When Future Funk Squad's new album Disorders of Skill was released earlier this year, it felt like the sort of moment that the true breaks heads among us had been waiting for for a long, long time. A blistering collection of cool, dark sonic wizardry, it helped ignite the current revival in strong, underground breakbeat which has seen the likes of Eshericks, LuQas, BSD, Gella and Karton producing driving, uncompromising and downright beautiful breakbeat for a new generation.

 

With a whole album of remixes from the album about to drop, the man otherwise known as Glen Nicholls took time out to chat to us ahead of his forthcoming gig at London's breakbeat mecca, Supatronix, on October 30. He chats about turning his back on electro house and getting his drink spiked with acid in Tel Aviv. Plus he reveals the reason he went out of his way to sign new Japanese breakbeat hero Eshericks to his En:vision label. Read on, and click below to download a fresh new minimix of tracks from Reorders of Skill.

The new album has been picking up some great reviews and a lot of internet hype. Are you pleased?

Yeah I am definitely pleased that it's been received well, although releases in general just don't seem to get much of a response these days, which I find quite disappointing. I guess it's down to pretty much everything being available for free somewhere. I'm just glad that the people that like my material really like it, that's all that matters.

A few years ago you seemed to be moving away from breakbeat, playing a lot of electro house in your DJ sets. Then all of a sudden you seem to have made a complete U-turn. The new album is pure, unadulterated, upfront breakbeat. What made you change your mind?

Well, I did feel that breaks was getting a bit stale just as I was about to embark on a lot of gigs around the world. Two places in particular I was booked to play on a regular basis were China and Russia and both the promoters for these shows asked me to play more house and less breakbeat, so it kind of worked quite well. It was around the time D. Ramirez was just blowing up, the birth of the dreaded electro house I guess, so I kind of had to cater for those crowds.

To be honest though after about just under a year of playing that stuff pretty regularly I soon got quite bored with it. After taking a few months out to get back into writing I suddenly began to get excited with breaks again, so decided to stick to just that.

Does it feel strange to have made what many might see as your opus magnus at a time when the scene has dipped underground again and there is less attention from the press and so forth?

Nah this actually makes me feel better as I wanted to make a more underground sounding album, the next will probably be even darker still. I don't follow trends when I'm producing, so I think it came out the way I intended it to. For me I have not really been interested in heaps of press especially in magazines that don't really give a fuck anyway, what's the point? I would much rather stick to doing something like this because I know the people reading it will be passionate about breaks.

Next up for Future Funk Squad on the release front is an album of remixes of the LP, Reorders of Skill, from some of the top names in breaks. Can you tell us a bit about that?

I always had this idea right from the beginning so once I had completed the album I fired the parts over to all the breaks producers that I respect and whose music I'm into, and simply asked them if they wanted to be involved. I have to say, each remix that came back has simply blown me away! I think I'm equally as proud of the remix album as I am of my own creations. I also consciously wanted to do a complete breakbeat remix collection. It's too easy to get house, dubstep, drum & bass mixes etc and although that's fine to spread the word across genres I really wanted to keep this whole thing exclusively in the breakbeat arena.

You're a pretty big name in the UK, but a massive one in some of the far-flung corners of the world. Any surreal moments on tour you'd care to share with us?

The most surreal, literally, was when me and Mojo did a soundsystem gig in Tel Aviv and my vodka and cranberry drinks were spiked with liquid acid! Needless to say this was an experience I will never forget ... It wouldn't have been too bad if I had my own room, but the hotel cocked up the first night, so me and Mojo had to share a twin room and it didn't help when he decided to bring a lovely lady back whilst I was tripping in the bathroom!

Where do you think breaks needs to go in the next couple of years? Is it just a matter of time before things come full circle and the genre gets "cool" again in the eyes of dance music magazines and bloggers? Or does the genre need to change to pick up new fans?

I'm not 100% sure on this really, a part of me definitely thinks it will come full circle at some point. I don't really want it to become "cool" again to be honest, I would like to see it becoming more underground and forming its own solid community again like it did when it started but I guess there are just so many styles of dance music out there that it all starts to merge into each other. So this can't really happen, if that makes sense? I definitely think it should go back to early 2000 at some point soon and become a bit more proper nu-skool. This was a period I loved and the reason I started the label. And then after this back to the slightly more funky side, but not too cheesy!

You've just signed Eshericks, the new Tokyo-based breakbeat kid on the block to your label En:Vision. What inspired you to take him on and how did that relationship come about?

I discovered Eshericks through his manager, who simply sent me to his MySpace. The first track I clicked on I was blown away so asked if he could do a mix of my Nuboy track, A What?, and from then on asked him to do some more mixes. I think this guy has some serious talent. He not only has great production skills but he's very musical in a dancefloor way. He is currently working on an album that I'm looking to release early next year, so I'm very excited about that indeed! It will feature a handful of great vocalists and some rather tasty slamming club tracks, so will definitely be something to keep your eyes out for.

Who else in breaks is really doing it for you right now?

I just signed a single by Product.01. It's a fucking banger! Proper nu-skool electro at its best. Off the back of this, I asked him to remix Chris Carter which I also really love. Wrexx is also a seriously talented producer, up there with Hybrid I would say. Beta is one talented fucker too, who is also on that nu-skool tip. Basically everyone I asked to do a remix for me is 'doing it for me right now'.

Finally, what can people expect from a Future Funk Squad DJ set in 2009? And you have any plans for live performances of the new material?

Back to the banging period of proper breakbeat. I'm kinda stuck in a bit of a 2000-2004 sounding vibe and I think there are some great producers on this tip, which helps me fill my sets with great music. I've also done a few remixes recently, so they will be getting an airing at the next few shows along with some classic FFS re-rubs especially for my sets.

• Future Funk Squad plays the Supatronix Halloween Party at Courtyard, London on Friday, October 30. Click here for more details and to register for a free entry offer.

• Click here to buy Disorders of Skill or Reorders of Skill from the En:vision website.


This article appeared first on thisisbreaks.com, the website for all your breakbeat needs

• Future Funk Squad

Related Links:

• Breakspoll Awards Return
• Curl & Dean Profile
• Top New Breaks Releases
• Top New Breaks Releases
• Breaks Booty Reviews

Like it? Share it!
Sign up for more with the Kmag weekly newsletter.