Interview Archives - Public House UK

Exclusive Interview :: SIMEON BELLE

Here is the latest interview from our writer; Dmarco, as he meets Simeon Belle..

So it was around early 2015 I started hearing the name ‘Simeon Belle’ bopping about, rumour had it he was rising up and would be one to watch, the rumours were right. I wondered how I could meet this fashionable chap, rocking the cool garms, afro and snazzy beard. Turns out he’s a quite the socialite, so all I had to do was get out of the studio more, socialise and I’d be sure to catch him in a club, so I did… and we had a good chat!

Marcus: When did you start DJing, and what or who were your early passions and influences?

Simeon: I started DJing about 12 years ago. I started to learn after I had started producing tracks and thought it would be a good way to get my stuff heard. I was influenced by the garage scene – Karl ‘tuff enuff’ Brown, DJ EZ just to name a couple.

Marcus: What do you personally consider to be the incisive moments in your artistic career?

Simeon: The signing of my first EP was real special moment, it gave me the belief and confidence to go forward with things.

Marcus: What are currently your main challenges as a DJ? What is it about DJing, compared to, say, producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you?

Simeon: The main challenge is to stand out from everyone else, playing a lot of my own productions helps me to do this.

Marcus: What do you usually start with when preparing for a set?

Simeon: I like to have an idea of what I’m going to play first and through the set, but I’m not too firm with this as you have to see how the crowd react so usually I put a list together.

Marcus: What makes you decide to play a particular record during one of your sets? Is there a criteria other than pure subjectivity, for selecting what to play at a gig?

Simeon: I like to have an idea of what I’m going to play first and through the set, but I’m not too firm with this as you have to see how the crowd react so usually I put a list together.

Marcus: So we have all been hearing the word’s ‘Huarache Hoes’ being sung amongst a few dance floors & over a few airwaves with Lorelle on Reprezent & also Jess Bays on Kiss 100. Tell us a bit about this track and how it came about…?

Simeon: Hahaha…. I came up with the concept quite a while back and was waiting for the right track to go with for it, so I had the backing track and I was going to perform the vocals myself like I did on my track differently, but SJ happened to be there when I wanted to lay vocals on it and he killed it, and made it as catchy as I hoped it would be. The actual concept came through me seeing a lot of people wearing huaraches everywhere and although the word hoe is used, I wasn’t meant in a derogatory way I just wanted to create a fun track!

“I was influenced by the garage scene; Karl ‘Tuff Enuff’ Brown & DJ EZ to name a couple”

Marcus: Now then, we’re looking forward to your next release ‘The Drop’ out with Arcko Digital on the 6th of June. What other tracks have your got in the pipeline & are you collaborating, remixing or continuing with some more of your own Jams?

Simeon: I have some remixes that I’m working on and some collaborations too. I will have a track coming out on Happy Records (Spain) called ‘What do you want’ soon, and remix a did for Louie Anderson called ‘Warning’.

Marcus: As we continue to keep up to date with your social media around the globe, tell us more about your recent trips to Bali & the Gilli Island, & what else you have in store for us to catch you in the summer?

Simeon: My trip was great, I played a few really cool parties and got to work in the W Sound Suite. I have a residency with Locker Room Records over the summer, we take over Cargo (Shoreditch, London) for a series of day parties, plus we also have the 1st birthday of the label coming up on the 2nd of July not to be missed!

Marcus: Now before we depart, could you share with our readers one interesting fact about Simeon Belle that they don’t know….?

Simeon: I have always been artistic and have painted shop signs, graffiti and designed clothing!

Catch Simeon at Locker Room Sunday’s on June 12th 2016 at Cargo. To see the full lineup.. CLICK HERE

– Marcus Ali (Dmarco), Public House UK.

Here you can listen to Simeon’s forthcoming release ‘The Drop’ on Arcko Digital, out Monday 6th of June…

Exclusive Interview :: SCUBA

Introducing the newest member to the Public House UK team; Chloe Sinclair, and to kick things off, she has this amazing exclusive interview with SCUBA…

Scuba vs. RA Top 100: “Don’t worry about being popular, play music you believe in”

The annual Resident Advisor polls are open and artists across the board are coming out to thank fans for support and encourage them to vote for their act. Last year’s winner Dixon has already been tipped to take the top spot for the third year in a row, while other established names and new additions to the scene battle it out for places in the Top 100.

Followers of techno DJ Scuba on Instagram will have seen a rather different approach – a tablet open on the poll site complete with what appears to be a few sizable lines of cocaine and a neatly rolled note. A bold move, as XOYO has just announced the DJ as the first quarter resident of 2016. Spanning 12 weeks, Scuba will be appearing alongside massive acts such as Chris Liebing, Len Faki and Nina Kraviz.

I caught up with Scuba to get his opinion on drugs, ranking artists, and how this creates division in dance music.

Chloe: What were you trying to show by posting this photo? Was there a statement intended?

Scuba: The period around the RA poll gets worse every year. The DJs in with a chance of polling go into a frenzy of vote soliciting, and a lot of the ones who have no chance of making it snipe at them from the sidelines. It’s a pretty pathetic spectacle that reflects badly on everyone involved. The Instagram post was a follow up to a tweet I posted offering people a free bump of ketamine in return for a vote. It was intended as a comment on how silly and hypocritical it all is. DJs spend the entire year mostly behaving pretty badly and getting paid a fortune to do a pretty easy job, and then each November they all write heartfelt pleas to their fans thanking them for their support in an attempt to get a good placing in the poll and hike their fees for next year. Fuck that shit.

Chloe: Do you think there is a better way of conducting this kind of poll? A lot of fans, particularly newcomers to dance music, rely on lists like this to decide where to spend their time and money.

Scuba: I think there’s enough coverage in the editorial of RA and many other sites for people to learn about new music without having to resort to a ranking system which pits people against each other and creates division in a part of the music scene that has always been about unity and understanding… at least in theory.

Chloe: In regards to drugs – do you think DJs have a responsibility to talk about safety?

Scuba: I’m on the record as encouraging people to take drugs. I certainly wouldn’t say all drugs are positive, but I’m in favour of experimentation and what a person gets out of any kind of psychoactive experience is an entirely subjective thing.

Yes I think safety is a key issue with drugs, and DJs have as much of a responsibility as anyone else with a public platform to make sure people keep safe. The same is also true with alcohol and sex. There’s a big difference between encouraging people to experiment with drugs and glamourising excessive alcohol consumption. There are positive experiences to be had from every drug, but you have to be careful – but that’s such an obvious point it should really go without saying.

Chloe: The culture around the RA poll does seem to show a diversion from the values of the underground music scene. What advice would you give to an artist just starting out who sees a high ranking in one of these polls as an ultimate goal?

Scuba: This is why it’s completely unhelpful – music should not be a popularity contest. Of course everyone wants to build their audience and there’s nothing wrong with that, but when people start basing their careers around an annual public vote then that’s inevitably going to start distorting behaviour away from music and towards things which should be peripheral at the very most.
Ultimately the poll is about money – DJs increasing their fees and RA driving people to their site.

For someone starting out I would say this – if you want to make money don’t go into music, there are much easier ways to get rich. If you just want to make tunes or play the records you like, then just do that – don’t worry about being popular because the danger is you’ll end up making and playing music you don’t believe in.

The RA Poll is open now at http://www.residentadvisor.net/poll.aspx

Catch Scuba at XOYO from 9th January 2016. See the full lineup at http://12weeksoftechno.com

– Chloe Sinclair, Public House UK.

Interview: Night Safari (D Ramirez & Bnann Infadel)

Over the past 12 months, production duo Night Safari have perfected their innovative future house sound and produced several dancefloor weapons. Their latest release ‘Won’t Let Me Down’ featuring the vocals of Beth Aggett is a true to form summer anthem, while a remix from tech-house master D. Ramirez rounds things off nicely. Following the release and ahead of summer we caught up with the duo to find out the latest…

Hey guys! What has the past few months seen you doing?

We’ve been really busy! We’ve just finished a remix for Axtone for Hard Rock Sofa, as well as finishing our last release for Tactical Records in Germany.

You’ve just dropped ‘Won’t Let Me Down’ on Zulu Records which is your second release on the label. How do you find working with the guys over there?

Yeah, we love them, they’re really on it, and more importantly they seem to like the noise we’re making too.

What has the reaction been both on and off the dancefloor?

The D. Ramirez remix has been getting a fantastic reaction on the dancefloor and the original mix has been getting a fantastic reaction on the blogs so we’re very happy with it so far!

Is there a story behind the release?

There is yeah… we were all drunk one night in a pub and we knew Beth Aggett but we’d never heard her sing. Then she got up on the piano that was in the pub and started to sing and we were like wow you need to come and sing with us as the sound of her voice was truly incredible. Then a couple of weeks later she came down to the studio and the song was born.

Outside Night Safari you’re both busy do your own thing in the industry, how do you juggle the various projects you’ve got going on?

We have no idea but time is the most valuable commodity.

You must always have ideas for new tracks spinning around in your heads, how do you get yourselves organised?

Organisation is the enemy of creativity so we are never organised, we just get in a room and see what happens.

Do you always agree on how things are put together in the studio?

As we both come from different worlds it can be a sound clash in the mind, that’s what gives us our edge we think.

What was the first single you ever brought?

Dean: Queen – Another One Bites The Dust

Bnann: Adam And The Ants – Prince Charming

What’s this summer looking like for you guys?

The summer is going to be crazy because we’re going to be doing our first DJ gigs and maybe even trying to get a live thing up and running so it’s going to be really interesting.

And finally, what else should we be keeping an eye out for from Night Safari?

We’ve just signed a single to Armada so there’s a release coming in June which we’re very excited about, so keep an eye out for that. It features James Newman on vocals who is the brother of John Newman so it’s very exciting for us.

Click here to buy ‘Won’t Let Me Down’ on Beatport:

Night Safari Ft. Beth Aggett – Won’t Let Me Down Preview

Night Safari Ft. Beth Aggett – Won’t Let Me Down (D. Ramirez Remix) Preview

For more Night Safari:

https://twitter.com/NghtSafariMusic
https://www.facebook.com/nightsafarimusic
https://soundcloud.com/night-safari

Interview: My Digital Enemy

My Digital Enemy talk Zulu & Vudu Records

With almost every release hitting the charts, Serg and Kieran have managed to not only bring their My Digital Enemy project to the forefront of house music, but have also developed two of the most successful independent labels on the scene. Both Zulu Records and Vudu Records have exploded over the last two years, filling the Beatport charts with premium releases that showcase their unique, cutting edge sound. We caught up with My Digital Enemy to find out a bit more about the label and where they’re taking things into 2015…

Hi guys, thanks for taking time out to chat to us! We’ve just about waved goodbye to summer 2014 – what did it have in store for My Digital Enemy? Any stand out moments?

MDE: Two events stand out for us! The first was Warming up for Mark Knight at the Toolroom Knights party at Booom in Ibiza. It really was an epic night! The second was playing to 10,000 people at the Oldenbora festival in Germany! It was amazing weather and the vibe was amazing!

You’ve been working on various projects together for over 10 years! How did you meet and start producing music as a duo?

MDE: We met when we were about 17. We ended up at the same college in Haywards Heath and were both in various bands, some of them at the same time. We both got heavily into The Prodigy and discovered the Rave scene in the mid-nineties and didn’t look back. Our band days were behind us but we still wanted to produce music so we started DJing and both took out loans to buy Akai Samplers. We both signed up for the same Music Technology college in Worthing to get an understanding of Music Tech and recording techniques. We have worked together ever since!

You set up Zulu Records in 2012 and since then it’s become a serious (excuse the pun!) powerhouse in pushing out some of the biggest recent tracks in house music. What led you to set up your own label?

MDE: We got pretty frustrated with the industry. We were releasing on labels that kept moving release dates and throwing our own schedules out of the window; now we have full control and can space our releases out as we see fit!
The fact our label has gone on to have such a presence on stores such as Beatport is amazing. It’s been a lot of hard work but we love it and won’t be stopping any time soon!

Considering how long the label has been established, how does it feel to have gained the support from top DJs such as Fatboy Slim, Fedde Le Grand, Roger Sanchez and Steve Angello?

MDE: It really is amazing to think it’s only two and a half years old. We are so pleased with how it has worked out. What really is great is some artists that we really admire are now bringing tracks to Zulu. The fact some of the biggest DJs in the world are supporting our releases is awesome!

Vudu Records is your most recent project, a deep/tech label which dropped ‘Shamen’ and ‘Desire Life’ earlier this year – what was the reason for setting up a second label?

MDE: We wanted an outlet for dirtier more underground music that we feel doesn’t suit Zulu Records as well. The way we see it now is that Zulu Records is for uplifting mainroom house and Vudu is for the deeper, techy, underground records.

Both Zulu and Vudu have been smashing out incredible tracks lately, are the labels going in the direction you wanted? Was there always a game plan?

MDE: We regularly talk over the direction we want to take the labels and yes there was always a gameplan. I think it’s important to have direction in whatever business you are in. We do sometimes have “Wildcard Records” which maybe are not in the style that we would consider the label to be. It keeps the interest for the customers. It’s important to try new things so you don’t get stuck in just one sound as everything else moves on.

You’ve become well known for the themed compilations you’re putting out – Miami, Beatport Decade and most recently, ADE – why do you think these mini albums do so well?

MDE: Its great as it gives us a chance to release tracks from unknown artists alongside all the Zulu regulars. It’s important to give these new producers a chance as these opportunities for a “foot in the door” could see them on their way to becoming one of the world’s top DJs! We tend to theme our albums around events. At the moment we do Miami, Ibiza, Amsterdam and a Zulu Anthems compilation at the end of the year. It was cool to be asked by Beatport to do the #BeatportDecade compilation with our top tracks since we started the label.

Where do your influences for the labels come from?

MDE: Our favourite labels are Toolroom, Defected, Skint and Spinnin. We would love for Zulu to become as large and well respected as them one day!

What does the future look like for Zulu and Vudu? Where are you heading with them?

MDE: We are planning to expand Vudu in the same way we have Zulu…Ie adding Vudu Records compilation series and Vudu Records sample packs. We are also looking at doing Zulu Records nights at Miami & Amsterdam next year!

And what have you got lined up as My Digital Enemy? Anything in the pipeline?

MDE: We have just signed with Cherrytree Management in the US who have hooked us up with some really well known vocalists. Watch this space because there are some awesome collaborations on the horizon…

Check the latest Zulu releases on Beatport
http://www.beatport.com/label/zulu-records/25154

Check the latest Vudu releases on Beatport
http://www.beatport.com/label/vudu-records/31073

My Digital Enemy
www.mydigitalenemy.com
www.facebook.com/mydigitalenemyofficial
www.twitter.com/mydigitalenemy

Interview: Whelan & Di Scala

Whelan & Di Scala sit down for a chat about the ‘Rest Of Your Life’

Hailing from Liverpool, UK, Whelan & Di Scala are arguably ChillBeat’s biggest signing to date. With the anthemic ‘Rest Of Your Life’ about to drop, the duo sat down with us for a quick chat about the track, working with ChillBeat and about a bit of support they’ve had from three chaps from Sweden…

Hi guys, thanks for joining us! So, give us a 2014 update for those who aren’t in the know…

W&D: We’ve kind of stepped back from the W&D material this year… With the race to be loudest and craziest in the EDM world right now we kind of feel a lot of the good progressive music is being overlooked so it’s not really a good time for releases… The last thing we wanna do is jump on the band wagon making basically pitched down Scouse house!

Somebody mentioned to us something about the Swedish House Mafia?

W&D: Hmmmm… I guess they are talking about our track with Sebastien Drums, ‘Here I Come’ that features in their recent movie and farewell album, something we are very proud of!

And how did that track end up in their hands?

W&D: You’d need to ask Sebastien Drums… That guy’s got pull!

‘Rest Of Your Life’ will be ChillBeat Records’ 50th release – what can you tell us about this track?

W&D: It’s been over a year in the making, we’d had the vocal a while and could never get the track to match the vocal for its epicness so we left it for nearly 12 months and came back to it. Completely new bass line, new riff, kick etc and now we are really pleased with the outcome! It goes off every single time we play it!!!

Have you had chance to drop it yet and gauge the reaction?

W&D: Yes, we always play our demos out so we can hear them on a serious system… A good sign is seeing the clubber miming the words by the second drop ha…

And as far as support goes, you guys seem to attract the big guns – any early indicators who we can expect to see playing this one?

W&D: Thomas Gold, Matisse & Sadko, The odd Swede here ‘n there?!?! Haha 😉

ChillBeat have got some big things in the pipeline, how do you guys feel about being a part of that plan?

W&D: It’s a great outlet for Whelan & Di Scala music for sure. Having a label behind you who are as passionate as we are, not just about our music but about dance music in general can only be a good thing! ChillBeat are getting bigger & better with every release and that’s what it’s all about!

Any last words?

W&D: 2 new tracks in the pipeline… Watch this space!!!!!!

Thanks chaps!

Rest Of Your Life is out NOW on ChillBeat Records!

https://twitter.com/Whelan_DiScala
https://soundcloud.com/chillbeatrecords
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whelan-Di-Scala/139486882625
https://www.facebook.com/pages/ChillBeat-Records/303864303038704