UK Gold (aka Chris McCormack): 21st Century British Dub
Author: Jonty Adderley
Friday, February 22, 2002
Despite remaining one of Britian's most uncompromising and talented techno producers, Chris McCormack is also unusually open minded, certainly judging by the variety and depth of his new album Retuned. Littered with proper songs, lyrics and Leftfield-style rhythms and beats it's a hugely impressive, highly listenable record, that looks set to catapult him far beyond his current techno limits, as soon as it's released. Skrufff's Jonty Adderley spoke to Chris this week just days after Muzik had labelled him "officially the least entertaining to communicate with top techno-based producer in Britain." However, despite the unusually vicious character assassination he turned out to be friendly, articulate and highly communicative.
Skrufff: Retuned sounds very much like a complete whole thing; how much did you have a precise vision for the record when you started-
UK Gold (Chris McCormack): "I had pictures and images in my head of the album and what it was before I'd even started. Obviously it turned out differently but the original feel, call it the colour, is running through it how I imagined it would be. I wanted to create slow, heavy draggy tracks that left you feeling hopeful and somehow positive. Future Sound Of London albums are the most complete personal listening experiences I've ever had and that's one of the main reasons I adore them. I think after FSOL, you cant help but feel albums don't function unless they sound like a complete article, with a longer term goal and a bigger canvas to paint."
Skrufff: You've featured loads of collaborators on the record; how much did you actively direct them-
UK Gold: "That was one of the key aspects of making the album. I worked with some people who'd never seen a studio before and others that trot in and
Out all the time. Everyone on the album is a good friend of mine and it was
Absolutely fascinating to see how people adapted to creative pressure when put right on the spot with the microphone on and the headphones blasting. I love trying to get good performances out of people, that's what its all about, that's where music counts.
Skrufff: You said in Muzik that the album is a "staying in thing"; how much did you set out to make it suitable for at-home listening as opposed to for dancing-
UK Gold: "After writing the "There Are Better Ways" album I needed a break from stuff which would work on the dance floor. I worked so hard on that album,
I literally had nothing else to say afterwards. I've also always loved down-tempo stuff anyway such as Aphex Twin, Autechre and Artificial Intelligence,
Although the previous UK Gold 12"`s had been made for the dance floor, and had sold very well, I definitely didn't want to go down that route. I always had Primevil in mind when making it and I wanted to try and challenge the records they had been selling up to that point and say, could you sell this- I wanted them to say, 'OK, we've never sold anything like this on Primevil before, lets think about where we go'. The whole Prime music bunch are brilliant. You couldn't ask for nicer people to deal with and I think they are genuinely into getting this music out there and heard."
Skrufff: how do you view the whole promotion side of making music such as interviews-
UK Gold: "As far as promotion for myself goes, it's all about the music. Once a tune is on record and in the shops, then that's my promotion. I don't go looking to get press but if someone approaches me because they like the music then that's not a problem, but I can be uncomfortable with the whole press thing. I'll only do interviews with people who have a genuine passion for getting things right, where we can work together to make something worthwhile."
UK Gold's new highly recommended album Retuned is out shortly on Primevil Records.
http://www.primedistribution.co.uk
(Primevil)