The Shapeshifters reveal their summer plans

2 months ago 23rd Jul 11:59

With two new singles ready for release and a new home at The Defected record label, 2008 looks set to be a summer of dirty beats for the Shapeshifters and any self respecting clubber out there.

Female First caught up with the band to chat about the flagging UK dance scene as well as their tribute to the fantastic Jason Bourne.

You took the UK by storm in 2003 with “Lola’s Theme,” was there a lot of pressure afterwards to replicate that success?

Yes and no, there are always people out there who, after you’ve had some success, say things like; “oh, will they able to do this or that?” but within ourselves we decided that we would only do what we could naturally do and we just went into the studio and made ‘Back To Basics’ which was also in the top 10 which was really great.

From other people there was a little bit of waiting to see what we’d do next, but from ourselves, no, we just always made what we make.

You joined The Defected record label and are producing music for clubbers rather than for mainstream radio and charts, in what way does that affect your music?

It isn’t majorly different but in the last few years at EMI, we just got the feeling that they wanted us to make more mainstream music for daytime radio and it’s not what we ever really set out to do and by going to Defected it just frees us up artistically and means we can make the music we make without having to think about appealing to radio or TV or this or that, what we do best is making music for the dance floor. So it’s all to do with the situation we’re in with our record company rather than ourselves.

You have re-worked Orbital’s “Chime,” what made you choose to work on that particular track?

Just pure love for the song really, it’s one of my all-time favourite records and I have wanted to do it for a long time and now felt like the right time. It really happened by accident to coincide with 20 years of acid house.

You have also just finished “Treadstone,” is this song in any way connected to the secret projects in the Jason Bourne trilogy?

Yes, it’s all to do with that, it’s our favourite film.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Well having a number one record ain’t bad. The last five years have been the highlight of our careers really, we’ve been going for quite a long time and the past few years we have been constantly playing in some of the best dance clubs in the world and doing some really amazing things.

Where would you like to be in 10 years?

Still making music would be nice, maybe producing for some other people would be cool, just still enjoying life really would be the best thing to be able to do, and obviously still be alive and kicking.

What’s coming up in the near future for you?

We’ve just done a mix compilation so that’s being mastered as we speak, and also the release of Chime and Treadstone. Then I think we’re going to head back into the studio and work on a couple of remixes we’ve been asked to do.

Are you going to be doing a tour of the UK clubs?

I don’t know, I’m a bit disillusioned with the UK club scene at the moment because compared to the rest of the world its pretty rubbish at the moment. I think the country is suffering to a bit of apathy when it comes to music in general and in the club scene at the moment some of the clubs are feeling a bit tired and they need to give themselves a bit of a kick up the arse and reinvent themselves a little bit because places like Eastern Europe are putting us all to shame. We’ll probably do a couple of key shows in Manchester, Birmingham and London and then that will be about it for the UK because we’re touring all over America and South America and there’s a lot of other places out there for us so the UK isn’t really at the top of our list at the moment.

We ask everyone we interview to come up with a question for the next person we interview....and Eileen Rose wants to know; “Which member of the band spends the longest in front to the mirror?”

Matt without a shadow of a doubt! He is guilty as charged.

And what would you like to ask my next interviewee?

Do you prefer cats or dogs.

Find out whether the Reckless Sons preferred cats or dogs here