Jody Watley and Mark De Clive Lowe are busy people. Between winning herself a Grammy and writing more than a dozen hit albums, Jody has collaborated with the likes of David Morales , 4Hero and Masters at Work. Mark meanwhile has quietly been producing some of the world’s finest electronic music, with Gilles Peterson labelling him “the man behind a million great tunes”, so it was inevitable that these two musical masterminds would meet sooner rather than later.
That time has now come with the release of ‘Tonight’s the Night’, which has shot straight to the top stop on Traxsource’s download chart. We caught up with both Jody and Mark to discuss the record, each other and collaborations past, present and future…
Tell us about how the collaboration on ‘Tonight’s the Night’ came about…
Mark - I'd done a remix of 'Midnight Lounge' for Jody's 'The Makeover' project…that was the first time we'd collaborated after we 'met' over Myspace (back in those days!). The remix turned out great and we wanted to follow that up with another collaboration.
Jody - Mark started sending incredible tracks. I loved the music for what became 'Tonight's the Night' and wrote lyrics while stuck in traffic. Fortunately and much to my relief, Mark liked what I'd come up with. The first time we met face to face was when we did the vocal session.
It’s gone straight to #1 on the Traxsource download chart…how does that make you feel?
Mark - It's fantastic to have that immediate support from the house community on the release. I've worked on a countless house productions, collaborations with Phil Asher, Kenny Dope, Aaron Ross, DJ Spinna, Joe Clausell and others…it's great with this one to step out more.
Jody - I'm thrilled and quite stunned actually. In recent years I've worked successfully in the dance and electronic genre and have the support of lot of DJ's and club kids, but I do believe this is a special record. I don't recall going #1 in just a week anywhere.
Mark...tell us about the productions techiniques/equipment you used…
The production was all done on Logic; that's the heart of my studio setup. I use some outboard keyboards – the Fender Rhodes, a Juno 6 and a Korg Radias primarily. For the drums, I usually either use the MPC3000 or program them in Logic, but in this case, the beats were all in Logic for both the original and my remix. It took a minute for the remix to happen though. I find that sometimes when I'm too close to a tune it's hard to envisage it in a different way and remix it. Once a few months had passed after the original was finished, it was easier to revisit and find the vibe for the remix. I remember doing the main vibe of that remix on a flight from New York to LA with my Macbook and a little Korg Nano keyboard!
Jody...tell us about the inspiration behind the vocal…
When I wrote the lyrics, the melody leaned towards a slightly more aggressive vocal to capture a bit of the angst and desire to cut loose from the daily grind, or from stale relationships which have gotten stuck in a rut, which of course the song is all about. I had a lot of fun…we kept a bit of laughter in the track near the end of the song! After so many years I'm proud to say I'm never just going through the motions. I'm extremely passionate about what I do and it was a joy working with Mark.
Mark de Clive Lowe & Jody Watley
Mark…you’re a classically trained musician…do you think that’s important to your success as a producer? Does it give you an advantage over other producers?
I've played keys all my life and classical training aside, it's definitely a big part of my ability and skill set as a producer being able to play whatever I hear in my head. That said, I've learnt a lot from working with producers who just use samples, or whose expertise is showcased most when they're behind a drum machine. I love having a broad range of skills that allow me to cover instruments, arrangements, beats and technology all together; it's definitely important to the producer and artist that I am.
Jody…tell us about some of the collaborations you’ve worked on in the past…do any stand out as particularly rewarding?
My goodness, the list is so long. David Morales dating back to my third album springs to mind. I hired him to produce and write a song with me. He couldn't believe it, since he was primarily known as a remixer back then. Masters at Work, who I've had the pleasure of collaborating with twice, DJ Spinna and Max Sanna from Soulcast who produced mixes from my last #1 single in 2007's ‘I Want Your Love’. 4Hero which was a dream come true because their music from ‘Two Pages' inspired me in so many ways during a very low period in my life and career, and so to work with them a couple years ago was so meaningful. I'd be remiss in not mentioning my groundbreaking collab with Eric B and Rakim in the late 80's, blending the custom rap verse with Pop/R&B. I've been a longtime and supporter of quality dance music for decades now, so this isn't just a bandwagon thing with me. Everyone I work with, I'm a fan of first and foremost.
Jody…you’re in an elite group of recording artists to have won a Grammy. How does that feel?
I'm always humbled and of course it's a great distinction as an artist. That said though, mostly I just keep my nose to the grindstone on this musical journey. I'm sure not resting on my laurels and being fed grapes every day!
What are your plans for the rest of the year? Any more interesting collaborations in the pipeline?
Mark - I've produced new joints on Jody's forthcoming LP 'Chameleon' as well great new projects for US vocalists Leon Ware, Sy Smith and Sandra St. Victor as well as my own new album which I'm in London mixing down right now. Plus I'm always collaborating with Phil Asher on different bits and pieces and Karizma and I are talking about a joint project too. There's always more!
Jody - I'll be finishing off my new album and hopefully myself and Mark will be able to do a few live dates together as well.
Tonight's the Night is out now on Strictly Rhythm
