normally start work at about midnight and work through to the morning. I sleep all day, hence the pasty white skin!
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
Thankfully I managed to get on with relatively little ‘marketing’ myself. I just wrote tunes, sent them to radio and club DJs, posted mixes online etc. I owe a lot to online media, blogs etc. They really helped get my name out there when I first started. It seems to be how many new artists are making a name for themselves now.
How would you describe your work?
I make different kinds of house music. I draw influences from all the music I am listening to now and of course what I was into growing up – drum & bass, garage, grime, hip hop, UK underground music. When it comes to DJing I like to play a really wide range of styles. I play tunes that really excite me, often completely different to my own productions. I get excited by tunes that I would never have thought of making myself.
Who were your teachers?
I taught myself production from the age of 14. I never went on a course or anything like that. I have worked with quite a few producers in the last couple of years and everyone works completely differently. I think it’s important to find your own way of doing things, and to remember there is no right or wrong way to do anything.
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
A one way ticket to Guantanamo Bay, flying Ryanair.
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would that be?
Foxes. When I was young a fox broke into our garden and stole my rabbit. I came home from school to find all it had left was my rabbit’s tail. I’m still mentally scarred.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
The future.
Thanks to Foamo and Fat!. Below check out a remix Foamo’s done for Diplo’s record Hey!. Diplo says: “Foamo’s remix Laidback Luke & Diplo / Hey! is one of my favourite tracks of last year.” So there you go!
Due to their busy live summer tour schedule with Hot Chip, We Love… Space Ibiza will be the only place you can hear Felix & Al DJ this year, making their summer debut tomorrow night. Over the past few years they’ve really grown into the notoriously discerning Terraza and took to the Discoteca como pez en el agua. Through Hot Chip they’ve cultivated a balance between accessibility and high-concept pop music while through remixes and side projects kept a foot firmly planted in techno. Currently working on a number of projects, Felix & Al’s latest venture is Grown Men. It seems they will be using the moniker for their more rarefied 4/4 leanings. Their website is reassuringly sparse for a new undertaking as is their twitter, saying in the description: “Al Doyle and Felix Martin are Grown Men. We are DJs & producers who play techno and house music. We also play in Hot Chip.”
A recent aural highlight that has been on rotation on the office gramophone is Carl Craig’s remix of the title track from their latest album One Life Stand, check it here. It’s a genuine pleasure when high calibre artists from the We Love stable get together for a collaboration, especially when it’s as rolling, squelchy and punchy as this. One wonders how they met, maybe over a hierbas in El Salon…
You’ve got three opportunities to catch Felix & Al DJing anywhere in the world this year, and it just so happens they’re all in the hallowed walls of Space for We Love. They’re guaranteed to rock the house but the choice cut would probably be our opening party tomorrow on June 13th. They’ll be back on July 11th and September 5th incase you can’t make it to the white isle tomorrow.
Below you can check out a mix they’ve sent us to start the summer with and probably a good idea of what to expect on the terrace this year. Below the mix are Al’s answers to our 11 Questions.
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
And I can’t say the Bible, right? Ok, seriously not the Bible… Erm, well since me and Felix’s new project (coming late 2010 possibly) is called Lanark, then I should probably say the novel Lanark by Alasdair Gray, a pretty crazy book about a young artist in real and fantastical worlds.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
My mum bought a piano for the house when I was 4, so that was definitely an encouragement. She also told me not to become a teacher, so I kind of took that as the green light to try to make it in pop music.
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
I used to do workshops with kids in composition and music technology amongst other bits of work, and then when we got signed as Hot Chip I jacked in whatever various day jobs I had and started making music full time.
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
Like any other learning machine I suppose… Coffee hot, don’t gulp down coffee straight away; Girl like nice smell, take shower before speak to girl; Ibiza people like when big bass drum go away then come back, take away bass drum then bring bass drum back.
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
Our current studio is near brick lane in east london, and it’s somewhere between a pro studio and a home studio – what Sound On Sound Magazine has taken to calling a “hybrid” studio. It’s dark and windowless, in classic studio style, and it is pretty much home to our engineer Tom Hopkins, who maintains our wide array of sonic toys. It’s basically one big room with loads of stuff in it.
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
Not much. We all have side projects to scratch the itch of our more esoteric musical leanings, and with the Hot Chip project we’ve been left alone by and large… I mean, when it comes to the album launches then there are various hoops we have to jump through, but that doesn’t really affect the music on the record, over which we have complete control.
How would you describe your work?
Pop music.
Who were your teachers?
Brian Eno, John Cale, Carl Craig, Dominik Eulberg, John Tejada, Leonard Cohen, Devo, Demis Roussos, John Dahlback, Jamie Principle, J.S. Bach, Robert Wyatt.
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
Burglars round my area? I think the crack withdrawal will be punishment enough…
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would that be?
Obviously humans, but if not us then it’s gotta be wasps. Just don’t need wasps.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
Ancient Egypt, as long as I was Pharaoh.
Many thanks to Al Doyle for the words and both Felix and Al for the mix, check out their new website here. You will find links to their blog, soundcloud, facebook and all that jazz. The tracklist for the mix above is as follows:
Nicolas Jaar – Mi Mujer
Santos Resiak – Carnival
Aki Bergen – Freak Out / Rescue Me
Pol On – Poloniusz Style
Mark Broom – Supersnout
Butch – Joy
Adultnapper & Mr C – Keep Off (Wighnomy Brothers)
Filthy Rich – Deeper
Sascha Braemer – Dirty Talk
[e]rik_Mnml – Lump
Alex Celler – Isolade
Makam – Hide You
Dimitri Andreas – Snickerz (Santos Guardingo Remix)
Walls – Burnt Sienna
