There’s a late addition to the Tirk/Pool hosted El Salon for the closing party on Sunday September 25th. El Harvo aka Dave Harvey aka one third of the Future Boogie collective will be joining Ben Terry, Matty J and Jamie Bull of Manchester party Homoelectric to the most à-la-mode back room in Ibiza. This summer, Tirk and the Pool have brought a diverse selection of artists to Space, from the Trojan Soundsystem of Earl Gateshead to the Italo horror disco of Bottin. In the true spirit of We Love, expect a disregard for a rigid music policy – but with dancing a priority – disco-sleaze, trashy-funk, foreign pop and good people.
Check out this suitably titled summer mix below from El Harvo himself…
Tirk Records has hosted El Salon at a monthly residency over the summer 2010. Now the last party has come – for this year anyway. Ben Terry from Tirk Records has had a chat with his colleague Matt Johnson.
So… its finally here: This Sunday marks the last We Love party of the season at Space. We’ve had a great summer on the white Island and i chatted to Matt Johnson, Director of The Pool about Ibiza and how the season has gone for him:
Ben Terry: Well Matty, its a busy weekend for The Pool, with a double We Love header looming large. We’re kicking things off at Ministry of Sound on Saturday with Maurice Fulton, looking forward to that one?
MJ: Well with We Love hosting London’s original juice bar it should be quite a night! Im looking forward to hearing Maurice play, that is always a joy. Dom Chung from Future Disco is also a long time friend so nice to be in the same time-zone as him, as usually he’s away globe-trotting!
Ben Terry: After that its straight on plane for the We Love Closing party at Space: The Pool have been busy hosting El Salon this summer, how did the hook up with We Love come about & how’s it all gone from your perspective?
MJ: Woosh… yep that’s it. I met Mark Broadbent (We Love) via a good old friend… Phat Phil Cooper. Phil’s one of the Chibuku faithful… a soulboy from Chester. He helped us join the dots really. Mark’s also a Snowbombing regular so we often connect in the mountains in the spring. The collaboration has been a real labour of love from our-side. Programming some of our favorites to play under the Ibizan skies on a Sunday night at Space, for We Love… how could it not be? We have been enjoying trying to twist a few clubbers minds and most importantly their… rear-ends all summer. The El Salon is a beautiful room, abit like a secret boudoir. A perfect spot for a good late night party.
Ben Terry:Richard Sen & Phoreski are over with us this month, both quite different styles I’d say but nice to see them over in Ibiza to provide a slight different flavour?
MJ: Yes, two incredibly under-rated DJs in my opinion. Phoreski is from the new wave so to speak. Check out The 4 Skins to get a feel for where he’s coming from. Richard Sen has been on the scene for years as Bronx Dogs, Heavenly Records resident and more recently as one half of Padded Cell. Both have very interesting styles and a great range of influences… Punk, Nu Beat, Psychedelia, Italo, early Electro, Punk-Funk… etc etc etc. Phoreski has this incredible energy and works the mixer really hard. In quite a Techno way, if that makes any sense. Which I really like for someone playing the sort of music he plays.
Richard’s skill is being equally at home playing alongside Derrick May in a more massive room, as he is dropping a more mixed bag in a backroom. He does both perfectly. His Padded Cell project also has some brand new material coming soon so hoping to hear some of that! I heard the first single had an afro feel but don’t know alot more than that. Maybe I got confused and Richard is growing an Afro!
Ben Terry: What are your general thoughts on the island this season, in terms of the crowds, the music and the types of artists being programmed over there?
MJ: To me the island always has a magic to it. Time passes, crowds and fashions come and go but that never really changes what’s there. The same spirit which helped kick start acid house, lives in those hills. Which is why I deem it to be such an important part of the club circuit. I think We Love are the largest party outfit that are on the cusp of booking the more progressive styles over there. I love what they do in a programming sense. Seeing Prins Thomas on the Terrace back in June was incredible. I know that was a new booking for them. Greg played the same spot a few years back to a great response. Carl Craig, Aphex Twin, Derrick May, Disco Bloodbath, Chemical Brothers, DJ Hell, Grace Jones, Alfredo… week in week out. The list goes on. They also support and nurture interesting upcoming acts like PBR Streetgang who have become recent residents. And help labels like Tirk reach a larger audience. All while operating like one big happy family, so I have a huge admiration for them.
Ben Terry: You might actually sneak in a couple of days in the sunshine this time i hear!? with an Ibiza Sonica radio show being on the cards for next week. Can you fill us on when that is and what to expect?
MJ: Lets hope so! Infact this time last year there were massive thunderstorms so must’nt count our chickens! Im going to do a little radio show for Sonica. A guy called Andy Wilson who works with Jose Padilla, run’s the airwaves over there. So Im going to pull out a few favorites for him on Monday. Catch the vibe so to speak… tune into those lay-lines!
Ben Terry: Finally – what’s your number 1 weapon of choice for this weekend? new or old
MJ: The new Locussolus and a pack of Trebor extra strong mints for the flight.
Thanks to Matty for the thoughts, and we’ll see you in El Salon on Sunday… adios.
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!
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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 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.
