It’s on this friday and we got the interview! The biggest night of disco is coming to Perth this Friday at Connections (Event Post) to help us ‘rediscover old gems that are still great to dance to today as they were when they first came out.’ Jack’s interview is awesome drawing some really cool reponses, so I encourage you to read it all. And don’t forget to listen to the beats in space mix.
Beats in Space – HMD mixtape and tracklist
Horse Meat Disco (Myspace/website)
Can you start by telling us a little about HMD’s origins and what (or who) originally inspired you to start up the night?
We started horse meat disco in the same way that anyone else starts a club night really. We weren’t that excited with what was on offer on the gay scene in London which had become very mainstream, with a few notable exceptions of course, but nowhere that played the music that we really felt passionate about. I was working with a new york dj called adam goldstone who suggested that I started a party if I wasn’t happy about the lack of a good gay party so I called on the expertise of my friend jim Stanton who was already promoting a successful night called The Cock. Its went from there really and we got our friends Severino and Luke Howard involved as they shared our passion for disco music in all its many forms.
What can Perth expect to look forward to when you bring Horse Meat Disco to Perth this week?
Hopefully a little taster of what we get up to every Sunday at The Eagle. A rip roaring party where people get down to old classics and rediscover old gems that are still great to dance to today as they were when they first came out.
What do you think it is about disco that can bring so many different types of people together?
I think the themes of the songs speak of everyone’s life experiences, especially those of gay people so they are instantly bring meaning to the dancefloor. Also the fact that they are beautifully crafted songs mean that they are appreciated by music lovers of all persuasions. Disco is the distillation of all those infectious rhythms weather they be latin or African that are purposely made to dance to and from where every form of dance music has come from. That is a constant no matter what your age, sex, tribe etc.
What are some of your favourite high energy disco classics to get the dancefloor moving?
So many to choose from but a few classics that always get the floor filled include. Cheryl Lynn ‘To Be Real’, Pointer Sisters ‘Automantic, Jean Carn ‘Was That All It Was’. Not particularly High Energy but in that case 2 tracks spring to mind. In The Evening by Sheryl Lee Ralph and Love pains by Evon Elliman. Anything with either drama or campness or both always work a treat.
What do you believe to be the main reasons behind the resurgence of the disco sound in the last few years?
In my opinion I think disco music has always been a part of the scene. As far as I can remember in my 12 years of living in London there has always been parties, mainly on the straight scene, where disco was played and appreciated.
Apart from the use of modern instruments and arrangements, how do you find the new sound compares to the different disco flavours of the seventies and eighties?
There are some great producers out there making new music that doesn’t sound out of place with the old stuff despite there being completely different recording and production techniques. I think they complement each other very well. I see the music being produced today as being of an equal standing to anything produced in the late 70s early 80s. Although sadly we don’t have the talents of some of the singers who really made disco record so amazing in the first place.
Which artists are doing the most interesting work with disco at the moment?
People like Faze Action, Lindstrom, Todd Terje, Prins Thomas
You’ve had a host of amazing artists DJ at HMD in London, from disco & electro-funk pioneers such as Danielle Baldelli and Greg Wilson to contemporary fanatics such as Tim Sweeney and James Murphy… Who (alive or dead) would be your dream HMD guest?
Larry Levan and Ron Hardy!
Where do you see the future of current disco music? Can you see it ever going mainstream in the same way that the electro sound has penetrated popular music in recent years?
I think it has the potential to cross over in the way electro did. I think there are enough great producers who are true to the sound who are very talented and who carry the respect of dancers and musos alike. Who knows where it will go but it will be interesting to see.
What does HMD have planned for the future?
Apart from the compilation that is coming out in August which we are really excited about we’ll be touring most of the main festivals this summer in the UK, including hosting the dance tent on Saturday night at The Big Chill. Of course we are really looking forward to coming to Australia and seeing how we go down there. We’ve just started doing remixes so I hope we’ll be able to keep going with that and who knows… a horse meat disco album could be possible in the future. We just want to keep doing what we do because we love it. Its all about the party and we don’t want it to stop
