Qwestlife

Welcome to Qwestlife, Tom Laroye and Yam Who?’s trans-continental boogie trip between their respective homelands of Paris and London. Fulfilling the Glitterbox philosophy of crafting great songs the old school way with analogue and weird electronic gadgetry, Qwestlife͛s ‘Give Me A Minute’ appeared first on Glitterbox͛s Disco Revenge compilation and now graces vinyl for disco connoisseurs everywhere. We check in with the guys responsible for the madness…

 

Interview by Dan Prince

 

Tom, Yam a huge welcome to DMCWORLD. How are you today?

T’: Feeling great thanks!

When was the last time you heard a new record, and thought ‘fuck I wish I’d written that!’?

T’: Every day haha! But I love the new Four Tet and Mura Masa releases, their productions sound so warm and so futuristic at the same time. All the Atjazz new tracks are pristine too. For the disco touch, Opolopo kills it every time.

A: The new Horse Meat Disco single – ‘Let’s Go Dancing’ feat Amy Douglas

Massive news for you guys at the moment thanks to your new track out on Defected’s Glitterbox ‘Give Me A Minute’. How long have you known each other and how did the hook up happen?

T’: We met through SoundCloud in 2013 I guess, I had sent some demos to Andy and he said he wanted to collaborate.

A: One of those rare moments when you hear the tracks sent for the first time and get it straight away. A lot of the songs coming out on the Qwestlife album have evolved quite slowly and very organically, just adding or subtracting the right parts to come together to create timeless classics.

What do you both bring to the table in the studio when working together, who excels in what department?

T: I am usually bringing the original song/idea and Andy adds the DJ and ‘clubby’ touch to it. Also he’s quite good at finding singers, new talents and secret weapons like Jacqui George! We always end by talking about the final arrangement together.

A: I think we have a good balance and bounce well off each other – we both play and produce in our own right – then I probably bring a bit more of the club element in – also it’s great having the Defected team around us too to guide things.

The 3 big tunes in your box at the moment…

T: My biggest tunes most of the time are classics; they create a different emotion on the dancefloor. It needs to be the right moment though.

1) Instant Funk – ‘Slap Slap Lickedy Lap (Larry Levan Mix)’. The sound of this tune is insane! Breaks, horn hits, bass, fire vocals and the lyrics…hahaha, sexy! Pure raw disco funk with a great drop at the end!

2) BumbleBee Unlimited – ‘I Love You’. Freaky disco from Gregory Carmichael – a groove from another space! Also because I never hear this track on the dance floor. The whole album (Sting Like A Bee) is just incredible.

3) Todd Terry – ‘Clear Away The Past’ from ‘Unreleased Project Part 7’. This house classic is so bouncy and I like the way the funky synths move all along like a live jam. I love the vocal too, I find that raw soulful vibe is rare to find in house today!

A:

1) Sophie Lloyd featuring Dames Brown ‘Calling Out’. Dream team of DJ Sophie, genius production from Darren Morris, Luke Solomon on the mix and the Detroit Dames killing the church vocals.

2) Folamour ‘Devoted To U’. One of those songs you know (Earth Wind & Fire) re-sampled and stretched into a dance floor bomb with mass appeal written all over it!

3) Shalvoy & Hifi Sean Feat Andre Espeut ‘Get Down’ – a deadly remake of the Connie Case 80’s disco banger with a mix that destroys it every time.

Okay rewind time. How old were you when you first encountered dance music, was it love at first sight and what artists first grabbed your attention?

T: I was 17 when a friend played me this tape: ‘Little’ Louie Vega – United DJs of America, Vol 2: New York City in 1995 (and yes it was a tape!!). It blew my mind to hear the artists I loved like Sade, Jamiroquai and this gospel NY vibe mixed with some raw and powerful beats, electronics and real musicians. It was mayhem in my head and I didn’t even talk when I had the sound of this round bass through a real sound system in my chest for the first time…heaven!

A: Early 80’s – through breakdancing and the Street Sounds compilations and then studying the track list and getting into buying 12”s – that pretty much led into the Balearic and acid house years for me. I remember freaking out to the extended mix of Rockers Revenge ‘Walking On Sunshine’ – it never seemed to end!

Was music always going to be the careers for you or were there other possibilities?

T: I started to work as a sound engineering assistant in studios in Paris and always wanted to work around music but I realised I could really do something in the industry when I released my first songs for Stephane Pompougnac’s Hôtel Costes compilation, and my first broken beat tracks on FACES records in the early 2000s.

A: I was always playing in bands, performing, dancing, buying records then going to college where the night life was pretty lame and meeting Simon (Faze Action) & Pete Herbert – here we are now!

Musical heroes?

T: David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Louie Vega, Larry Levan, Quincy, Ray Barretto…

A: Prince, Arthur Russell, Nicky Siano & IG Culture.

First real break into the music industry?

T: I think when I co-produced Stephane Pompougnac’s first album and made a track featuring Michael Stipe from REM.

A: Nuphonic (with Fuzz Against Junk) then the early Yam Who? productions in 2003

Glitterbox was without doubt one of the success stories of Ibiza 2017 at Hi Ibiza on an island dominated by techno currently. Bonkers right?

T: Yes and no because there is such a big revival with disco and funky stuff, people need to be happy in this crazy world, what best than boogie disco house and groovy basslines!

A: It’s a natural thing – it’s just going to get bigger as the timing is perfect.

What is coming out next from you guys studio wise?

T: An album is in the pipeline for Glitterbox and the next single scheduled for late February featuring The Sugar Hill Gang & Siedah Garret. An exciting collab with some true legends.

A: I run Midnight Riot & ISM Records plus all the Qwestlife collabs – pretty relentless but I love it.

And finally, Christmas is around the corner. What do you want Santa to bring down the chimney for you this year? 

T: API: The Box mixing desk, but I think it’s gonna be too heavy for him to carry, so just a treat with the Roland TR-8 !!!

A: Hanging with the family and switching off social media is all we can pray for!

Thanks guys.

T: You are very welcome Dan.

A: Big hugs Dan…

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