Lee Mortimer begins residency at Ministry of Sound

Lee Mortimer begins residency at Ministry of Sound

29 August, 2008 | 7.25PM

• Written by: jamiegardiner1
• Filed under: Music News:

With a string of successful releases on Dave Taylor’s label Dubsided, Lee’s own imprint Wearhouse Recordings is also making itself known for its infectious and wonky electro beats.

I caught up with Lee (aka Sawtooth Sucka) minutes after he rocked London superclub Ministry of Sound, the first set of his new monthly residency.

From humble beginnings producing tracks on his Commodore Amiga before he was a teen, to becoming London superclub Ministry of Sound’s latest resident, it’s been an eventful few years for Lee Mortimer.

His own sleaze-filled fidget house productions have appeared on countless compilations from DJs as diverse as Claude Von Stroke, Derrick Carter and Dave Spoon.

Lee has now firmly established himself as a top-notch recording artist and has had tracks and remixes on CR2, Front Room Recordings, Justin Long’s .dotbleep Recordings, Aquasky’s Passenger Records and many more.

I caught up with Lee after his storming debut set at Ministry, after his selection of wonky, dirty beats went down as a treat with the frenzied capital clubbers.

Lee finished his two hour mix in style with fidget favourites - the Crookers’ remix of Kid Cudi’s ‘Day n Nite’ and his latest track ‘Putto’, before making room for Detroit icon Stacey Pullen.

His set left many a fan looking forward to his next Ministry adventure.

So, firstly, congrats on your new residency at Ministry of Sound, London - that must have been a special moment for you when you got the news?

It really was and unexpected too.

I was told they were looking for a new resident and my name was in the hat and then a week later I had a meeting with them and the deal was done!

To get the chance to play at one of the best clubs in the world every month is such a privilege.

For someone who knows nothing of Lee Mortimer, what can they expect from your music?

Expect big wobbly basslines!  - it’s house music that doesn’t take itself too seriously, really.

I guess you would liken it to people like Switch, Crookers, Hervé etc.

I’m always looking for and producing fresh new tracks and sounds so you can never quite anticipate what’s coming next from me.

You might get two bars of Frank Sinatra or some obscure jazz track coming from nowhere, only to be hit with a belly-shaking bassline immediately after!

So as a DJ working the crowd, what makes a good night for you?

As you mentioned, the crowd is the most important thing.

It’s great to get a mixture of people and try to show them something new and play tracks they’ve never heard before.

It’s the best feeling in the world when for a few hours the crowd really get into the music you love and dedicate every second of your life to.

Have you embraced the laptop DJ era or are you still working the CDJs?

CDJs are my choice for now. I’m sure one day we’ll all be walking round with USB sticks that we can plug into a mixer and instantly start spinning.

Until then it’s CDs for me. I’d love to play vinyl still but I wouldn’t know where to get 90% the tracks I have on 12”.

Tell me more about your new label - Wearhouse Music?

It’s on its tenth release now and I’m really happy with the way things are going with it.

I started it as a vehicle to put out my own material really but as interest grew more people started sending me tracks that were too good to pass up.

It’s really grown from humble beginnings and I’m proud to have put out debut releases from artists like Andy George who’s just got a slot on BBC Radio 1 and also Scott Cooper.

Then there are people like HiJack, Foamo, Kelevra and TJR who are all smashing it right now.

There’s great music out there and I’m so pleased when it lands in my inbox and I can say, “I want to sign that right now!”

And you’re remixing every release on the label, right?

Pretty much. It’s not always possible with schedules and such things, but I always aim to.

Especially if it’s a new artist on the label and I want to promote them as much as possible.

I also feel if anyone’s been kind enough to let me put out their music then I have to do my best to ensure as many people can hear it as possible.

You’ve always been one to update your sound with the times. Fidget house is very much the genre of the moment—in which direction do you see the music heading next, and are you prepared?

It’s hard to say where it will go. I’d like to think I’ll have an influence on that with the music I make and also the tracks I put out on Wearhouse Music.

I don’t think it will be going away any time soon, maybe it will get a bit more subtle as some tracks are getting a little bit obvious.

There’s nothing like being hit with something that makes you turn your head and say “Wow, what the hell is that, I must move my body to this!”

For me that’s what the ‘fidget’ ethos is - it never sits still, it’s always changing and evolving.

Looking at your DJ diary, you’re a busy man with dates all over the UK/Europe and releasing tracks/running the label - how do you find time for it all?

I’m working or travelling every day, really.

Not a single day goes past when I’m not in the studio or listening to demos or doing something for the label.

It’s great, though, to be immersed in music all the time and to work with creative people.

I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Do you think the quality of dance music has dropped as so many new producers are making tracks from their home computer and so many tracks are being released?

I make tracks from my home computer!

Yes there’ll always be some dodgy tracks out there and I have been sent some on occasion, but it’s all a learning process.

I don’t think the problem is the bedroom producer or the ease of which you can make tracks at home but rather the labels that release them.

You can basically run a digital label on no money now, so people will put out pretty much anything.

Any tips for up-and-coming producers today?

Keep at it. I spent years of my life glued to my computer making tune after tune and learning along the way.

I’d literally get home from work and stay up until well after midnight just playing around with sounds and music.

You’ve also got to enjoy it though, I never made myself do it, it was what I wanted to do.

A good way to learn is to try and re-create a tune that you love.

Try and make the same sounds from scratch and programme the beats.

It’ll never turn out exactly like the original track but you’ll get a good grasp of what’s happening.

Tools of the trade, do you still use hardware, or is it Logic/Reason and handful of plugins?

I use Reason 4. That’s it. Another tip, I suppose, is really get to the software or hardware you use.

Limit yourself to just a few really good plugins, or like me just use one program.

I’ve been using Reason for about five years and nothing else.

Who were your musical influences growing up?

My Dad’s love for music really rubbed off on me, he DJ’d a few times as well!

He was into black music like Motown, funk, soul and disco, really, so naturally I’m a big fan of Stevie Wonder, Prince, Funkadelic etc..

He would also tape music videos onto VHS and play them back constantly.

I have the video of ‘Rockit’ by Herbie Hancock ingrained in my brain!

Which tune never fails to get a Lee Mortimer crowd going crazy?

Sawtooth Sucka ‘Depressed Mode’ (Wearhouse Music). The cheekiest breakdown around!

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