One of house music’s most exciting prospects brings us ‘The Guitar Man’ on Toolroom
Interview : Dan Prince
Dude welcome to DMCWORLD, where in the world are you today?
“Thank you Dan. I’m in my studio right now based in sunny old Surrey.”
Before we get into your massive new track, let’s just kick back to Mexico and the BPM Festival. That looked one serious fucking party – what were your highlights?
“The whole BPM experience for me was great but the Saved Records and Toolroom Records parties for me were the best. Such a great turn out and the crowd was amazing.”
It’s been remarked by people dragging themselves home that BPM is now a real rival to Miami’s WMC…what are your thoughts on that?
“I think they are just as good as each other.”
So, 2013 was an incredible year for you with your productions championed by the likes of Loco Dice, Sneak and Richie Hawtin. 2014 has begun with a sublime new single ‘The Guitar Man’ complete with dark rumbling bass, old school drums and an unforgettable vocal lick. Talk us through the history of the track…
“This time round I’ve been going in the studio with an idea and a plan of what to make. I’ve learnt it helps a lot more in the way that you’re not just sitting there all day knocking out beats, looping them, getting bored and chucking them away. Having a plan has helped on all of my Weiss tracks so I took this approach with “The Guitar Man” and had the idea of wanting to create a track that had a full vocal with a kind of moody side but with some balls. I try to make my tracks with balls but hardly anything to it and I think I’ve achieved that with this one. The guitar loop is a sample that has been time flexed massively and pitched down by about 8 or 10, which are mad, but it works.”
You have a very interesting story young man. For years you worked behind the scenes working as a studio engineer before finally – thank god – you decided enough was enough of helping making hits for others and started to create your own pieces of magic. Who were the some of the artists you engineered for and how long were you harboring the solo idea before you made a move?
“I can’t really say who I’ve been engineering for as they want to say they did the tracks themselves but yes, I had enough of doing that and felt I wanted to go out there and express my music and doing this myself meant I’m not working for someone else creating what they want. The music that I’m doing now really gets me going and it’s so enjoyable to do. I now go in the studio Monday to Friday loving what I’m doing and making music from my roots.”
Love some of the artists that you were into back in the day, proper old school artists such as Kariya, 808 State, Shades of Rhythm and New Atlantic. Where were the clubs we’d have found you throwing shapes all those years ago…?
“Well, I wasn’t really old enough to go clubbing as I was only 13/14 years old but I loved listening to these artists. Of course I loved Phil Collins, Prince – you know the classics, but how I got into the type of music was through my brothers going to Club UK and The Chunnel Club and would be listening to House Music from dodgy mix tapes done by “Dave” in his room but would always say well known DJs on the actual tape.”
Early DJ heroes/inspirations…?
“DJs like Frankie Knuckles, Carl Cox. Also the early hardcore days, record labels like Kickin Records, Basement Records, XL Recordings and DJs such as Hype and Grooverider.”
It seems that music is quite simply your life…have you hailed from a musical family…what are your earliest musical memories?
“Music has always been a big influence on my life and I grew up listening to a lot of music as my mum and dad are big fans. Artists like Fleetwood Mac, Prince, Phil Collins, Metallica and Simon & Garfunkel have played a big part of my life. I still listen to these tracks these days and it reminds me of my childhood. For example, driving through woods always brings back the memory of listening to Simon & Garfunkel “The Sound Of Silence” – what a track.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning…
Green Velvet & Riva Starr “Robots” (Weiss Remix) Relief Records
M.Bulwa “Open Your Eye” (Alex Marcu Remix) Hardcutz Records
Dimi Wilson “Atne Gamisou” (Original Mix)
Soulphication “When Radio Was Boss” (Jackmate Remix) Pampa Records
Weiss “The Guitar Man” Toolroom Records
Thomas Schumacher “Hush” (Catz N Dogz 2013 Remix)
Sei A “Make It Work” Aus Music
Weiss “My Sister” Toolroom Records
GIl Aguilar “Come Back To House” (420 Dub)
Denis Pika “Black Deep”
How does it feel to be billed in the press at the moment as ‘Toolroom’s most talked about producer”?
“Do I?!?! Hahaha! Well, quite an honor but I have worked hard on developing my sound and it’s just great to get such good feedback on every release I’m doing so far so I’m very pleased.”
Have you ever partied with Mark Knight, he is hardcore!!
“Yes I have and yes he is!!!”
A great quote from you from last year…”Don’t be scared to go into the studio and not give a shit. Experiment with sounds as, most of the time, the cool, quirky sounds that you hear on tracks and think ‘how did they do that?’ tend to be found by mistake.” Give us an example of a mistake in sound created in the studio that you’ve witnessed or created that has gone onto to become a pivotal part of a big tune…
“When I was creating “My Sister” I was messing about with basslines and used the Moog Modular which has something stupid like 9 Oscillators and by tweaking these I came up with this cool sounding wobble bass and just sounded so chunky and wobbly on the track. If you listen very very carefully it sounds slightly out of tune, but works.”
Finest record you have ever played to a dance floor?
“Arrghh it can’t be done as there are so many!!! But one of them would have to be Frankie Knuckles and Satoshi Tommie “Tears”. So many to name Dan!”
Greatest album in your collection?
“Once again, I have too many to name but the Metallica “Black Album” would have to be right up there with the best.”
Not many people know this but Weiss is really good at…
“Being a dad.”
Your guilty pleasures track…
“Phyllis Nelson “Move Closer” hahaha…”
And finally, what is coming out next from you studio wise?
“The Guitar Man” track is out now but I also have a Pleasurekraft remix coming out the end of the month. Plans to work in the studio with Green Velvet, Tom from Groove Armada and I really want to start on an album the end of the summer. I’m also working on single right now ready for WMC 2014 and another Weiss City, which will be the 3rd one, maybe, a release around July.”
