Cosmic disco doyen Prins Thomas discusses the vagaries of process versus result in making music. New kid in the Discoteca jozif on the importance of crafting a sound. Philosophical Swedes Minilogue profess artistic inspiration comes from being a human being and someone has to play Joris Voorn‘s records.
Featuring performances from Prins Thomas, Joris Voorn and Jeff Mills.
Although first best known for their steady stream of re-issues and edits of what can loosely be described as disco, Tirk Records is a home for a range of styles and methodologies of modern dance music. In collaboration with critically acclaimed Hackney based DJ agency The Pool we are proud to announce a monthly residency with which The Pool and Tirk will host El Salon within Space for We Love this summer season.
Expect a showcase of carefully selected names. Legendary titans of the scene and fresh talent will be exhibited in the chic but loose backroom at We Love over four Sundays this summer. Artists appearing include; Steve Kotey (owner of Bear Funk from Chicken Lips (compilation about to drop on Tirk), Matthew Burgess – DJ History’s finest secret weapon, Richard Sen of Padded Cell – fresh out of the studio with Bryan Ferry, mysterious Brighton meets Brooklyn collective Soft Rocks, geordie nu-beat genius Phoreski. Italian horror-disco maestro (and office listening favourite) Bottin and most highly anticipated a live show from Tirk’s most recent discovery, one part King Tubby, two parts Carl Craig… Architeq. Tirk residents Matty J and Ben Terry will be on hand across the four dates to add a sprinkle of their own balearic fairy dust.
Rising like a disco driven phoenix from the ashes of the legendary Nuphonic (who led from the front in the recent disco resurgence with a pioneering output from 1995 to 2002) stable, which was revered across the world in its reputation for quality and diversity in sound, Tirk follows in that tradition of releasing cutting edge music from all corners of the dance spectrum. From the kraut-pop of Fujiya & Miyagi, to the punk-funk of New Young Pony Club and electro pioneer Greg Wilson along with other genre busting artists such as Idjut Boys and Time & Space Machine we hope by coming to Ibiza with We Love they can continue to throw their message far and wide.
Pencil in these dates for a taste of true-new-balearica at We Love… Space; June 27th, July 25th, August 22nd and September 26th. They’re all Sundays, as if you needed to ask!
Below you can watch a video directed by Steven Crichton at Duncan of Jordanstone art college in the delightful seaside “city of discovery” Dundee. The track is from Arqiteq’s album Gold and Green available on Tirk Recordings.
Hop on a plane!
The Black Rabbit gang are descending on the White Isle for a summer residency with us at We Love. The idea behind the move is for all their guests to play alternative and unconventional sets in El Salon throughout the summer. Expect the likes of Shaun Reeves, Pete Herbert, Thomas Gandey (Cagedbaby), Luca C, Ali Love and a slew of other established and upcoming producers and DJs to be gracing the decks. El Salon (by day, an unassuming white lounge bar / back room, but the minute the sun starts to fade, it turns into a retro-inspired groove-tastic rave space for the Black Rabbit crew) will be swaying to the sounds of leftfield disco, analogue house and live vocals once a month starting on our opening party and ending fortuitously at our closing. In rabbiting style, expect the odd bit of 80′s party pop thrown in for good measure.
Bones and Guy, balearic bunnies
Formed in 2006, the Black Rabbit contingent of Chris Bones, Kelly Love, Justin Robertson and Guy Williams quickly gained appeal by their renowned residents Bones and Guy playing a refreshing, uplifting mishmash of musical styles. Highlights of the summer look to be Luca C and Ali Love live on the 13th of June, there’s sure to be a few unreleased licks from Chemical Brothers collaborator Ali Love’s anticipated new album. The 4th of July aptly brings Detroit native Shaun Reeves of Wolf + Lamb out to play his distinctive mix of American and Kraut House, both classic and contemporary. On Sunday the 1st of August be advised to expect the unexpected with Paradise 45, brainchild of Thomas Gandey (Cagedbaby) and Guy Williams dropping everything from italo, dub, funk and beyond. Also out that day will be disco king Pete Herbert – a constant force in dance for the past 15 years. The Rabbit’s final date, 5th September brings fellow Londoners DDD Simon Morell and Ryan Shaw, as Kelly says it’s going to be “fun, messy and Balearic all the way!”
Guy Williams has kindly provided a mix to give a taste of things to come this summer. You can download it here. Thump thump thump.
Monster mash
Expect everything from screaming high-energy bangers to sleazy downtempo morning music, classic New York into Italo and deep, repetitive proto-techno-disco. Things should be as balearic as they come, a speakeasy feel with a tight-knit but large turnout and no grumpy collector types stroking their beards and demanding original French pressings. As Dan describes the party in London, “all of London’s tribes are there; There’s the fashion crowd, music heads, people that mainly go to gay clubs, or indie clubs or minimal clubs, there’s no one tribe that dominates our dance floor. I think a lot of people are fed up of what “club music” has turned into … the music policy does it’s own job of filtering out that dickhead element.”
As the flyer says, Disco Bloodbath will be taking over our neat little back room El Salon on the 20th of June alongside the likes of Hercules & Love Affair and the 11th of July, also appearing on that day are Hot Chip and The Juan MacClean. The Bloodbath lads have kindly provided us with a mix described by a wise man thus, “Gay vampire disco for the blood sucking hordes!” … download it here.
Phlying
To this end, Phil came up with the NuNorthern Soul concept, a Sunday session of music presented in comfortable surroundings with – importantly – great food and wine. City Bar in Chester was the landing pad for the Sunday slouchdown and Jim Baron from Crazy P was one of the first of many NuNorthern Soul All-Stars. The pair would spin for eight-hour sessions, playing records from front to back, full length, blended and melded together to create an audio soundscape for lazy, hazy Sunday afternoons.
As Phil moved from the UK to Ibiza setting up a record promo pool, NuNorthern Soul went with him, transferring it from an English style bar to the legendary Base Bar on the old port of Ibiza town. It was an easier transition as Balearic ears are always after different beats and NuNorthern Soul provided them exactly that. Quickly the idea was moved to Base Bar’s partner the Es Vivé hotel in Playa Den Bossa where Phil would host the Sunday session as a pre-Space sizzle with a cool, music loving crowd rocking up for Sunday sustenance before heading down to We Love… Space. Quickly spotting the synergy that NuNorthern Soul had, in stepped promoter Darren Hughes and musical director Mark Broadbent, taking the NuNorthern Soul vibe to the Premier Etage roof terrace at Space every Sunday, kicking up a fuss with African and Latin beats, funk, disco, soul, hip hop and broken beats.
Listen Nu
A.D.C
This Sunday sees the grand opening of Barcelona’s Athletic.Disco.Club. To help kick things of with a bang they’ve enlisted the help of Bicep and in hand have given them their first gig in Spain. Bicep first came to our attention in 2008 when one third of them, Andrew Ferguson, played as one half of Fucks & Kisses in the Red Box at We Love… Space. Having stepped away from the noisy sounds of F&K, Bicep walked straight into the disco kaleidoscope. With a strong fan-base in toe, built up from their Glasgow residency Sideshow, they went on to create one of our favourite blogs; a one-stop-shop for all things house, techno, disco and muscle. Their debut release Strawberry, put out on vinyl only by Ghost Town sold out pretty much instantly and their chicago house homage 313 looks set to do the same very shortly. With opening nights you can never be absolutely sure how things will turn out; but with the Bicep boys playing we’re pretty certain this one will be a beltter; so certain in fact we’re sending a We Love… contingent along to check it out.
Head and shoulders above the rest
Last summer saw a full schedule form the bright lights of a Glastonbury debut and the Garden Festival Croatia and their dates for We Love… Space in Ibiza for the second year running. Although perfectly adept at expressing themselves on the ‘ones and twos’ they have also developed their studio craft, with their first releases on Ilija Rudman’s Red Music label being followed up by a major remix of Crazy P’s ‘Love On The Line’. They’ve some brand new tracks out on Future Classic & DJ History and have more to look out for on Wolf Music and YamWho?’s new label ISM later in the year. Check out all that with PBR Streetgang on Juno.
Whether it’s gigs or releases, this is a boat trip you shouldn’t miss. The questions are answered by Bonar Bradberry…
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
Probably a couple but the one that has had the most effect I guess, even though its slightly clichéd, would be Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger… that and the 1986 Beano bumper annual.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
No, but they never told me I couldn’t either, my folks have been very cool.
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
I suppose it was when I used to lie about my age so i could start playing in “trendy” bars in Birmingham around 98′ which I would get paid for, so in a sense it started there really.
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
I just always try to learn from mistakes… accept the fact that you have to make a few of them before you get it right… and to take all successes and failures with a pinch of salt.
Join the gang (Photo by Caroline Michael)
It’s like a James Bond baddies lair, built into the side of a mountain! I wish… It’s just a little room at the top of my house, that’s cluttered full of random kit and lots of records… but its cosy and i can get a lot done and best of all it has a window from which you can only see the sky… great for clearing your head!
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
I think of marketing in terms of how you present yourself and your music, I have to consider more and more all the time… Which isn’t something I particularly like but if you’re too all over the place then it can be confusing to people and makes it harder for them to “get” you… So being focused to a more specific image and sound can help, but it still has represent your uniqueness, thats the hard part.
How would you describe your work?
A constant pursuit for things that are just out of reach… or
At the cutting edge of an evolutionary dead end.
Who were your teachers?
Without sounding corny, which is impossible I know if I say this, but… nearly everyone I’ve met has taught me something in some way small or large… I learn off everyone and everything… how to and how not to! Sorry i know its a cheesy answer but its true.
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?
This has actually happened to me twice in the last twelve months, but not all the possessions have been returned. So I’ve given this some thought. I’d probably make them work hard labour everyday on £2 an hour until they had worked off the value of everything they had taken. If however, they returned it all of their own free will (since were speaking hypothetically) then I’d be inclined to much more lenient .
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would you make extinct?
This is a terrible question… er, ok one at random… rats.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
The last days of Rome!
Thanks to Bonar for taking the time to answer our 11 Q’s. Also we were kindly invited down to a traditional boozer in Leeds for a Christmas knees up with the lads. We filmed it, because it seemed rude not to! Enjoy…
Christmas Cracker!
Such is the popularity of PBR Streetgang in their native Leeds – when arriving to play their vinyl powered digital-disco in El Salon – the chic back room at We Love… Space in Ibiza, the promoters were left dumbstruck by the charter-plane load of revelers PBR Streetgang would have in tow. Rumour has it the lads have bought shares in Leeds-Bradford airport in order to capitalise on their growing international popularity.
2008 saw Crazy P drop their critically acclaimed album “Stop Space Return” on 2020Vision. They channeled the live energy they have built up from the considerable skills needed to perform to massive festival crowds into this superb fourth album. They are undeniably and unashamedly DISCO and have found themselves at the crux of the recent renaissance that has crossed from New York to North England and back again. The general uplifting mood of the record is tempered by lead singer Danielle Moore to give that bittersweet cosmic feeling.
It will all be going off in The Mustard Pot, a traditional ye olde stylee pub on Stainbeck Lane in Leeds on the 27th of December which should make for some proper yuletide spirit. We’ll be filming the event too so keep an eye out for that.
Credit to the Fatneck
Wilson retired from DJing in 1984 to concentrate on studio work and other projects, only to go on to enjoy a renaissance of sorts by returning to DJ in 2003 with his Music Is Better night played out in Manchester. He released the seminal Credit to the Edit in the summer of 2005 and has been prolific with his disco re-edits for Tirk records. 2008 saw Greg go ubiquitous with gigs at We Love… Space – Ibiza, Asylum – Leeds, Horse Meat Disco and Fabric – London and Sub Club – Glasgow to name just a few (as well as a return to New York, LA and San Francisco and packing in a tour of Japan, Australia and South America).
Once the unsung hero of dance music, Greg Wilson is now recognised as a living legend and while receiving universal acclaim for both his studio work and shows around the world, he obviously maintains a sense of foundation with a return to where it all really started – so check it out, Verve bar in Huddersfield town on Boxing Day, 2009. This Kitchen Sink Disco knees up is likely to be a boozy affair, a great way to escape Ma & Pa’s turkey sarnies and Ben Hur on the telly aswell as a great excuse for Fatneck and his mates to play loud electro-discofunk records to all his mates. It’s such big news around those parts it’s even made it into the local paper. Enjoy.
The music in this video is still intensely relevant. 1983, the first time anyone “mixed” live on television while sporting the never-before-seen afro-mullet.
Re-editing is something I’d encourage not just DJ’s, but anyone who enjoys dance music, to have a go at. There are plenty of software options. I was first attracted to editing because I found it to be great fun, I even used to view it as ‘playing around’ (in the same way I’d play around with a few copies of the same record in a live context). Some people will obviously be more adept than others, the mathematics of editing (knowing where you are with the beats and the bars) is not something that comes naturally to everyone, but, as with anything, if you begin with the simpler things and master those first, the more complex ones will follow. Perhaps you could start off by picking a track that you’ve always liked, apart from one section, then see if you can remove the section without disturbing the flow of the track. If you can do that, you’re on your way. – Greg Wilson
