‘U Crazy F*ck’…the latest dancefloor smash from the UK superstar
Interview by Rob Chadwick
Underlord is the alias of British producer Simon Saunders, a man with a penchant for unpredictable and unlikely house-centric sounds. The British native has been immersed in the scene for some time now and while he’s gone through a number of sound inclinations during that period, it’s his latest work that’s really got us – and many others – hot under the collar. Entitled ‘U Crazy F*ck’, his latest release sees him steer to the ship to an ocean that’s filled with simply mental soundwaves. We captured the man for a quick chinwag recently, as he talked us through his beginnings in dance, his ultimate aims as a producer and what he’s got on the agenda…
Was the UK a good place to experience electronic music as a teenager?
“Good?!! It was amazing. I lived close enough to Leeds and went clubbing three times a week there, did no drugs, no booze and just went for the tunes. Tim from Utah Saints lived in my local town of Harrogate in Yorkshire and he started a club called The Mix. He was an amazing DJ; fog machines, bleep techno and seriously cool tunes like LFO, Nightmares on Wax and 808 State. Proper underground clubbing. It got closed very quickly as I think he didn’t have a food license to sell booze or something. I used to DJ at a club called Legends and he used to run his nights there before he became super famous. I loved it as a teenager and couldn’t get enough.”
What were your first experiences of it all?
“I used to buy mixtapes from all the local really cool clothes shops in Leeds, mixes from Sasha, Digweed, Graeme Park and sell them in the back of Record Mirror, which was an industry mag like a bit like DJ Mag. Anyway, that became my first venture into the music business for me, I had 5 bin bags full of mix tapes from all the UK raves. I then wanted some decks but couldn’t afford Technics SL1200’s. So as a poor northerner I bought a couple of belt drive turntables from a car boot stall and made a mixing console (decks and a mixer) out of an old bookshelf. (I wish I had the photo to show you). I couldn’t even afford a cheap mixer so I taught myself electronics, I got hooked and became a real electronics nerd. When I say I made a mixer, I do mean I made it. Then made the circuit board, soldered the electronic components, resistors, capacitors, etc. I built the mixer from scratch, hooked it up to the crap belt drive turntables and learnt to mix. I recorded the DMC Mixing Champs on VHS and I used to pause and rewind them to learn from them, but my god – they were in a different league. Too fast even with pause and rewind, they blew my mind. I needed SL1200’s to hold the mix…”
What do you attribute your eclectic streak to?
“Probably stemmed from the huge diversity of music I would listen to. At a very early age I used to travel to Accrington to see my cousins and my pocket money was £1. I used to immediately head to my local record shop where they had a box of 7 inches and I would randomly pick 10 and go back to my cousins and listen to what I had bought. Even to this day I’m always on Soundcloud spending hours looking for new unreleased tunes for my radio show, I actually think there is better stuff unsigned on Soundcloud then finished tunes for sale on Beatport.”
Do you think it’s better or worse than it used to be there for house music these days? Or just different?
“For labels it was better, more profit with vinyl and greater control of distribution back in the day. Now it’s a fucking mess. Tracks splashed over all pirated sites, labels in top 10 genres on Beatport all buying their own tracks to stay in the top 100’s. Promoters thinking that a DJ having 90k of fake likes is more important that a DJ who can mix really well and knows how to work a dancefloor.”
Have you ever considered moving abroad? Are you just as motivated and inspired as you’ve ever been within the British scene?
“There are too many rules in UK with too many stupid laws. I’m receiving a lot of major interest in the States and to be honest I can see why people like Pete Tong have moved there. I think about moving every day. I’m not keen on the crap weather, it puts everyone in a bad mood. It’s probably why as a nation we like to go out clubbing and let loose.”
Are there ever times were you struggle for inspiration then? What do you do in those instances?
“From a producing point of view, if I have not got the basics of a banging as fuck groove happening in two hours I stop and get drunk. No kidding. I start looking for good tunes, good mixes and turn up the studio monitors and get the vibe flowing again, then once inspired it’s a 1000 times easier to get a good groove going…”
What do you consider your proudest moment as a producer to date?
“Ummm, probably getting a Fatboy Slim telling me he hasn’t heard anything this chemical for ages after he listened to my new promo “U Crazy Fu*k”. In my books he is a god damn genius producer.”
And aside from yourself, what other British DJs and producers should we be looking out for?
“I don’t wanna reveal names yet, but I’m in the process of signing about 8 new artists so keep an eye out on the label site…http://www.explodingchickenrecords.com
Do you go out clubbing much these days? Who was the last DJ/producer to really impress you in that regard?
“Solomun impressed me with his very cool tune selection, he introduced me to a totally new sound I had not heard before. That was in Ibiza.”
And what’s your involvement like in the scene at home?
“I’m also a promoter and I’m working on a few parties for the summer in London. I actually spent the day listening to DJ mixes as I am trying to find some really special talented DJs, not the usual names. I’m looking or unknown DJs who are really good. Hit me up @underlorduk if interested…”
What constitutes success for you as a producer?
“Playing at festivals around the world.”
Who influences your work the most?
“There is no one person, it’s more to do with what tracks I’m listening to that week. For example I really love Guy J’s stuff at the mo, very intelligent and nothing like anything I produce, but I find it very inspiring from a production point of view because he really knows how to build emotion and suspense into a track.”
So can you tell us a bit about your Exploding Chicken release? How did it come about?
“It was one of those long and painful tunes I kept coming back to that didn’t sound how I wanted for ages and ages. I work on about 3 or 4 tunes at a time so I don’t get bored. I couldn’t get this tune to sound how I wanted and then months later I came back to it, had a great studio session and it all fell into place.”
Did the EP end up as you hoped it would? Or do you generally go off on tangents when you’re producing?
“The EP was originally 4 tracks of different flavours, but I cut it down to 2 of the most intensive big festival tracks because it made more sense. My next EP will be out in 6 weeks will again be totally different styles, but still rocking as ever.”
Are you very picky about where your music gets signed to? Is it important that the label has a similar ethos to yourself?
“Oh yes…the label is very important and we both have to have the same vision for the music or it simply wont work. I’ve had many offers from really respected labels that I have turned down because the vision of the label didn’t match my own. My friends told me I was crazy for turning them down, but for me it’s about integrity.”
If you could produce on one other label and with one other producer, what would they be and why?
“Producer would be Norman Cook because he is an absolute genius. Label, I’m not so sure atm.”
What’s next for you that you’re particularly excited about?
“It’s coming up to festival and Ibiza season and I have some exciting things I’m working on but I cant actually talk about them…but it will be brilliant.”
If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you bring?
“I am actually on an island at the moment in Thailand and it’s boiling hot, really hot, so suntan cream, shade, cold beers, a massive sound system and as many party people I could fit on the island as poss. Oh and a satellite internet connection. Find me the island and I’ll move there.”
And what albums will you bring?
“I don’t listen to albums, just need a good internet connection so I can stream.”
And what are you most excited for about for the year ahead?
“I am releasing a series EPs on my label Exploding Chicken every 6 weeks for the rest of the year. If you want to be ale to hear the tracks before they get uploaded to Beatport, head over to my site and join the VIP mailing list for free. http://www.underlord.uk
Underlord’s ‘U Crazy F*ck’ is out soon on Exploding Chicken Records “
