Nostalgia for the future: Two Armadillos interview

Nostalgia for the future: Two Armadillos interview

6 May, 2008 | 2.03AM

• Written by: Lee Smith
• Filed under: Music News: giles smith, martin dawson, two armadillos

One of its members is the promoter of a trailblazing London club night Secret Sundaze, globe trotting DJ, expert in all things deep and housey, and occasional music writer of some repute.

The other is knob twiddler and studio boffin extraordinaire, better known as synthy tech-house purveyor King Roc.

Together, Giles Smith and Martin Dawson are Two Armadillos, and luckily for us, their busy schedules have still found time to squeeze out a run of slinky, sensual deep techy goodness that’s earned them something of a name on the underground scene.

With their ‘Nostalgia’ release on Buzzin’ Fly currently making regular appearances on the globe’s more sophisticated dancefloors, Beatportal caught up with the dynamic duo at their London base to find out where they get the time. 

Giles Smith:

You’ve been DJing since 2000 but only started producing in 2006 (according to discogs). How come you hadn’t dabbled before then?

Well, if I tell you that I was buying records and house music since 1992, so it took me eight years to start DJing, you may see a trend developing.

There are so many DJs and producers out there jumping on the same bandwagon.

I never really wanted to be a DJ, I just saw myself as music obsessive.

Believe it or not, my friends pushed me to into DJing, even buying some equipment for me.

I think it’s important to have knowledge about musical history, and to have something different to say.

What I’m trying to say is I do things in my own time and it felt right, now.

How did you come to start working with Martin?

Martin and I had mutual friends.

A couple of people suggested we work together as we both have different skills and knowledge bases.

However it was in Phonica where Martin was working, and where I was shopping, that we hooked up and got to know each other.

Would you say your production as TA is largely based on the kind of stuff you like to play out?

Yes, for sure.

Most of our productions as Two Armadillos is fairly deep, and is about the groove. 

Our sound focuses on live-sounding elements, particularly drums, which is very influenced by what I like to play out.

However, we don’t like to stick to one style, and we do some super deep stuff as well as some more peak time or mid-set stuff, but always with a strong focus on the groove.

I’m also very influenced by both the Chicago and Detroit sounds too, which is evident in my DJ sets.

What are yours and Martin’s roles in the studio?

Well, Martin is the skilled engineer and has great technical ability.

I’m definitely much more focused on ideas, and I think where I really bring something to the table is my attention to detail in getting every sound just right, and keeping the purity of the vibe. 

We both have similar tastes though, and I think we complement each other well.

Do you see yourself dedicating more time to production in the future?

For sure.

I really enjoy working in the studio, particularly with Martin.

We meet on a regular basis now but I have many other commitments, such as running the Secretsundaze parties and label, which takes up so much time.

Who/what are the main influences on your sound?

A lot of old school deep house producers such as Larry Heard, Ron Trent and Chez Damier in their Prescription days, through to modern heroes like Luciano and Ricardo.

I’m really feeling some of the new wave of deep house and techno producers like Sascha Dive, Jus Ed, Patrice Scott and Keith Worthy from Detroit, and also the Romanians Raresh, Pedro and Rhadoo, who seem to be everywhere at the moment!

There’s been a lot of media attention lately around the re-emergence of deep house, a sound you obviously love. Why do you think deeper stuff is back in vogue?

Have no idea why it is back in vogue now, but for me this music is a way of life.

Deep music touches the soul and had a profound effect on the way I feel.

I guess its a backlash against some of the dull, reduced techno that was out there for so long that was devoid of warmth.

Do you see yourselves moving into non-dance floor realms at any stage?

Not particularly.

I mean, our music is definitely aimed at the dance floor, as that is where I have learnt so much about this music.

I like to think our music is intelligent, though, and is as much for the head as it is for the feet.

Martin Dawson

Many people might not be aware that you also record as King Roc. Tell me about how you got into production, and how you went from your early records for labels like Nukleuz to the kind of stuff you do now (both solo and as TA)?

I first got into dance music when I was playing guitars for a breakbeat band called ‘Sentience’, who were signed to Media Records.

They also own Nukleuz, although we never released on that label as it was more Hard House – which, for the record, is not my cup of tea!

A youthful ignorance and a change in the direction of music the band led to the end of that project, but was essentially the major step towards becoming a producer in my own right, and later the King Roc and Two Armadillos alias. 

How did you come to start working with Giles?

I met Giles when he had first started his now infamous Secretsundaze parties at 93 Feet East on Bricklane.

We had a couple of chats and always got along.

It came up back then about working together, but in hindsight it wouldn’t have worked so well back then, certainly for me.

I don’t think I would have been able to realise Giles’s concepts and ideas as well as I can now.

But we stayed in touch and used to bump into each other more regularly when I was working at Phonica Records in Soho a couple of years later.

We got chatting about writing again, and decided to give it a go this time round - with great success, thankfully.

As a producer it can be very hard to find the right chemistry with someone in the studio, and is part of why I won’t work with just anyone.

But Giles and I don’t just write tunes, we also have a laugh, and that makes it much more fun.

What are yours and Giles’ roles in the studio?

We work side by side all the way through.

I do more of the knob twiddling and Giles is heavily behind the sound and inspiration for a record.

It’s great to work with him because he has such specific taste in music.

It means it is very much a team effort, and he’s one of the first people I have met who has clear ideas on how things should sound at the end of a tune, so we can work quite fast.

You appear to have a very hectic schedule. Do you see yourself dedicating more time to TA in the future? Or is it more like a fun project?

Yes, definitely.

We’ve already discussed the idea of put an album together at some point, and we’re already getting remix requests, plus a series of EPs lined up on Buzzin’ Fly, Dessous and FourTwenty.

Plus, we want to make a live show later down the line.

Neither of us are looking to Two Armadillos for our income, but I can see this growing and becoming much bigger for both of us in the future.

Who/what are the main influences on your sound as TA?

Everything from Villalobos, Carl Craig and Loco Dice to Sebo K, Kerri Chandler and Ben Watt.

Plus Giles plays me a ton of stuff I have never even heard of.

He’s a real househead and picks up some really obscure bits that we can get buzzed up by.

There’s been a lot of media attention lately around the re-emergence of deep house, a sound you obviously love. Why do you think deeper stuff is back in vogue?

It all runs in cycles, and will no doubt be out of vogue before we know it, but for me deep house just sounds more timeless than most other styles of dance music.

I love all kinds of stuff, and have never felt completely rooted in one genre.

I spend most of my time at home not even listening to dance music, and so I don’t pay much attention to what is written about dance music.

I am much more interested in what is being written by the musicians than by the media.

Do you see yourselves moving into non-dancefloor realms at any stage?

Definitely.

In a way some of our new original material isn’t completely dance floor oriented.

We look for sounds that are not just about the floor, but are more focused on the feel of a record overall.

For me, that takes a record out of the category of ‘in flavour this month’, and into the realm of a more personal artistic sound.

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