Techno legend Kevin Saunderson made quite a mark on clubland at the start of 2011, but it wasn’t entirely his own doing. Italian producers Giacomo Godi and Emiliano Nencioni, working together under the Supernova alias, had taken an unauthorised sample from Saunderson’s classic late eighties track The Sound and built their own bombastic house cut, Beat Me Back, around it. That tune quickly stood global dancefloors to impressed attention, topped Beatport’s influential house chart (remaining at number one for several weeks) and infuriated Saunderson.
Saunderson’s reaction was an open, clearly agitated email to key ‘heads’ within the dance music industry. “For me to hear Supernova taking an extended loop of The Sound and claiming that is their original composition and production is both dishonest and disrespectful” he typed. “We cannot continue to let this kind of wholesale rip off go unchallenged and tolerate ‘artists’ who completely sample recordings, add nothing of their own and then release the results as their own work.”
The email also linked to a free download of The Sound, and free live stream of Beat Me Back. Saunderson wondered, at first, if Supernova had acted out of naivety, but upon hearing that their discography stretched back to 2002 changed his view.
Supernova - Beat Me Back (Original Mix) by ibizaHouseworld
“It was a big situation at the time, I was understandably annoyed” he explains during our phone interview a good two months or so down the line. “But, look, they were really, really apologetic and we managed to resolve things. When they saw the email I’d posted they tried to contact me and work it out. We discussed financial terms and my name being credited and things worked out.”
They certainly did. Godi and Nencioni were just kids in 1987 when The Sound first appeared, they claimed, and whilst they had a decent knowledge of old-school techno when they first started recording, they had never heard that particular track. The Italians claimed that the problematic Saunderson loop had come from a sample library given to them by a friend, the details of which they couldn’t remember – it was an honest mistake; one that Saunderson ultimately accepted
But the story doesn’t end there. Defected has just licensed Beat Me Back (now credited to ‘Supernova feat. Kevin Saunderson) for a major re-release, and there is already talk of a follow-up collaboration. “There are no concrete plans but yes we’ve talked” he reveals. “They’re young artists with some good ideas. I like Beat Me Back but there’s a procedure you follow when making these sample records.”
To someone with as much status and experience as Saunderson has, procedure is all important; it’s something, arguably, many of today’s producers are eschewing thanks to the speed and ease with which they can record – digitally – on laptops, web software, and even iPads; the art of recording is maybe a little too informal these days?
“Young artists probably do think it’s easier to steal samples when the rest of the production process, what with software and technology and such, is so quick today. But that’s not an excuse for ripping someone else off. Young artists need to be clear about what they’re using. Seeking permission for samples is never quick or easy but taking shortcuts rarely works out. I have a lot of love for samples but they need to be treated well.”
Saunderson is actually here to talk about another new track, a collaboration between Inner City (the world famous dance act he created with vocalists Ann Saunderson – his wife – and Paris Grey over 20 years ago), Kidology founder Mark Wilkinson and Brighton-based DJ and producer Mikalis. In essence, Wilkinson and Mikalis have taken Inner City’s limited 2000 release Good Love and given it major new impetus for today’s peak-time house floors via Saunderson’s label KMS.
“I really enjoyed this project, Mark sent his remix to me which I really loved” Saunderson casually offers. “It has a great flow. The guys have a done a good job; it works well in the club.”
Back in the early eighties, Kevin Saunderson was one of three Detroit students – the famous Belleville Three, alongside Juan Atkins and Derrick May – making pioneering electronic music inspired by Kraftwerk. Subsequently, Saunderson pursued his own projects including Inter-City, a partnership with Chicago-based Grey that would evolve into Inner City.
Inner City’s unique fusion of techno and uplifting house on hit singles Good Life and Big Fun earned Saunderson and Grey global fame, and a place in dance music’s most authoritative history books. There were sporadic appearances over the following years, built around singles such as Hallelujah, Pennies From Heaven, Good Life (Buena Vida) and Good Love, and then an extended hiatus.
In 2009, that hiatus finally ended - the Saundersons and Grey re-formed and embarked on a series of highly successful one-off shows. But it is now in 2011 that the ‘comeback’ plans for Inner City are properly falling into place. Why have they taken so long to build?
“There’s never been a sense of urgency with Inner City’s return” Saunderson stresses. “Everything is about timing, so there’s no need to rush lots of shows and records out. We’ve been purposefully taking our time getting out there; I’ve been DJing and playing solo shows and running KMS too. I’m happy with how things have been building.”
Inner City, rather excitingly, are working on a new album. The original trio remains firmly at the helm but some production duties are being outsourced to Saunderson’s Detroit contemporaries – the likes of Stacey Pullen, Kenny Larkin and Carl Craig.
“I want things to evolve” he states. “Paris and Ann are still writing, arranging and singing, and I will be producing but I’m not doing the whole record this time. We’re working with people we trust and know well, but they will bring something else to the table. Their own music has soul and feeling, and they understand what Inner City is… it’s going to be a really exciting adventure.”
And not just because of the music. Kevin Saunderson and co. are facing a completely different club audience these days; their new album – no timeframe has yet been given for release - will represent a massive journey into the unknown.
“It’s a younger audience, for sure, and one that needs some education about where we’ve come from and what we represent” Saunderson muses. “But the climate for Inner City, and for Kevin Saunderson, is a good one still. Good music is good music; the most important thing is to learn, and every music lover, no matter what their background, has done that since time began. All sorts of people, all over the world, still come up to me when I DJ to tell me how much they like those classic Inner City records. ”
There’s been much talk recently about techno’s growing flirtation with quirky ‘underground’ pop and bass-heavy electronica. With regards to the latter, Saunderson’s close friend Carl Craig has already re-edited dubsteppers Appleblim and Ramadanman (Void 23) - a broad-minded collaboration still making seismic waves across the wider club scene. So what does Saunderson make of it all?
“I’ve never been tied to one style of music” he offers. “People can put me in the old-school techno box if they want but I simply like music with soul, with flow and with creativity. Carl is a great experimenter, who always looks for the cutting edge, and continues to inspire people. Dance music’s future is a fantastic one and technology is playing a big part. Technology shouldn’t be a bad thing, it can be used to motivate people in amazing ways.”
And what, finally, of Saunderson’s long-term future; does he have any remaining ambitions after so long in the game? “I’ve experienced so much in music that I’m already totally satisfied” he states. “That’s a nice position to be in, because I’m not working with any kind of fear of failure. I’d really like to score some movies in the next few years, and do some more solo and Inner City projects. And then there’s the global 25th anniversary tour for KMS next year but beyond that I’m fairly relaxed about the future… relaxed and happy.”
Mark Wilkinson & Mikalis vs Inner City – Good Love is out on KMS on May 25.
