Former winner of the now defunct Muzik magazine’s Bedroom Bedlam competition, it was stints at Koobla Records and Phonica that first introduced Will Saul to house and techno. And it’s a good thing they did; over the past decade or so he has built up a reputation as a true connoisseur of electronic music, and his labels Simple and Aus Music are widely seen as two of the most innovative and forward-thinking imprints in the industry.
Currently spending a significant proportion of his time holed up in the studio, he’s kindly taken a few minutes out of his schedule to chat to us about what to expect from his forthcoming album and to provide the latest In Their House mix.
In Their House #07 - Will Saul by Defected Records
How are you doing on this fine spring day?
Very well thanks! Still well rested after a bank holiday weekend with no gigs, which was lovely with this stunning weather we’re having. I headed to Somerset where I grew up and the English countryside was at its glorious best. I have Milan, Belfast, Zurich, Hamburg and then our Aus party in Room 2 of Fabric over the coming three weeks, so it was good to get a break in before it gets busy again.
You’re currently working on your album right? Is it going to be skewed more towards Simple or Aus?
Indeed. I’m in the studio at the moment putting the finishing touches to the last instrumental track - which is a 135bpm garage number...kind of Vangelis meets Todd Edwards. Overall the album is hopefully going to be a bit of step on from anything I’ve done before. There are lots of vocal collaborations on there; Paul St.Hilaire (Tikiman), Fink, Joe Dukie (Fat Freddies Drop), Sebastian from Detachments and two tracks with Charlene Soraia (new signing to Peacefrog). I’ve also collaborated on production duties with Appleblim, October and Scuba on three of the tracks. There will still be a healthy dose of me though; five Will Saul instrumentals will underpin the whole thing. It’s very definitely been made as an album rather than a selection of dancefloor tracks – although some of the tracks may work on the dance floor its designed as a listening album, albeit one that at moments will hopefully make you want to dance. I am not sure whether I’ll release it myself (if I do, it’s probably more suited to Aus) or whether I may try and sign it to another label. It’s much more poppy and song based than anything I’ve ever done before so perhaps there may be other labels better suited than Aus or Simple to release it. Once I get it finished then I will consider this fully.
Is the A&R for the two labels just yourself, or do you have some help in that department?
Just me, although I often bounce decisions off Fink – who I started Aus with. He’s one of my closest friends but also has a very well tuned set of ears.
Tell us about the mix…how and where was it recorded?
It was recorded in February at Club 11’s (formerly the legendary Yellow) 1st birthday. It’s the first hour of a 4.5 hour set. It’s such an amazing club. INCREDIBLE attention to detail throughout the club – especially with sound and light, which from my experiences is pretty typical in Japan. They even had a little cubicle in the booth with a toilet in it!! I was pretty relieved about this as the main toilets are up two flights of stairs and a bit of mission to get to....I can hold it for a two hour set but 4.5 is pushing it! Japan is definitely my favourite country to DJ in.
What’s your DJ set up when you play out?
Just CDs. I used to play all vinyl, then a mixture of CD’s and vinyl and then for ease of transport I switched to CDs. I still make all our Aus and Simple releases on vinyl and love the format but it’s not very practical to move around with two boxes of records. I’d also had record boxes pinched by airlines before and that is a real gutter.
Any tracks on there that we should be looking out for?
There’s a smattering of Aus and Simple on there that are well worth checking out!
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Get the album finished by the end of May and hopefully release it in the autumn. Lots of great music coming out on Aus – EP’s from Midland (May 16th) George Fitzgerald (June 20th) with remixes from Tevo Howard and John Roberts are on the immediate horizon. Cottam, Appleblim, Braiden and Lee Jones are also working on releases for us.
Anything else you’d like to tell us..?
I’m going to be programming all music for (and resident at) an amazing new club in Brooklyn/New York that’s opening next year.
Tracklist:
1. I:Cube – Pazuzu [Versatile]
2. Gadi Mizrahi – Can’t Stop This Feeling (Lee Curtiss Remix) [Simple Records]
3. MCDE – Raw Cuts 4
4. Lee Curtiss – Smoking Mirrors – [Spectral/Ghostly]
5. Solomun – Love Recycled 1 – [2DIY4]
6. Atlantic Conveyor – Nasty Things (Gadi & Jamie Jones Re-edit)
7. Lil’ Louis – Club Lonely (J Cub Remix)
8. Unknown - Unknown
9. Tevo Howard – The Age Of Compassion (House Mix) [Buzzin’ Fly]
10. FCL – More Than Seven
11. Ramadanman & Midland – Your Words Matter [Aus Music]
12. SCB – Loss [Aus Music]
13. Manu Le Tough – Started Running [Dirt Crew]
