So listening to an old mix I had kicking around, I felt as though I could share a quick one with you guys. Unfortunately, due to Christmas shopping and errands that have me behind like nuts, this is gonna be a short post. I will try to atone for it next week, however!
Anyone that knows Derrick Carter well may know his track “10”. The video below features it as it was taken from a mix.
Well, the track he sampled from? Is a relatively unknown band by the name of Quando Quango. Guys like Derrick, who pick through the obscure to find gems to sample, know gold when they hear it. The track “Love Tempo” is an infectious sort of jam. Disco meets new wave meets horns. You guys should check this one out.
Back in 2003, I had the chance to see Royksopp here in Boston. It was one of the better shows I’ve seen, to be quite honest. If I could find the pictures I took, I would share those with you in a heartbeat. That same night, I then went from the Paradise over to the Phoenix Landing to check out Fish Go Deep. Fitting that it was the day before St. Patrick’s Day. Just one of many amazing days I’ve experienced in my life where music was involved. I think we can all agree that music inhabits a certain place in all of our lives. It’s honestly a big reason why George started this blog, in my opinion. We get to share not just music with you all, but who we are, as shaped by the music we’ve grown up around. Well, I have shared just that. And hope to keep doing so for all of you. Do you guys have any good stories from shows? Shows or nights out that helped define the person you are? If so, let ’em rip.
With that said, it’s time to bring it back to the original topic, which is Royksopp. They’ve released a new album, entitled Senior. Fitting since their last one was Junior. The mood of this one is decidedly more mellow, and shows the scope of who Royksopp are. In fact, check out the video for the tune “The Drug”. Mildly disturbing, at points, but the music is pretty grand. Definitely a keeper of a track.
Now, this post? I’m actually going to dig back in time with these guys. You’re going to be treated to a couple of remixes off of their seminal album Melody AM. Those in charge of the remixes here? None other than Tom Middleton and Derrick Carter. Those of you that have been reading for a while may remember my interview with DLC, the Chicago house music legend. If you don’t? Hell, go read it now! And Middleton is a familiar name to those of us that have followed electronic music for a while. He was half of both Global Communication and Jedi Knights. Pretty good resume of music, in itself.
Anyhow, Derrick lent his boompty remix skills to the first track of Melody AM – “So Easy”. Middleton’s crafts are on display with his remix of the track most people would be familiar with – “Remind Me”. Enjoy these tunes, guys!
So in the past, I had helped George with a website out in Las Vegas that covered the nightlife. Even after moving back to Boston in 2002, I worked out a number of interviews that were posted on the site until it went defunct. One of the many I got the pleasure of talking to was the subject of today’s interview – James Curd of the Greenskeepers.
Some of you guys may know that name from a video that became a viral sensation a few years back. The video was for a song called “Lotion”. Well, in this interview, there is even a pretty damn cool backstory to how that was made. I have left the interview in its entirety here, as it just wouldn’t seem fair to edit out so much when James did put a good amount of work into this! So kick back and enjoy!
Walt Zink – The last time I interviewed you was after the album ‘Pleetch’. What has happened and/or changed since then with the band and the style you’ve gone for?
James Curd – Wow! That was quite a few years ago! Greenskeepers is a band that is forever changing in form and sound. Pleetch was an album I wrote with Mark Share that featured many different artists. At that time Nick Maurer, with whom I started Greenskeepers was living in Germany, though he did appear on two tracks on Pleetch. After Pleetch Nick moved back to Chicago. With him in back in town we toured non-stop and wrote Polo Club. After Polo Club I focused more on my solo career. I think the sound of Greenskeepers is constantly evolving. Each album crosses many genres and I like the fact that audiences can’t put a label on the sound we produce.
WZ – Your video for “Lotion” became somewhat of an internet meme. Did you expect this? What was the thought process when making that song, and how did you get the rights for use of the clips from ‘Silence of the Lambs’ for that video? How hard was is to get and how long did it take to work that out?
JC– The Lotion video was something that I did for fun. I imported the movie footage into final cut and edited it to our song. We put it up on our server (this was before youtube existed) and and after one week it had been downloaded 100,000 times. It wasn’t long after that it reached one million downloads and became a viral hit. I never got the rights to the footage and actually received a fax from Ted Levine (Buffalo Bill himself) ordering me to take it down. I did, but by that time it had already spread and been re-posted everywhere and still is!
WZ – What is the future of Greenskeepers? Are each of the band members doing their own thing? Do you have any new news of future music for our readers? JC – Greenskeepers has always been a name that represents myself and the artist(s) I collaborate with. I released solo music under Greenskeepers for 3 years during the time I was building the G-Swing sound. Currently I’m releasing a new Greenskeepers album on OM and One Love that I wrote with the other original Greenskeeper, Nick Maurer. The new album is called Live Like You Want To Live and was co-produced by Tommie Sunshine. I have also just finished producing an album featuring Ziggy Franklin. I am currently in the process of mixing it down with Derrick Carter. WZ – Some DJs or musicians hate this question, but i always feel inclined to ask it: do you have a favorite song that you’ve made and what are the reasons for that song being picked?
JC – I would have to say my favorite song is “Low And Sweet”. It was the first time I experimented with blending swing music into my house production. It was successful around the world and opened the doors for me to DJ internationally.
WZ – Do you prefer DJing or a live gig? What do you find to be the advantages of each? And what about each do you tend to dislike?
JC – I like them both for different reasons. For the most part I don’t have to choose. I usually follow every live show with a DJ set. The live show is really fun and gives me a satisfaction in performing the songs that I have worked hard on in the studio, live on stage. What I love about DJing is that it’s been a passion of mine since I was 15 years old and I have so much fun doing it. I love being able to take the crowd to places they didn’t expect to go and being able to feed off of their energy. I love what I do, and I like to think that it shows in my performances.
——– So I have to thank James for the time he lent to do this, as well as having the patience with me for occasionally bugging him about it all! He’s a busy guy, as many in this industry are, so I am quite happy he was able to give all of you a glimpse into what he’s up to! Here is a little of what James has provided as a little ear candy for you all!
Om Podcast – James Curd (Child’s Play Edition) James just did a mix for the Om Podcast…for just a little bit of info (email/city/state) you can get in on that mix as well! Click the link to check the tracklisting!
And the usual bit applies here. I expect you all to crack open that wallet and buy some shit! Get to it!
Okay, this is the special treat I’ve worked so hard to get. Just this past Friday, Chicago house legend Derrick Carter graced Boston again. One of my good friends, Randy DeShaies, booked Derrick just two weeks prior to the event, so this was a simple slap in the face to wake me up and make me go dance – which I rarely do. I’ve wanted to get an interview with Derrick for years, now. That started while still helping George with the Vegas website we co-owned earlier in the decade. The blog gave me a new opportunity, and after really being persistent? Derrick obliged.
So after the show Friday, July 10th, he gave me a few minutes to discuss his views and be his usual jovial joker self. The conversation started with a lot of joking, and with Derrick outing his pal Mark Farina – jokingly – via the use of his iPhone. The text he read from it, as Derrick says, has Farina saying, “I was going to pee in Boston Friday, and looked up, and saw your big head staring at me!” Definitely only something the BFFs could share. And most definitely get a laugh out of me.
Eventually, we briefly discussed his discography, where he made note that he really doesn’t have a favorite record, per se. “I don’t have one of those moments where everything culminates,” Carter states. He continued by saying he’s “more evolutionary than revolutionary.” This makes sense to anyone in the game as long as he’s been in it. People simply do need to evolve in order to survive the game, and his statements re-affirm that. As he continued, “I’m just trying to find a spot where everything works out, and it’s all good.”
When asked about putting on a show for the folks that come out to see him, he sort of shirked when I made mention of a quote that Erick Morillo gave me, but it still holds true. All those years ago, he told me that he simply knew people paid to see a show, so he wanted to try to put one on. While this may have changed with Morillo? The statement did speak volumes, and Derrick’s take was a bit more verbose and insightful.
“When you get that sort of platform,” he begins, “and you’re able to do things with people watching, and you’re charged with presenting people with a good time? That’s my situation.” And despite it being a different city on countless nights? “I’m here. This is not my home, but whatever. We’re trying to have a good time, so let’s do it.”
When finally asked about any new projects, he was vague about a new one, but the reasons are simply put by the Chicago legend. “I’ve got an album I’m working on, but I don’t have a whole lot of….’This is some secret shit!’ or have a insight into any of it.”
Despite the brevity of the interview, I felt incredibly lucky to be able to pick his brain with even what sounds like basic questions. Then again, it’s not every day I can spend talking to someone that helped influence how I DJ’ed.
Seriously? Go see this man play. You won’t be disappointed! This week, there are no MP3s posted, but I have left a link where many of the man’s live mixes are posted up online. Click here to check out these mixes.
Well, the track he sampled from? Is a relatively unknown band by the name of Quando Quango. Guys like Derrick, who pick through the obscure to find gems to sample, know gold when they hear it. The track “Love Tempo” is an infectious sort of jam. Disco meets new wave meets horns. You guys should check this one out.
