Deep Freeze - Interview

If there is one term that has come to mean good house in recent years, it's ' made in Glasgow'. The city in the highlands which has previously given birth to labels such as Glasgow underground and Fresh n 'Low promises to deliver, yet again, more quality house through new baby Deep Freeze Records.
The first release to hit the record shops will be The Clyde Built Project, the product of Matthew Drummond and Barry Reeves, on their own imprint. Not exactly strangers to the scene, Matthew has previously produced as part of the DC Project and Papa Washington Trio, who together with Barry have been hosting regular club nights in Glasgow featuring some of Glasgow's other top DJs.

Both natives of the city, and regulars of the infamous Sub Club and The Arches, they met at an all-nighter on Loch Lomond and haven't looked back since. Their first project, Clyde Built, aims to bring us a distinctive style of house to take us back to our roots. Drawing on the funk, disco and dub roots of house music to bring us funky and percussive style of house. The Clyde Built Project has already been a success locally and is moving swiftly further a field, having caught the attention of Greg Cash. Now with two impending releases on Cash's own Chicago label Bumpin' City, 'Uplifted Voice/Hold on me' due for release in March , their aim to bring us a no nonsense stripped down form of house roots is about to be realised.

Matthew and Barry's dub inspirations have an alter ego with just as much serious passion. Under the guise of Housing Benefit , they plan to release later this year in March or April, two tracks, 'Pole Position/Let U Down 'and 'Crazy House/What's ur number'. The Housing benefit represents a deeper side to the duo with a more deep and housey sound.

In fact, upcoming releases on Deep Freeze will only help to ensure Glasgow's solid presence in the world of house, with other material involving collaborations between Glasgow's own Kushi from Kushi records and the Sub Club's very own, Harri. And as if that isn't enough, Matthew's other/creative output, Papa Washington Trio have just finished an album, 'Trio de Janerio', due out on Paper this February. Papa Washington trio's previous release with this Manchester label,'Chocolate Fingers' has been Paper records biggest selling release to date. The album, and also a single of the same name, which is due out the same time, has already been tagged as the album of the year.

It all sounds good for these two guys if one believes the hype. That's the word on the street anyway, and I have yet to come across a Glasgow boy who doesn't know their house. Not wanting to get left in the dark, I decided to hear it from the horse's mouth and see if Deep Freeze are as cool as they sound.

DHN: Deep Freeze has been running regular club nights in Glasgow, did you use this as a launch pad for Deep Freeze Recordings or was DFR born from the clubnight?

Barry: I suppose they were kind of simultaneous if anything. We launched the record label with a boat party on Loch Lomond in the summer. It really was something special! But we didn't actually release a record until January. It's taken a lot of time and effort to get everything up and running, but it's definitely been worth it.

DHN: It must have been quite an achievement after a few years together to see Deep Freeze up and running, did you ever plan for it to go this far, and how has it been along the way?

Barry: We haven't even known each other that long yet. Give us a chance! But yes it's been great. We love the music first and foremost. Sometimes that makes it hard because it's very personal, but it's also the key to getting the most out of what we do. So far I'm loving it!

Matthew: Yes, I planned it to go this far and I hope much, much further. There's so much more to be done and we've only just begun!

DHN: Obvious but very curious, where does the name Clyde Built come from?

Barry: 'Clyde Built' was a phrase that came around during Glasgow's hey-day when it was the ship-building capital of the world. The yards on the Clyde symbolised many things which continue to characterise the city, including pride, prosperity, inequality and sectarianism. Glasgow in many ways is 'Clyde Built' and so are we. We both grew up around Glasgow and were part of a very different but just as internationally renowned tradition within the city - That tradition is a love of dance music. From the early days in the 1980s when soul, funk and disco provided the soundtrack to the beginnings of house music when institutions like the Sub Club and Slam took over, this city has been driven by great music. We are both very much 'Clyde Built' when it comes to music and so the name. We also liked the name because it made a person, a thing out of the work we do together and that's kind of how it is.

Matthew: 'Clyde built' means made in Glasgow. The city has a very healthy club scene at the moment and has had for some time. There are lots of great DJs and producers who play at various clubs in and around the city. I think that being from Glasgow has been an advantage,it has a very good reputation for house music and I'm proud of that.

DHN: You say that The Clyde Built Project draws on the funk, disco and dub roots of house music, what and who have been your major influences over the years in creating this sound?

Barry: We like music which has space and warmth, and which is built essentially on strong basslines and good drums. Not too fast and with plenty of groove. My influences are James Brown, Bob Marley, King Tubby, Lee Perry, The Scientist, and dub reggae in general. Then there's the disco stuff which I've loved since I was young and still do. And in terms of more contemporary stuff, I suppose, Swag, Soulfuric, Drop Music, DJ Deep and Moodymann are the main contenders.

Matthew: I like it deep and dirty, but with soul. Influences I can think of are Marvin Gaye, Bobby Huey, Lee Perry, Jonny Osbourne, Augustus Pablo and The Temptations. Just now I like stuff by JT Donaldson and Jon Cutler.

DHN: .Not only has Clyde Built seemed to be a success locally, but has also seemed to have grabbed attention across the globe, on the 'Do it to Me ' release, there is a funky as remix by Bill Mondjack aka Real Moody B(Church St Records, USA), how did that come about ?

Barry: We hooked up with Bill over a compilation we're getting together. We wanted to license an excellent track called'Shakedown' which he made under the name Disco Thugz. Anyway, we got chatting and he ended up doing the remix of 'Do it 2 Me!' and coming over to Glasgow to play where he had a ball. He liked it so much that he's moving over to Europe now and will be doing more tracks for us in the future!

DHN: Not only have you signed two of your tracks, 'Uplifted Voice/Hold on Me' to Greg Cash for release on his own label, Bumpin' City, but Deep Freeze is hoping to release two original tracks by this Chicago legend, what can we expect from this cosy little relationship?

Barry: Greg has been great. He has given us so much positive feedback and encouragement and the recent Bumpin' City stuff is absolutely HOT! Have you heard Stacy kidd's 'Discomania'? If not try to find it 'cause it's pure quality! We're really excited about having a release on Bumpin' and we're really pleased with the tracks we've given them. We've tried to do our own take on the dirty, bumpin' style and we think it works. Greg's also given us some excellent tracks of his which will be released in March/April on Deep Freeze. We hope that the relationship will thrive with Greg and lead to DJing together, remix work and more track swapping.

DHN: You say in your bio that producing under the name of Housing Benefit pays homage to yet another important element in your development, what exactly do you mean by that?

Barry: Let's just say that neither of us would have got by at important times of our lives if it wasn't for this great social institution.

Matthew: I'm still waiting for a cheque!

DHN: You are starting a new residency in May in Warsaw, at the legendary Polish club Piekarnia, with a new night called Northern Soul, you must be excited about that and what do you think the main differences to playing there as opposed to playing in Glasgow will be?

Barry: Actually, we played at Piekarnia the last time we were in Warsaw, which was great, but our new residency is at another top venue called W5. Differences? Not many. The crowd seemed just as messy as a Glasgow one, but the one difference was that there is the extra buzz that comes from people hearing a lot of the music for the first time, whereas in Glasgow house music is so popular that even Joe Bloggs knows his Jon Cutler from his JT Donaldson!

Matthew: The beautiful women, fantastic vodka, big crowds and in the summer the surprisingly hot weather. When we first went out there we thought it was going to be cold and grey, but instead it was steaming hot and we spent most of the time drinking beer just to cool down.

DHN: Matthew, you already have had terrific success with previous projects in the house music scene, under the name of DC Project you had some very successful releases on your own Subconscious Records imprint, and as part of the Papa Washington Trio, 'Chocolate Fingers' being Paper recordings biggest selling record of all times, which is quite an achievement, would you say that either of these earlier endeavours have influenced Deep Freeze in any way?

Matthew: During my time working with Harri from The Sub Club on The Papa Washington Trio album,I began 2 realise that i could make more money playing other peoples records than I could making those records myself. But then when I started DJing I realised that the way to get more bookings was to produce tracks. So now with Deep Freeze we're trying to do both and hopefully that will work out well.

DHN: And as you seem to be getting quite a name for yourself with all this very positive experience, how would you say you have seen house music evolve along the way?

Barry: Don't know really, it evolves in different ways and sometimes is just great for staying the same and being reliable like a good beer or smoke.

DHN: Where would you like to see Deep Freeze in a years time? ..and say, oh, about 5 years time ?

Barry: We just want to keep releasing good records, working with interesting people and would like to DJ more in as many places as possible.

Matthew: I'd like to see us relocated to a beach-hut in Jamaica.

DHN: With so much going on at the moment between Deep Freeze, Clyde Built, Housing Benefit, Bumpin' City and the impending release of Trio De Janerio (PWT),already tagged as the album of the year, what you would say has been the highest point, the cherry on top for you both so far?

Barry: Playing in Warsaw last summer. It was brilliant to see people responding so positively to house music, even though many of them were used to a harder style. At times the atmosphere was electric. We held onto that buzz for as long as we could and even did a track called 'Pole Position' when we returned. That's what it's all about when you get that feeling that you're hearing the music for the first time again. We can't wait to go back!

Matthew: Me too!

DHN: So, to finish off, I think it is very fair to say that the house scene has a lot to look forward to from Deep Freeze and from their many other little pies which they have their fingers stuck into, have you any advice or parting shots for all the house heads out there reading this?

Barry: Don't be a wanker, because there's already too many of them.

Matthew: Don't get up before midday and always do your tracks after dark.

'Luv thy brother/Panama Jaxx 'and 'Do it Me' are both out now on the Deep Freeze label. I can definitely say that's lots of people are going to like what this label has to offer. These are solid Glasgow classy grooves for proper house peopleWith ' Luv they brother? Panama Jaxx' expect to hear some funky basslines and a steady classic beat. 'Do it to me ' will do it to the dance floor with some great melodies, funky bass and a great groove with a disco feel. The Moodyman remix on the b-side can only be described as one of those tunes that any music fan would be happy to have in their record collection.

For more information please contact Deep Freeze info@deepfreezerecords.com

Aine G
aine@deephousenetwork.com