Unique 3

One of the most plaudited bands’ in the dance music world..The Chemical Brothers, LFO, Pete Tong, Goldie…icons of dance have always recognised this group’s groundbreaking bridging of early UK Hip Hop, US Hip Hop and House resulting in a sound we all now know and love now as Bleep Culture from back in the day. But this is 2013!! Edzy now returns with a monster long player, a brand new album, a new sound yet again and so much to say as Dan Prince rolls back – but also looks forward to more music in the company with one of our true dancefloor legends…

Edzy always a pleasure to speak to one of dance music’s all time greats. Back in the Buzz Chart with ‘Feels All Good’ from the new album – the legend of the heavy bass and techno scene returns! You are one of the reasons we are still dancing today…where in the world are you right now?

“Hello old pal. At the minute I am sat naked from the waist down in a bucket of cold rice pudding at my office in Leeds.”

Righteo. Well that’s a first! Moving on…a very exciting time for you at the moment with the imminent release of the new album ‘Picture, No Sound’. Talk us through the album track by track…we are loving ‘Feels All Good’ here at DMC HQ!

“Yes, well it will be Unique 3’s third studio album – I figured that one album for every ten years in existence is plenty enough to force on the musical populous! The title comes from a conversation my very good pal and I were having about an argument he had had with his wife that morning – “she was all ‘picture, no sound'” he said, “scuse me WHAT NOW I asked?!’. He went on to explain that in his neighbourhood when your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend is sulking with you and giving you the silent treatment they’re – ‘Picture, No Sound’…sorry Dan, I bored MYSELF a little there! Getting back to the music – there are 16 tracks on this new album – plus a track of pure studio toilet noise. Included in the 16 tracks are 3 Unique 3 remixes of other artists’ tracks. I am particularly fond of these three and am very happy that they could be included. My aim actually was to make a 2 hour long album and I tried my damnedest! Unfortunately I fell miserably short at 1hr 52 mins having taken a track off the track list as every time it came on, I quickly forwarded through it to the next track. Not a good sign, I know! – so…it just HAD to go.

…well come then Dan my old friend…take my hand and let’s take a long, familiar and leisurely stroll together through ‘Picture, No Sound’…here we go…

1. Broke My Dream – is a term we use around these here parts when someone says something to you in conversation that INSTANTLY brings back the dream (you had totally forgotten) from the night before. Over coffee one morning my wife ‘broke my dream’ from the night before. During THIS particular night’s heavy dreaming I was back at school camp (oh those innocent memories – for some reason I was being caught again for sneaking into tents I shouldn’t have been sneaking into…). I had the hair, the correct pants, trainers and kagoule and was reliving my school days to a backdrop of the era’s top tunes – music that was affecting me way back then. One of the producer’s that I just couldn’t get enough of whilst at school was Green Gartside from Scritti Politti. After brushing away my last evening’s dream and a third cup of coffee I settled into the studio for the day, my task: to try and breathe some life into a track that for weeks had simply refused to be finished. I kept Green Gartside and his music at the front of my mind whilst attacking the track for the very last time, trying, ever so slightly, to tip my hat to him.

2. Studio Noise – is a bit of useless banter between me and my very talented cousin MC Combat Collins – you might recall him from ‘I’m The…’ on the last Unique 3 album – ‘Invasive Signals’. For inspiration, I was listening to a lot of Hip Hop in the car at the time and including this audio snippet which was half a piss take of all the ‘filler audio’ that was being placed in between Hip Hop album tracks at the time…

3. Tick, Tick, Tock – comes from another friggin’ miserable poem that I wrote which I later turned into a lyric for Combat Collins to perform – ‘Tick, Tick, Tock’ is a personal reference to my own dark memory of the song ‘My Grandfather’s Clock’ written in 1876 by Henry Clay Work. At infant school we were made to sing this song at least once a week – and, having lost my Father at a young age, the realisation of our flimsy existence on this mortal coil had already been violently thrust upon me. This song used to scare the shit out of me. So much so I passed out once in front of the whole school whilst singing it!

4. If Lose It – yet another reference to the black dog that calls to stare at me through my window every now and then. I’ve stopped feeding him so he doesn’t come around as often as he once did!

5. Daddy Ain’t Around – Fuck me Dan…this is like a session at the psychiatrists! See answer 3. I am particularly fond of this as I decided to play live bass on it but couldn’t find my bass guitar which meant I had to buy a gorgeous new one. It will probably stay in its case now for another 10 years.

6. SIP9 – I made this track entirely on my iPhone just to see if I could – turns out…I really couldn’t.

7. All Your Secrets (Deep) – I had done some radio indents for various DJs who were supporting the last Unique 3 track and whilst mic checking spouted a load of random words. I ended up messing around with some of these words ending up with the line “All Your Secrets Deep” – I didn’t think it worth bothering a vocalist to redo four words so decided to condemn my own dreadful voice to history…I’m sure that time will tell me if it was the right decision or not!

8. Headz by Rhythmatic – the first of three Unique 3 remixes on the album – I am a long time fan of Rhythmatic and it was a real honour to remix this track – great to hoover up to!

9. Alteratio – I like to make up words and I would like to stake my claim on this word – it’s mine! I made it – Alteratio is a nod back to those halcyon days of Electro in it’s true sense. Those ‘who know’ will hopefully get this track and also my unashamed use of a percussion loop which I don’t do often.

10. Some Time by The Beatmonkeys – the second Unique 3 remix included here – I just love the vocal and it was a real treat to apply dark audio over it. It cost me a case of premium lager and 4 share size single bags of gourmet crisps to get The Beatmonkeys to let me use this on the album – but I feel that it is more than worth the initial financial outlay.

11. Bio Similar – my wife works in the pharmaceutical industry (I KNOW!!!! – you just COULDN’T make it up!!) – I picked up these two words, paired together from an industry magazine of her’s laying around the house. It seemed to fit the track I was working on at the time as I had spent four days writing top lines and bass lines only to delete each of them in succession – they all being a bit too similar and reminding me of tracks I knew…

12. Memories Inside My Head – I have a pack of cards that I had made. Each of the 52 cards represents an ex-girlfriend. When setting about writing the words for a new song I simply down half a bottle of Pierre Ferrand Brandy, shuffle the deck and turn over the first card and let my chemically addled memory do the rest. I can rattle a heartbreaker out in tumbler’s worth of brandy. Dee Goldhawk performs vocal duties on this track. How she managed to pull off such a good session after having spent two hours jammed into a hot, dark vocal booth with me, in the middle of a heatwave and whilst I sang each line to her over and over again ’til she’d memorised it, the Lord God and Baby Jesus only know!

13. On The Wire – inspired by a night out listening to a DJ pal of mine last year at ‘Wire’ in Leeds – I had a studio session the next day and having dragged myself out of a drunken stupor at about 1pm, I found that during the previous 5 hours I had knocked this track up! – a pleasant surprise to say the least!

14. Skyrider by Cakeboy – I was going through another one of my mini monthly addictions to CoCo’s (co-codamol) and was arguing with Mrs Pomellroy in the local Chemist. My Polish accent just wasn’t cutting it with her on this particular morning and she was taking MUCH pleasure in reminding me that I had only just purchased a box of said pain relief from her four days before. During my confrontation with the snaggle toothed local pharmacist, the uber talented Cakeboy telephoned to ask if I could remix his latest offering. The resulting remix (I thought) was a quite pleasant, codeine induced ‘poolside adventure’ – I now refuse to get a bath without this track on in the background. This track is bath time’s NEW Kenny G as far as I am concerned.

15. The Highs & Lows – came about from reading a rather well written piece entitled ‘The Highs & Lows of’ about the then not long deceased Amy Winehouse. Despite having been an avid listener and lover of her music from very early on in her career, I was still rather shocked at my own reaction to her sudden death. The realisation that I would never hear that voice singing new material disturbed me more than any other ‘musical loss’ I have encountered. This track, although nothing like the genre she danced over so beautifully, is me blowing a goodbye kiss to her and her music.

16. Feels All Good – I set out to make a simple dancefloor track to be played out loud. I finished the track in five hours and spent the rest of the day getting drunk in my favourite bar – it Felt ALL good!

17. Flim Flam – is a rather self indulgent 11 minute long track. Purely for after party melt downs and rather long car journeys…

A wonderful description dude. One of my favourite raving memories dates back to 1990 and a night at The Hacienda in Manchester. I was up there with Virgin 10’s Rob Manley and Lisa Loud, when the news came through that you were hitting the Top 40 with ‘The Theme’ there was much sprinting down the hotel corridors as this was their first hit for the label. What can you remember about that time, I remember you telling me you thought ‘The Theme’ and it’s success was “all a bit of a joke”…?

“I don’t remember that Dan sorry! Next question!

Joking! But…REALLY…I don’t remember – and how YOU can remember after all the running around in hotel corridors that YOU’VE done over the years is nothing short of a miracle Dan. I suppose being 19 and being thrust into the belly of the beast that was Virgin/10 and all of a sudden your records are in every record rack in the country…and wow, your mum who has suddenly stopped asking you if you’ve got a ‘proper’ job yet is now writing you letters to say that she’s seen your lovely little face on a record sleeve in WH. Smiths. That’s right kids, she didn’t send a text message – she sent me A LETTER written on actual paper with real ink from an actual pen. Reading back – I said all sorts of nervous shite back then to press interviewers trying desperately to sound cool…I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for those meddling kids…”

What is the current top 10 you are spinning?

The 10 tracks that I am cleaning house up to at the minute are…

1. – Block & Crown – I Love You [Let’s Play Music] – killer track!

2 – Kolumbo – Full FX [Bunny Tiger] – bouncy little bleeder this is

3 – Lone – Airglow Fires [R&S Records] – this will annoy the f*ck out of you til you submit to it’s dirty funk

4 – Foamo – Release Me [Rinse] – deep but sweet. Love it.

5 – Audio Jacker – Let’s Get Down [Soul City Digital] – fat-arse!

6 – Itchy Lemon ft Anthony Poteat – We Can Make It (John Khan Vocal Dub) [white label] – I have played this track every single day for 3 weeks – can’t get enough of it!

7 – Low Steppa – Simples [Simma Black] – fat arse thing!

8 – Mark Knight – Man With The Red Face (ATFC Mix) – a salacious Sunday slammer fo’ sho’

9 – Umek, DJ Dan – Mighty Winds [Toolroom] – solid Tech House affair

10 – Veerus, Maxie Devine – Cars [Suara] – loving this 80’s synth extravaganza – it has got me RIGHT in the mood to watch Beverley Hills Cop this Sunday afternoon…if the weather is bad outside.”

You posted the Dimitri Nasrallah article concerning sampling and theft on your Facebook site this week. A great discussion about copyright and licensing… where do you stand on the subject?

“I don’t really have a stance. I really liked Dimitri’s piece and it obviously interests me but it isn’t something I worry too much about. I have sampled and been sampled and I have always considered it as ‘part of the game’. Obviously sampling and theft are at two different ends of the spectrum but those kiddies at the top of the pile are always going to have more funds and resources to get away with ripping other people’s ideas. I caught half a discussion on Radio 6 Music the other week about how Katy Perry on ‘Roar’ had lifted from the Sara Bareilles song ‘Brave’ – ahhhhhh! … sorry! I really don’t give a shit. If people are daft enough to try pass someone else’s ideas off as their own and their listeners are gullible enough to support them in doing so then I say we ALL leave on the next raft outta here.”

(http://www.djbroadcast.net/features/featureitem_id=100/From_Plunderphonics_to_Frankensampling_A_Brief_History_of_How_Sampling_Turned_to_Theft.html)

I interviewed a certain big name DJ this week, something he said was kinda interesting…”I don’t think it’s necessary these days to actually be a good DJ like it was 15 years ago at the start of my career. These days you can get away with pressing play on a laptop.” Discuss…

“He’s a cock. Don’t speak to him again.”

Another famous quote from producer extraordinaire Steve Mac… “It was different when I started out back in the day, there was no glamour side of travelling around the world, getting paid fortunes for gigs, it was all about the music. I think people get into it for all the wrong reasons today.” Thoughts on that?

“Definitely the case – if Simon Cowell could work out how to make a TV programme called ‘The UK’S Next Top DJ’ interesting enough for Mr & Mrs Mainstream to swallow (and don’t think he hasn’t already thrashed this idea out to death already)…then clubland’s horizon would be a horror to be heading towards. When I started DJing it was about music, not drugs. It was about making people dance not about hitting 10’000 ‘likes’ on Facebook. It was about getting on a bus and travelling to record shops out of town and waiting your turn to see what white labels and pre-release promos the guy behind the counter had left when it got to your turn. It was about hiding the tracks you were playing from other DJs in the DJ box by pushing a beer mat over the centre so that you could hold onto the amazing buzz of having a track that no-one else was onto yet…everyone now can buy the same 1000 tracks from the same download platforms on the same day and every pub turned bar, bar turned club and every one of the 10 million DJs in the world (and rising) has the very same DJ box…”

Okay let’s find what rocks Edzy’s musical world…

The record that always makes you cry?

“Green Onions by Booker T & The MGs (Volt Records 1962).”

The record you always do at karaoke?

“Volare by Dean Martin (Capitol Records 1958).”

The big dance record you always jump up and dance to at a wedding?

“House Arrest by Krush (Mercury 1987).”

The record you wish you’d have written?

“Charlie Sez by Original Concept (Def Jam 1988).”

Your favourite ballad?

“Don’t Look Any Further – Dennis Edwards feat. Siedah Garrett (Motown 1984).”

And…the record you are most proud to have created…?

“I am rather quite fond and possibly quite proud of a Unique 3 track on the new album called ‘Alteratio’.”

You are a big fan of graffiti and illustration, who are some of the dons you admire in these fields…?

“I have always been a big fan of Part 2. We have been pals for over 25 years. My walls are full of his stuff. I stare in wonder at his art and love the fact that he is ever evolving. My other fave artist is a guy called Replete from Leeds – he does some SICK work using cling film that gives a crazy 3D effect. Search them both out for some serious ocular ecstasy.”

Let’s rewind for a moment, let’s kick back to your childhood days. What music can you remember from back then that got you grooving?

“The first record that I remember waking up early to play over and over again was Sam Cooke – ‘Wonderful World’. I would set an alarm to wake me so that I could run down to the front room before my mum woke up and play the record on the radiogram (that’s right kids! a valve amped radiogram) – it was the track that I very first dissected, picking out the rich bass line of the double bass and trying to copy it on my 6 stringed acoustic guitar …. I’ve dissected every track I’ve ever listened to since! I was lucky to have had a wealth of 50’s & 60’s Soul in my house thanks to my mum and living in a mixed race neighbourhood, I quickly tapped into the Ska and Blue Beat emanating from neighbours houses.”

Not many people know this, but Edzy is really good at…?

“Drinking red wine.”

A journalist once stated that “Unique 3 might be Bradford’s prime musical innovators”, what is the music scene like in your home town, who are some of the DJs/producers we should be looking out for soon?

“I had paid that drunken bum journalist to say that! Smokie (Living Next Door To Alice) own the ‘prime musical innovators’ of Bradford crown and don’t you or anyone else say otherwise. Hot new DJ/Producers – I have just taken on to manage a DJ/Production crew called ‘Wool City Orchestra’ – their DJ sets are tight, have a real rich soul with a mean dirty edge and their production is seriously tight. I think that they are definitely a name to watch out for.”

Favourite ever gig?

“Probably Glade – it was HOT, I hadn’t slept and so I couldn’t really be arsed, the tent was all but empty when we arrived but I managed to get it jumping by my third track. I managed to pull a pretty good festival mix out of my tired, dry arse. I still get emails from people who have downloaded that mix. Here! go get yourself some…

https://soundcloud.com/unique-3/sets/unique-3-deejay-mixes

So we come back to yours after the gig, what are some of the Back To Mine tunes you spin us to mellow the mood…?

Well… let’s have a look through my piePod. I’ll give you some of my long saved playlist as I’m sick of waiting for one of those album compilers to come and knock on my door to do the next ‘Back To Mine’ album!

Here’s a taste ..

Aaliyah – One In A Million

BB & Q – Dreamer

Betty Everett – You’re No Good

David Bowie – Ashes To Ashes

Debbie Gibson – One Step Ahead (MAW Dub)

Delegation – Oh Honey

Delroy Wilson – I’m Not A King

The Detroit Emeralds – Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)

Diana Ross & The Supremes – He’s My Sunny Boy

DJ Premier – Dink

Esther Phillips – No Headstone On My Grave

Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King – I’m In Love

Little Richard – I Don’t Know What You Got But It’s Got Me

Mica Paris – I Should Have Known Better

Jamie Woon – Spirits

… actually .. I’ll stop right there, just in case I do ever get that call…”

Big quote from you back in 2011… “We realise there’s not a huge market for the kind of music we’re making, but we’re doing alright and we’re making the kind of music that we want to make”. Has your opinion on your music changed since then?

“No! not a jot. I’m underground ’til I’m underground. I’m happy with the choices I have made and that, even through lean times, I had the strength not to go down the retro DJ road or bang out a load of formulaic audio that paid some bills but that I didn’t want to put my name to. Musically I am the same person now as the kid who buzzed his tits off the first time the crowd erupted on the dance floor. Plus…I can sleep at night.”

Best Hip Hop artist of all time?

“OOOOOOH! That’s a bitch question…I would have to say Rakim. His voice IS Hip-Hop.”

Some of the stand out gigs of summer 2013…

“Well as you know I’ve been writing a two hour long album for the last 18 months so haven’t been playing out myself much but we’ve managed to sneak out and catch SBTRKT and John Talabot at Beacons Festival, they were top drawer. Kings Of Leon in Manchester who were sublime. The Neighbourhood in Leeds, truly amazing. The Imagine Dragons in Manchester – I’m now a fan. Delphic in Leeds – fucking ace live!”

And finally, new album coming out, new tour…you still loving the clubbing life, you still got the passion to keep on moving…?

“Yes, I’m really excited for the album coming out. I have been working on a live/DJ set for it and Lee at Rocstar is busying himself getting dates sorted for that. It’ll be great to get out and tear some dancefloors up again with the new Unique 3 stuff. Still loving it, still living it – just using a tad more vitamin supplementation and picking my ‘battles’ a little more wisely. Lovely to speak to you Dan old pal. Some frikkin’ good questions there by the way! How about you take it a bit easier on me next time?! Please send my regards to your Dad – not sure any of us would be doing much of this if it weren’t for him!”

Edzy x