How very typical of Simian Mobile Disco to switch their sonic styling this year. Production and DJ double act James Ford and Jas Shaw have forged an impressive reputation for experimentalism since their coming together in 2005, and so a move from the shiny, vocal electro-pop of early releases to the pumped tech-house and techno of their latest material – new album Delicacies, out later this month – is hardly surprising.
But it is engaging and highly commendable. At a time when many musical acts are sticking to the ‘tried and tested’ – no doubt aware of their potential vulnerability in clubland’s current unpredictable, rapidly evolving landscape – Simian Mobile Disco are pushing several creative boats out.
“We’re enjoying the music we’re making and playing today more than at any point in our career” Ford confesses. “Up until early this year we were known for making sounds suitable for home listening, not really playing out. We got to push a lot of boundaries, but I have to say our move into techno and harder club music has been especially liberating. The gigs are really good and the energy we can bring to productions is exhilarating. We’ve wanted to make stuff for a while now that has this instant access; we’re completely engaged.”
Ford and Shaw’s love affair with ‘wig out’ officially kicked off back in April. The pair, a DJ-driven offshoot of eclectic indie four-piece Simian, announced the formation of new record label Delicacies, a label which would give them the excuse to mess about in the studio and release low maintenance singles based on the kinds of sounds they liked playing out in clubs.
“We’d spent a lot of time recording and then touring our second album [2008’s Temporary Pleasure] and we wanted a change of pace” Ford explains; “an opportunity to record and release ideas quickly with little promo or fanfare. It’s cool to be working on something midweek and then testing it out on the weekend.”
The Delicacies label, releasing solely Mobile Disco output, gained instant momentum and cult status. Tracks were named after exotic culinary delights experienced by the chaps on their regular tours abroad – for example Nerve Salad and Aspic – and a closely related club night, Delicatessen, was firmly established.
Delicatessen had in fact opened for business in February via a launch party featuring heavyweight special guests Green Velvet and ‘wild pitch’ king DJ Pierre. “The night has taken on a life of its own” Ford grins. “It’s amazing to be able to choose your acts and basically create your perfect party. It’s an expensive business and can be a hassle to organise but it’s unbelievably worth it when a night kicks off. Delicatessen should be about good one-off parties; it’s not too regular, we need to have a balance with our other activities.”
DJ Pierre
Later this month, the night reappears in a secret London location to officially launch Simian Mobile Disco’s third studio album, named after and based on the iconoclastic label that has brought them so much aural satisfaction this year. “We kinda wanted to make sense of this year, it’s been pretty chaotic” Ford laughs. “Delicacies the album catalogues everything we’ve done in 2010, and there’s a bonus live mix of the tracks too. It seemed like a good move.”
It’s certainly a wide-ranging one, the nine tracks on offer not only given the names of offbeat foods from around the world but stylistically influenced by those same far-flung four corners. “We’ll definitely keep Delicacies going next year” he confirms. “It’s a nice outlet for experimentation. We’ve thought about opening it up to other people too but one step at a time… we get inundated with demos and requests; it’s a huge can of worms and I think we’d need to take our time to make sure things were in the best interests of the label.”
Time is the operative word. According to Ford, in the past year both he and Shaw have gained a far greater appreciation of the conce’pt quality over quantity’. The bright, shiny electro-pop success Simian Mobile Disco enjoyed with 2007 debut album Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release inevitably led to bigger opportunities with 2008 follow-up Temporary Pleasure and the pressures of juggling an increased and more keenly observed workload.
“We had a lot more attention to contend with - a lot more interest and a lot more work” he stresses. “Working with the likes of the Klaxons, Hot Chip and Beth Ditto was a privilege, particularly considering a lot of our peers were struggling with the recession. But looking back I think we allowed ourselves to get too busy; we were stressed and rushing through lots of remixes, work on the album, gigs…. I think we lost some focus; I actually think we went overboard on the vocal content on Temporary Pleasure. But it’s difficult, everyone wants you to give their project 100%; we learned a big lesson… you have to be brutal in terms of what work you accept and decline.”
Ford’s self-criticism, however mild, is for the most part unwarranted. Much like its predecessor, Temporary Pleasure earned well-deserved plaudits everywhere from the biggest, most influential blogs to the snootiest, high-circulating broadsheets. And yet those disco monkeys felt there was a need to shake things up and now a new, more measured approach to the studio and to touring commitments is, in their eyes (and ears) paying dividends.
“People love the wiggy stuff we do the best” Ford summarises. “We’ve not been accepted by everyone in the techno community; it’s has a big purist following. But we’re feeling really comfortable in our skins today and don’t really care. We’re enjoying the experimentation, the energy and the rapport with crowds. We’re having fun.”
One thing that has always run smoothly is the relationship between Ford and fellow Manchester University grad Shaw. So Ford says. But then what reason have we to doubt him when the Simian sound is so incredibly consistent and harmonious?. “What can I say?” he ponders. “It’s great working with someone you know you can trust completely. But it’s not just the studio; it’s all the travelling too. Jas is a good company; we have a laugh, we get each other. It all feeds into the ideas we have for our music. We have our solo projects too, but I reckon being a solo DJ or artist can be a lonely existence.”
So what can we expect from the Disco dudes next year - more appetite-whetting Delicacies, yes, but anything else? “We’ve started to throw ideas around for our next studio album and we’re already really excited about it,” comes the reply. “We really feel like we’re going to get this one right.”
Ford adds: “It’s not that what’s gone before has been bad but if our earlier stuff had been perfect then there wouldn’t have been the impetus to make more music. We’re still after the perfect record, so we’ll just keep striving towards it.”
Monkey business as usual then…
Words: Ben Lovett
Simian Mobile Disco’s new album Delicacies is released on November 29.
Simian Mobile Disco are playing Delicatessen Album Launch Party at Union St Car Park, London on Friday 26th November
£10 - £15 tickets available from http://theransomnote.co.uk/tickets/
