Think dance music and the Mediterranean and you think Ibiza. But there is another corner of the Mare Nostrum where for a small but talented and committed group of heads the force is also strong; Malta. And pivotal to the scene, the driving force at the very heart of it all, an increasingly key figure home and away, stands one man. That man is Owen Jay.

A vastly experienced DJ, producer and champion of quality deep underground sounds, Jay came to the attention of a much wider audience in 2010 when the truly memorable Memories Of You EP put together with compatriot and erstwhile collaborator Melchior Sultana was picked up and released by Underground Quality. And if it’s good enough for Jus-Ed…

It was, however, far from the beginning of the adventure for Jay who was already running his own highly-respected label Batti Batti which drew on a close network of friends, carefully-chosen artists and co-conspirators to further the cause of genuine quality deepness, influenced like many by Chicago and Detroit, often raw yet with elements of soul and groove and only ever selected to meet Jay’s exacting standards.

He keeps a close and watchful eye on all elements of output. Artwork is produced specially by local graphic designer and illustrator Moira Zahra, mastering of vinyl is by the excellent Spanish deep house producer Above Smoke (Deep Explorer/Fear Of Flying) while for digital the man on the buttons is Maltese sound designer Mario Sammut. Attention to detail is clearly king.

Such demands, expectations and enthusiasm have made Batti Batti – the name is derived from the Maltese word for ‘calming down’ – a growing force on the underground scene and why Jay’s own stock as a deep house DJ and artist is on the rise. His Monday night show on myhouseyourhouse.net is also essential listening for those of a deeper persuasion. Partner-in-crime Sultana’s reputation is none too shabby either what with a forthcoming album with Deep88 on the Italian’s own 12 Records imprint, a solo long-player forthcoming on UQ and a track on much-rated young Spanish producer Satore’s label Hizou.

Yet despite the undoubted success and growing reputation Jay and his super label enjoy, over a pint or two in a Covent Garden boozer and sharing a mutual admiration for artists and labels such as Natan H, Ethyl and Flori, Contrast-Wax et al, he admitted “we couldn’t have this conversation in Malta”. Home it may be, but house is a feeling Jay must find globally.

That’s not to say it has stopped him from spreading the gospel at home. Far from it. An already sold-out Batti Batti boat party at the end of the summer suggests the message is getting through.

Passing through London on his way home from playing in Brighton, Jay stopped off to talk early days, impending fatherhood and all things deep.

It would be fair to say Malta doesn’t often figure in conversations about dance music, so what kind of scene is there?
There are a lot of events happening on a weekly basis. Besides deep house events, I am involved with Unfocused, which was started by local DJ Brian James back in 2001. It is all about deep and dark techno with the emphasis on good electronic sounds. Past guests have included Donato Dozzy, Mike Parker and Milton Bradley to name a few.

Your own sound as a producer and DJ is very much associated with the deeper side of things. How is deep house received there?
On a weekly basis deep house is mostly played in bars and lounges so it lacks the dance-floor element. I think that most people associate deep house with lounge music because they do not have enough opportunities to listen to the tracks we play on a proper club sound system.

However, we do have occasional events. Over the last decade events I have been involved with featured Mike Huckaby, Jus-Ed, Frankie Valentine, Matt Pond, Mike Grant, Pépé Bradock, Daniel Wang and Charles Webster. It is definitely a small scene of about 150-200 people but the love for the music gives us a drive to keep it going.

With such an obviously small scene, are there other people in Malta then who are making similar music to yourself and Melchior, or who would at least play deeper music?
Links who featured on BB02 [a beautifully brooding Detroit-influenced slow-burning track by the name of Pathfinder] is a local DJ/musician who is currently spending his spare time focusing on his skills as a musician. At some point I expect more music from him. There are a few other guys who regularly send me samples of their works-in-progress which I think are amazing but for some reason they don’t get to finish the projects.

As for local DJs playing deeper music, I totally support Melchior Sultana, SSoker (aka Links), St. James, Clint Giulivo, Liam, Dale Degas and Brian James.

What got you into house and techno in the first place?
In high school I used to listen to artists with varied styles; from acid house to Tricky, Primal Scream, Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers, which somehow led me to ambient and electronic music to the likes of Irresistible Force, Richard Kirk, The Orb, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Pete Namlook etc. With a growing interest in DJing, I got into house music in 1993. It was a logical thing to do since none of the bars or clubs were playing the music I liked. It also happened that I met like-minded friends Brian James and Joseph Felice and together this connection evolved into a weekly radio show, traveling for events and record shopping, organising events and production.

I started off in 1994 playing deep house from labels such as Nervous, Strictly Rhythm, Emotive, Tribal, Murk, Peacefrog, Acacia, Relief, Cajual, Balance, Nuphonic. By 2007 I was performing at nearly all major events in Malta so playing to larger crowds got me into techno and this exploration of new sounds gave rise to an interest in production. With the help of Edwin Balzan and Frank Cachia [aka Duo Blank] I had the opportunity to understand the whole process of production as I used to spend hours in their studio while they worked on their own tracks. I then bought a Juno 106 and a drum machine and the story goes on.

Nowadays as a DJ I play various styles within the deep house and techno spheres.

Who then are/have been your musical inspirations?
I believe that all the music I listen to and movies I watch inspire me in some way. Nowadays I find myself listening to a lot of jazz and soul music so, combined with the fact that we reside on a sunny island, our music tends to be positive and musical. However, I must admit that I do love dark and over-driven music, even though I have not released anything like that so far.

So why did you then decide to start Batti Batti? And why eventually the move into vinyl too?
Batti Batti happened by chance. Mauro Di Martino, a dear friend of mine from Italy, who runs the Inndigital website, happened to come over to my house and after listening to some tracks he highly encouraged me to start my own label, offering me all his expertise in distribution, publishing and other paperwork. In fact he still handles all the back-end of the label. The plan for vinyl was always there but I started digital because I felt the need to understand how the industry works before taking the plunge. Then after three years of digital releases and numerous requests from people for vinyl I decided to get this going.

What is the philosophy behind the label?
The music is the main priority, however I prefer to deal with friends or people who know me and trust what I am doing. The philosophy is to be original as much as possible and I need to feel comfortable with the tracks. To replicate the style of some particular artists is not what I am looking for.

Tell me about your working relationship with Melchior.
I have known Melchior for several years. I remember in 2004 he booked me to DJ at one of his events. Also I used to purchase vinyl from the label which he had set up with a colleague of his. Then in 2008 he sent me some tracks he was working on and I felt that if we combined our efforts we could come up with something interesting. He is the one doing all the melodies and leads while I am the one laying and structuring the track, applying compression and effects. We do not have a set way of working. Sometimes I start a track on my own and then he adds some of his flavour or vice versa.

I know you’re keen on your hardware. In fact you once described yourself as a ‘gear slut’!
We use both hardware and software. As for the hardware we use; MPC2500, Jupiter 6, Moog LP, Alpha Juno 1, Korg MS2000, Doepfer Dark Time and Dark Energy, Acidlab Miami, several modules, distortion pedals and other bits. Our tracks are processed through a compressor and EQ custom built by Steffen Müller, a UBK Fatso and a Phoenix Audio Nicerizer summing mixer for a nice widening effect.

As for the software we use, there’s Logic 9 as DAW and for several months we have been using NI Reaktor which is very vast and interesting.

It must have been a thrill getting signed to Jus-Ed’s label Underground Quality (UQ). How did that come about?
I got in touch with Jus-Ed after listening to his show on myhouseyourhouse.net on Wednesdays. I sent him one track which he played on his show a week later and he was interested in checking out more tracks from us hence the Memories Of You EP on UQ036 was released. Ed was a big help and he has supported us a lot. If it was not for him the Batti Batti vinyl might not have happened. He opened a lot of doors for us.

You’ve played in many places globally. Where have you enjoyed most?
Each gig has its own fun even if it’s a small crowd but some events worth mentioning are DeepSystems in Brighton, Larifari party in Germany , Club Geluk in Antwerp and the last UQ Party at Tape in Berlin.

You obviously come across a great deal of music constantly but which artists, labels and DJs are interesting you right now?
I am quite sure I am forgetting someone but we are really enjoying the output from Natan H, Whatevernot, 2DeepSoul, Deymare, Ernie, Deep88, Satore, Funkineven, L.I.E.S., Ethyl and Flori, Dubbyman, Benedikt Frey, Esteban Adame, Inner Shift Music, Rawax, NDATL, Desos, Monochromatic, Benjamin Brunn, Moomin, Ethereal, UQ, Bu-Mako, ManMakeMusic, Hizou, Feelharmonic, Minuendo, Blank Slate, DJ Qu, Joey Anderson, Jesus Gonzev, This is Not Happening, Rowtag…

You are to become a father this year. Does this mean you will be taking a break from music?
Becoming a father is something I am highly looking forward to. I am quite aware that time will be limited so for this reason the past six months we have been spending more time in the studio. We have laid down numerous ideas and have several tracks which just need to be finalised. My wife is very understanding so I don’t think I will be taking any breaks. I’d rather juggle through it the best way I can.

Back to the music then, so what have you got coming up both DJ and production-wise?
This summer I am organising the first Batti Batti event aboard a sailing boat. It will feature Matt Pond (Bittersuite), Ernie (Minuendo), Melchior Sultana, Brian James and myself. The event is already fully booked!

Besides the Batti Batti releases, we [Jay and Sultana] have two records coming out soon on two of my long-time influential labels. Movement EP is a four-tracker due on Detroit’s staple label Moods & Grooves (MG#52) and Heat Rising is a two-track 10-inch on Spanish label Minuendo (MND#26).

Meanwhile, I am also working on a side project with Natan H [Ethereal Sound/ManMakeMusic].

And what then is in store for Batti Batti?
We have the latest vinyl release BBR04, which is another various artists EP entitled Analogue Signal featuring ourselves alongside Marco Nega, Nasty Boy and Nino. Pressing will be limited to 260 records in black or transparent orange vinyl. Supporting this release will be a limited number of t-shirts which will be available from the label website.

Out now too is Underground River EP, a digital release again from Italian artist Nasty Boy. I have been testing the tracks for a while and the response was really good. All three tracks have a great dance-floor appeal, with fat basslines and warm chords being the main ingredients. This will be followed by an EP from Musumeci. His album Astounding Science on BB10 was well supported and sales exceeded expectations. The forthcoming EP is even better so I trust it will be a success.

Also, as from September with an array of artists covering a wide spectrum of music a Batti Batti Showcase will be available for event bookings. The artist selection may include myself,  Melchior Sultana (DJ/live), Natan H (USA), Matt Pond (UK), Jaime Read (UK), Benedikt Frey (Germany) , Musumeci (Italy), 1Dan (UK), Nasty Boy (Italy), Cleveland (Belgium) or any other Batti Batti artist upon request. The selection may vary depending on the logistics and music styles.

This is as much as I can reveal!

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Paul Trouble Anderson is A true Legend within the Music scene all over the world. Now in His 39th year of playing, He is known and respected within many genres – funk, disco, jazzfunk, electro, rare groove, house and garage. From the first year of Him spinning those records, He was admired for His selection and style of playing and to be fair it started even
before that, when He spent his time on the dance floors as a punter, known as one off the best dancers around. From being such a keen dancer He knew what people wanted to hear.

His name grew and grew to be acknowledged as one of the best Dj’s around. Paul played a part in the founding of Kiss as a pirate Radio and later in 1990 when they became a legal radio station. His Saturday Mix Show was known to be one of the best radio shows around, followed by thousands, maybe even more, all over the UK.

It was around this time that Paul was not satisfied with just playing for an hour or two at His gigs. He wanted some where He could play all night, just to play the music He loved and where people could enjoy it with Him. So He started Trouble & Friends at HQ, for years nobody turned up, it was literally Trouble and a few friends. So in 1993 they
wanted to relaunch the night, Minnie His ex, came up with the name TheLoft – Hq being like a Loft.

They began to bring in Artists, names that Paul admired and played on his radio show, to many mention, Loletta Holloway, Jocelyn Brown ,Byron Stingily, Michael Watford and many many more. This is probably the only place you could come and watch these Major artists and only pay a fiver on the door. This really worked and the night took off, people would travel from near and far to be there on a Wednesday night. To experience the dancers, the Artists, but mostly, to listen to Trouble, doing His thing. He used to play the music He got off dats & tapes that He took down to Music House and had dub plates pressed of them, for His show and The Loft, an expensive habit but gave Him exclusiveness. The Loft was voted the best mid-week night for several years by a few magazines. And to be honest it probably was and is one of the best club nights ever. Still going strong in it’s 20th year.

LOFT MEMORIES:
Congratulations on 20 years! The Loft and Trouble played a huge role in launching my solo career!!! The Loft was the 1st club to play Get Up Everybody!!! The love that was shown to me by the Loft kept me going at a point when my career was struggling, I am forever Thankful!!!!!
Byron Stingily

Man!!! What can i say about the loft with out writing a book almost lol But for me the Loft was London England… you look forward to playing there as a DJ along side for me one of the worlds best Djs to ever do it in my opinion Paul “Trouble” Anderson! It was a magical place where the people wanted & craved good & new music and you will find every Dj/ producer from all over the world there just to experience the vibe… Ohhh i cant forget this you had to bring your A+ game when playing there cause if you didn’t you might not get invited back.
Terry Hunter

THE LOFT LOFT LOFT… PAUL THIS PLACE…THE CLOSEST PLACE TO HOME FOR ME OF THE UNDERGROUND NETWORK, IN A SEASON OF MUSIC WHERE IT WAS ALLLL EXPLOSIVE OF MUSIC AND LOVE ON THE DANCE FLOOR……FROM THE DOOR TO THE FLOOR…YOU’RE SELECTIONS OF MUSIC SET A TONE FOR EXPRESSIONS UNLIMITED! YOU BEING A DANCER MADE IT ALL THE MORE HYPNOTIC WITH THE DRIVING BEATS AND BASS…..SOMEONE TOLD ME …IF YOUR DJ CAN’T DANCE….DON’T TRUST THE SOUND….LOL THAT SURELY WORKS IN YOUR CASE…. THE MUSIC IS ALL UP IN YOUR VEINS AND SOUL…TRANSFERRED STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR! MAY WE ALL HAVE MANY MORE EXPERIENCES ON THE FLOOR THROUGH YOU! GOD BLESS….LOVE YA
Barbara Tucker
Wow 20 years of the Loft. What can i say, Paul “trouble” anderson and the loft crew made me believe in the power of good music, and its ability to soothe and calm the soul in the most righteous way. I always looked forward to my nights there , where a PA was just the entree into a world that i was privileged to be a part of …. May the party never end….. G-d bless.
Joi Cardwell

I remember the first time i played at the loft. It was the best party in London for me. It was the foundation along with Norman jays High on Hope party’s .Big ups to my friend Trouble. Congratulations Bro!
Teddy Douglas

THE LOFT, WOW , WHEN I FIRST WENT TO THE LOFT, I WAS AMAZED TO SEE A DJ SPIN AND DANCE , I though the show was over, I always had a good time with Mr Trouble , good friends would always meet up there, to see me perform , like Sybil, Goldie and they always said Paul Trouble Anderson was u is the best dj in the world, lots of love Paul
Kathy Brown

“Just the mention of The Loft in London brings back memories of some of the best moments in house music and the underground scene. Packed from the front door to the back with heads just wanting to dance and sweat. The love from the audience when I performed there was electric every time! Paul “Trouble” Anderson rocking the building week after week was bananas..it was a magical place for sure.
Ultra Nate

The Loft was such an amazing place. In my opinion, I had one of my best shows ever there. The sound was superb that night, the audience was so attentive and full of energy. I performed, Take Some Time Out, And I Loved You, and my new song Inspiration. AMAZING!! I left that place a Happy Man!!
Arnold Jarvis

Love the tributes on here! too many amazing memories…
dancing next to byron stingily, watchin the boogie boys, not just the music but how Paul and Freddie performed on stage-perfect dj and mc combo! blessed with gerideau and disciple in the house what seemed like almost every week at one point. witnessing louie vega give 2 of the most unbelieveable sets i ever heard, colonel abrams, barbara, loleatta, kathy brown, joi cardwell, john redmond, phillip ramirez the list of amazing talent we got to witness dont stop!…not just doing a gig, but you could see they LOVED it, i know it wasnt like ‘working’ for them cos of the energy in there, they loved it too
one night sticks in my mind, i think was Pauls birthday. Barbara tucker sang, joey washington sang, Jocelyn Brown arrived to surprise. Bless her, at the time ‘Make it last forever’ was out and the backing track got played, poor thing… she couldnt remember the song lol. But trust she still killed it that night…’Always there’ with every single person from front to back arms up and side to side in time with Miss Brown.
I could go on n on n on! but basically thanks for giving me this love for music that i have now, was taught to me in the LOFT!
Richard Wilson

To celebrate this occasion Paul has decided to put on the party of
the year.
Bringing in past and present residents, as well as bringing back guest
LIVE PA Lisa Millett.

This will all take place on Saturday the 13th of July at East Village:
89 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HX London

9-330, Over two floors:

UPSTAIRS:
LOFT BOOGIE WITH:
PAUL BOOGIE ANDERSON
JOHNNY RECKLESS & CHRISSY T

IN THE BASEMENT:
LOFT ADVANCE DANCE WITH:
LIVE PA LISA MILLETT
THE LEGENDARY APUL TROUBLE ANDERSON
MR RESTLESS SOUL HIMSELF PHIL ASHER
FUNKIE P & SIMON ANDREWS

FOR £8 ADVANCE TICKETS CONTACT-MAIL: TROUBLEDSOULGANG@GMAIL.COM
OR TELEPHONE 07786 121387

EVENT PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/events/575108165841120/

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Alex Danilov – iinnii EP – Contrast-Wax

Even with little back-story to go on, it would be fair to say the boys behind Contrast-Wax are on to a good thing. Just three highly-prized and limited releases in less than a year, the first two rapid sell-outs and with a dedicated following building too, the label is one of the best to emerge over the past 12 months thanks largely to on-point A&R skills.

For this their third outing they’ve done it again plucking the enigmatic Alex Danilov from the backwaters of deep house to join the Contrast-Wax family. By no means a newcomer having released on a variety of labels since 2008, Danilov is a talent that nevertheless may well have escaped the attention of even the most dedicated of heads. Which makes it even more pleasing to see him pop up on Contrast-Wax with such a tip-top two-tracker.

More Analog Vibes is, well, exactly that. Except unlike many of the current crop of me-too hardware merchants knocking out plastic “raw” this is the real McCoy thanks to that indefinable element that distinguishes the faithful from the fakers. For a track trumpeting it’s use of machinery it has real heart and soul.

By contrast the title-track is deliberately more obtuse and angular, a little more difficult to pin-down but no less interesting with a burbling bassline and crashing synth jostling for attention and promptly getting it. A slow burning treat.

S.H.A. feat Shawtyshank/ChangEd – The Oneness Of Sound And Its Echo Vol. 1 – Sound and Echo Records

A little bit of Larry is never a bad thing. Larry Heard that is. And although The Oneness Of Sound And Its Echo Volume 1 – the debut vinyl-only release for Sound & Echo Records – has nowt to do with the great man as such it does owe a significant debt of thanks to his pioneering sound. It also stands head and shoulders above much of the material posing as deep house and is quite the head-turning arrival for a new kid on the block.

Indeed the EP’s musical lineage is much more Larry than just a nod and a wink. Both tracks on the A side, from production duo S.H.A., feature Chicagoan vocalist Lee Pearson Jr., long-time friend and collaborator of Heard. And boy does it show. Both Who’s To Blame and I’ve Got This Feeling are reminiscent of Mr Fingers at his soulful, introspective and emotive best complete with Pearson’s very Robert Owens-esque vocals. An absolute treat for jaded ears.

Even the instrumental version of Who’s To Blame wouldn’t sound out of place in a Larry Heard collection and was recorded in the ‘one-time’ style [once made can’t be re-arranged or changed] favoured by S.H.A. on their analogue hardware.

Such is the strength in depth on this vinyl-only EP that it is easy to overlook the so-called bonus track, Wildest Dreams. That would be a shame. It’s a re-work of a Barry White and Tina Turner duet and a slow-mo Balearic odyssey the like of which is rarely heard these days. It is produced by ChangED, aka Ed Ayers, a chap with an alleged pedigree par excellence. Starting out as a session trumpet player working with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock and Roy Ayers, he also DJed at the Paradise Garage, was a leading figure in the early house scene and went on to marry Agneta Fältskog of ABBA. Hmm, really?

Whether the folks behind Sound and Echo are truly broad-minded musically or inherently old-school remains to be seen but with an EP this beautiful on their hands they won‘t go far wrong. Must-have.

Trevor Deep Jr. – DoRight! – HPTY Recordings

Somehow Finland seems an unlikely home to one of the hottest and most coveted talents deep house currently has to offer. Then again, the enigmatic Trevor Deep Jr. is no ordinary talent.

Helsinki’s man of mystery grew up listening to his father’s jazz records and watching the old man playing ‘dirty old Rhodes keyboard’ until hip-hop took a hold of him before moving on to the legends that are Moodymann, Theo Parrish and the daddy of them all, the aforementioned Larry Heard. Or did he?

Fact or fiction, it matters not. Thoroughly and constantly enjoyable, the sound of TDJ – whose mantra is House Music Everyday All Day – is not only influenced by the pioneers and heroes of Chicago, Detroit, New York and New Jersey, it is a sound that those dudes would be proud to call their own. It is steeped in what Trevor calls ‘deepness’.

It is also much sought-after by the heads. So although the DoRight! EP was the debut release on TDJ’s own label HPTY in 2011 (he‘s since popped up on Delsin and made a successful return to HPTY with this year‘s People‘s EP), this repress is a god-send for those flinching at the hefty price-tags the discogs hawks were demanding.

One listen, however, and it is so easy to understand why some buyers were willing to dig deep. Quality courses through this record.

Opener and title-track DoRight! is so right. A gorgeous mid-tempo homage to the First Choice/Al Green classic Love and Happiness, it effortlessly radiates levels of depth, emotion and soul that most deep house wannabes can only wet dream of.

Keep It Raw mines a similar vein though is decidedly brisker. Raw, of course, atmospheric and deliciously deep chords, it is impossible not to dig. And then comes Othaway; a warm, piano-led beauty where a bossa vibe is weaved around African drums. So full of soul and soulful too. Completing a formidable line-up is Our Love, another stunner driven by an infectious meaty kick and more sterling synth work.

Four ace tracks but like Trevor said, it’s all about one thing; deepness.

Owen Jay & Melchior Sultana – The Riot – Batti Batti

By his own admission, Owen Jay is a gear slut. Moog, Alpha Juno, Korg, Rhodes, Reaktor and much more, his set-up sounds more like a NASA space mission yet his list overlooks the Led Zeppelin factor found in all his releases; a whole lotta love.

Because whether it be his own productions or those of others released on his Batti Batti label, Jay really knows his way round deep house these days. So for the imprint’s latest vinyl adventure it is pleasing to see him renew the fruitful partnership he sometimes shares with Maltese compatriot Melchior Sultana.

It is by no means their first collaboration having worked together not only for Batti Batti but also on the excellent Memories Of You EP for Jus-Ed’s Underground Quality.

Here though they fly solo on a track apiece before joining forces on the remaining couple of numbers. It’s a revealing approach.

Comfortably the darkest cut on the EP is Jay‘s Silent Change, a menacing and brooding offering that chugs along with intent and purpose yet at the same time remains entirely engaging throughout. All of which makes perfect sense given that Jay cut his teeth as a techno producer back in the Nineties and his excellent Spank track on Housewax was from the seedier side of deep house too.

In sharp contrast comes the multi-instrumentalist Sultana’s beautifully dreamy Mirror, a track drenched in Mediterranean vibes and intoxicating soundscapes echoing his Maltese heritage as well as his house sensibility. It’s in the blood as the young composer has previous having released an album of downtempo electronica on Italian label IRMA.

Yet despite the undoubted quality of their individual efforts, in some respects it is together that the pair are at their most devastating and soulful. Afterparty’s laidback, unhurried and breezy approach is a welcome interlude, whereas The Riot – the pick of a very fine EP – is a touch more urgent and intense yet still retains that emotional charge found in the very best of deep house. Go buy.

V/A – Oscillating Metronomics – Appian Sounds

Timeless is what Appian Sounds’ owner Al Blayney promised on the Oscillating Metronomics EP and timeless is exactly what he’s delivered. And although release number three is the blossoming imprint’s first various artists venture the boss has assembled a selection that is, well, boss.

On Peptide the ever-ace Slowburn, very much favourites round these parts, explore that grey area between house and techno to superior effect managing to forge a sound that at first glance appears effortless and casual. It is of course anything but, rather it is a multi-layered joy that would be lauded considerably more should it have come straight outta Detroit rather than Dublin. Make no mistake, these boys know exactly what they are doing.

So too do LAAK. The production team behind the super Austere Recordings chips in here with the deeply hypnotic cut Semantics that moves, grooves and drifts at a suitably relaxed pace punctuated only by the intermittent and wholly-suitable Mutabaruka-style vocal snatches. Ace, totally.

Rob Belleville’s impressive and futuristic Recovered Desires is an equally comfortable fit on this thoroughly enjoyable EP, while Brazilian producer Ney Faustini flips the script a tad with Flying High that is unashamedly chunky and funky by comparison with the other three productions though no less decent; deep, dance-floor fodder if ever there was. Timeless.

Gari Romalis – The No Beat Left Behind EP – Hizou Music

You gotta love Hizou. Only four releases in and the independent Spanish label run with unbridled passion and enthusiasm by young producer Satore has already featured Anton Zap, Deymare, DJ Aakmael and Rick Wade.

So you know his A&R skills are none too shabby. For the latest excellent twelve the label has surprisingly yet very cutely homed in on Detroit stalwart Gari Romalis, a producer who is far from prolific despite his longevity in the game. Less, however, is sometimes more.

More than 30 years a DJ and leading figure on the Motor City techno scene, Romalis has managed the city’s famous Buy Rite Records, worked for Derrick May’s seminal Transmat label, played the infamous Music Institute and the notorious Tresor too. He’s truly old school.

On The No Beat Left Behind Romalis employs every ounce of his old-school know-how to deliver an EP that is not only immersed in the traditions of Chicago house and Detroit techno, it positively bursts with raw energy, is sonically gritty and exudes the kind of authenticity that could only come from one who was actually there; you can’t fake the feeling.

Dance Demo (Da Give It mix) is no messin’ pumping house at its very best, made entirely for maximum dance-floor damage. Pray is all about the feel-good factor; brash, bouncy and with more than enough funk for any man, woman or dancer. For a heavyweight tribute to the underground scene back in Romalis’ hometown there is Detroit Shuffle (Quick Step C mix), while First Love (Latenight Funk Breakdown mix) is a soulful groover for the wee small hours.

With Satore pouring his heart, soul and hard-earned into his beloved label hopefully this latest bomb will get the support it thoroughly deserves. Show it some love.

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Johnny Dynell, long standing member of House Of Xtravaganza, (the Latin house feared and respected, for its thousand trophies and fierce family pride) and New York’s clubland royalty, produced Elements Of Vogue back in 1990 with David dePino. A track which captured the vogueing scene through its fierce battle beats and David Ian Xtravaganza’s call to arms. Shortly after, a whirlwind of mainstream chart attention whipped up, through Madonna’s ‘Vogue’, which heavily borrowed from the track and scene, which had been cultivating since the 60s in New York’s Harlem ballrooms.
Last year Johnny Dynell remixed The Carry Nation’s ‘This Bitch Is Alive’ for Batty Bass and we’re very excited to have him back on the label for part 2 of the NY Series.
Marie Montana was born at the same recording session as Elements Of Vogue…so basically this is history baby….
Johnny Dynell
“After recording the vocals for “Elements Of Vogue” we were happy to be done and started (I almost hate to use the word —Damn you Scissor Sisters!) Kiki-ing in the vocal booth.
David DePino had this REALLY ugly shirt on and David Ian said, “Let me see the label”. He looked and it said “Montana” on it. We gagged because we assumed that it was Claude Montana but it was so damn ugly.
Then he looked closely and in tiny print above the Montana was “Marie”. It was a MARIE MONTANA! We completely lost it! “Marie Montana” was born.”

On remix duties, Sydney’s notorious DJ Sveta & production partner Tokoloshe serve up percussive slaps, vocal stabs and pounding kicks, perfectly capturing future club beats on their excellent mix.

Soundcloud link
Marie Montana – Johnny Dynell ft. David Ian Xtravaganza (Batty Bass)
w/ Sveta & Tokoloshe Remix

https://soundcloud.com/batty-bass-records/sets/marie-montana-johnny-dynell

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a very small town on the border of Canada. As soon as I got out of high school I was out of there. Living in New York was always my dream.

What was New York like when you first ever started going to nightclubs?

I arrived Downtown New York in the late 70s. It was a very exciting place to be. Art, music and fashion were exploding and it was all happening in nightclubs.

How did your DJ journey start ?

My first job as a DJ was at the legendary Mudd Club. I was in art school and not really interested in DJing but it was a job. I didn’t know how to mix and didn’t even own a record. All of my records had recently been stolen by my junkie next door neighbor. You would think that this was an unlikely job for me but the Mudd Club was all about anarchy and it made perfect sense. I had absolutely no experience as a DJ but I guess I played fun music because I continued to get DJ jobs and eventually learned how to mix. I grew to love DJing

What were the kind of tracks you were playing at the time?

At the time, I was playing bass in arty Punk Rock bands at CBGBs and Max’s but I was also going to clubs like The Loft, The Paradise Garage, Crisco Disco and a lot of the other downtown Discos. So even though I was in a Punky environment I always DJed Disco and Funk. That was the music that I loved. My first night playing at the Mudd Club someone threw a bottle at me shouting, “Take this nigger music off”! My soundtrack back then featured songs like “Sex Machine”, “Soul Makossa” and anything by K.C & The Sunshine Band who I worshipped.

How did your first track Jam Hot come about?

In the late 1970s I started going to see the early Hip Hop DJs like Kool Herc, Grand Master Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. They blew me away with what they were doing. They were taking bits and pieces of old records and creating whole new soundtracks and rapping over them. I saw them as the great grand children of Marcel Duchamp. Kids were rapping, break dancing, bombing trains with graffiti, all to this new sound. The whole scene was really new and electrifying. In 1980 I wrote “Jam Hot”. “Tank, Fly Boss, Walk, Jam, Nitty Gritty, Talking’ bout the boys from the big bad city” was a tribute to those kids. “Tank”, “Fly Boss”, “Walk” etc. were all break dancers and graffiti kids that I knew. In 1983 I was working at Danceteria. Fellow Danceteria DJ Mark Kamins, hot off his success signing coat check girl Madonna, signed me as well. Mark, along with Kenton Nix, who was hot offhis success with the revolutionary song “Heartbeat” produced “jam Hot”. It’s such a crazy song. It’s out of tune, out of time and off the wall but it still gets sampled to this day. A few years ago the the term “Jam Hot” made it into the Urban Dictionary.

You’ve been involved in some legendary collaborations, tell us about working with Larry Levan !

I’ve been lucky to have worked with some very creative people like Malcolm McLaren, Arthur Baker and Larry Levan to name just a few. Larry was a very intense person. He always reminded me of a warlock. He had magic. I remember him editing my song “Rhythm Of Love”. Back then it was done with tape and razor blades. He was also working on the Padlock EP by Gwen Guthrie. He had literally thousands of tiny little pieces of recording tape stuck to the wall. Some were from my song, some were from Gwen’s songs “Padlock”, “Peanut butter” and “Seventh Heaven”. These thousands of tiny pieces of recording tape were totally identical to me but Larry would just reach out and pull one off the wall and it would be the exact piece he was looking for.

How did your initiation into House Of Xtravaganza come about?

DJ David DePino, who I knew from the Paradise Garage, brought me into the house sometime in the late eighties.

What was the ballroom scene like around the late eighties / early nighties?

The ballroom scene changed a lot in the eighties, especially the Voguing and Runway categories. I think that because a lot of the “carrying on” happened in public places like the Pier and Washington Square Park there was a lot of interaction with the straight breakdancing scene. Voguing became much more aggressive and showman like. Voguers started forming circles on the dance floors in clubs the way that the break dancers did. Voguers and Breakdancers also picked up moves from each other. I think that this was when “Old Way” and “New Way” split.

How much did it overlap with the club scene?

The ballroom scene and the club scene were very connected. In the early days, you would see ball children at the Paradise Garage. Later, clubs like the Tunnel, Sound Factory and especially David DePino’s and Danny Krivit’s Tuesday night at Traxx were ground zero for ball kids. The end of the night was always especially fierce for Vogue and Runway battles.

Whats the story behind Elements Of Vogue and Marie Montana?

In the eighties I was involved with Malcalm McLaren on his New York projects like “Duck Rock” and “Fans”. After “Fans” Malcolm was in LA working on this surf punk idea. I told him about the whole Ballroom scene in New York and about Voguing etc. At the time I was trying to help Jennie Livingston get money to finish “Paris Is Burning” and I (foolishly) sent Malcolm a video tape of her movie to show him what the scene was all about. Of course he just lifted sound bites from the movie. I told him about songs like “Love Is The Message” and “Love Break”. He used all of these ideas for “Deep In Vogue”. My wife Chi Chi Valenti wrote the lyrics. A few months later I was approached to record another Voguing record. David DePino, David Ian Xtravaganza, Chi Chi and I flew to London to record “Elements Of Vogue”. After immediately finding a cruise park and having a fling with a very famous fashion designer, David Ian bought a rhyming dictionary and wrote like twenty pages of rhymes which I boiled down to three verses. David Ian was a genius.

After recording the vocals for “Elements Of Vogue” we were all just kiki-ing in the vocal booth. Ian was busting David DePino’s balls about this ugly jacket that he had bought on 14th street. The label said “Montana” in big letters. “Is it Claude Montana “? Ian asked. No. It was Marie! We lost it and Marie Montana was born. Marie Montana became the girl at the ball who just doesn’t get it. Her face is wrong, her clothes are wrong, her moves are wrong. She’s the girl who gets chopped. One time at Traxx Claude Montana came up to David DePino in the DJ booth and screamed, “So who is this Marie”? It was very funny.

How did the legendary Club Jackie come about?

Basically we needed a place to go so we created one. The rest is Herstory.

How would you describe NY clubland today?

As someone who has been around for a thousand years I’ve seen New York go through lots of changes and we are definitely in a transition now. There is a really fun new House scene happening downtown and in Brooklyn and like all great scenes it started with a group of friends. Underground house parties like Wrecked, Spank, Westgay and The Carry Nation are changing the flavor of even mainstream club and circuit events. When I saw that the DJs for this year’s Black Party in New York were Tom Stephan, Honey Dijon and The Carry Nation I knew that the planets had shifted. This scene which seems to have happened over night has been bubbling under for years and it’s not a coincidence that this group of DJs play together and produce and remix each other’s songs.

In the late 80s we were suddenly bombarded by this brand new electronic disco coming from Chicago and Detroit. It eventually was called House and Acid House. I first heard it at the Garage where Larry’s friend Frankie Knuckles would bring him records from Chicago. These Chicago House people were all friends. Larry and Frankie were friends and had actually started their DJ careers together. A scene happens naturally (and magically) when like minded creative people are put together and left to simmer for a few years or decades. For instance, I did a mix of The Carry Nation (Will Automagic and Nita Aviance) song “This Bitch Is Alive” featuring Viva Ruiz. That made perfect sense since the very young Viva was one of our House Of Domination daughters at Jackie 60. I met the 16 year old Will Automagic when a friend brought him into my DJ booth at Jackie 60 and I’ve know Nita Aviance since he was a puppy. Tom Stephan and Honey Dijon were also regulars at Jackie 60. Pretty much all the people involved in this new house scene have long standing friendships and connections that go back years. Fate plays a big part in this chemistry as well. When Australian DJ Sveta Gilerman came to New York she somehow landed right in our lap and it was love at first sight. She could have ended up anywhere but she was ours. The same is true with the Horsemeat Disco boys. They fit in perfectly with the New York scene. Of course the fact that they are crazy party animals didn’t hurt. The next few years are going to be interesting as the scene starts to gel.

Marie Montana – Johnny Dynell ft. David Ian Xtravaganza is out now on Batty Bass.

Batty Bass Link

http://www.facebook.com/battybassrecords

http://battybass.blogspot.co.uk/

Johnny Dynell

http://www.johnnydynell.com/

Sveta & Tokoloshe

https://soundcloud.com/dj-sveta

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Speeding through the tape I reached the point at which he explained exactly how he had come by the name: “I am not pretentious in the slightest and I could not think of the vibe or feeling the label is all about,” he admitted. “So I named it after my cat. My cat has got on one eye and he is called Barry. So it’s Barry One Eye: B.O.E. It’s not deep at all, in fact it is shallow and lazy.” Right then.

Levity aside though, ‘shallow’ and ‘lazy’ are not words that you would readily use to describe the likeable Parkinson nor his super little label. In fact one commentator was sufficiently impressed recently to assert that with Boe ‘house music is in good hands’. A bold statement indeed but not unwarranted because with the minimum of fuss Parkinson has crafted and nurtured something to be truly proud of.

Now five years and 20 releases on and both are really coming into their own. Talking with Parkinson you get the distinct impression that he really hasn’t had time to be shallow or lazy since he launched Boe in earnest with little if any notion of how to run a record label.

“It’s been a massive learning curve. When I started I didn’t have a clue. I’d been playing records since ’97 but had always wanted to make more of it than just a hobby, to put something back as it were. Achieve something,” explained the adopted Londoner originally from Wakefield. “I always thought I had a decent ear, was really passionate about the quality of music and thought ‘Fuck it, I’ll start a label. How hard can it be?’. At first I didn’t pay much attention to it and thought it was easy but after a while I realised actually there was lot more to it than I thought.

“I did ask for advice but still did things under my own steam. I’m an only child and used to doing things on my own. I don’t know how people working together on labels are ever able to come to any compromise especially on A&R, artwork and things like that. If I was working alongside anyone else I’d never get anywhere. I like putting my own stamp on things and I’ll live and die by my decisions. If it goes shit then it’s my fault and if it goes well then good.”

So far so very good it is though for Boe. From the label’s debut release from Parkinson’s pal Burnski to the latest Boe XX – a tip top various artists package featuring Perseus Traxx, Kammerton, Outboxx and Machinesleet – the Boe selector has curated his imprint near faultlessly despite his apparent inexperience at the outset.

“I was good friends with Burnski from ages ago. He was putting music out, was on Morris Audio at the time, was just about to be on 2020 Vision and there was this one track that was like a catalyst, which I said I could put out because I knew it would do well,” he recalled. “Then I started looking around at other artists I liked. So I approached Kink. He had just had a release out on Odori but was being overlooked even though his music was technically unbelievable. So well polished and well done. He was well on board for it all. Then I approached Consistent and agreed a third record so I then had that package and went on from there.”

Indeed it has and Boe has recruited some of house music’s finest new producers of recent years, usually before their ability has been widely appreciated thanks to Parkinson’s savvy A&R skills. Deymare, Leif, Kris Wadsworth and Iron Curtis have all made appearances on the label. Yet despite his knack for talent-spotting, Parkinson insisted there has never been a plan when it comes to running Boe.

“I was at a funny time musically when I started the label in terms of what I was buying,” he recounted. “Historically I’ve always bought records but I’d never been involved in a massive scene when growing up so I was never really sure what I was into. About the time of starting the label Discogs was really starting to come in and I found myself really into older music, while the new music at the time – the whole minimal thing – wasn’t inspiring me. Don’t get me wrong, there were some great records made then but I was never into the weirder side of things.
“So with the music I was signing I wasn’t sure where the hell it was going to go or what the future held. But I am glad the whole deep house thing came back as it clearly rejuvenated me and my thinking as to what is good and what is not. It’s helped my A&R selection. Scenes will come and go but a good record will always be a good record.

“I’ve never cherry picked big names for a release. 800 euros to get four tracks from some Detroit guy? I could afford to lose that money but what would that do? That would be A. N. Other record on A. N. Other label. What I like is to find newer artists and forge our own sound, pushing our own artists and music.”

Although deep house in the broadest sense, the tag only tells part of the story and Parkinson was quite certain about what he was looking for when it came to signing new material.

“For me it’s got elements that I love; it’s got soul, it’s got feeling, it’s got emotion running through it. It is not particularly tied to any genre, any sub-trend happening now or in the future. And it is varied as well. It can be really slow like the G-Transition thing [The Second Transition] or it can be pumping techno like the Kris Wadsworth stuff. I like to vary things but even so I think every record I’ve released has had a Boe sound to it even though you might not be able to compare one to the next.

“It is about intuition or gut feel on a record. You know it sounds good, it gives you that feel. I listen to tracks over and over and if I don’t get sick of it then it goes on the label. It’s simple as that.”

Most recently his A&R radar was drawn to Soul 223, a producer with a fine pedigree having released for Soul Jazz and Delsin as well as Peacefrog under his Stasis moniker.

“I didn’t know he was Stasis until I dug a bit deeper,” admitted Parkinson. “It was such a different sound to his Stasis stuff. I’d got his record on Soul Jazz – can’t believe how long ago that was, 2005 – and I found him on Soundcloud and realised he was doing more stuff. Brilliant. He’d got his own sound, was influenced by a lot of things, but a seasoned producer and could make very simple-sounding music sound phenomenal. That’s what he is good at, making essentially simple-sounding tracks sound awesome. So I got in touch. He’s a great guy, very down-to-earth, family man, really sound, knows what he’s doing.”

The result was the excellent Eastern Promise EP, one of the best releases on a UK label last year and much more than simply a deep house record thanks to its broad influences and mature sound.

And there is still much more yet to come from both Boe and Parkinson including new projects once again from Soul 223 and Leif plus at long last from the boss man himself. “It has been a long time coming,” Parkinson admitted. “I am my own worst critic. I never love what I do but I am getting to the stage after five or six years of tinkering about where I am now thinking ‘actually I think it is alright’. I am never 100% confident especially when I have such amazing music at my disposal from other people.”

Once ready though it will represent a new chapter for Boe and you get the overwhelming impression that Parkinson is as enthusiastic and committed as ever. He shunned regrets even though by his own admission few of the label’s releases have made money and that the imprint’s balance sheet would make an accountant lose sleep.

“I do question myself as to why the fuck I am doing this but I do love it,” he confessed. “I love the people whose music I sign. I’ve got so much admiration for them. It’s music I love and will play at home. I get a buzz off people charting the records, reviewing the records good or bad. I get the biggest buzz when someone random comes up to me and says ‘wow, I’ve got a load of your records. They’re so amazing’.

“I don’t look back on things and regret them, I just look back and think they could have been done differently, as we all do whatever we look at. And because I literally started out with nothing, no idea how a label was run, I would like to start afresh just because I do know those things now. But Boe has a name for itself now, it’s doing well apparently so. I would like to do another label but I just don’t have the time. You can only cope with so many demos a year.”

Je ne regrette rien or otherwise, Parkinson did however reflect on declining record sales during his five years in the game and urged distributors to do their bit to rejuvenate the market and at the same time adapt or die: “Things do seem to be changing, the market seems to be changing and the way distribution is run has got to change. If you are a distributor running on processes that were in place ten or 15 years ago then you are going to die a slow painful death. There are new distributors coming along that are doing really well, not necessarily fresh to it but with obviously experienced people behind them, that come straight into it, bang, know what needs to be done, know the market, have the contacts and they can go out and do a great job.

“Distributors have got to pick up their game and change the way they do things and keep sales going. My sales have definitely declined over the last year even though in my opinion the quality of the music has got better. It’s one of those things that is so hard to judge.”

Having learnt the hard way and mostly on the hoof, Parkinson also had some sound advice for those also thinking of starting a label.

“Don’t bother,” he laughed. “No, I’d never say that. I know a couple of guys now who have asked me for advice. I try to give advice for what it’s worth as best I can to anybody in as much detail as you want because when I started I had no idea and if I’d known then what I know now I’d have done things differently.

“I’d say think about it longer. What is it you are trying to do? Is it your own music or someone else’s? Think about the reasons. Think about the image your label is going to portray, think about what the ethos is about. Think things through, don’t rush anything ever. Don’t be eager to start the label just because you want to start a label.”

Although something of a vinyl junkie (he tried digital deejaying but admitted he cannot multi-task and fell out of love for playing out because he wasn’t using his beloved records), Parkinson is nevertheless no blinkered evangelist of the black stuff. Instead he acknowledged the need in business terms at least for Boe to offer both mediums.

“Vinyl-only is more akin to what I am about. It is not about being exclusive. It is just what I do,” he explained. “I’ll never go vinyl-only now though because there are too many people out there that know the label, like the label and can only buy digital music. The majority of the world can only do that. It’s only us lucky people in Europe or the US and Japan who can afford to do that regularly. So what I’ve done for the vinyl buyers is to offer something extra to that available to the digital buyer.”

Yet digital is where a release can really make or break financially, as Parkinson pointed out: “Done right then that is where the money is made. That’s your cash cow. I’ve done releases where someone has charted one track, a major artist, and that one track has sold 20 times more than the rest of the tracks on a four-track EP put together. And I’ve managed to recoup a bit of money because of that.

“And that’s where digital wins because it’s a mass market. People go to Beatport, ‘what’s in the charts?’. Top 10. Download. Buy. Done.

“If you get a track in the top 10 on Beatport you are laughing, whatever top 10 it is. I know people who focus their business model on getting in there because that’s the best way to run things, that’s their business. And it’s very shrewd because that is how the market is run. You love it or hate it. Or try to do both. I love it when it works but I hate it the rest of the fucking time but that’s the way things are nowadays, you just have to accept it.”

Even so, Boe is perceived very much as a vinyl label, something Parkinson was ready to admit: “I was talking to a mate the other day, someone I’ve known a long time, he deejays, we’ve done parties together and I mentioned about doing less for the digital buyer and he said ‘well, you’ve been vinyl-only from the start’. Even he didn’t realise that I’d always done digital. Perhaps it’s because I’m a major vinyl head.”

He is also a key figure and face on an underground scene that in London at least is in rude health. “Underground house people are helpful and supportive of each other,” he explained. “There’s a really good scene in London, it can be difficult for those involved, but they always put on a great party and those are the sort of parties I want to go to. Always the same people at the same parties, brilliant. Might be a total of 300, 400 or 500 people maximum that come into contact with each other across the parties but I’d rather go to one of those any day of the week than say Fabric. Parties such as Night Moves, Northern Purpose, Kiss Me Again. We know each other, we’re friends. It’s a bit geeky but I like the idea of that.”

Back to Boe finally and Parkinson is deeply committed to the label still despite the ups and downs: “There are certain things you don’t want to think about like the amount of time I have spent at home listening over and over again to demos. If I worked out how much time I had spent on this it would be a large potion of my life over the last five years. You just don’t realise.

“But I really don’t want to stop the label. I absolutely love it. It’s part of my life now, it really is. I’m addicted to it.”

It’s like the man said, house music is in safe hands.

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Freerange founder Jimpster has a long tradition of releasing well polished deep His new album ‘Porchlight and Rocking Chairs’ is a fine collection of well rounded bombs. The album kicks off with the boogiefied sugar coated ‘Jasmine Dragon,’ which helps to set the album up as a strong collection of songs rather than a collection of dancefloor hits. ‘Dance of the Pharoes’ grows into a myriad of tones each one opening up a fresh texture that builds as the track opens up. The tech based ‘Hold My Hand’ combines a metallic piano hook with a sparse subtle vocal able. It’s a beautiful lesson of powerful driving electronic music. ‘High Wire’ has a set of warm keys giving this a sprightly summer feel. The hypnotic ‘Rollergirl’ conjures up a futuristic setting with rolling arp line and monk like chants. The pressure is then eased for ‘Wanting You’ with the temp dropping and a phat bass combined with warm keys leads up a low slung vocal hook. The song that gave the album its title is up next. A majestic journey of epic proportions. It sounded really large on my system. ‘Cracks in the Pavement’ is probably my pick of the album because of its brash attitude. The next track called ‘Towards the Sear’ drifts effortlessly with a jazzy undertone and use of intermittent effects. The penultimate track ‘The Glowing Embers’ crackles away brightly as the flames grow insistently. The album finishes off with ‘These Times’ featuring Jinadu and a track that invokes visions of the sixties and Haight-Ashbury. A dramatic closing for an excellent album.

http://www.freerangerecords.co.uk/

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Virgo 4 – Take Me Higher
( simplicity in it extreme – soul stirring machines ) this is DEEP HOUSE .

MR Fingers – What About This Love
Modern Deep House from the true Godfather of the genre .

Mondee Oliver – stay close
If Loleatta id the queen of Disco and Liz Torres the queen of House then Deep Houses queen must be the exquisite Mondee Oliver .

ROUND TWO – NEW DAY
From 1995 and Mainstream records in Germany – as good as any Modern Deep house vocal records ever made

Vincent Floyd – dream of you
Dance Mania records out of Chicago remain a timeless label and this from Vince Floyd is up there with the best shit Dance mania ever released , deeper than the deepest warm blue ocean you could ever immagine.

Fingers inc – never more so lonely
featuring the divine voice of Robert Owens this has been a perennial favourite of House heads worldwide . Those techy keys give it a 2013 feel even though its over 25 years old . Dropped recently at Boys Own party in london by Dixon at 4am – cue grown men weeping .

GALLIFRE – SET YOUR MIND TO IT
Gherkin is a label that the heads , collectors and dancers all agree is legendary – the logo makes a ace T shirt as well .

TEN CITY – THATS THE WAY LOVE IS
( Still gets played to death especially in its ‘ acieed ‘ mix – heard it horse meat disco on NYD )

Virgo 4 – are you hot enough
seminal piano track from Marshall Jefferson , vince lawrence and Adonis .. producers been trying to copy this shit since the late 80s without getting anywhere near it .

vincent floyd – im so deep
some unknown Chicago cat called Chan provides whispered vocals and its mixed by the much missed Armando .. strings to kill for .

If you can’t put soul on your deep house then make it sleazy as hell

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Eddie Flashin Fowlkes was instrumental to the development of techno as a global force. Over the years he’s released on labels such as Metroplex, 430 West, Tresor, Peacefrog and his own City Boy. Eddie is returning to London after a long hiatus to play at the Bussey Building on Saturday 23rd March. We caught up with him recently to learn about his progression.

Can you remember your first introductions to music whilst growing up in Detroit?

My first introduction with music was through my uncle Terry. He used to pick me up in the summers when I was around 14 years old. He used to play me all these jazz records. He was a Funkadelic fan too. He would literally take me to the record store with him. Back then 8 track tapes were going out and cassettes were coming in. he would get the hottest cassettes and albums.  I’d go to his crib and he would be like listen to this…. That was the beginning of me buying records. He has his groove but I liked certain different things to him.  I loved some jazz and I loved some funk.  I wasn’t into any deep Motown shit. That wasn’t my bag. That was my mother’s shit. Some of that shit was cool mind you. I liked the Motown Christmas songs. Anyway that was the beginning of me learning how to shop for records, good songs that I liked. I would then go to him and say “Did you get this?” He’d already had it. He had always wanted to be a DJ, but I didn’t know that. He had tons of records. He had a garage full of records and we speak today he still has his collection. He still won’t let me fuck with them mind you.  He will not let me touch them. That was my introduction.

Whilst in High School I ran into this guy called Derrick May. I think I was in the 12th Grade.
What year was this?

This was between 80 and 81. I graduated from High School in 81. We actually met on the athletics shit. Then after high school I ran into him around 82 and I didn’t know that he was djing and he didn’t know that I was djing. We then started passing each other mix tapes.  I was at college in West of Michigan and Derrick was studying in Detroit.  Then when I came home to Detroit I’d be like “where’s the party at?” That’s how I met Juan Atkins. We started this thing called Deep Space mixing crew which was Juan, Derrick, Art Payne, Keith Martin and  from then on school wasn’t really my bag. I was djing at all the parties in West of Michigan. Then I took a year off of college and went back to Detroit. That’s when we really got the Deep Space mixing crew going because you can actually go on the internet and find some Deep Space mixes.

What kind of music were you playing?

I was playing things like Dominatrix ‘Sleeps Tonight,’ things by Depeche Mode, the early 80s sound, a lot of Prelude shit, Status IV,  ‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life,’ Larry Levan mixes and that type of flavour.  We mixed it up between Euro and what was coming out of New York, whilst Chicago boys were only playing the sound of New York. During my first year at College my next door roommate was called Tony Hunter. He used to DJ too and that’s when I first heard about Frankie Knuckles.  Back in the day everybody had a name like Eddie ‘Flashin’ Fowlkes and Frankie Knuckles. That name represented you as a DJ and skills. I said does this mother fucker actually play with his knuckles. That’s how young I was.

Everybody in Detroit back then looked up to the great Ken Collier from Detroit a Billboard Dj reporter. Tony said to me that Ken was passing through this way heading to Chicago and did I want to go and see Frankie. I was like “Fuck yeah.” I must have been 17 or 18. So Ken, Tony, 3 other people and I drove to Chicago. It’s so tripped out that the people who went in that car are all dead apart from me and another guy (Robert Troutmen). Robert and I still talk about that trip because this was like my first introduction to the gay scene of dance music. We left at 2 o clock in the morning and we got to Chicago at around 2 ½ hours later. They’re an hours behind so it was like 3.30 in the morning. I thought that the Warehouse in Chicago would have been full of girls. No, I was wrong!  I’m in a corner. I get introduced to Frankie. I’d never seen a man DJ with 2 turntables and with a 2 track reel to reel. That was stepping the game up in 82. He was banging 2 turntables, reel to reel and he had a light man. I’m a corner and everybody is looking at me. They called me sunshine. I was like “Why are you calling me sunshine?” There were like your eyes were so wide open. I wasn’t used to the gay scene. And back then, that was taboo back in the day.  The thing about it was that Frankie was banging some shit. It ain’t about 2 turntables no more it’s about what you can implement in your shit(mixing). Basically that was my introduction to Chicago. Frankie was about ten years older than me and his record selection was so deep. He was playing loads of shit, that I didn’t know because he was cool with Larry Levan. Larry Levan and all those cats (Ken, Frankie)had like special mixes. That always kept them one step ahead of the game, as far as banging the floor went. From that point I went back to West of Michigan and then I left a year later to go home which was when we started the Deep Space crew.

From there I went to East of Michigan and that’s how I met Kevin Saunderson. From that point Kevin didn’t know how to DJ or do nothing. We were way ahead of Kevin. Derrick and Juan had gone to school with Kevin at Belleville High School when they were younger kids. That’s how you get that Belleville 3, to me is fake and phoney. Fuck that shit. That shit don’t exist. The London press ran with that shit and today and the press believe that shit. That’s not how the shit went down. Basically I’m doing all the East of Michigan parties. I invite Derrick and Juan to come to play because we had a Deep Space crew. Both Art and Keith were attending Eastern Michigan University  which made it even sweeter. This is when we actually changed the game of mixing. We did one big party. Juan came up with his 808 and we put him way in the corner. Back in the day you had the DJ on crates, so we put the turntables on the crates with the mixer in between. There was no cassette deck. Everybody took turns tag teaming. We had one light to help us see the records. We cut the light off, we cut the turntables off and Juan had his 808 going. Every motherfucker went crazy. People couldn’t understand why the lights were off apart from the strobelight which kept going. At this time you’ve gotta understand that our crowds were black kids. That was our clientele. They just went nuts and Juan took the 808 for an hour, all his programmes, patterns and shit. From there Jeff Mills heard about it because he was on the radio at the time called Wizard. So Jeff started incorporating drum machines with his music whilst he was djing. All those kids that came after us like Carl Craig, Kenny Larkin, Richie Hawtin and all these kids were inspired by what Jeff Mills was doing on the radio with a drum machine. We started doing more parties with Juan doing the 808. It just took off like fire over the whole dam state of Michigan, because there were a lot of kids from Detroit that had gone to colleges within the state of Michigan. Then the following year I didn’t go the college anymore. So I went home to my mum who said that “you can’t stay here!  Unless you are in college or have a job”. So I went out there looking for a spot(flat) and I run into Derrick May of all people in Detroit who had a extra room in this house he was renting on warren & cass . So I moved in with Derrick, who helped me get me a job. He was working during the day and I was working at night time so we always had somebody at home to watch our equipment. Then some shit went down and I was like alright cool I’ve got some money. This is how the shit went down. This is the truth. We used to do our Deep Space parties at Shelby and Congress in Detroit. It was Me, Juan, Derrick and Art Payne, Keith Martin. One night at our party night I was dancing with this girl that’s when I had a epiphany “WOW”. Everything went silent and the next thing I knew something a voice in my head tells me to make a record. I remember Juan playing his Cybotron tracks. I had a couple of people trying to get me back on my feet. I was like “What happened?” “You damned near passed out.” “Oh Shit!” That was some deep shit..!! That was my beginning to make a records.

I get back home to where me & May was staying and a couple of days later I told Juan that I wanted to make a record. So I got this money and got some equipment. Derrick was my roommate in this big ass house Derrick did not know what is doing with these keyboards and drum machines. As rent payment was about due. Derrick goes and sells the 909 to Frankie Knuckles. Just so it happens that Juan comes over and awaken me out of my sleep (Remenber we are still in Detroit at this time and no Belleville 3 thing is in mix cos we’re still in Detroit, Right?). Juan said “Hey man do you know what this motherfucker did? I said who? Derrick, Derrick sold the 909 to Chicago to Frankie Knuckles. Frankie Knuckles bangs the mother fucker out at the warehouse in Chicago. That implemented the Chicago sound VIA Detroit. They didn’t have that sound until then. The next thing you know Chip E gets the mother fucker and makes the hit record ‘Like This.’ So, that’s the whole Chicago drum sound through the eyes of Detroit. Juan was pissed and that was the day I told Juan I wanted to make a track in his studio. So, I begin practicing my chops. There wasn’t no sampling back then. You had to play your way out of that shit. About maybe a month later I started to record. The next thing I knew Juan told Derrick who then told Kevin Saunderson. It was kinda cool when Kevin said the same thing I’m saying on Youtube on his 25 year KMS Anniversary party Video. It was like a domino effect!! So, I’m still wondering were this Belleville 3 come from? – So, now we are all following Juan’s lead. Juan said “fuck it man! I’m going to send all 3 tracks to master all at once.” So we all came out under Metroplex. What happened was that Juan was moving to slow for Derrick and Kevin so they started their own things. We were all under Juan’s umbrella because he knew the business.

After Derrick had made ‘Nude Photo’ Neil Rushton got into the game. Some shit happened where I had to sell my studio so Juan could keep his studio. I sold my studio to Jeff Mills. I didn’t have a studio so I’m recording in Juan’s because he said could use his studio for helping him keep his studio for my next releases. Derrick and Kevin were like fuck it we’re rolling our own little hook ups (studios). So I’m under Juan’s wings learning which was cool in the long run because I learned how to do things properly in the studio before samplers and all that shit. But, at the end, I regret I selling my studio to help Juan keep his, because Juan was so slow in the finishing tracks back then. While Derrick and Kevin was working daily on there craft in the studio. I think that was worst business deal I ever did and truly regret to this day! – Now, Neil Rushton came into the game and he was doing some shit that I didn’t really feel. I didn’t trust the guy. In the long run I was right. So Derrick went back and told Neil that I wasn’t feeling him. That was not cool for him to tell Neil that. I guess that’s what friends are for, RIGHT!!!!!  So, Neil kind of took it personally. Then he started running with Derrick in the press from London.  They (neil,derrick) couldn’t say techno without Juan. So they started to include Juan, then Kevin. That’s how I got left out of the whole press push from the beginning, because Neil had the press at feet at that time. People from Detroit say” If it wasn’t for Fowlkes those guys would not be doing what they doing now!  You know I just thank god I was around to help create a sound & a billion dollar business. The rest of world all ways asks me “How do you fit in?” I’m like “Do your research or come to Detroit and figure it out?” I don’t like searching for interviews and I’M NOT A DIVA AND I don’t like discussing my past. To me discussing the past all the time is some ego shit!  I JUST LOVE AND I MEAN LOVE DJING AND MAKING MUSIC..!

How influential was Ken Collier to Detroit?

Ken was like the godfather, the don. Everybody would go to Ken because he was getting the music first. He was a Billboard reporter and he was getting all the promo’s before anybody had heard them. Ken and Frankie were both Billboard reporters. That’s how they were getting the cuts. We would go to Ken because he would have some extra records that he’d give out. Ken was djing at parties when I was in the 9/10^th Grade. He was actually mixing. He was really the second guy I’d ever seen mix after Darryl Shannon in my 9^th Grade. I was with my sisters because they could drive and I went to one of their parties. I remember after hearing Darryl for the first time I told my mother that “I needed a mixer for Christmas!” She got me a mixer for Christmas and that’s where I started practising my mixing skills, which was around 78. I used to take my mums straight armed turntable and cassette deck to learn how to mix. I figured out how to do a slip pad before they’d even invented slip pads. That’s how I got my mixing skills until they invented pitch wheels and Technics. Everybody got into those in the early 80s. When Technic came out with 1200s that changed the game because you could lock it real well with the north and south pitch control.

You said before that radio was very important in Detroit…
…I’ve known Jeff Mills since he was about 17 years old. Jeff had a brother who was already in the entertainment business. Contractually Jeff knew business better than all of us except for Juan. When he got a radio show he kept it contractually where he was locked in for years. He did it the proper way.  You had Jeff on the radio but you also had Mojo. I didn’t know all this time mixes that Mojo was not doing the mixes. When I was at High School I thought Mojo was doing the mixing, but it was Juan. When I got out of High School I used to go down the radio station with Juan for Mojo. When I went down for the first time I saw him give Mojo a two track tape. “Why are you giving Mojo a two track tape?” “You didn’t know?” “Know what?” “I’m doing the mixes!” “I thought Mojo did them.” “No, I’ve been doing them since I was at High School.” I was like “Ain’t that a bitch.” That’s why Detroit was hearing a lot of Cybotron shit because he was dropping his tracks in the mixes on Mojo show. When we started making our records around 86 we knew all the DJs at the radio stations. Then they started playing our music on regular rotation with Prince and Michael Jackson. That was the style back then for dance music on the radio. That kind of helped the American dance scene in the Midwest. You couldn’t go passed Chicago or Detroit and hear regular dance music, from Midwest to the east. LA was always slow because it’s 3 hours behind, but from the Midwest to the east it was banging. That’s when the New Music Conference in New York was off the hook. That was another stepping stone before the thing in Miami popped up. You could have made a lot of money with just a cassette tape in New York. Who knows now what the fuck Miami is? It used to be in Miami that you could go by the poolside and play your music  make some money, but the games changed now.

After you released your first record on Metroplex did that help with getting more DJ gigs?

No because the game had changed and it went to the next level(producing records). The goal when I got my mixer in the 70s was to DJ at all the clubs in Detroit. Then when Chicago and Jesse Saunders came out with that Jes Say 12” that’s when everybody was like “who is this cat?” Then you had Larry Heard. This is when Derrick and I were living together. Derrick would get these 12”s from Chicago because that’s where his mum lived at the time. He knew how to get things out of Chicago. Derrick made friends with these cats. That was our inroad into Chicago. They would send Derrick’s records to play. This is before we’d even made records, probably about two years before. Jesse, Chip E, Larry Heard and those boys would do this. They were only beat tracks. They weren’t doing no serious production like Cybotron. Chip E used to call the crib when Derrick and I were living together. They weren’t using the 909 until Derrick sold it to Frankie. If you go back and listen to Jes Say 12” there’s no 909 in that music it’s all 808, but the 909 changed the game. That’s the foundation of house music.

What record shops were around Detroit in the 80s? Where were you buying the records?

When I was hanging around with my uncle we would go to Kendricks Records, the owner was Eddies Kendricks  brothers record store. I grew up on Fenkell in Detroit from 3^rd grade all the way up to 8^th grade. Sometimes I used to see Eddie in the front with his brother. I wasn’t star struck or nothing like that. Most of the time I remember it was the spring time when I see Eddie Kendricks  walking home from school because it was only 2 blocks away. There was Kendricks, Buyright records and another shop I can’t remember its name. I remember when ‘Planet Rock’ came out. I bought that from Kendrick’s Records, because that motherfucker had a ton of them bitches in his store. I bought my first 45 at Kendricks and I wasn’t even at High School then.  My first record was ‘Benny and the Jets.’ I remember walking in the snow to get that 45. I said “mum I’m going to get that record.” She gave me some loot. I went and got it. I banged it on our system in the basement.

Were you surprised when techno broke in the UK around 87/88?

I wasn’t surprised at all because you’ve gotta remember when we put our first records out that was the beginning of hip hop. When my first record came out and I saw this group called Public Enemy I was like “what is this?” I wasn’t into rap or hip hop at all. You’ve got to remember that our clientele was black kids. People don’t realise that when we used to throw parties at universities the white kids make faces about that crazy music we played. It was way before its time. So the young black kids weren’t coming to our parties no more because they were getting into hip hop then. So radio started playing hip hop. The next thing that you know hip hop blew up and cut out our clientele across the whole United States. Hip Hop came through and cut off our revenue.

Then our distributor started distrusting us in different places. The next thing you know Neil Rushton had contacted Derrick and he started going to the UK. That was how the press ran with Derrick’s story. I guess that ‘Nude Photo’ was so big that it started breaking doors down. Then Neil found out that there were more of in Detroit. Then Kevin and Derrick were running together. Juan and I started running together because when Neil was in town Juan and I were living in LA. We were trying to get the sound across to LA. We got a phone call from Derrick saying they’re doing a Detroit compilation. That fucked our plans with that, because of what we were doing in Los Angeles. When we was living LA every Sunday it would be Eazy E, LA Dream Team, Hammer, Egyptian Lover, World Class Wreckin’ Cru, Juan and I at McDonalds on Crenshaw. Juan got into the LA Click by having the name Juan Atkins. My first release got licensed to Macola Records. All of the LA scene music was under Macola. That’s how we met all those mother fuckers. Doctor Dre was just a side kick to those mother fuckers, but Eazy was running that shit matter of fact the streets of LA Rap Music. The boy was big before he got big.. While Me, Juan  were in LA and Derrick and Kevin was in Detroit. Juan got to the meeting because he was selling 75000 copies on Metroplex records. Shit, I was still new to the music business  At that time in the United States whoever was selling the most copies in your city was ruling the street. That’s how the game was in music in the urban hood..!!  In Detroit Juan was the man because of Cybotron. When he started Metroplex that shit took off on the west coast, particularly ‘Technicolor.’ When we drove to LA the more west we got the more we’d here Juan’s shit. By the time we got to LA Juan’s music was on heavy rotation on the radio. When we got there for my first time, it was Juan’s third time. Evenly we settle in LA. Now here comes a phone call from Derrick with this so called compilation album. So we get got back to do the comp. album. We come back to LA and things are still slow. Then Neil Rushton started swing deals to Detroit that was the beginning of the end of LA. Eight months later all those motherfuckers that we’d had the meetings with they all blew up, they all had label deals, video deals and they take off. Just think Techno coming from LA in the 80’s “WOW” To this day I say to Juan what if we’d have stayed we’d have brought the techno to the USA with big videos. The LA scene with a Detroit sound. We’d have tore a hole in there asses to this day. I still regret that move some how. One thing about this music ,you’ve gotta think outside the box. You’ve gotta see the trend coming before the train hits you.

So what happened with LA and Eddie Fowlkes?

Well, I was dating one of Berry Gordy’s niece daughter. Her name was Karla Bristol , her father was the great Johnny Bristol. I met her at Michigan State, but she was LA. That’s how I met all the Gordy’s in Detroit. They used to say that whenever you come to LA you should come through . So, Iris gordy is Karla mother. They would invite me to all the Gordy family stuff that was funny and cool thou. I got cool with them. They were so brainwashed with Detroit and soul music they weren’t ready to move outside of the box. I end up meeting Eddie Holland, from Holland, Dozier and Holland. So I’m at Eddies crib chilling watching the Lakers basketball game. That day was unreal.. Chilling with one of the greatest producers that ever came out of Detroit.  He wanted to know what’s up with this techno because he couldn’t get it inside his head. He just could not get it! That’s was about the time when I left the LA scene there, because these mother fuckers just don’t get it. Now it’s a billion dollar business that they could have been on it (Gordies family). That’s the one thing about that Detroit first compilation it’s a bad and good feeling for me. A lot of people don’t know that we were there right on the brink with all those guys made history and millions of dollars. Eazy E’s lawyer called Jerry Heller was the motherfucker that was going to all the labels saying that I’ve got the sound of LA right here. After we left do the track for the Detroit Compilation album He implemented everybody who was at those meeting with their own label deal. Me and Juan regret that shit.

When was the first time you had the opportunity to come over to the UK?
I think it was 88. It was cold. It was really fucking cold there. It was around October through to December that type of weather. I can’t remember where I played. Back in those days you stayed with friends rather than hotels. I forget who I was staying with. Carl Cox can tell you this shit himself. Juan was over too and we hooked up. He was like let’s go to this party and this party was off the motherfucking hook. We were behind the DJ booth and this motherfucker came up the stairs to the booth with two record crates before dropping all his records over the floor after tripping. We both busted out laughing and that was Carl Cox. To this day Carl still remembers that moment because it was the first time he’d DJ’d. He says that he was so nervous because Juan and I were behind the turntable. That was my first time that I was in London.
What was the difference for you between this trip and what you knew back in Detroit?

Techno for me wasn’t really big in London, but the Chicago sound was huge. You had Pete Tong at FFRR releasing all those compilations. It took us a while before really cracking the London scene because house music was the shit over there. Techno took a while and we just had to be patient. There were only four of us in Detroit doing that shit. In Chicago you had about 30 motherfuckers working it. That created a movement because they had more. There was Derrick, Kevin, Juan I putting out music. That was the crew. That was it. There wasn’t anybody else. Derrick and Kevin had Neil Rushton chopping some press through, but it always went down to your music. Now anybody can put music out, but back then you had to put some shit out to cut through the cheese, to cut through all that bullshit. Low and behold all the time that we were practising and Juan was teaching us studio shit we knew how to make our productions cut through the cheese. Juan would teach us that your shit has got to last the test of time, like steel. I think that’s where Chicago kind of fell off and you can see to today that we’re still producing music whilst everybody from Chicago fell off. They didn’t have anybody like Juan to teach them how to EQ, what’s hot or what’s not hot. They were just doing it by ear about being here for ever making ever lasting music. They would have keyboardists come and play, so when those keyboarders are gone what are you going to do sit there and watch your MPC or your Roger Linn. That’s why we’re still here today.

Obviously Detroit has changed quite a lot in your life time. Do you think that the change has been for the good?

No because you’ve gotta remember that all the kids that’s used to listen to our music they’ve got kids and grandkids now, but we’re talking about Detroit. Outside of Detroit is a different ball game. Detroit is not even there anymore, musically. it’s not there, it’s gone, evaporated. I only know two record stores in Detroit Buy-rites on 7^th Mile and Shantinique Records on the east side which sells more clothes than records. I don’t even think that they sell records either.

You’ve hit up on it previously that Detroit seems to have had a strong conveyor belt of quality producers and DJs since the 80s. Can you elaborate?

Like I explained to you earlier, what Juan taught us has been passed down. Like MK, let’s take MK. He’s one of the baddest motherfuckers to come out of Detroit. MK and the fashion designer Maurice Malone used to come over to Juan’s house. Maurice is one of the biggest clothes designers around. They both tried to get into the music game back then. Juan wasn’t really feeling their music back then  because he felt that they had to get their sound a little bit tighter. Juan was like the don of Detroit. Anyway MK then started going down Kevin’s spot which was close to Juans and Derricks at that time. I was somewhere else in Detroit. I would go down to Juan’s studio, which was like my studio too. So MK, Carl Craig, Kenny Larkin and all those young cats would all come through because that was the production line. That’s where I met Mike Banks. They knew how we were so dedicated to the sound. They would come in and we would be working on shit(muisc). They would sit on the sideline as we worked. We were all friends and their ears started to get trained with what’s going on. You had Kevin doing the KMS side, you had Derrick upstairs with Carl, 430 West and Kenny Larkin. Then you had MK over there with Kevin. There was Juan, Shake and I in the Metroplex camp. Amp Fiddler used to come through. This was the way it was before Mike Banks blew up in the UK. Mike Banks was in our camp believe it or not before he set up Underground Resistance. That’s how that second generation wave came. Juan would let nobody touch his equipment. Kevin and Derrick were a little more relaxed. With Juan you had to be on the sidelines. If you didn’t know what the fuck you were doing you couldn’t be touching his shit, which was cool because you had to work to be able to work with Juan. Everbody wanted to work with Juan. I was like shit I’ve been with Juan since the beginning so I really knew what time it was. That’s how the sound is still around today because we take it so seriously. When Kevin made ‘Good Life’ on that corner and Derrick made ‘Strings of Life.’ It was cat’s really struggling to survive to making tons of money. It wasn’t about I’m the best DJ. It was about your music. That’s where kids would see us go from nowhere to somewhere. MK changed the game when he started doing those remixes. MK used to practise his chops at Kevin’s joint. He damned near used to live down there. When Kevin made ‘Big Fun’ it was actually James Pennington that made the elements. Kevin put Paris Grey together with Arthur Forrest who played the keys. Inner City was already around before then with James Pennington and Kevin Saunderson. James used to come around and fuck around on the keyboards. We’d be up like 2 or 3 in the morning messing around. He just kept it on a two track and kept it in the corner for around a year and a half. ‘Big Fun’ was made a year and a half before it came out. You practised your craft. I don’t think James ever got his just due. That’s how the business goes.

In answer to your question that’s how the second wave came through. You have to actually play play meaning the keyboards to get in the studio. You have to practise. You didn’t have no computer aid stuff back then. But That change  when Todd Terry went and sampled all of Kevin’s shit. To me that was the game changer when they invented the sampler because that let all these mother fuckers who didn’t know what to do in a studio start to play. I wasn’t hating on it. It was kind of taboo if you sample music from somebody else shit. Now those guys ran with craze back then are gone and I mean it was a lot of them. That wasn’t really showing no skills at that time and that kind of separated Detroit from the world. We can always get down without an engineer or keyboardist. You go into studios these days and some of those boys don’t know how to do there shit. It’s like there 20 years behind time. Because then you realize  they had other motherfuckers doing that shit. That’s when you find out who actually made that music from Chicago & New York from 80’ to 90’s.

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We decided to get some of the amazing Dj’s and producers who will be making the first FSTVL so special , together and have a little chat about how life is for them at the moment and there thoughts about Music , FSTVL and the scene in general . Let me introduce you to our panel , firstly we have Chicago’s one man Jack attack DJ Sneak a House legend who has produced so many classics since the late 90s and played at every club worth talking about from DC10 to Fabric and hosted the most HOUSE thing ever in Ibiza last year a BBQ cook out in the car park at DC10 .. Geordie girl Anna Wall is one of UK’s House music’s rising stars for 2013 , anyone who caught her Mixmag DJ Lab’s live stream from Miami will testify of her skills and passion for the music , Dan Perrin is one half of Jack & I ( alongside partner Jack Michaels ) the duo have risen from the east london minimal / tech scene and there music is now a staple in many of the major DJ players sets . Another fast rising young gun is Iranian / Canadian Amirali who’s debut album ‘ in Time ‘ seemed to come out of no where and drew admiration from all quarters . Amirali has played at world class clubs such as Panorama bar , Fabric and Miami’s Electric Pickle and those attending FSTVL are in for a real treat .

Matias Tanzmann needs no introduction – the man behind the fantastic German label Moon Harbour records has been a resident at Circo Loco’s infamous monday parties at DC10 since 2007 . London House label Lower East is Cozzy’s baby as is the well rated London party ‘creche ‘ . Cozzy has released tracks on labels as diverse as Real Tone , 1trax and Four : Twenty . Davide Squillace is a son of that amazing city Naples and its creative vibe has been perfectly channeled through Davide who is another weekly resident at DC10 this coming summer . London based Ben Hoo a formally trained musician who has worked on music by Moby and M.A.N.D.Y as well as well as his own music on Kindisch records . MK aka Marc Kinchen was one of the early 90s most in demand US remixers providing seminal mixes for the likes of MAW and the mix of the Nightcrawlers ‘ Push the feeling on ‘ that went pop around the world ‘ . After disappearing from the dance music world he made a triumphant return and his remix of Storm Queen from 2012 sealed his place at the top table of US remixers . Subb- Ann was named as DJ Magazines ‘Best Breakthrough DJ’ in 2011 and still only in his early 20′s Ashique ‘Subb-an’ Subhan has released music on quality underground labels such releases on Crosstown Rebels, Spectral and Ellum backed up by past hits on Jamie Jones’ Hot Creations, Saved, Silver Network, Mothership, Leftroom, BPitch Control and 20/20 vision .

Finally its a personal favourite of mine Dan Ghenacia , the french dj runs the amazing ‘Freak n Chic ‘ label DJ’s all around the globe and is one of the b2b2b DJ trio outfit Apollonia. Thats the artists all introduced so the obvious first question was .

‘How was 2013 for you guys ‘

” Well every year comes with its highs and lows, but 2012 has been pretty exciting – some great accomplishments in my working life, and some unforgettable DJ gigs such as a penthouse rooftops in Miami, post-sunsets in Ibiza, open-air clubs in Turkey and some super cool parties in London” ANNA WALL .

‘ A roller coaster of a year for me traveling around the world and playing so many amazing parties. Playing Fabric Room 1 and Circoloco at DC10 were huge highlights but so much happened over the year it’s hard to pin one down. Hang gliding over Rio during my Brazil tour was pretty unreal if I must say’ . SUBB- ANN

” For us 2012 was a massive year to be honest…….we have only been working together since the end of 2010 and this year just gone has felt like the one where things have really started to move forward pretty quickly. We have released music on some great labels and had some amazing support from the likes of Troxler, Luciano, Maceo Plex, Sneak and lots more..,plus of course the rise of Art of Dark and the very promising beginnings to the label there too. Happy! ” DAN PERRIN .

” 2012 was a great year for me. So many fond memories. I was really overwhelmed by the success of my track ‘Aphrodite’ which came out on my label Lower East. Nothing more incredible than hearing a crowd singing your track when you play it We had some amazing Creche parties too featuring the likes of Maceo Plex, Art Department, MK, Eats Everything, Julio Bashmore, The Martinez Brothers. COZZY

“It was a very good year. The Ibiza season with my residency at Circoloco DC10 was certainly one of the highlights again. There is no place in the world like DC10″ . MATIAS TANZMANN.

‘ Going to and playing in Ibiza for the first time, my first DJ Mag party in Miami and getting together with Lee Foss and Jamie Jones and Annabel ‘ MK

” 2012 was a great year indeed, I had an amazing run with loads of gigs & music released plus remix work. I think all around it was a well-balanced year and a very successful one, but nothing could have topped the last day of 2012, on December 31st I welcomed my son to the word! What better way to end the year than with the birth of a happy and healthy baby. I am feeling very blessed’. DJ SNEAK

‘ 2012 was a fantastic year with the launch of our label Apollonia. The goal of this adventure is to stay together, travel together, play together. One personal highlight is when we play together it’s different to when we play alone, there is a moment during the long sessions when the 3 of us become like one artist, totally in synergy on the same vibe. We don’t feel the time, 5 hours can pass easily as everything comes naturally, we don’t need to talk just play the music ” . Dan Ghenacia

” 2012 was very intense, being in the recording studio and mostly traveling all around the world. There were also new collaborations and new projects that came out that which made my 2012 very exciting. Working with Better Lost Than Stupid in the studio and collaborations with Philip Bader and singer Alex Nazar. Ibiza always beats most of the gig season, but South America has been particularly rocking this year too. Every time I go, our scene seems to have developed more; people seem to have a higher knowledge of the all music and the movement itself ‘. DAVIDE SQUILLACE

” It was an amazing year for me. Having released my first album and being able to travel all around the world performing has been such a ride. The whole year was pretty special for me, so many experiences and great times; couldn’t ask for anything more ” AMIRALI

“2012 was great! My personal highlights were playing Bestival (which is one of my favourite festivals in the world) and also playing the Get Physical party in Miami during WMC, alongside Mr C, Tim Green, DJ T and M.A.N.D.Y. Releasing my solo EPs on Kindisch (Get Physical sub label) was also a highlight. I feel very lucky to have the support from such a seminal label” BEN HOO .

We Are FSTVL is launching May in Essex (just outside London), the line up is a real who’s who of the House and Techno scene – do you think its time London had more festivals leaned towards House & Techno?

” Well of course London is spoilt for great parties and events….but up until now i dont think we have had the ‘definitive; house and Techno event …..’We are’ definitely has the potential to become our love parade/timewarp etc ” Dan Perrin

” For me the best festivals are the ones that have acts from different genres of music. Personally when I go to a festival I like to listen and experience a wide range of music with different sounds and vibes. I think having a festival specifically for House & Techno is cool and if that’s all that you want to listen to then it’s perfect. It depends on what the individual or crowd is expecting to hear and see” . AMIRALI

” I am in favor of having and participating in as many great festivals everywhere, Essex has always been a great place for music….London too.. but you know the Prodigy come from essex, guess its never been the same since ” MK
” I know London is in a changing period, 2012 had a lot of great events not only for the regulars but for new comers looking for something fresh and exciting. I welcome better events, I welcome more parties that want real DJs and real ground breaking music whether it be Techno or House” . DJ SNEAK

” England is the home of the best festivals, it’s part of the culture of this country. It’s a great moment for house and techno in the UK so new events like We Are FSTVL is the inevitable progression “. Dan Ghenacia

What one thing would you like to see happen to improve the current scene?

” I believe things are already in motion for changes all around the globe, I know in England the Warehouse Party Theme is really kickin off, things are improving in general and I really think people are staring to pay more attention to what they support. I want to believe that the crowd is starting to pay attention to the quality of the music and this is a very good thing. If quality music and talented DJ’s are at the forefront then more power to new promoters, new clubbers & a new scene that allows these types of events to grow. I’m happy to be part of a few different scenes that have welcomed me into their events, always grateful to be able to play along side talent and quality ‘ . DJ SNEAK

” More vinyl DJ’s. We know what we are talking about…we are back to vinyl since few years now, we tried the computer thing and honestly nothing compares to real wax ” DAN GHENACIA

” More love, less hate – people should put more energy into supporting what they love, as opposed to knocking something that might not necessarily be their bag. Seems social media sites have given people a platform these days to hide behind a computer, and just try to get attention by slagging things off. End of the day the music industry should be all about the love for the music, so why wasted your breath hating on things when you could be bigging up something else instead” COZZY

‘ i think the ‘scene’ will be what it will be…thats like asking how can we improve human nature or society. Individual parties and promoters i think have a responsibility to keep the vibe a happy peaceful one on the dancefloors and not to become too ‘get rich quick’ by charging over the odds or letting people into the parties that are not going to add something positive.’ DAN PERRIN

Will the shadow of EDM with its vast wealth threaten the real club culture we have loved for the last 25 plus years?
” I don’t think so; as much as the EDM scene is wealthy and strong, our scene and the real club culture that we have loved for the past 2 decades is getting stronger too; so I wouldn’t worry about it too much” AMIRALI

” I don’t think so. This will not make people turn away from our scene and the way we know clubbing. And certainly some of the new EDM fans will dig deeper and find out about the real electronic dance music” . MATIAS TANZMANN

” * I don’t care about EDM, it is just another fad that will die out, and if we’re all lucky this will happen sooner than later. I had my days of talking about it but now it all seems really chessy, short lived and not worth my energy. I truly believe there are enough people out there who know, respect and care about the culture that it will never die. There any many people who’s lives have been shaped and molded by an amazing experience or event that was created by this culture and it is these very people who will keep the culture alive and well. We have been here and WILL be here after EDM.’ DJ SNEAK

” no, I don’t think anything can destroy something so strong – its part of our culture. there will always be a strong underground. And I think the commercial scene actually helps raise awareness of club music, and might get more people into the scene.” BEN HOO

” There will always be a spot for everybody, it’s part of human nature, and the difference in tastes will keep every single declination of music alive. The only problem could be the media brain washing kids about what is cool or not. But I’m confident that everyone will find their own taste ‘ DAVIDE SQUILLACE

Name One DJ or Act who you are tipping to be huge in 2013?

‘ Djebali is definitely one of our fav new artists. He has been hanging out with us for a few years, he shares our culture, he is a great producer and an amazing DJ. Chris Carrier and Hector Moralez, we cannot wait for their new live set. They have just released their debut album together ‘Lotus Seven’ on our Apollonia label ‘ DAN GHENACIA

” Us!! hahahah….no, erm…..wow theres loads! Last Magpie is fantastic, and basically everything Hypercolour are doing. Outside of that Nastia is brilliant, Dinky is going to have a big year again, Tato is doing great things over in Ibiza with his Isgud Records…oh and Lilith!! her and David Gtronic are going to make some very serious waves this year. Hence why we have them as part of the crew i guess! DAN PERRIN

‘ There’s a lot of UK producers I think that are really going to shine through next year…. I reckon 2013 is going to be the year for producers like Citizen, Jack Dixon, George Fitzgerald, Dale Howard (sorry I cheated there that’s definitely more than one!) ANNA WALL .

What is your fave club / party that you have played at and why (IE crowd / sound / reaction)
” Dc10 Ibiza ….. best crowd, no social boundaries, no bullshit, enjoying music together, the real nature of the party scene’ . DAVIDE SQUILLACE

” Has to be Below in Birmingham. It’s not the obvious choice but I’ve been playing this same courtyard for over 5 years and it NEVER fails to impress me, here’s a picture from our New Year’s day party… second choice goes to Fabric Room 1″. SUBB-ANN

‘ I would have to say DC10 in Ibiza – main room. I love that system, the space and the sound. I had the pleasure of playing that room a bunch of times in 2012 and it was great ‘. DJ SNEAK.

‘ I really enjoyed English crowds a lot last year. The Circoloco party in Birmingham was outstanding and just recently I had a great night with mUmU in Liverpool on Boxing Day. Another fantastic night was the Time Warp in Italy ‘ MATIAS TANZMANN

‘ My live performance in Fabric Room1 last spring is still on the top of my list. There was great chemistry between the crowd and my music. The sound in that room is top notch and they have such amazing staff. Another favourite show I played was at Panorama Bar in Berlin; I had the great pleasure to play alongside Andrew Weatherhall and Ivan Smagghe. I started playing around 4am and the reaction was phenomenal, It was such a magical night ‘ AMIRALI

‘ I reckon the coolest club I played recently was About:Blank in Berlin. The club is darky and smoky (just how I like them), the vibe was super-cool, Ewan Pearson played in the other room plus some of my best friends in the world were there. What more could you want! ANNA WALL

‘ I have so many favourites, but one night that stands out is when I played at a venue in Aarhus for the Stella Polaris Festival after party a couple of years ago. The atmosphere was great. Its a really dark, intimate venue with a really low ceiling and when it goes off in there the atmosphere is intense! People were going crazy and the place was a sweatbox ‘ . BEN HOO

Its been a fantastic 2012 for all the DJ’s and Artists about to appear at FSTVL and 2013 looks even bigger and better . Finally we ask them
what are they looking for this year music wise

‘ Something a little bit different! Warehouse parties aren’t what they used to be, so I think we have to get a bit more creative this year in London…I went to some great overseas music festivals last year, so I’ll definitely be escaping the big smoke again in 2013′ . ANNA WALL
‘ Well we’re looking forward to our season in Ibiza very much…with the Art of Dark residency on Sirocco and some great gigs at Sankeys and other places. Then theres all the Art of Dark parties, a few other great festivals and of course We are in May as part of such a great line up! ‘ DAN PERRIN

‘ I’m currently just back from BPM Festival in Mexico after a nice winter break and am ready to get myself back in the studio and work on some new material aswell as finish off some bits I started before Xmas. I’ve got a remix to do alongside Lee Brinx for DJ W!ld which will be coming out on Resonance. At the end of January my Lower East release ‘Listen’ comes out which features a remix from Droog. Looking forward to to tours of North & South America, South Africa among others too’ . COZZY

‘Mostly I am looking for time to produce music myself. I managed to slow down touring a bit now so I could finally spend more days at studio. And as a positive side effect being able to step out of the touring routine recharged my batteries and pushed my inspiration a lot again.’ MATIAS TANZMANN

‘ * Honestly? I want people to challenge their so-called skills to give “punters” what they want, not some boring ass set that they played the night before. I think we all need some fresh air to survive the changes in technology & the DJ culture. In music I am looking for the same, better produced music instead of music for the charts, make something with meaning not something to hit the charts to make yourself feel special.’ DJ SNEAK

‘ What are you looking for music & DJ wise in 2013? I have a great EP in which I’ve collaborated with Tom Trago and Footprintz that will hit on Visionquest early in the year and will coincide with my podcast for Resident Advisor and then my second mix CD compilation which will be a Rebel Rave CD. After that I’m solidly working on my album for Crosstown Rebels’ SUBB -ANN .

http://www.wearefstvl.com/

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