While embarking on the usual annual festival spree, I recall being pressed against a trembling stage barrier, in the fluffy booted vortex that was Global Gathering 2008. Accompanied by a pack of usual suspects, all coated in an en vogue proportion of UV paint – a massive no go in photographic hindsight. We hastily amassed ourselves within a bleary mud-sliding arena, where we became herded toward the staple throw of electro sidewinders from Erol Alkan. Mid set amongst a blaze of sirens came the cutely synced vocals of Princess Superstar, where with gritted teeth, I heard for the first time the lollipop lament of Herve’s ‘L.I.C.K.Y’ anthem. A suitable amount of shakes, rattles and near forward rolls ensued on my part, rendering that sweet electro chord oppression to be imprinted on my mind for the duration. That was my induction to the super sounds of ‘Joshua Harvey’ aka: The Count, Speaker Junk, Voodoo Chilli, The Young Lovers, Dead Soul Brother, Action Man etc.
I caught up with our acclaimed ‘Ghetto Bass’ club crusader on the speaker phone. We talked up the new ‘Count & Sinden’ showcase. Pondered the future of ethical blogging. And found out just how Fat Boy Slim and Herve Let The Machines Do The Work…
So what can we expect when we see Herve behind the 1’s and 2’s at the South West Four Festival this August Bank Holiday?
We’re trying to add some new elements in this year. We’ve been getting into a lot of tribally stuff recently, but keeping away from becoming too moody. So we’ve incorporated North African drums and tribally percussion over ‘The Count & Sinden’ stuff. I like my tunes to hit the back of the room. So for SW4 I’ll be playing tunes which will hopefully reach out to the whole audience, rather than trying to be too clever or minimal.
Are you pleased with the result of your recently completed ‘Count & Sinden’ showcase ‘Mega Mega Mega’ coming out on Domino Records?
Well we’ve spent a lot of time over the album to ensure we were happy with the end result, and hopefully it’s going to all work together as one piece. We’ve got three singles coming off it, and maybe a few more after that. There’s a few clubby tracks that haven’t got vocals on, which have been working really well in the clubs. The ‘After Dark’ single is coming out in August which we’re quite proud of. It was one of the last pieces we worked on, and has ended up being the icing on the cake – but we’re really hoping the album is going to work together as one big showcase.
You’ve worked with a wide range of artists when it comes to remix projects – Kidda, The Prodigy and Example to name a few. And your most recent collaboration has been with the Mystery Jets, on the ‘After Dark’ single. What was it like working with the Mystery Jets considering they’re from a indie background? Does this tend to affect the direction of the project?
Well we met the ‘Mystery Jets’ at Notting Hill Carnival a few years ago. And unbeknown to me I happened to be living Two Doors Down from Kye the bass player…
Two Doors Down! That seems slightly ironic…
Yeah! So after Notting Hill Carnival Kye said – ‘Lets go back to my house for a party.’ And we were like – ‘yeah sure’. So we ended up walking back and basically ended up on my street where I live, and I was like – ‘Do you live on this street?’ And he was like – ‘yeah’. So it turned out he lived in like 87 and I lived in 85. So it was really funny – and since then we’ve ended up sharing ideas and exchanging bits and bobs, and eventually we just got them involved in the album, and it all came together really fast.
That’s pretty jokes. So your just one of those people who wakes up in the morning, and finds a sick collaboration on your doorstep. I guess it’s alright for some…
Yeah! They do seem to fall into our laps.
(Laughs)
So how’s the album going to manifest itself during the dynamic duo’s live set?
We’re going to pull in different elements from various guest performers. Hopefully towards the end of the year we’ll do a few bigger shows, where we’ll recreate the whole album. We’ve got to bare in mind that everyone who we collaborate with are doing their own things too, and getting big in the game in their own right – such as Bashy for instance. But ultimately what we’d love to do is a big show at Brixton Academy or Fabric or something…
Yeah, I saw one of your live shows at Fabric ages ago. I think you were playing with Duke Dumont, and the whole thing really kicked off.
Oh was that the thing with all the MC’s and singers. Yeah, it was Mz Bratt, Ny and MC Ears and they all did different versions of the songs for us.
Yeah, it definitely added a new flavor to your set and gave the tunes new elements. It allows you to hear how the tunes evolve in and out of the studio.
Yeah it definitely worked. But I think people are going to have to get more familiar with the new album as it’s all new material, and stuff like ‘Beeper’ isn’t on the album. I mean we’re in a completely different place now, it’s a much more bassy concept with loads more ups and downs. So we’re really hoping to push the album out there and get people involved with the new tunes.
Just briefly, I mean your probably sick and tired of talking about ‘Beeper’. It’s been a while since the track came out, and as you said – ‘your in a different place now’. But it’s obviously an important moment for you both, as it got you recognized by ‘Domino Records’, and I most definitely had it on repeat for a while. But I remember seeing this interview with your partner in crime Sinden, and he referred to ‘Beeper’ as a ‘…double edged sword…’ and at times it could be ‘baggage’ when your playing sets. How do you feel about ‘Beeper’ now?
Well I never considered it to be part of the album coming out now, but it definitely had it’s time, and it means a lot to me and Graeme, as we had a lot of fun making it. And the whole process of finding ‘Kid Sister’ and putting her on the track was really cool. It became a new way of approaching things for us. We took elements of Garage and Bass Music that were going on, welded it onto American Hip-Hop and created some new twisted monster. So yeah I guess we’re both proud of it.
Can you tell us a bit about working in the studio with Fat Boy Slim? How does it feel to have one of dance music’s most critically acclaimed dropping your tunes?
Yeah it’s amazing, I mean they’ve been the coolest accolades to date. He’s one of the biggest selling dance stars, and I don’t think anyone can really compete with his credibility in terms of the amount of records that he’s sold as well. I mean he’s done so many great tracks, and under so many guises – especially the Pizzaman stuff and Dub Cats, which have all been catchy and kept their appeal within the club. So yeah, it’s been a great honor to make some music with him.
So it’s clearly been an educational experience for you too. So how do things like your techniques compare in the studio?
Totally different…
In what sort of ways? Does he bounce off more analogue equipment – where as your probably more clued up with plug ins and computers?
Yeah he uses his Atari’s and a lot more outboard gear, which is then linked up to a mixing desk, and he’s just happy with it that way, so he sticks to it. He had a very similar setup of midi chains that I would have had in the 90’s – and where as I’ll use a computer for the whole process, he’ll use a computer at the back end of a project. I think he uses Pro Tools for finishing up, where as I’ve got a mixture of hardware and software. Anything that I can get my hands on that makes a funny noise really. But it’s still great fun, as even though he uses different equipment – his mentality comes through whatever he’s using to make music. So yeah, it was really fun – he’s a really interesting and down to earth guy.
Yeah Norman Cook always comes across to his audience as a solid go lucky character, and I think it must be a pretty pinnacle moment in anyone’s career to make music with him.
Yeah I was really nervous before he came over, as your hoping it’s going to gel and work out. And you always feel a little bit conscious when someone comes over and your making music with them, but he was totally chilled. So I remember thinking just thinking to myself – ‘this is cool’.
Machines Don’t Care signaled a peak in popularity of ghetto bass electro in the clubs, where all the ‘Cheap Thrills’ and ‘Dubsided’ players made worthy appearances on the release. The album’s self title acted as a clear message that internet piracy was a problem, and is still a relevant and sore topic for the industry. With this in mind – how do you feel about the emanating presence of the blogosphere, and it’s affect upon independent record labels? Are blogs now a necessary faction for promoting new music? Or do they saturate the scene and encourage piracy?
They saturate the scene on one side, but on the other side they introduce people into new music and create opportunities, but the problem is that they don’t regulate themselves. Some of them do, don’t get me wrong – I’m not blanket bombing them all as the same thing. There are some blogs who are responsible, and they clearly appreciate that if they love this music, then they have a responsibility to the music and the industry as a whole. People have to realize it’s not just fat cat major labels out there. A lot of this music is coming from tiny labels that are just trying to get by – and if people are putting their hard work into it, then why should they have to give it away? I don’t think people have the right to say – ‘well I’m just giving it away, you have no choice’. It’s sites like ‘Pirate Bay’ and other similar formats that think they have the right to give copyrighted music away. If they have the artists permission then fair enough, but if they don’t have the artists permission; then that’s a total lack of respect, and I despise that sort of behavior.
I do stuff like ‘Machines Don’t Care’ and ‘The Young Lovers’ albums on my own with a small budget. The idea being as there’s no massive budget, we then target a specific audience through gorilla marketing. But when your working with labels like ‘Domino Records’, who are a big indie label – you have to consider all the layers of expense when making an album. People think they can just give it away and steal anyone’s stuff – but that’s just the way the world is, and people will do what they do. So fair enough – there’s no point in getting irate about it, but I’m just going to do my bit and buy the albums and support the artist. Look at the charts where all the songs are massive hits through major label support. These major hits just seem to steer clear of the blogosphere, where as all the underground niche stuff seems to get the hard time. On the flip side – the underground artist gets online representation, and some may be under the impression that this is good for the artist, as it’s likely they’ll be booked for more live shows to earn a living. However – what if they don’t want to have to be forced to tour until they die? Just because someone else thinks they are entitled to have access to music for free. Maybe people should consider that the artist just really enjoys making music, and that’s how they want to spend their time – making music.
I feel what your saying, and this is clearly an area our government needs to address. Our blog www.youcancallmepelski.com has a very strict disclaimer that states we do not post music without an artist’s permission, and if any such occurrence should arise where a label is unhappy with our content, we are always quick to take it down. Hence we’ve become a trusted blog for quality cleared online promotion, and have been quoted by ‘International DJ Magazine’ as a ‘treasure trove’ of online dance culture. Which was a big deal for us…
Yeah that’s great. I mean it might sound ridiculous, but people should abide by responsible blogging. If you care about this music and if you care about the scene, you should do things to help people, and if they’ve given you a tune they want you to give away – then do it. I mean so many people are doing it for their ego, in pursuit of getting traffic, and usually the only reason they want traffic, is so they can get money from their adverts. It’s that take, take, take avaricious attitude which is letting the industry down, rather than trying to help each other and collaborate ideas.
Yeah exactly, it’s when we get a chance to collaborate with up and coming producers, the process of blogging becomes it’s most rewarding. There’s been a few new artists who we’ve really plugged this year such as ‘Milt Mortez’, ‘Graphics’ and ‘Deebs’ – all of whom are making smart innovative music for the clubs. And with a few silly musical metaphors and blog cleared mp3’s, they’re now being signed to small independent labels and getting their tunes dropped left, right and centre.
See that’s positive karma. People are helping each other, rather than shafting each other. So many people are just pretending their some sort of pillar of the underground community, where all they’re trying to do is boost their kudos. If people were actually to abide by responsible blogging, the scene itself – which is great now, could become so much better.
Well said. I think it’s safe to say that most will agree with you on this. But while we’re on the subject of the underground community – who should we be looking out for on our radars? Any secret weapons you can tell us about?
Well there’s loads of stuff coming out on ‘Cheap Thrills’. There’s the new Fake Blood, Speakerjunk and Herve stuff…
How’s the new ‘Fake Blood’ sounding? There’s always big hype when his new material is on the horizon.
It’s hard to say as he keeps most of it to his chest, and until he delivers, we never really know.
Yeah, he seems to be quite the mystery man. Well at least until everyone clocked onto who he was. However, your also a man of many aliases, and it’s clear you use them to represent different sides of your musical taste. But lets say you could switch bodies with any musical figure for the day. Who would it be? It can be dead or alive?
I think it’s difficult to say – I mean you might get a horrible shock when you land yourself in one of your hero’s bodies. You don’t know what horrible things you might find.
(Laughs)
So that was Hervé…I hasten to add that I omitted a few ‘off the record’ questions, where I tried and failed in stealing various production tips and tricks. I think a lot of us would quite like to know just how the fuck he makes those whump whump whumps. But quite rightly the man was on his guard, and I’m sure he doesn’t need another wannabe trying to jumping on his overcrowded bandwagon of copy cat producers.
So on the 28th & 29th of August, come check Hervé at the South West Four Weekender on Clapham Common. It’s a bank holiday, so no excuses.
Darkly
I”ll leave you with The Count & Sinden’s new video…
