Phuture 303’s DJ Spank Spank: “Acid is raw energy”

Phuture 303’s DJ Spank Spank: “Acid is raw energy”

28 August, 2008 | 12.06PM

• Written by: Lee Smith
• Filed under: Music News: acid house, bloc

Ahead of Phuture 303’s forthcoming appearance at the BLOC weekend double launch party in London and Paris, acid originator DJ Spank Spank has been interviewed by BLOC TV.

As well as giving his interpretation of the perennial question “What is acid?”, Spank Spank reminisces about the music’s origins, stakes his claim in music history, and drops some pounding beats, as witnessed during Phuture 303’s show at the festival last Spring.

It’s fitting that while the mainstream dance media are busy celebrating 20 years of acid house, the UK’s BLOC festival has chosen acid pioneers Phuture 303 to launch 2009’s event.

Along with Phuture co-members DJ Pierre and Herb J, Spank Spank chanced upon that immortal acid sound by chance while they were fiddling about with Roland’s then-obsolete TB303 bassline generator.

Chicago legend Ron Hardy famously played the group’s early effort ‘In Your Mind’ three times in one night, and 1987 the track was re-cut with the help of Marshall Jefferson as the seminal ‘Acid Trax’.

The trio went on to carve out the darkest, most sinister corners of early electronic dance music, with tracks like ‘I’ll Be Your Friend’ and ‘Rise From The Grave’ providing a bleak antithesis to the uplifting, disco-orientated vibes house was then known for.

The subject of endless debate, many have speculated on the true origins of the term ‘acid’.

Past suggestions have stated that the name references the music’s drug-like, hypnotic otherworldliness; others claim it refers to the ‘burning’ tonal quality of a squealing 303 in action.

According to Spank Spank, the answer’s more obvious - it’s just a word they used to describe “raw energy”.

Phuture 303 appear in Paris on September 19th and the night after in London - you can read our post about the BLOC 2009 launch weekend here.

Meanwhile, check the video with Sir Spanky himself at BLOCTV.

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