The Redlight Sankeys Ibiza madness begins
Interview by Rob Chadwick
The past three or four years for you guys have really blown up, did you ever think it would get to this stage where you’re now jetting all over the world?
We always dreamed of being in the position that we are now and it was always in mind so we we’re always working hard for it. But truth be told there have been some serious pinch yourself moments recently where we’ve looked at each other and thought how did we get here!
How did you two meet and when was the first musical moment when Tough Love was formed?
We were playing the circuit across London and jumped in the studio together in 2011. There was never a real plan when we first got in the studio, we knew we had similar tastes and wanted to make some records we could start playing out. The first record we ever did was actually an edit of R-Kelly ‘Vibe’ which is probably even more relevant now than it was the day we made it.
The new Redlight compilation is set to drop June 15th, how did you get involved with Redlight?
Sankeys has always felt like a great fit for us, we played there a few times last year so it only made sense that we returned in a more permanent format. When we heard David wanted to make us residence for his new night ‘The Redlight’ we were quick to say yes. It embodies everything Tough Love is about as a brand & wanted to help the new night grow as much as possible, so a compilation made perfect sense to showcase the sound of ‘The Redlight’ artists.
What did you set out to achieve with the compilation?
We wanted a punchy hour long soundtrack that represents the brand well and the artists themselves. We’d like to think a journey takes place as it will on ‘The Redlight’ nights themselves between more typical Iberian style house from Carnao Beats, some garage-infused work from Matt Jam and ourselves, a more jackin’ movement from Todd Terry and Low Steppa and some warehouse build records from Majesty & Luvstuff.
If you had to choose one track from the album what would it be?
It’s a really hard choice, but at the moment we’ve been battering the Low Steppa ‘Squares’ VIP mix in our sets for the last couple months and it’s been going down a treat. It fronts up really well on a big system and offers something for everyone.
Alongside the album you have a number of gigs lined up to play The Redlight at Sankeys Ibiza, is there anyone you’re most excited to play alongside?
There’s so many guys we grew up listening to playing this year, Todd Terry, Roger Sanchez, Matt Jam, but for both of us our favourite DJ is EZ so we cant wait to watch him in action again. We just hope we don’t have to follow him, how are you supposed follow a guy with that much energy!
Do you prepare your sets in a different way when playing in Ibiza?
We never prepare any set specifically, we have a few folders of new music, or tracks we’re feeling at the moment as well as all our own track and edits. We have a rule of always getting to the club an hour early and standing in the crowd and picking up on the energy. From the moment we get on the decks it’s all improv and trying to get on the same wave as everyone on the dancefloor.
Alongside your shows and the comp, what can we expect from your sound over the summer months ahead, are there many releases in the pipeline?
We’ve got our new single ‘Pony’ (Jump On It) which features RnB legend Ginuwine. It’s our second single following on from ‘So Freakin’ Tight’, so we’re pretty focused on that right now as it drops August 7th on Get Twisted / Island. We’ve got some more club records to come this summer, a follow up collaboration with Roger Sanchez as the S-Man featuring Boy George which has been a highlight of our sets recently, so look out for that one. We’ve also done a couple remixes from Roger Sanchez & for Alexa Goddard which should also be out soon.
Your music has strong references from the garage scene and others, do you ever feel a pressure from trends set in the commercial world to adapt your sound to what is popular instead of sticking to your roots?
We always make music that we enjoy making, everything we make is built for the dance floor as we have to play it out. We don’t let other people influence us, you can’t please everyone. There are so many opinionated people out there who hide behind there keyboards, some want you to make more club records, others want more song-based records, but the truth is we’ll make what we enjoy and which ever side of the fence it falls on is fine by us. We’re not trying to be something we’re not. Our music is accessible because that’s what Tough Love is all about.
What has been your greatest achievement as Toughlove and what is your next main goal to achieve?
Getting signed to Island in 2014 was a pretty big deal, the album is on its way with the first 4 singles 99% confirmed and finished. Right now we’re pretty focused on our label Get Twisted and making it as successful as possible as both an underground and crossover label, much like Tough Love.
The Redlight mixed and compiled by Tough Love is out June 15th
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