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Ace of bass
Electro pioneer Andrew Weatherall has resisted superstar status but continues to DJ and produce blistering, bass-heavy techno for the kids. Words: Catherine Bromley
When the world decided that dance music was the new rock ‘n‘ roll. rather unlikely figures were propelled into the limelight as gods to worship and adore. Having inadvertently invented ‘indie-dance‘ via his production tinkery on Primal Scream‘s ‘l‘m Losing More Than 1‘” Ever Have‘ (later to become
‘Loaded‘) shy and retiring type ‘I was you listened to reggae with the bass up full and the treble up and they‘re gonna hear. It‘s not part of all in between’
Andrew Weatherall was considered fair game. But whereas his contemporaries (Paul Oakenfold and Carl Cox among them) have long basked in the glory of their superstar DJ statuses, Weatherall has resisted the limelight to quietly go about his business.
During the mid-90s when Weatherall was hailed as a pioneering genius for the dubby electro vibe of his work with the Sabres Of Paradise. he did however feel the weight of being considered one of dance music‘s driving forces. ‘You start believing what people are writing and you go a bit strange.‘ he explains. ‘So yeah. the weight crushed me for a while there but I got up and decided on a different route. Now we just get on with it and concentrate more on the music than the peripheries.‘
Although his heart belongs to techno. Weatherall is a musical chameleon. gifted in the art of genre blending both in his DJing and his production work with Keith Tenniswood at the Rotters Golf Club studios. From the experimental to the down-tempo. from deep house to electro and techno. one element has always remained key to Weatherall‘s sonic
82 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 9-15 Aug 2001
'6k DE 98?:
Intergalactic techno wars
escapades. namely that he likes his bass and he likes it hard.
‘Yeah. it‘s a bit of an old chestnut that. It just comes f‘rom listening to reggae. l was told that you listened to reggae with the bass up full and the treble tip full and fuck all in between. So. I‘ve kind of listened to everything since the age of fourteen like that and that‘s how l 1)]. When I get into a DJ booth. the EQ ends up in a strange V shape: high up one end and high at the other and going down to not very much in the middle.‘
It‘s a simple formula but it works a treat and makes Weatherall a reliable favourite among fervent enthusiasts of dance music. This weekend they‘ll be flocking to the Radio Babylon special at this year‘s Club Festival to see what the maverick is currently packing in his record box. At this stage however. Weatherall‘s decidedly unsure what style he‘ll be adopting for the set so anything could happen on the night.
‘l‘ve no idea. it just depends how the mood takes.‘ he says. ‘I think that‘s why sometimes people come and check out what we‘re doing. it‘s ‘cause they‘re not sure what it is
some evil master-plan. it‘s only because I‘ve got no idea myself.‘
Those who hanker after hearing more from Weatherall and Tenniswood can also look forward to impending live dates from their raw electro-funk outfit. Two Lone Swordmen. ‘We did a show in London recently. a six- hour live set which went pretty well.‘ says Weatherall. ‘Also what we‘re doing is a thing where Keith plays live as Radioactive Man and then I DJ. so there‘ll be a lot of that activity around September. It will be like an RGC Records night with him live and me DJing. It works pretty well — he rocked Sonar a while back — blew the roof off the place so that‘s very encouraging.‘
I Radio Babylon featuring Andrew Weatherall at Teviot Row House (Club Festival) Edinburgh, Fri 10 Aug.
hitlis’t *
I Manga Hot production I’D.) talent J Majik joins the Manga residents for a six-hour mother of a drum & bass party. See Panel, page 83. La Belle Ange/e. Fri 70 Aug.
I Radio Babylon Dropping musical atom bombs to rock your world are your favourite Babylon beasts and a very special guest in the form of Andrew Weatherall. See Preview (opposite). Teviot Row House (C/ub Festival), Fri 70 Aug.
I Nuklear Puppy Despite the derisible club name. this place has been packing ‘em in since it opened two months back and now it‘s only gone and joined forces with Nukleuz Records to become the label's official residency in Scotland. To celebrate, the residents welcome label mainstay Phil Reynolds for some sweat-smeared euphoria. Noa, Fri 70 Aug.
I IT Hip-wiggling house alongside driving tech-edged beats, punchy percussion and funk infused b-lines from Ibiza king, Steve Lawler. The Honeycomb, Sat 77 Aug.
I Phosphoresence Take a break from hugging trees to enjoy this psychedelic trance night featuring Charlie Munro (pictured) of Flying Records infamy plus all the residents, ‘freezing fruit' and fine. fluoro de’cor throughout. The Venue, Sat 77 Aug.
I Raw Jackin' house so frisky it smarts from the resident DJs Neil McDonald and Ben McCabe plus their guest DJ. the mighty George T. Mind the chaff. La Belle Ange/e, Sat 77 Aug.
I The Wendy House Step inside the Wendy House to enjoy the many myriad moods of house and garage. Trendy Wendy will be tweaking the fixtures and fittings for your dancing pleasure and this month she's got Jo Malik shacked up in the guest room. Club Mercado, Sun 72 Aug.