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Interview with Stanton Warriors by Ollie Brooke

Dom from the Stanton Warriors chatted with Ollie Brooke about Hip Hop, DJing, VJing and the whole technology debacle in the scene at the moment - some interesting points were raised...

Hip Hop & Breaks share common roots, you’re sound has really, predominantly, been the nu skool vibe with plenty of electro and tech influences yet with “Get Em High” you definitely make more than a passing nod to the roots, what are your thoughts on the benefits of the split of the two sounds and what are your thoughts on the reintegration of both sounds?

It’s true that it’s kinda come full circle really. When we started producing it was about integrating the hip hop sound with the acid house and electro sounds but somewhere along the way the two sounds lost each other and then they split completely. To be honest we’ve been reworking the two together over the last 4 years and it’s only recently that’s it’s taken off. When we were doing it previously we were told by our peers that it couldn’t and shouldn’t be done, but we were selling records and people were dancing to it so we kind of said a big “F” you!
Hip Hop is too slow for clubs, despite it being great dance music, so the new integration with breaks brings the dance back to the sound and reopens it to a whole new generation – that’s pretty cool I reckon.

There’s a fair bit of debate going on about the DMC championships lack of “movement with the times”, as in there’s no room for expansion beyond the 2 decks one mixer setup, what do you think about the preservation of the old school?

Well I find that DMC is badly organised and has been for years. For the last few years most of the big DJs have been getting custom records pressed so it’s bringing it into question as to whether it’s as exciting or skilful when they don’t have to change records. I was watching a well known progressive DJ, whose name I won’t mention, use Ableton recently and it was pretty boring to watch to be honest. DJing is not as not as impressive, performance wise, as a live band and so the more technology that makes it easier to do - the less performance is required which only serves to make it even less entertaining. I still like my records and CD – we just tend to use more technology that looks good so it isn’t as boring and makes it all sound good. I think it’s the same with all technology, you take what you need and if it sounds and looks good and enhances your performance in all aspects then bring it on.

With Breaks there’s a lot more freedom possible with arrangement of sounds given that while they have a 4/4/ time signature there’s no 4 to the floor law that applies – what other advantages does the breaks sound hold over other genres?

I reckon it’s just such an open template – it can absorb anything really in a variety of different styles. I mean, all this electro house stuff is all well and good but there’s so much repetition going on with it, I’ve heard most of the bass lines at least once or twice before. Breaks is more fun to dance do cos the beat is all over the place and so is more accessible and open in terms of what it can encompass.
House is great and all but breaks still hasn’t had the volume of tracks that house or deep house has had out so there’s still a lot more to do and a lot more that can be done too…

BT, who’s currently doing the breaks sound, has a new release which is an audio visual production – it’s being premiered accross the States in movie theatres currently – what are your thoughts on the future of the visual elements in relation to DJing and clubs?

I played a gig with Sander Kleinenberg not long ago and he’s into the whole DVD and CD combo thing but personally I’d rather focus on the music and leave the visuals to the VJ. The next thing will be that the DJ is expected to operate all the lights, the door, the bar, you know, where’s it going to stop? I like to focus on the music and that - I’d just rather concentrate on providing good tunes. I was at Fabric recently and they’re into the whole New York club style of having like one blue light in the corner, some places have so many visuals that the place can be lit up like a Christmas tree. You need to keep it in context really I suppose. I went to the Burning Man festival recently and there’s dudes working with fire and shit there which beats any light show, it’s just horses for course.

In the last year what has been your best gig?

It’s kinda weird cos the last week has been a flurry of amazing gigs in 5 days and all of them would be in the running. We did SW4 @ Clapham Common in London and I was sandwiched between Paul Oakenfold and Carl Cox and that was awesome. Then we did the Notting Hill Carnival on the main sound system and that fucking went off and then there was the Burning Man, that was my best weekend of gigs and the fact that it was 3 very big gigs in a row made it even better. Dubai and China are awesome gigs to do also, but to pick one I think burning man would have to be it.

 

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