These prolific producers re-work a dance classic to perfection
Kevin and Gary, welcome to DMCWORLD towers dudes. Well let’s kick off with your Joe Smooth ‘Promised Land’ re work, a track that when I ask fellow DJs and producers what their finest record they have ever played to a dancefloor is, nine times out of ten they say this tune. Can you remember when you first heard this record, where were you and what were you on!?
Kevin: “I can’t remember exactly as it was too long ago but what I can tell you is that for 10 years plus it was the main anthem at my night Flaunt-it and used to get played last record of every party! Been in love with the track since way back in the day, must be since about 1989?”
When and how did this project for this seminal tune start to happen…
Gary: “I was just having a friendly chat on facebook to Joe a few months ago, we just got chatting about “Promised Land” and how many great memories that track has given us – and how much of an honour it would be to remix the track – we both treated this track with cotton gloves as we knew how important it was to get this right, which paid off because the guys at Toolroom took it for their Ibiza 2012 album straight away which we are really pleased about .”
Joe Smooth started to create music at the age of 12. What music were you listening to at that age?
Gary: “My dad being an old Mod meant our household was always listening to Stax and Ska and lots of Northern Soul, I still remember my first serious album for Xmas when I was 13 I was lucky enough to receive the Chairman Of The Board greatest hits – and I still to this day treasure my dads Trojan and Northern Soul collection.”
What is the finest record then, that you have played to a dancefloor?
Gary: “We still get way with dropping The Sugarhill Gang ‘Rappers Delight, not only one of the greatest tracks even written but when dropped gives you enough time to run to the toilet and even have a sneaky fag.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning…
Gary: 1. Double Exposure – Everyman – Hoxton Whores mix
2. Joe Smooth – Promise Land – Hoxton Whores mix
3. The Knievels – Love Loves To Love (Original Mix)
4. Lauhaus – Hiphouse – Original Mix
5. Marco Lys , Hoxton Whores & Hurr – Novosibirsk (Original Mix)
Kev: 6. Azzido Da Bass – Dooms Night (Nathan C Re-edit)
7. Blue Boy – Remember Me (Hoxton Whores Remix)
8. Kevin Andrews & Jason Chance – Crack House (Original Mix)
9. Hoxton Whores – Together Forever (Original Mix)
10. Grandmaster Flash – The Message (Hoxton Whores Remix)
What is coming next from the studio…
Kevin: “We’re in the studio pretty much every spare day and hour so there’s plenty going on, but our most current project we’ve just finished is a collaboration with the 14 year Space resident Jonathan Ulysses. The tracks called “Maniac” we’ve been road testing it the last few weeks with very strong reactions and now it’s fine tuned and ready to approach labels! I know Jonathan can’t wait to play it on the Space Terrace at the opening party and hopefully should be a big one for the summer!”
We love how you first got into DJing. You started your own ‘Flaunt It’ night and after a while got fed up with one thing. The DJs you were booking. Tell us the story…
Kevin: “Yeah it was definitely a bit of that, they didn’t always play the music that I was trying to get across to the crowd so that used to frustrate me, but also when the place was rocking the DJ’s used to get all the attention and I thought YES PLEASE!! I’ll have some of that!”
So we come back to yours after the party. We are all wrecked and looking to mellow out a bit. What is the Hoxton Whores Back To Mine 10 you spin us…
Gary: 1. Smokecity – Underwater Love
2. Carly Simon – Why
3. Minnie Riperton – Inside My Love / Les Fleurs.
4. Kruder & Dorfmeister – DJ Kicks Album
5. Fleetwood Mac – Albatross
Kevin: 1. Energy 52 – Café Del Mar (Original Chill out mix)
2. Stone Roses – Fools Gold
3. Rhythm On The Loose – Break Of Dawn
4. Candi Staton – You Got The Love
5. Mtume – Juicy Fruit
You launched your ‘Whorehouse’ night at Ibiza superclub Eden, a venue DMC knows intimately after launching it in the 90s. What were the highlights in that San Antonio rave den for you?
Kevin: “Firstly, just presenting the night was a major highlight, since travelling back and forth to the island for years and having promoted for most of my clubbing career to finally have our own night there was amazing. To then mix with all the DJs we had play and see the night doing well was the ultimate bonus! Obviously there were the few drunken stoops and party antics taking place, typical Ibiza style but that just help the nights flow so much better! “
What do you love about Ibiza?
Gary: “The people, the music, the food, the whole atmosphere and the fact you can go there for a crazy mad week of partying but also go there to chill out and enjoy all then beautiful beaches and scenery. It covers all angels so is must be the perfect place to go on holiday! “
Without sounding too clinical, your career path history looks very formatted. A stint behind the decks that got you licking your lips, you then created your own distribution company ‘Essential Direct Ltd’ which enabled you to finance two studios that gave birth to The Hoxton Whores. Was it that simple? What were the problems you overcame – did you ever come close to jacking it in?
Kevin: “Sounds very simple when you put it like that and it has tended to flow from one thing to the next, remaining all very much club and music led (a big bonus for us as it’s been a very social career) but please don’t under estimate the long hours and hard work we have dedicated to all the relevant business’s we’ve been involved in. At first when the digital era started to take over we got very frustrated with the Distribution scene as we were massive vinyl lovers and couldn’t understand why DJs would rather play a throw away digital mp3 / WAV against a very sought after limited edition piece of vinyl. Yes we could understand the price difference and easy access of the download but you just couldn’t beat the special feeling of that unobtainable piece of vinyl in your hands, old school views we know! Eventually we moved with the times and now from a production point of view it’s very handy to be able to produce a track and road test it the same night in a club!”
It’s your birthday. Which 10 celebrities dead or alive do you invite for dinner. And which 3 DJs play at the after party?
Gary: “Ozzy Ozbourne – Elvis – Gandi – Dalai Lama – Ray Davis
DJs – Sasha and Digweed with a bit of Tenaglia thrown in…”
Kevin: “Kylie, Jack Whitehall, Peter Kay, Kate Moss and Steven Gerrard
DJs – Brandon Block & Alex P (Original Space Terrace Set) with Carl Cox on warm up.”
Who from the music industry have you taken inspiration from?
Kevin: “Throughout the years there’s been so many, whenever a great tune used to come about we used to think we must be able to produce something along those lines and it would be heads down in the studio! But being a true house head the likes of Frankie Knuckles, Marshall Jefferson, Todd Terry, Derrick Carter, and most of the big boy producers. Otherwise it would be the likes of Sister Sledge, Chic, Donna Summer, The Jacksons and other Disco legends as that’s what my parents were all about! Big thanks to all those who inspired us!”
What is the finest album in your collection?
Gary: “Beach Boys – ‘Pet Sounds’…one of the coolest albums of all time!”
What is your guilty pleasure song?
Gary : “10cc – ‘I’m Not In Love’ (just had to put it on again).”
Kevin: “Oasis – ‘Wonderwall’, legendary track!”
Proudest moment in your career to date?
Gary: “Has to be Fatboy Slim dropping our version of ‘Sunshine Of My Love’ by Cream first record of his set at Glastonbury, we were unaware he was going to play it and watching the crowd go mental was the best feeling – then having Eric Clapton emailing us giving his blessing on sample clearance a week later…”
Kevin: “I’ve got to second that, still can’t believe it now seeing him sing the whole five minutes on line with his hands in the air!”
Tell us about your studio set up…
Kevin: “Used to be a big set up with lots of outboard equipment and we used to love people coming to visit as it looked impressive. Nowadays not so glamourous and very much a standard style studio with just my computer loaded full of pluggins, 2 screens, keyboard, speakers, a mixing desk and a few outboard bits! The bonus is it’s indoors which makes getting there a whole lot easier!”
America has suddenly exploded into orbit. Pete Tong has his worries, Live Nation has bought into Cream, Miami was rave central. How do you see it panning out over there?
Kevin: “Yeah the US is on fire at the moment with DJs touring there left, right end centre, the Miami WMC conference and Ultra festival week is massive and definitely helped put dance music over there on the map, plus Vegas seems to be giving Ibiza a run for it’s money! I think it’s great the dance scene has exploded there and long may it continue, it’s been a long time coming and I have no qualms travelling there to play! House music is finally getting what it deserves!”
Not many people know this, but the Hoxton Whores are great at…
Kevin: “Gary’s little secret would be body popping, yes the boy can move – for me not so adventurous but I’ve been known to like a cheeky Sambuca or 2!!”
Who brings what to the studio – who is best at what?
Gary: “We both just throw ideas into the pot and tweak a lot of knobs plus Kevin has his studio indoors! Combined it’s proved to be a great team effort with James Hurr currently our great engineer! The crazy thing is after 15 years in the studio we have never had an argument about how the track is going which is quite an achievement in its own right.”
How did you first two meet?
Gary: “Working at another Vinyl distribution company called Empire about 20 years ago (shit has it been that long?) competing with each other on telesales Haha!”
What do you love and hate about each other living in the studio together?
Kevin: “There’s a few bad habits flying about, I suppose best kept in house but naturally a good gassing out is always on the cards (depending on last night’s food!). As Gary says we’ve never really argued in the studio and it’s great to both be there to bounce ideas of each other. At times we do fight for the best seats and it has been known to fight for the internet as one studio we used only had access for two users leaving just one spare for us.”
What are the worst jobs you have ever had?
Gary: “Filling up bottles of bleach by hand in some stone age factory in Strood when I was about 17.”
Kevin: “My first ever job was in McDonalds and I still regret not getting a gold star to this day!”
Funniest festival escapade…
Gary; “Ha ha just remembered this – playing some festival in Oz when after our set we entered the VIP ‘happy as larry’, when we came across a pole which we thought would make a great game of “lets pole vault out of the VIP area” after many drunken attempts we raised the stakes to who ever went over we would give 100 euros to; five minutes later this little Aussiue chap went flying over the 8 foot fence – funny as fuck, 100 squid down but pure gold!”
And finally. What are you most looking forward to this summer. The Eurovision Song Contest, Ibiza, The Queens Jubilee or The Olympics
Gary: “Mmm, might be Ibiza methinks…”
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