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Force Mass Motion are back with more of their essential old-school inspired sounds on a new two-track via their own self-titled label.
We have had the pleasure of interviewing him and this has been the result.
Hey Mike! Welcome to Chromatic Club. Tell us about where you’re from and how you got into electronic music.
Thanks so much guys! I'm from the countryside here in East Sussex in the UK, one of those small towns with fields and sheep. I started my electronic music journey being completely fascinated by these things called 'demos' on the commodore amiga. They would show off graphics and music capability on the Amiga. I wanted to find out more, how the music was made and before long I was sitting in front of 'Protraker' sampling and making my first tracks. The most famous and notable demo was one by Red Sector Inc - RSI Megademo, it's on youTube check it out.
Next month you’re dropping a fresh 2 track EP, ‘Ecstasy In Your Eyes’. Stellar UK rave sounds on this one; what can you tell us about this release and the production process behind it?
So it became completely clear that the 90's rave sound was getting MASSIVE again and my first releases back doing this has really landed me back where I need to be, although the late 90's progressive sound is also HUGE for me, I'm a bit of a victim in being quite prolific in both genres so I feel I may head to that sound next but that's for another time!!
So in 2024 after selling my old and rather huge hardware studio I now have a smaller Cubase based setup with a few hardware synths plugged into a Scarlett 18i8 interface, running some Sonarworks tweaked Mackies. Unfortunately my studio was flooded in late 2022, it's just being rebuilt so I will head back there with the budget to step things up and return to a more hardware based setup. I still have my massive sample library from back in the day, so I have access to all those sounds. Plus my 303 and that's all into Cubase with a setup in there like I used to run on my mackie 32-8bus and side car. So I like to run my cubase setup exactly how I ran my desk and gear back in the day, grouped and bussed, with effect sends and returns running a group compressor from drum mix and so on.
During the 90s and 00s, you were a core part of the UK’s rave scene. We’d love to know more about your partnership with Colin Faver and the iconic Rabbit City Records label, how did you get involved?.
So I go to a rave and hand a cassette tape over the DJ box to Colin, Monday morning comes and I hear my mum calling "There's a man called Colin on the phone for you" - "Do you want a record deal he goes!!!!" and it's really that simple!!! I arrived in London a few weeks later to Meet him and Gordon Edge, whom he ran the label with and the rest is kinda history, crazy but true!!!
That tape was second to one I actually sent to KIIS Fm called "100% Proof" that got played on air but nothing came of it. So, I wrote tracks on Protraker on an Amiga 500+ and then sent them to the guys to A&R. To be honest they liked them all so then came the, what seemed non stop run of FMM releases from me on RCR.
As an early pioneer, how do you think the UKs underground scene has changed over time?
Well "oldskool" split to "happy hardcore" then again to "DNB", "oldskool" moved for me very quickly to German influenced "techno" and then slowed and tranced more to "Progressive house" then the prog house heads seemed to split into either breaks or more, what I considered to be more boring prog house, that's why I dropped prog house and went the breaks route. Then all of a sudden breaks just died a massive death, was so strange I loved doing breaks and one of my finer moments was spent doing an album called 'Silencer - Signals', I loved that album and still do, it's on YouTube, go have a listen!
So now we arrive at new schoolers doing what they consider 'oldskool' well it's jungle or oldskool if it's got an amen in it right!!?? I'll stop moaning it's just a new take on an old sound and am pleased that everyone is having a good time with the old sound!
It's nice to see vinyl back, although for now I'll leave that alone. I just want a great time, meeting new friends and travelling a bit here and there to some hand picked gigs. I still get that buzz and it's still just great!!!!
Why did you decide to create your own imprint, ‘Force Mass Motion Recordings’, do you think it’s something that all artists should do?
My motivation was the fact that all of my RCR content was out of contract after 25 years and it needed a home. I used to run a label called 'contact recordings' and I'm surprised, even at myself for not moving it all on that, but it was a quick decision that now just seems to work. If I hear a good new artist I'd even pick up something else and release it, maybe having my branded labelname wouldn't make that fit that well, i'm not sure but for now it serves a great purpose. That I can release what I like and do what I like. I have MUTE for publishing and Dispersion PR for my PR stuff, great friends from way back that still keep me buzzing!!!
If you secure your digital distribution and have a team behind you to pick up label activity then why not, it's working so far!!
Do you have any advice for aspiring producers/DJs?
Don't just go to Splice and write music by numbers. It's lame ...
Give your tracks identity, with well written hooks or noticeable content. I always had a rule in my head. A guy walks into a record store "what's that tune that goes, beeep beeeeep beep ebeepepepep" the guy goes AHHHH! Thats ..... tadaa, you need that, or why would anyone remember anything or bother to play it.
What are your plans for the rest of 2024?
2024 - Get back in my new studio and yes I'm going to say it, my progressive house sales have been MASSIVE over the last months, so I already have a single written with another to back it on an EP. I plan on trying to keep up the momentum for every 6 weeks for a release but what with the flood, its proving tricky.
I'd love to do some nice gigs too, the UK has ALWAYS been odd for me, so it would be great to do some here, if not I have some massive and exciting offers already being talked about abroad. Would love to play at Dekmantel and head and see a new friend/promoter back in Madrid where I was this month. Also please anyone, hit me up on socials and say hi, it's great meeting people, I love the social aspect to what we all do as producers, promoters and listeners.
Keep your eyes/ears peeled for my exclusive track on "Calling the Hardcore #5 - I Get Up (Forever)" Sammy has become a great mate and runs the best nights in Brighton that there is at the moment.
One last thing to say a big goodbye to my best mate and fellow producer Mallorca Lee from Ultrasonic and Public Domain, your sadly missed mate, see you on the dancefloor!!
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