Moodymanc Interview: Life isn’t always a party

You might have guessed from the name that he hails from the city of Manchester, but despite what the moniker suggests Moodymanc is anything but as miserable as the weather of where he’s from. More a tongue in cheek play on legendary Detroit DJ and producer Moodymann, he’s had a career in music that has enveloped time as a session musician and a founding member of 2020 Soundsystem, where his live drumming would form the unique backbone for the band’s reinterpretation of house music’s machine led formula.

He’s also recorded under the pseudonym Dubble D, and once more shifting from stereotype, he’s had a healthy relationship with the city of Liverpool which stretches back nearly two decades and goes against the grain of the perceived rivalry between it and his city of origin. However he has yet to DJ there under the Moodymanc guise, so we caught up with him ahead of him headlining Hustle at the Shipping Forecast on Saturday 1^st June.

You’re due to play in Liverpool soon. What’s your previous experience of the city and are you looking forward to the gig?

I’ve had a long love affair with the city of Liverpool which stems back to the early nineties. At that time there was a big jazz/funk scene going on in the clubs on and around Seel Street and I used to come over to play really regularly. I ended up playing drums with a few different bands around the city and for a brief spell was doing several gigs a week there.

For the last three or four years I’ve been the house drummer on Tuesday nights at Studio 2 at Parr St. Studios. It’s a great venue, we have guests from all over the world who come to play, and a really good, listening crowd. However, I’ve never really DJ’d as Moodymanc in Liverpool before so I’m really excited about that, and hope it’s the start of coming over a little more often in the future.

Being a manc how does it compare to your home city?

Coming from Manchester, Liverpool definitely has a ‘seaside’ feel to it. There’s a great sense of celebration about going out. People dress up a lot more and with a little more glitz… they like to sing and dance! Since the City of Culture and the presence of LIPA there’s been an explosion of cool things happening and fresh energy too, as well as the more established clubs and nights.

There is a stark difference in culture between the two cities but also more in common than either side might always admit to! Both cities have a strong sense of identity, a sense of humour and a healthy dose of irreverence towards the establishment.

Being a key part of 2020 Soundsystem you’re better placed to comment on live dance music. How important is it for electronic music to retain this influence in the face of the era of the laptop performer? Or is it possible for both to co-exist naturally?

There is something beautiful about people dancing to records played by a DJ that will always remain essential. When it’s done with the right intention it’s a very selfless and ego free experience.  It’s all about the music and the people on the dancefloor. A live performance is something quite different.

It demands a different sort of attention and when it involves just one person and his or her computer playing only his or her music it’s sometimes easy for that to become a much more egocentric thing. It can sometimes feel much more selfish, especially if it involves one person buried in a computer screen, but that of course very much depends on the performer and how they choose to perform also. It’s not always like that.

With a band there is always more of a sense of give and take. There is interaction between the performers themselves and the audience so it can be a little more democratic, but you can still ride a fine line. Ultimately though there are no rules. However you feel like expressing your music, be it with a laptop, decks, guitars, keyboards and drums or by hitting a beer bottle, if you do it with soul, and it moves people, it’s valid!

Do you use both approaches when making music?

When I first started making records I made a conscious decision not to perform on them. It was important to remove all the pressures to impress through that and just try to make some honest and simple music which told a little of where I was coming from. As I’ve developed in terms of my production I’ve begun to understand what it is about live instrumentation and performance that I want to bring to the table. So pretty much all of my productions involve me playing live drums and percussion as well as bits of keyboards and other instruments, and collaborating with other instrumentalists when possible too.

However, once it’s recorded I continue to manipulate the material as I would any other sound source to make records which I feel are valid for the dance floor. I do always approach productions from the perspective of a musician however, in that quite often I try to emulate or reference great records I have in my collection that I studied as part of my progression as a player. Albeit in often quite an abstract way!

Daft Punk have stated that their approach is to move music away from computers. Do you agree with their sentiments and are you a fan of their new album?

Sure, why not? As I said above, if that’s the way they feel best to express themselves they should go for it. They’re in a position to pretty much do whatever they like! It’s not going to be the way for everybody of course and why should it be? As for their album, I haven’t checked it out as yet to be honest - I might be the last person hahaha! I heard ‘Get Lucky’ (which I thought sounded like good pop music to me) and bits of other tracks but I’ve felt so bombarded by its marketing presence that I haven’t really felt like it up to now.

I’m certainly a fan of the people with whom they’ve chosen to collaborate, and of them so I’m sure I’m going to find a lot about it that I like… you’ve caught me! I’m going to have to buy it this weekend and make some time to listen to it as an album… I’ll write you an essay and have it on your desk by Monday Sir!

Ibiza season is here. Is the island still relevant?

Ibiza has and always will have massive relevance to the whole scene. It’s the epicentre of commercial clubbing on every level. Of course, other destinations are becoming popular; the rise of the Croatian festival scene has been very rapid and is continually expanding in particular but I think it probably only exists because of the culture that Ibiza has spawned. It’ll be interesting to see if it forges its own identity…

I’ve been lucky in the past to both DJ and play live with 2020 Soundsystem for We Love… Space in Ibiza, always a brilliant experience, but I’ve never been a regular out there and didn’t play last year so it’s hard to comment on what might be happening this or next season in relation to the rest of the scene! I’m very much open to offers though!

You made an extremely reverential edit of Whitney Houston after she died last year which managed to perfectly catch the sadness of her passing. Has music ever taken a cathartic approach for you on a more personal level?

That’s very kind of you to say. In answer to the question I have to say yes. Ultimately I’m a musician and an artist. I make music when I’m up and when I’m down. Music is as much a sanctuary as a celebration for me. Life isn’t always a party and I definitely would like to feel that I make music that reflects that too.

I’m definitely trying to tell a story through what I do, whether all that comes out in the records I make as Dubble D or Moodymanc is another matter. There are all sorts of other agendas at play… but it probably does.

What else lies in the future for you?

Well, I’ve just had a record out on Crosstown Rebels’ RebelLION label which I’m doing my best to promote. It features a re-version by the legendary Ashley Beedle with whom I’ve been collaborating on a number of projects that are forthcoming. I’ve a remix on 22 Digit Records which drops next month which is a re-work of “Let’s Get it On” (Ludowick’s “Let’s Get it Off”).

I’ve just completed tracks for an EP on Local Talk Records which will drop after the summer and have plans for an EP and label parties with Ibiza’s Gimmick Records. There’s a cassette album due of re-works of much older hip hop influenced material of mine under the name “Vault” which is coming out on a Berlin Label, Cambrain Line, and I’m working on a side project of slightly more earthy, dubby material under the name “Balaphonic” too. I’m also hoping to get back out behind the decks as much as possible and lose some of this studio tan! 

Head here to hear more from Moodymanc.

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