The legendary London duo do it again with ‘Animal’ – absolutely massive

Interview by Dan Prince

Hey guys welcome to DMCWORLD…where in the world are you today?

“We’re in sunny London at our studio.”

Well you have done it again, another monstrous tune that has had the Buzz Chart hierarchy and dancefloors across the planet going loopy. Please talk us through the sound and history of ‘Animal’…

Skinner – “Firstly, thanks for the support. Great you guys are feeling ‘Animal’! We’ve been playing around with bass sounds and laying down loads of riffs as rough ideas and when we come across this one our eyes lit-up. We knew it was a powerful sound so we built a track we both liked and felt was relevant with what’s going on right now in London and Ibiza.”

When I told Buzz Chart emperor Guy Garret I was interviewing you today he shouted across the room…”I love Skinner & Bracks, they represent the new sound of jackin house…”. Thoughts on that little comment

Bracks – “Again, thanks. Been fans of DMC for years so we’re buzzing to be part of it! Our sound is diverse because of the different influences we both bring to the table but Jackin House is what gets us excited. It’s up-tempo and makes the dancefloor move which we like to see so for Guy to say that is a major achievement for us!”

The sale of vinyl was up 40% for the first part of this year and there was a story in the press this week claiming manufacturers were struggling to keep up with the demand. You glad vinyl is on it’s way back?

Skinner – “Absolutely! I started DJing on Garage vinyl 15 years ago in my mates bedroom. A lot of DJs are mixing vinyl almost to prove a point nowadays and I for one am all for it.”

Glad to see you got involved in the ‘Describe Your Ex By Only Using Movie Titles’ on Facebook a couple of weeks ago. I chose ‘The Thing’, what were your titles…?

Bracks – “There were a few, Nightmare on Elm Street, Terminator and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest spring to mind.”

What are the 5 big records in your boxes this weekend?

Skinner – “Only 5? The tracks really doing it for me right now are…

Dusky – Love Taking Over

My Digital Enemy – Don’t Give Up

Kings of Tomorrow – Finally (Sonny Fodera Remix)

Rob Roar feat. Stella Attar – Rockerfella (Jay Robinson Remix)

And of course, Skinner & Bracks – Animal…”

It’s that time of year again, the annual DJ Top100. I interviewed Arthur Baker this week, he remarked…“there are too many DJs and genres for a realistic competition, it needs to split”. What are your thoughts on that – do you actually give a shit?

Bracks – “It’s become a bit of a farce the last few years. Personally, I think DJs should be recognized for DJing and not producers who’ve made a big track and got loads of bookings off the back of it.”

A recent quote from a certain superstar DJ…“I believe true DJing is actually an art, but it’s a dying art, as everyone is pushing the sync button…it’s a real shame when you see a ‘DJ’ plug his laptop in and call this DJing. Music will always evolve but sometimes not in the best way.” What are your thoughts on that?

Skinner – “I agree, DJing is definitely an art. It’s more than just mixing tracks it’s building a set, telling a story and taking the crowd on a journey. What people use doesn’t bother me because there’s some amazing live DJs like Kink, Joris Voorn and Guy Gerber that are taking DJing to whole new levels. For me, it’s all about the music, not what people use as a vessel. I vibe off the DJ so when they stare into a screen and don’t engage the crowd I get bored, and when there’s a major visual display timed to the music it’s too contribed. Music is a feeling, an emotion and it shouldn’t be pre-planned. It should be natural.

Sorry, went on a bit there.”

What is the last great studio toy you bought yourself?

Bracks – “I got a Nektar Panorama P 4 control keyboard just few weeks ago. Absolutely love new toys! It’s a great new way to work with logic creating on a vibe less mouse-clicky and more finger tapping and knob twisting.”

Your motto is quite simple. “No frills, no glitz, no glamor, just good quality music designed to make you move on the dancefloor.” With that in mind, what are your thoughts on the whole EDM crazy conquering the States…superstar DJs hitting the Forbes list with annual salaries of over $20m etc.?

Bracks – “The money people make isn’t something I think about really. Footballers get paid extortionate amounts of money because someone’s prepared to pay that much, plus they fill big arenas. It’s not as easy to make money in the industry nowadays so I say get what you can. The whole EDM scene in America is massive but they’re relatively new to House music in general so with time they’ll discover other genre’s and you’ll see the scene become more diluted like it is in Europe.”

Skinner – “My only ‘issue’ is, the focus is now on the DJ. It’s become more of a show/performance and taking away from what it started about, the music. Stop staring, put down your camera phones and dance the night away!”

What do you think make Skinner & Bracks great producers?

Skinner – “We work really well together and have a great understanding of each others abilities. We don’t let ego’s get in the way, we communicate really well and take each persons opinions on-board. We’ve had different musical influences over the years so be a shame to not use that in our creativity when making tracks.”

How old were you when you first discovered dance music?

Bracks – “My first memories were of Darren Pearce playing at Peach, Camden Palace. Those were the days! (He says staring upto the sky with a gimmace on his face reminiscing of the good old days).”

When did the idea of having a career in music start to formulate in your head?

Skinner – “I was a pianists in the church choir and used to imagine playing to a massive audience. Then, one of the older girls took my to an underground rave and it blew my mind. I’ve not been to church since, I don’t feel pure enough.”

Love that! Your first big break?

Bracks – “Recently signing to Peace Biscuit management in America! They work with artists like Ultra Nate and Chris Willis, plus other majors like Beyonce, Rhianna, Donna Summer and Lenny Kravitz. It’s amazing to be part of their roster and to give you a heads-up, we’ve done a remix for 3 very big female artists so watch out for that one.”

Your proudest career moment to date?

Skinner – “Breaking the packaging seal on the Nektar Panorama P 4 controller and making ‘Animal’. Then having Manuel De La Mare going nuts about it and signing it to his legendary label Hotfingers.”

What is the record that…

…reminds you of your childhood?

Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy

…always get you dancing?

Shake Down At Night (Kid Cream Remix)

…reminds you of being broken hearted?

Delerium – Silence (Niels Van Gogh & Thomas Gold Remix)

…you wish you would have made?

Eric Prydz – Pjano

The last up n’coming DJ/producer you have seen that we should be looking out for…

“Oliver $.”

The tune of summer 2014?

“Patrick Topping – Forget & Tenwalls – Walking With Elephants.”

The last GREAT album you enjoyed?

Bracks: “The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

Skinner: “Notorious BIG – Life After Death.”

And finally, what is coming out next from you studio wise?

Skinner – “We’re making loads of new music and we’ve got 3 follow-up tracks to ‘Animal’ which we’re really excited about, especially after seeing the response to this one. Keep your eyes peeled and of course we’ll give DMC the first listen.”

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Skinner & Bracks (Hotfingers, Koolwaters, Transmission, Deeploaded & Ruffloaded Recordings)…
https://soundcloud.com/skinnerandbracks
https://twitter.com/SkinnerBracks
https://www.facebook.com/SkinnerBracks