Freaks, one of the most innovative, daring and funky electronic acts to emerge from the British house music scene in the last 20 years, are back with a new album. Created over 15 years ago by DJs Luke Solomon and Justin Harris, Freaks were without doubt one of the first electronic acts to break down the barriers between clubbers and gig-goers. Just as happy playing at indie clubs as they were at dance music institutions such as The End (R.I.P.), the Freaks bubbled away on the underground fringes until a re-working of perhaps their most well known track ‘The Creeps’ became a commercial dance hit across the world.
However, a series of unfortunate events saw the band lose most of the income made from the ample worldwide sales and airplay. A poppier musical direction then confused potential label partners. So, it was back to the drawing board for some fresh ideas and a back to basics approach. The result is a couple of new 12” records on Crosstown Rebels and a new CD, Best of Times, that takes in some of their classic back catalogue and new Freaks music that signals a return to their original DIY, underground aesthetic.
I caught up with founding members Justin Harris and Luke Solomon to find out what one of my favourite ‘dance’ bands has been up to.
Totally loving the new CD - a bit of old and some new. Is this a new dawn for Freaks? Do you have any kind of plan?
LS: We always have some sort of a plan. Kind of! It just changes a lot. Really though, yes. This is the precursor to a string of new singles - the first being on Crosstown Rebels.
Can you tell me about the ideas behind the new songs you've been working on? Your songs always seem to have a theme or a story.
LS: ‘UMakeNoSense’ in particular was written as a tonic to our success with ‘The Creeps’. We felt we needed to write an anti-pop song. Something that was fun and felt like us being freaks all over again.
How did it come about? Was there a reason for combing old and new material? Did you want to add some context for people who maybe only knew The Creeps?
LS: We both felt the time was right, and it was partly out of necessity. A need to generate some income, that then flowered into something a little more than that…
What have you been up to the last couple of years, apart from secretly working on Freaks music?
LS: Me personally - working on a follow-up to The Difference Engine for Rekids, which I have just finished. I also co-produced Damian Lazarus's album for Get Physical. And, as usual, a whole stack of remix work.
JH: I've been concentrating on remix work for artists like Timo Garcia, Sawtooth Suckas and Chris Coco to name a few, and I also have solo releases coming out on Disport, Pin-Up Records and my own label which I run with Lil Mark, Paranoid Records. I'm also working on an EP project with Nigel Casey as DJs North and South (from back in the day).
Are you planning on doing any live shows?
LS: We haven't really thought about it as of yet.
The new CD is called Best of Times - were they the 'best' times with Freaks?
LS: The title is kind of ironic, as is most of the music we make. It's a reaction to the state of the music industry, which has hit our record label once again. A great amount of income from ‘The Creeps’ was lost recently through a company going into admin. It was the "Oh no, here we go again" that led to the concept of the album.
Are you going to be releasing (or re-releasing) any of the music on record?
LS: There will be a 12-inch released on Crosstown Rebels that will follow the album. We haven't really thought about releasing any of the material on the compilation.
There is a mention of using old and new technology in the studio such as an iPhone. Can you tell me a bit more about that?
LS: Justin and I both have iPhones. We had been messing around with some new applications, and thought it would be fun to incorporate them into new songs. There are some great synths and drum machines.
Do you think it's time for a bit more fun to come back into house music? Dance music is getting pretty serious in some corners, I reckon. What do you think?
LS: Music should always be about fun, escape, whatever. There is a time for the serious stuff, too. It’s all about a balance. The funk was lost for a while, as were vocal songs and DJs mixing up their music. We never left that world. We have just sat and waited for it all to come back round again. Which I think it is starting to.
Was the rather popular version of ‘The Creeps’ part of your decision to take a hiatus? You didn't have any control over that, is that right?
LS: We didn’t really take a hiatus. We worked our asses off writing new music! The majority of it with a pop approach, which we spoke to various labels about, but nothing really came of it. We kind of dug ourselves into a hole with ‘The Creeps’. People couldn't really get with the new direction. After a whole heap of knock backs and a lot of cash spent, we decided to go back to our roots, and take the DIY approach once more.
Out of all your experiences with Freaks so far, what has been you personal highlight?
LS: John Peel playing two records off The Beat Diaries on one show. Without a shadow of a doubt that was the highlight for me.
JH: Playing live at Homelands in (I think) 2005 and seeing De La Soul rocking out at the back of the tent!
Best of times is released via Music for Freaks on the 1st of March 2010
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