Belgian DJ-producer Bart Van Neste is one half of creative house duo FCL alongside compatriot Nicolas Geysens. The pair has rocketed into clubland ascendancy following a run of warmly constructed, discerningly delivered house tracks on labels such as 20:20, Defected and, of course, We Play House (Van Neste’s own imprint), and have been key players at both Defected In The House and Glitterbox residencies at Booom this year.
‘It’s You’ is FCL’s biggest release to date, a savvy exploration of minimal soul-dance influenced by ESP’s Chicago groove of the same name from 1986, and wielding inspired snatches of percussion, bass, synth and female vocal. The lick has run and run but then there’s so much more to FCL when you consider earlier, similarly snappy releases like ‘More Than Seven’, ‘Let’s Go’ and ‘Used To Be’, and a plethora of tuned-in remixes for Reggie Dokes (‘Dreamcatcher’), Klangmodule (‘Konsonanz’) and Subb-An & Adam Shelton (‘Feel So Real’).
FCL have been together, officially, since 2009, but Van Neste and Geysens comfortably pre-date that in their respective solo incarnations as Red D (Van Neste) and San Soda (Geysens), and even before that as themselves – young DJs on Belgian’s vibrant new beat, trance and house scenes. Red D, still closely aligned to new beat and trance, is a largely performance-driven alias; yet enthused solo productions have landed on Morse and We Play House. San Soda, meanwhile, retains crisp house focus; a wealth of DJ appearances supporting We Play House ‘twelves’ including ‘The Limited Gear EP’, ‘Quilombo’ and ‘You Hear Me’.
But we must get back to FCL. The duo plays Defected In The House at Booom Ibiza next Tuesday 16 September having already played the night in July, and Defected’s sister Booom night Glitterboxin both July and August. It’s a sign of the times, the boys in huge demand at top-drawer clubs all over the place – their itinerary over the past two years has taken in Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, St Petersburg and London, to name but a few cities. And beyond the summer there are compilation projects lurking; so too some dedicated studio time in which to nail the next exciting chapter of FCL’s kick-ass story. Mr Van Neste has dropped by to tell us more....
Bart, let’s kick off by asking what you’ve been up to over the past week?
It’s been a diverse seven days! I had a four-gig weekend, which meant that on Monday I did fuck all. Yesterday, I finished a track with Lady Linn [the Belgian jazz-diva with whom Van Neste and Geysens regularly work] as Red D. It’s old school trance, which means a great deal in Belgium. That sound is also a big part of my background – after the pop of the mid-Eighties, new beat and trance became huge in Belgium and that eventually got me into Chicago and Detroit. Belgium still throws these huge trance parties and one of the organisers is doing a compilation and wanted a new track for it. I was more than happy to help; we go back a long way. Simon [Dunmore] wants to hear it...he’s very curious about it!
How do you find switching between something like that, as D, and then FCL’s output?
It’s totally natural for me. I think my Belgian background helps. The clubs in Ghent, where I’m from, rarely play the same music throughout the night. Yes, there’s the history with new beat and trance but it’s totally natural here to have variety. I’ve grown up with the same frame of mind. Even when I play as a guest somewhere for two hours, I like to meander. And in the studio, the music I make really depends on how I feel.
Has the dynamic between you and Nicolas changed with FCL’s success?
Today, I probably know more about the studio than when we started out. Back then, I had little confidence to try things on my own. But the funny thing is that we’re pretty much the same as before. I’ll never try and change Nicolas’ mind on production techniques; I’m still learning from him. He brings that side of things to the table and I bring the DJ vibe, the arrangements, the musicality and lyrics. He’s probably more your typical studio perfectionist. Me, on the other hand...if I think something is sounding good then I’ll say ‘let’s do it’...no more need to change things around. There’s a nice balance, a nice yin-yang. We completely trust one another.
Did you ever worry that ‘It’s You’ would, in today’s brand-led climate, define and pigeon hole you?
We never worried. I think the record is still difficult to pinpoint – some argue it’s a song, others a tool. It has a real diversity. At the same time it never went so far as the top spot in the pop charts and, before it, we’d had several underground hits which journalists and industry insiders knew. People knew our background; they knew we weren’t a one-hit wonder. Me personally, I was older than most artists having their first big hit and was not thrown off balance. Nicolas is steady on his feet too. All this helped us. It was fine.
So what’s next?
We have a Defected In The House compilation due in the new year, which we’re really excited about. We’re also looking at some other bonus elements with regards to that project. Before that, Nicolas and I are planning to spend December in the studio together. We’ll see what we can do in the time. Hopefully we’ll have a few new FCL singles and maybe even the material for an artist album. We like the idea of an album because we’ve definitely grown as FCL and this sort of project would allow us to grow further. This could link to an FCL live show, but we’d need the material first and it’s probably end up a longer-term thing. We’ll see.... Other than this we have gigs and a few solo projects as Red D and San Soda.
Tell us about playing Booom! for Defected this summer....
It’s been a really interesting, enjoyable experience. Back in July, when we played both nights [Glitterbox and Defected In The House] there was a similar, young and clued-up house crowd. Glitterboxwas still finding its feet though and Simon actually suggested that we should be careful with playing the whole disco and Balearic thing. We returned in August and the night was now packed and had this great atmosphere. The crowd was noticeably older and really receptive to everything. The diversity was fantastic and that was good for us. Next week we’re back to Defected In The House and playing with Kenny Dope who, like us, is into lots of sounds. We want to bang it out but keep that FCL vibe at the same time. The balance will be a challenge but we’re totally looking forward to it.
What’s the FCL approach to DJing?
Personally, I like the fact I’m able to play big room gigs and then smaller venues with a soul-funk vibe, for example. The records I buy are the records I play and I can’t ask for more really. In terms of how Nicolas and I prepare for gigs, it’s 110% intuition. I don’t think we decide on our first record until 3 or 4 minutes before our set starts. That said we like to be in the club a couple of hours early so we can feel the atmosphere. I think that whatever records are in the bag, there are always different combinations and ideas so there are always exciting things we can try.
How about in the studio?
There’s no real outside inspiration, it’s just Nicolas and I drawing out the ideas. We just let it happen and our approach never feels out of place. At this stage, I think the elements of all the styles we like work their way into whatever music it is we’re producing at the time – it’s subconscious and, again, intuitive. It’s really interesting.
Back to Ibiza quickly, do you have any thoughts on the wider island?
Booom, I think, is really starting to happen musically now and has a great platform for 2015. Other than that, let’s just say there are some nice new places to eat. I tend not to get involved in the industry gossip like a lot of DJs and label owners do. I keep away. It’s the same with ADE; if I’m not playing somewhere there, then you’ll have a hard time trying to find me!
FCL play Defected In The House at Booom Ibiza on Tuesday 16 September - click for full line-up and tickets
