Defunct! are one of the biggest acts in the filthy house scene! They have toured all over the world and released tracks on some of the biggest labels in the world Dandy Kid, Dirty Fabric Digital, Peak Hour Music, Funnk Sound Recordings and Destination? to name just a few!
They have built up a reputation for there unique wobbly brand of fidget house and filthy electro that sounds like nothing else youve ever heard before! Which is why they have remixed some of the biggest names in the dance scene and charted on beatport with numerous releases!
Defunct consists of Jack Stuart and Slade Templeton who we have had the absolute pleasure of catching up with and asking a few questions!
You guys are one of my favourite dance acts! When did you first start producing?
Slade- I first started when I was about 12. I had a guitar and a little cheapo 1980's style tape recorder. I eventually started recording in "overdubs" and would play my guitar into the tape recorder, take that tape out and play it in a boombox in the background as I played a lead on top, and so on. I never realized I was even overdubbing until I was older and went to school for Audio! I also had this one cheap keyboard from Radioshack that I ran through as many of my guitar pedals and processors as I could to get chaotic sounds. I love textures!
Rory - I messed around with keyboards and guitars for years but never recorded anything. The first DAW I got involved with was fruityloops about 11 years ago. I was staying at my brothers over the summer and his house mate had a demo version of it. I didn't see much of the outside world that summer! I just loved being able to create a whole track from start to finish, playing with sounds, twisting and distorting them to create new ones and then feeding them into the track in unexpected ways. Creation's always been an organic process for me.
Both - We met online via myspace and had a similar interest to start a "dirty electro house project"
How did your collabaration first come about and how do you manage the long distance?
Slade - We started in 2008.. March I believe? I think sometimes its a good thing for the distance for studio as we have two different cultural areas to feed from. We are all impacted by sounds and things we see to a certain degree, so the club circuit here is much different than that of England. As far as touring though, it makes it rough to get both of us to an area together. I end up having to do the North American circuit most of the time.
Rory - We are a true product of our time. This kind of work relationship could never have existed a few years ago. I think, as Slade says, its difficult when it comes to djing (to get us together at the same time) but in terms of production it has never held us back and if anything has given us a sound that is real unique and engaging.
One of the first tracks I heard from you guys was Switcht! Which I instantly fell in love with and in my opinion sounded like a cross between Stupid Fresh and Twocker. How did you develop the sound that has come to define Defunct?
Slade - People have always said that we were a toss up of "Twocker" type sounds. Honestly, I first found that intense jackin electro stuff because of Twocker, so I guess that makes sense! And Rory said Stupid Fresh was one of his favourite artists in another interview a while back didnt you? We like to focus on the "funkier" side of house though.. it has a lot to do with the south UK jackin stuff where Rory is from, and the midwest USA stuff like Chicago that I have been influenced from. I can never get enough jackin vibes and funky rhythms!
Rory - Yeah I think that's right, its always been about the groove for me whether its tough electro basslines or a more bouncy jackin vibe. I want to find myself dancing in my seat as I'm producing a track and its the groove/funk of the track that does it. Its a hard thing to define but you know it when its there. Its what keeps us coming back. At the end of the day its music for dancefloors and as long as we're making tracks that at 2:30 in the morning would make me want to rush back to the dancefloor, I'm happy.
What dj’s and producers have influenced your sound?
Slade - This is always a tough question. There are so many to name. I grew up on stuff like Prince, Michael Jackson, all that "electro" driven pop type stuff, but also grew up on some VERY underground german/europe type electronica; Kraftwerk, Jean Michel Jarrer, Tangerine Dream, etc. My whole family is very music orientated.... and loud. As far as the dance scene, there are loads too. They seem to change a lot though as time flies by. Dance scene can go from very influencing one second, to the most bland stuff in the next and you just cant find any new creation for a bit. Its all about searching and finding those new banging DJ/Producers out there that are really molding something for the rest of us. We like to try and be at the front of that as much as possible too.
Rory - I have a real diverse selection of music in my collection, from Rock to hip hop to blues to breaks to house and everything in between!!! I've always believe that a broad love of music can only help in whatever particular style you are producing. It feeds the creative process to hear different sounds and timbres across different music styles. So I guess everything plays its part in influencing you ultimately but names that stick out in my mind as musicians I've listened more than any others are: Rage against the machine (some amazing filthy funk riffs), Early Cypress Hill, Jurassic 5, Plump DJs, Nightmares on Wax, Leftfield, Aphex Twin, JDS, Elite Force and Daft Punk. As far as house producers it is difficult as there's too many names to mention but I suppose names like Jesse Rose, Zodiac Cartel and Jacob London spring to mind.
You guys not only produce banging tracks but are shit hot d j’s. Have you got any plans for tours or any big gigs coming up?
Both - We have loads of stuff coming up. We have full duo tour in North America (first time for both of us to play together in USA) in July, Australia in October, Loads of various USA dates in between too, Zurich, Switzerland and some others as they come. We are also wanting to line up a tour with our friends Hoaxx for end 2011/early 2012 which will be a North American tour as well. When we both cant play as the duo, we will still play AS Defunct!.. definitely a bit different flavour of sound this way for our sets though, but any Defunct! sets are going to be a bit different from the last!.. its a progressive movement!
Slade - I am headlining with Benni Benassi and Klaas this month (May 27th) and many others in Salt Lake City, Utah as Defunct! too, pretty excited about this!
Over the past couple of years there have been claims that the fidget scene has run its course. What do you guys think about this?
Slade - we always thought "Fidget" was a great scene and dance culture, and we took our influences from it. However, we never liked to SAY we were fidget even though we were somewhat pigeonholed that way. We came out in the time of that coming out strong, and then did an EP and single called "Flashy Fidget Fame" that we tried to poke a bit of fun on the fact we were trying to be pigeonholed in that name game. If you listen through our back catalog though, we have hit Dubstep, Electro, "Fidget", Tech House, Grime and even Breakbeat... we dont live in a box. We have decided to take our roots back though as far as the wobbles, the jacks, the big drops and the zippy basses. I dont really think the "fidget" vibe is dead, it has just evolved.... and of course.... dubstep seems to be running things right now... but as everything comes and goes so quickly in this scene as far as the BIG highlights of their sounds and careers, this too will pass. We like to produce what we like at the moment and what we like creating. I am excited to get back to the sound we were first known for... kind of a revamp but with all new ways of doing it!!
Rory - As Slade has said I never really saw us as specifically fidget producers either. My early Jaksaw stuff people told me was fidget but I never started out thinking "I'll be a fidget producer"! and it was the same when me and Slade first started Defunct!. I just like quirky sounds and chunky beats and after that I let the creative process take over and what came out is history. We never think of genres when producing, its just about making something that gets us excited and that can incorporate elements of any genre....after that we just let other people label it what they want. So yeah we'll just keep making what gets us excited because that buzz you get when you're producing a good tune is what keep's us going and is the best guide when you're in the creative process. I'm also sure that fidget like every other genre of dance will have a revival at some point, in a new and more exciting manner. And its up to those in the scene to keep innovating the sound and keep underground music as fresh and exciting as it always is.
Are you into the nu electro sound that has become big of the last year with the success of producers like Dirtyloud and Porter Robinson?
Slade - this once again will pass. The scene thrives off of sites like "Beatport" and what is "hip" at the moment. I say any producer out there that digs it, should write it!.. and if you dig something else... then write that! No matter what the fad is for that quarter.. or year... just write what YOU enjoy writing and you will make your own mold that way. We take pride in the fact we have our own sound... I think that is hard to come by these days. That is where creativity comes to play!
Rory - Yeah I definitely enjoy that sound and what it brings to the scene. It won't change our style in any direct way because we love what we make and the scene can only benefit from producers and djs with varying styles. I often find it boring to hear sets where its one sound from start to finish. There's so much amazing music out there why not mix it up a bit!
Have you got any hot new releases or remixes coming out soon?
Both - We have too many to even name at this point hah... we have tunes coming out this summer for Atomic Zoo, Melonsound, System, Dandy Kid Records, and many others.. the release on System of We Are The Party featuring A Girl And A Gun and MC Loc E is by far a big summer banger... this thing is grindy to the max! If you hear our new releases, we have been touching some new tips on sound and production. We are very excited about this. You can check our music out a twww.soundcloud.com/defunct and keep up with all of these things! - or listen and keep in the loop with all things Defunct! on our facebook fanpage atwww.facebook.com/defunctmusic
Who are your favourtie producers at the moment?
Slade - I can never really pick my favorite producer at any moment as it is always changing and evolving and as are many of the producers music!!! I enjoy what loads of people are doing right now with the jackin/techier stuff though and think its good people are still doing it and keeping it fresh... I am enjoying some of this "Drumstep" type stuff too.
Rory - Yeah favourite producers difficult cause as soon as I mention one I think of others I should also mention. I have a couple of Zodiac Cartel Mixes in the car that I've been listening too. ZC's always good.
What 5 tracks couldn’t you lvie without in your record box?
Slade - if this is a personal record box then:
Depeche Mode - Its No Good
Massive Attack - inertia creeps
Unkle - Reign
Underworld - Pearls Girl
Type O Negative - Love You To Death
Rory -
Jurrasic 5 - Sum of Us
Orbital - Satan (industry standard)
Year of the Boomerang - Rage against the machine
Scram - Plump DJs
Adventures of the Purple Funky Monkey - JDS
As for Record Box for gigs and such that are dance, that is changing literally within every gig as fresh and big stuff is being released!! So we thought we would just do our personal favorite tracks that will never leave our side :)
To listen to defuncts music check them out on Souncloud http://soundcloud.com/defunct
To buy there tracks on beatport click this link
https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/track/catalog/?contextType=artists&contextName=Defunct%21&contextEntityId=80063
Also check out there live mix from superclub!
http://soundcloud.com/defunct/defunct-live-in-san-francisco
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