London Elektricity formed as a partnership between Chris Goss and Tony Colman. Producing killer drum & bass cuts like ‘Song in the key of Knife’ and the powerful ‘Billion Dollar Gravy’ album, they rose up through the ranks with ease. Despite Tony having taken the London Elektricity mantle on alone of late, he has gone on from strength to strength, culminating in a world tour of live gigs. Now a live album of those gigs is coming out… ITM caught up to find out just how hard it is to pull off drum & bass live.
Tony, thanks for talking to inthemix. If you don’t mind taking a trip down memory lane, I understand your first delving in to recording involved a gaseous pet. Care to elaborate?
Hmm… well I was only like 6 years old or something and my dog had a flatulence problem which I recorded on my mother’s tape recorder.
Any other unusual source materials you’ve used to create music?
Can’t think of anything at the moment!
When you started Hospital Records what were your aims and do you feel you achieved them?
Actually our aims were to only release music by me and Chris Goss – we vowed to NEVER sign any artists to the label. So in truth we didn’t achieve our aim!
Where did the name London Elektricity come from?
It used to be the name for the London municipal power company – simple as that! I thought it could work as a name to make d&b under.
Was it hard to split with Chris Goss and go it alone and what motivated the parting of ways?
No it wasn’t hard because I still see Chris every day in the Hospital office – now he’s my A&R! Chris stopped producing because he started a family, and could not dedicate the time to be in the studio at weekends and evenings, and also the label itself was getting very busy and he needed work full time on label management. It was a natural process to go through at the time.
As something of an all-round musical don what is it about drum & bass that inspires you so?
The freedom that d&b allows me is something I value, together with the loyalty of d&b lovers out there.
Which do you prefer: your live gigs or your DJ sets?
Both things have positives! Very different too. I like both.
Where was the best gig you played and do you find your sets get influenced by your location?
Best gig is probably The Cube in Tokyo, Japan in December 2005, or maybe Melbourne Australia in April this year. Everything infuences a gig – the location, the crowd, what you eat before you play…
What advice do you have for all the bedroom DJs out there?
In d&b, it’s easier to get work if you have made a name as a producer first. But it’s not essential. If you are a talented DJ and you have something no one else has, then you need to get yourself heard on pirate radio or at a club residency. It’s hard. Be patient. Get on well with people and absorb all the knocks.
You’ve helped develop fresh new talent like High Contrast and Cyantific. Do you think established artists such as yourself have a duty to nurture the next generation?
No we don’t have a duty to do it, but it’s kind of a waste if we don’t! The scene has shown love to me, so I want to put love back into it for as long as I can – what goes around comes around!
Assuming that time, place and mortality were not an issue, what would be your ‘dream team’ line up of DJs and MCs for a no-holds-barred night of raving?
Oh shit! Well you’d need Stevie Hyper D on the mic with Darrison, Wrec and maybe Dynamite. DJs… If It was my party I’d choose Cyantific, Andy C, Zinc, Brian G, Nicky Black Market and High Contrast!
We’ve had Soulful, Dark, Brazillian, Jump-up, Anthems, Jungle, Electric, Africanised… the list goes on. Do you think that this versatility of Drum & Bass, the ability to transcend genres, is responsible for D&B’s inability to rise to the top of the dance music pile? Do you foresee a future when it could topple house?
No, it’s too fast! Seriously the very fact that jungle and d&b is underground is it’s biggest strength. It’s a big industry with thousands of people making a living from it so don’t worry! It’s healthy.
What does the rest of 2006 hold for London Elektricity?
In June we release the London Elektricity Live at the Scala album. It’s the world’s first drum and bass live album – the concert was recorded last October at the ‘Power Ballads’ album launch, I mixed it down myself over Christmas. We filmed the event with 10 cameras and there is a live CD and DVD in the package, with a brilliant documentary called Our Friends Elektric, and a feature on How to Play D&B Live! Also I’m A&Ring the Logistics album which will come out in September, and then I will start on some new productions! Also I’ve been A&Ring a new label called Med School, and we’ll release the first few 12s in the Autumn with some new and some established artists such as SPY, CLS, Agent Alvin, Syncopix, Fracture & Neptune, Tomahawk.
London Elektricity’s stunning live album ‘Live at the Scala’ is out in June through Hospital/Inertia.
