Carnage on the dancefloor! ‘Money Waster’ smashing it on Black Butter Records
Interview : Dan Prince
Mr Finlay welcome to DMCWORLD, where in the world are you right now?
“Hey Dan, in the studio finishing some new tracks for next EP.”
A massive EP about to drop on Black Butter Records with ‘Money Waster’ doing some serious damage in The Buzz Chart. Talk us through the EP…
“Chicago house vibes, deep south blues vocals, garage swing and 808 bass.”
Tell us about the lyrics to ‘Money Waster’, who was she?
“All I can say is that she lived downtown and I had to let her go…”
Black Butter is of course the label that broke chart toppers such as Rudiemntal and Gorgon City, how did you hook up with these guys?
“BB was always on my radar since their first releases as being a home for interesting music, it was a natural choice to approach them when this EP was finished.”
Tell us about your big remix coming out at the end of September, your rework of Scrufizzer’s ‘Kick It Again’…
“Great production on the original from Zed Bias and a massive vocal from Scru…it was a no brainer to do and I hope I’ve done it justice.”
I interviewed the producers now known as Behling & Simpson last week, fellow Bristolians amidst a city that is without doubt the most important UK city musically outside of London. Why does Bristol just churn out amazing producer after amazing producer?
“It’s an ethos that’s just inbuilt in the people that grew up there and the people that gravitate towards there. It’s about non-conformity, pushing boundaries and not giving a fuck about the masses are up to outside of the Bristol bubble. That creates strong scenes and groups of musicians / producers inside of that all trying to outdo each other on how fresh they can be. perfect storm for competitive creativity really.”
Who were the artists that were influences on you growing up?
“They’re way too numerous to list and the influence I take on board could be a tiny portion of what that artist does so it’s not an easy question to answer.”
Was music always the number one choice for a career for you, was there anything else that could have diverted you?
“A career in music always felt like a bit of a forgone conclusion, it was just a decision I made very early in life…probably around the time I discovered what ‘career’ meant, so there’s been nothing more fulfilling I’ve found yet to steer me away from that.”
What is coming out next from you release wise?
“The Scrufizzer – ‘Kick It Again’ remix that you mentioned earlier is out first, there’s a few collaborations in the pipeline I’m excited about and I’m putting together my next EP release for Black Butter now.”
What are the plans for 2014, are we thinking live shows for instance?
“No plans for that currently, but I’m open to it…”
What is your cure for writers block?
“There isn’t one, it’s part of the process. It’s where you find out how disciplined you are. You’ve got to keep the habit of writing going, even if you think it’s shit, so that when inspiration finally shows up you’re ready for it and you can rinse it.”
Dream collaboration?
“Currently vocalist-wise I’d like to do a track with Frank Ocean. His phrasing and sense of melody is sick.
So we head back to your gaff after the gig, what is the Marshall F Back To Mine you spin us to mellow the mood…?
“It would probably involve Dexter Wanzel, Prince, Minnie Riperton, PBR Streegang re-edits, early MK, Todd Edwards, Todd Terje and 6th Borough Project.”
Not many people know this, but Marshall Finlay is really good at…
“Countdown conundrums…”
Who is the person from history you would most like to have a beer with and why?
“Brian Wilson, pre the career spanning drug abuse. Why? cause he’s a genius.”
It might not be good for my image, but I really love…
“An early night. As they get rarer I crave them more.”
Last great album you heard?
“Kendrick Lamar – ‘Good Kid M.A.A.D. City’.”
And finally, how important is social media to you? Your Facebook page for instance looks like it is only just up and running!!!!
“It’s an important connection for all artists to be able to speak directly to whoever likes their output, as this is the first release I’ve been 100% happy with, I thought a fresh start was in order.”
