New album of vintage edits to keep the brain tingling through the light times and dark
Ben welcome to DMCWORLD young man – and what a way to stride onto these pages thanks to your spellbinding Vintage Edits Vol.2. It’s not often the DMC Buzz and Zzub Charts both feature the same record in the same week, but here you go! But before we get into the album, tell us about your childhood and music. Did you come from a musical family, what artists can you remember being played as a whippersnapper?
“Hey up! Yeah, musical in so far as they loved their records – the old folks were into The Stones, Bowie, The Grateful Dead, 21st Centruy Skitzoid Man, Travelling Wilbury’s, all the greats and psychedelic oddities – you know – they had pretty good taste. There was very much a festival vibe about my childhood. Hanging in safe groups of family and friends – mooching about, enjoying field research and listening to dope tuneage.”
When did you realise that you wanted to pursue a career in music?
“I guess when I saturated my corporate job satisfaction and money was not of primary concern to my happiness. I thought, better give this a shot and not regret trying as I’m totally loving this playing-tunes-lark! So I pitched for work at agencies in the corporate space – directing musical content and DJing at various themed events. This bought me time in the stoods as I only needed a few jobs a month to cover the bills. Get in!”
What were the first important clubs that you first encountered?
“Return to the Source at The Fridge in Brixton, The Zap down in Brighton and Tyssen Street Warehouse in East London. These old school psytrance parties were freakishly cutting edge with some far-out dance music from great acts such as Juno Reactor, Hallucinogen and X-Dream. Many of these dudes have gone on to great things – Ben from Juno Reactor produced music for the Matrix – Future Tribal techno vibes. Epic stuff.”
Early DJ heroes?
“This legend Anti, from Sweden – he ran Spiral Trax and broke the psytrance mould with some really good proggy beats. He was evolution in motion and discovered some great acts such as the now legendary Minilogue and the now stratospheric Protoculture. It was great to know him personally and watch him approach the mixing of records and exercising vibe-moderation skills like I’d never seen. Know what I mean?”
The new album features another twisted take on old classics. Let’s kick off with the inclusion of Fleetwood Mac – you’re not afraid of admitting big love for this band…
“Yeah man, gotta love the Mac – something very raw and emotive about their content – you know they were really going through what they sang about and that intention creates a very engaging sound. And that in turn makes for very emotive dancing wig-outs in the woods with your mates in the summer.”
http://soundcloud.com/thebenz/fleetwood-mac-oh-well-mojo
Admittedly there are a few surprises this time around, not least the Goth stylings of Nick Cave and Souixsie Sioux…
“These edits created a darker-edge to oft uplifting happy-gay disco sets I play. They provide the scene with a nice contrast.”
I’ve already got the album in mind for Ibiza pool sessions, especially the reworks of Tears For Fears and Dionne Warwick – what are your own favourites on the long player?
“Mine? Hmmm – I forgot to play the ‘Walk on By’ tune out-and-about as I had allot of issues with the production – but when I eventually played it – it was so moving there were tears, fists, jazz-hands and open arms flailing all over the yurt! It really works and kicks-off every time. It’s funny how some records just work out like that – it sounds rather swell.”
And of course you have been teasing us about the collaboration between yourself and Fear of Theydon – what’s the story there?
“That was a secret track on the Edits Vol.II. It’s stupendously sweet and harmonizes a rather profound middleground between both our respective sounds. I love that – it really is very beautiful to make music that way – that is a perfect blend of both sputniks. Our mix is made from the original Strawberry Fields stems. Creamy blend!!”
DMC are the proud owners of the Back To Mine series – if we comeback to yours after the club, what is the Mojo Filter Back To Mine 10 you’d spin us to carry on the groove?
“Well, we’d have been deep-techno/house raving and we’d come back to mine for a heady follow-on. I’d take it ceremonial with some heady folk, deep disco-esque flows and some absolute classics from anywhere. We’d groove about whilst chatting on an uber-trip – something like…”
Wolf – First Aid Kit
Something Good – Alt-J
Howling – Ry & Frank Weiderman
Africa (Rune Lindeback Edit) – Key of Dreams
Edge of Seventeen – Stevie Nicks
Eyes Without A Face – Billy Idol
Motorik – Fear of Theydon
Castles Made of Sand – Four Tet
Born Under Punches (live version) – Talking Heads
Loud, Loud, Loud – Aphrodite’s Child
We hear you’ve been knocking round with one time DMC World Champion Chad Jackson lately, what’s the story there?
“Yeah, classic – he teaches at the renown Guildford ACM where I took lessons and wotnot. Went back to do an interview last week and bumped into him – we extended the chat to some field research. No mushrooms in the studio so we ventured out and caught a few local ales. Well funny.”
Are you a fan of the whole Turntablism/scratching scene?
“Naaah, I’m sure it’s all good but it seems to distract me from the whole groove and dancing part of the music – bit annoying actually. Reminds me of college DJ’s savaging their records for attention.”
You’ve had another massive summer festival wise. What is your favourite ever festival story?
“Erm, I thought it was funny when Tom Yorke tipped-up to play with us down the Rabbit Hole at Glasto and we couldn’t sort out a flippin’ Jack-To-Phono and he left. Duh! Where’s Jack when you need him? Slacker! That and when Trentemoller came from a cut-short main stage gig at Glade to play over our sets down the hole again – he didn’t even have cd’s but wanted to play our records! What a Dark overlord. We just stood in amazement as he effected the absolute smeg out of what can’t possibly have been our records anymore. Weird one. Proper dark magik bizzle!”
This release comes ahead of an original Mojo Filter Album due for release in early 2013. What can you tell us about that?
“I’ll be winging some heady covers and originals into an album-flavoured collection of my beats and pieces. All about something that flows and flexes the various sounds I’m into on a long player.”
It’s your birthday. Who are the 5 dead or alive celebrities you would invite around for dinner and who would DJ at the after party?
HHDL 14th – the incarnation of compassion – if every kid of 8 learned to meditate – we would resolve human suffering in one generation.
Carl Sagan – Cosmic genius brings the universe to life with poetic ease and vision.
Werner Herzog (although he might not stay over coz there are no more beds) – wonderful human spiritual narrator – might get a bit dull though as he’s finds spirit in everything including marmite.
David Bowie – this is guy must have seen and felt it all – and survived to be quite an enigma without the pretence. A true cosmic voyager – not since matched.
David Attenborough – an absolute credit to humanity – a wonderful chap and bringer of the great and golden knowledge found in nature – our modern bible. I’d bet he’d flummox Bowie about his knowledge of Birds of Paradise.
Psyche! And I’d get Sagan and Bowie to rinse it out back-to-back obviously. Interdimensional beats that will leave Herzog dribbling on his Holiness until Attenborough drags him off and shoves him into a cab. Get out Herzog – ur WASTED!”
What is your guilty pleasure record?
“I think I know what you mean – I could name a ton as I play loads of kinds of gigs including weddings and wotnot but I love ‘Eyes Without A Face’ – Billy Idol? Or ‘Got My Mind Set on You’ – Travelling Wilburys? Or Britney Spears – ‘Toxic’? BAD ASS record that one.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
“Ahh man, tricky – I play all kinds of gigs but of choice for our little mix-up I’ll say:
Faking Jazz Together (Michael Mayer Remix) – Connan Mockasin
Express – Kink
APOS (Psychemagik Remix) – Clock Opera
Big Love – Fleetwood Mac (Mojo Filter Balearic driftwood Edit)
Into The Night (Nicolas Jaar Remix) – Azari & III
Hey Blop – Gabriel Ananda
Chelsea Rodgers (Rune lindebak Edit) – Prince
Zombie – Fela Kuti & The Africa 70
State Trooper (Trentemoller Mix) – Bruce Springsteen
Can’t Feel My Knees – Invisible Conga People
Look-up those tracks and you’ll get where I’m coming from right now. That stack of cuts is FIZZING I bleeding tell thee.”
What are the tracks so far untouched, that you would really love to remix and release?
“The Howling by Ry & Frank Weiderman – I’d love to get the parts and go real DFA Deep on that track. It’s sooo heady and lackadaisical – I’d smear it all over the shop and melt down some mind-tanks.”
And finally, have you ever been mistaken for US PGA golfer Ben Crane?
“Yeah – all the time – I look like him too! Just the other day this dude started caddying my records and I was like, right, pass me a wedgy-driver and let’s knock this party out the park homeslice. He was like, go Ben, go Ben! I was like, easy caddy-balls – don’t touch me!
Not.”
ARTIST:MOJO FILTER
TITLE:Vintage Edits Vol.2
LABEL:AOR disco
RELEASE DATE: Dec ’12
STYLE:Balearic/Folk/Cosmic/Disco/Electro
http://soundcloud.com/thebenz/sets/mojo-filter-presents-vintage/
