The rave legend Waltzes into the future…
Hey Adam, good to speak to you again. The last I saw you was when I interviewed you at your very beautiful apartment in Brighton, the old ballet school. Where in the world are you living these days?
“Hi Dan, I live in Ramsgate in Kent these days. Yeah I remember you coming down, it was on Derby Day and you made sure you could watch the race before talking to me. Your horse lost. And before that I played for you at a rave in the Midlands somewhere for Gez Bailey, I had you driving around at silly o’ clock in the morning looking for beer for us.”
Indeed you did, and now young man you are about to teach me everything about the Waltz. What a strange life we lead. You claim that your new project ‘Neo-Waltz’ is not some “arty, hi brow bullshit” – so what exactly is it….
“The reason I said those words was because I didn’t want people to think this was some sort of vanity project or a producer trying to be all clever. This is simply an idea I had which has evolved organically by purely being into music. After 25 years of providing sci-fi beats for clubbers and even longer as a consumer of everything from glam rock to grime, I am now putting all my creative juices into ‘Neo Waltz’, which is simply a re-introduction of the basic social idea of human beings dancing together in pairs – albeit to razor edged electronic music. The Waltz is performed in 3/4 time and I have chopped up a load of drum n’ bass, electro, dub, house, well whatever really, into that speed. It has really re-energised me musically and I’ve been working on an album with a lot of incredible musicians on it.”
Yes you have just signed Neo-Waltz to the legendary Wall of Sound label, responsible for bringing us the likes of Jacques Lu Cont, Grace Jones, Royksopp and the Human League. Will you be working on other projects for them?
“This has kind of blotted everything out for me now, we’re totally focussed on Neo Waltz but we’ll see what the future brings…”
Tell us about the album…
“I have been working on it for about four months and have so many tracks done, probably too many to be honest. There’s definitely a punk rock element to it as well as electronic, I love bringing these sort of elements together that shouldn’t really work but somehow do. I’ve been recruiting a variety of different collaborators including Rebel MC, Adrian Sherwood from On-U-Sound, the south London grime MC Mickey Lightfoot and drummers Rat Scabies from The Damned and Budgie from Siouxsie & The Banshees. I’m also working with the best singer I have ever worked with in Viktoria Modesta who appeared at the opening night with David McAlmont last week. She is the one legged Latvian fetish model who has an amazing voice, you may have seen her appearing at the Paralympics Closing Ceremony playing the Ice Queen? I have to say I’m really buzzing about working with her. David is also involved in a couple of tracks including our tongue in cheek cover version of Englebert Humperdinck’s ‘The Last Waltz’ which is very surreal. I think David is one of the best soul singers the UK has ever produced by the way, an unbelievable talent. I’ve also been working with Skip McDonald who along with Doug Wimbish and Keith LeBlanc formed the house band for the pioneering rap label Sugar Hill back in the day. He provided music for the likes of Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaata and Force M.D. so you can imagine how excited I was to get in the studio with him.”
And how long have you known label boss Mr Mark Jones, one of the biggest names in the industry…
“I first met Mark about two years ago when he walked into the room dressed as a Geisha Girl. I thought to myself, ‘that is the kind of record industry executive I want to work with’. I contacted him through Facebook and he invited me to his office to play him my Neo Waltz material and he just ‘got it’ straight away. I’d hit a few brick walls with it but Mark understood the concept immediately. What else is great is that back in 1989 I was signed to Fast Product Records which was owned by the then Human League manager – and now twenty three years later I’m label mates with the band again.”
So when did you begin to get fascinated about the whole history of the Waltz?
“About three years ago. I have been going to Venezuela for quite a while and I realised just how sexy and groovy the waltz rhythm can be after hearing it’s influence in the country. It had a real latin feel with amazing melodies and basslines – the only problem was is they they play it on really annoying instruments, I wanted to have a go at it using a 21st century sound pallet.”
When you think of the Waltz though you think of static couples gliding across a ballroom…
“You do, but back in the day the Waltz wasn’t formal at all and wasn’t about all those strict ballroom steps, it was about grabbing the nearest person you fancied and whisking them around the floor with reckless abandon – whenever the mood took you. I Googled the dance’s origins and became really inspired by the whole history of the waltz and its social and cultural significance.”
And you noticed similarities with how acid house started…?
“Exactly. That whole sudden outbreaks of dancing in service station carparks around the M25 with loved up football firms hand in hand with your city boys and everyone else in between. In my opinion, the original Waltz was the original sound of the underground, it definitely had the same social impact. “
This isn’t the first time you’ve experimented with the Waltz though…
“No it’s not Dan. I remixed Seal’s ‘Kiss From A Rose’ which was basically a waltz and even back then I was experimenting by chopping up beats. Sister Bliss played the keyboards for me on it, such a talented musician unlike myself who is still a two finger chancer on the keys.”
You launched at Chats Palace in Hackney on Saturday with the brilliant David McAlmont and the ever glamorous Viktoria Modesta and return on November 3rd. So what can we expect musically from a night down Neo-Waltz?
“The only perimeter is that all the music is played in Waltz time, the night features anything and everything from Motown, deep techno, 80s pop, early David Bowie stuff before he was famous – you’ll have to come down and have a look, it’s crazy.”
I will, it seems to have a real Balearic feel to it…
“I have to admit, Alfredo is one of my biggest influences and that’s what I am trying to do with the night taking his 80s soundtrack, being really diverse but taking it that one step further. I had a popper loved up conversation with him in ’89 and we spoke about how it would be great if we could get people dancing together again. I saw him recently and he remembered the conversation. And well, I’ve finally got round to doing it.”
And finally, what do you think a 21 year old Adamski would have said if you’d have told him that 25 years later he’d be organising live music nights that incorporates the waltz?
“You would have found him passed out underneath a table dribbling Jägeimester. And Dan, even if he had been awake, he wouldn’t have give a fuck what you were saying anyway…”
Adamski was talking to Dan Prince.
