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HeavyFeet

Knowledge quizzes Manchester-based outfit HeavyFeet about their new label, their latest release, influences, youth issues and football...

First of all: United or City?

Mike: I'm a part-time City fan. I don't profess to be a loyal supporter but I do try to go to the occasional home game. The vibe at Eastlands is second to none.

James: I'm somewhere between part-time and full-time Leeds fan. It's decent that after a couple of years in the wilderness we're on our way back up, but I've certainly not enjoyed our poor form over the last few games or so, I can't be doing with the play-offs again!

Now we've got that out of the way, onto the important stuff! April 5th sees the launch of your new label, Stamp! Beats. Following on from that, you're going to be releasing a free monthly single for twelve months. Can you explain the thinking behind this?

Mike: Whilst we love making thumping club music, we also love making music that is more lyrically and vocally focused. The people that have heard the other angle to our music have been very encouraging to the notion of us releasing it under the HeavyFeet guise, and we now feel it's time that we showcased some of this material. By putting out the singles for free over the next twelve months, we feel we stand a much better chance of allowing people access to our more diverse musical output.

James: Stamp! Beats for us is a way of releasing the more varied musical output that we both dig. Using our own label gives us complete control over release schedules and musical styles as well as meaning we don't have the hassle of dealing with third parties in the run up to release and beyond. The twelve releases for twelve months idea, with each following the same format (original version, HeavyFeet club version and club remix), is our own take on how to release an album's worth of material and keep a high a level of interest there as possible for every release rather than using the tired and uninspiring album format.

Listening to some of your work, you can feel a strong dance vibe going on. You've listed Armand van Helden as a big influence... who else? Carl Cox perhaps?

Mike: Van Helden was one of those artists for me who took that classic US garage vibe and melded it with a heavier, club music edge, creating something that to the dance music community was pretty much unseen before the 90s. Artists that take influence from pre-existing genres and add their own element to create something new and exciting will always interest me as it's something that remains very much a part of my own ambitions.

James: I wouldn't necessarily cite Carl Cox as an influence in the music we make at present but it is undeniable that regular clubbing excursions to see such DJs as a teenager, the real legends of house and techno, cemented a desire for me to be working with music as a career. Regarding HeavyFeet, the first Speaker Junk EP has a lot to answer for. More currently the new sounds coming out of London are fresh and inspiring, and I find deep house is taking up increasingly more of my listening time.

What sort of stuff did you listen to growing up? Was it always electronic music or have you pulled guitar-based stuff into your work too?

Mike: As a kid I always played instruments and my education was largely classical music focused, but from my mid-teens I pretty much became obsessed with pop music, which led me on to dance genres. I've had several flings with guitar-based music over the years and I always try and keep an eye on what's happening with the band scene here in Manchester. We have some really interesting people lined up to be involved in the label that are definitely more indie / rock centred, so in terms of a guitar-music influence in our music, I'd definitely say watch this space.

James: I've been into dance music for as long as I can remember; I spent the majority of my teenage years listening to anything house, trance or techno and have cheesy dance compilation tapes from years before that. However, my tastes have expanded massively over recent years and now it's more a case that if I like it then I'll listen to it, and therefore I'll probably be drawing some of it into our work to in one way or another.

With regards to your I Spy... release, you mentioned painting a picture of the issues young people face in urban Britain. How do you think your music can raise awareness and change perceptions? What message are you trying to get out there?

Mike: Lyrically the I Spy... release is pretty explosive. Virus Syndicate managed to capture a really raw, street level vibe on the vocals for this release. Whilst some people may shy away from vocals that are not totally club hype focused, we were really happy that they'd gone in on something topically deep for us. With people knowing that there's a club mix from AC Slater we're expecting people to be curious about the original record. The fact the original can be downloaded for free will potentially open listeners up to that more gritty side of UK urban music again.

James: For me the message we're trying to convey with this release doesn't necessarily relate to the lyrical content of the track. When the Virus collaboration idea came about we purposely didn't write them a club track or something that would suit a hype, radio-friendly vocal, as we wanted something vocally that, coupled with the original track, would completely shatter any expectations and preconceptions of what we were capable of.

Do you have any big ambitions outside music?

Mike: I'd like to get to a stage where I can find time once a fortnight to do some work with young people where I can pass on things I've learnt in the industry to people seeking to follow a similar pathway to me. I feel that there is a succinct lack of positive, visible role models in British music for young people, and whilst I don't profess to be the idyllic role model, I certainly feel I have some experiences that are worth sharing and discussing with people who seek guidance and assurances of their own goals. Young people are the future of music and we need to invest our time and energy into helping them achieve their potential.

James: To be honest I got into making music when there was an opportunity for me to have a job doing the same as my hobby, so pretty much all of my ambitions lie within the realm of producing and playing music. There are plenty of other things I'd like to do but they're not at all related to what I do at present, so as ambitions I don't take them particularly seriously...

Lastly, any plans, personal or professional, for 2010?

Mike: I think I've said enough about or professional goings on in all fairness, the year, as you can tell no doubt, is largely going to be focused around Stamp! Beats. In other life areas, I'd very much like to find the time to go on holiday... I'm keeping my fingers firmly crossed on that dream!

James: The big plan for 2010 is to make as big a success of Stamp! Beats as possible!

HeavyFeet vs Virus Syndicate's I Spy... is available as a free download and the full release package is available to purchase from Monday 5th April.