After a 20 year career, the Freestylers have covered a full 360 degrees in the Bass Music genre having played all the biggest festivals, the most talked about nightclubs around the world and even the quintessentially British music show, Top Of The Pops. And perhaps needed now more than ever, the duo now step up to the plate with brand new sounds that destroy genre boundaries and offer a strobing light at the end of the tunnel that is 2020. Their sixth studio album ‘Other Worlds’ is set for release in March 2021 and they’re launching it now with the first single ‘Happiness’. Initially created for big-room, festival-worthy summer touring, this early-rave inspired anthemic track will still have you dancing round your living room. It’s a great shame we can’t hear ‘Happiness’ live, but hopefully it keeps spirits alive that one day we will dance together again. The no nonsense breakbeat, vocal triumph has still gained huge momentum though, and has proved a firm fan favourite in the duo’s lockdown livestream sets – as well as gaining support from some of the biggest names in the business, including the likes of Krafty Kuts and Rat Pack to name a few. DMCWORLD dive in for a world exclusive…
Great to have Freestylers back with a new album! Please tell us about how the concept for ‘Other Worlds’ came about? When did you decide to release an album during a pandemic?
Thanks very much DMCWORLD. About a year and half ago DJ Lady Waks was staying at my house on a visit to London and she inspired me to want to work on a new album after talking about music and life in general. So, I got busy for a few months working on lots of backing tracks and rough sketches. The bulk of it was actually done last year and then finalised during our first lockdown ,so at least it gave me something to do. Matt came up with the title, he’s actually a full time psychologist now and moonlights as a Freestyler, haha. I’ve been told it’s a psychological term for some exponential way of thinking, but I just think of an intergalactic journey.
The album will be out in March, so hopefully by the time the pandemic is coming to an end.
It dips in and out of so many genres and sounds – can you tell people what to expect from the album and what kind of style you went for this time?
All our albums have been pretty much multi-genre and this one is no different. We’re inspired by so many types of music, sometimes I do feel it’s a bit schizophrenic but hopefully it’s all held together by the Freestylers’ DNA. We would describe it as the new sound of the old school as we went back to our roots but have delivered the music in a fresh new way.
It’s your sixth studio album, how has the process of writing and recording differed this time compared to older releases?
It’s been much of the same formula really since when we began. Either Matt or myself will have some ideas and then we’ll try and put the puzzle together. Backing tracks are sent off to the various vocalists we want to work with and then they hopefully send the magic back to finish it off. The technology has totally changed since we started; originally we used an Atari computer and loads of outboard gear and nowadays we just use a Mac with everything built in so that’s the main difference.
You’re launching it with new single ‘Happiness’ – what made you choose this track as the single to launch the whole campaign? Why do you think people should be excited about it?
I was playing Golf with Mark from Ratpack and told him we made some track that was totally inspired by rave but sounded new, so he told me to send it to him and he’d play it on one of his weekly shows. A few weeks passed by and he started sending texts and screen shot messages from people wanting to know what this track was, so we could see there was an initial buzz building. Then in March this year I sent the track to Krafty Kuts who started playing it on his DJ streams during lockdown and it became his weekly anthem as again people were lighting up in his comments with praise for the song, so I guess we were onto a winner with this one. Sometimes music is all about timing and I guess with its uplifting happy vibes and positive message “Happiness” has come at a time when globally it’s been a really shit year for everyone. https://freestylers.lnk.to/happiness
Covid-permitting, will you be taking the album out on the road next year?
We totally hope so. DJing and full live band shows would be nice. It’s weird to think what was the norm is kind an alien thought right now.
There’s a whole host of featured artists on the album – Scarlett Quinn, Blapps Posse and Mad Doctor X to name a few – how do you go about deciding who you’re going to collab with?
We’ll pick someone we want to collaborate with and then send them either backing tracks or just some ideas eventually picking what we think are the best songs or raps for our sound. We’ve wanted to work with Plump DJs for a while as our paths have always crossed plus we thought it’d be good to get a couple of Breakbeat heavyweights together for fans of the scene.
Finally, in 3 words, please sum up the album
It’s the nuts.
*****
Web: http://freestylersmusic.co.uk
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/freestylers
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreestylersofficial/
