Simian Mobile Disco serve a new plate of Delicacies

Simian Mobile Disco serve a new plate of Delicacies

30 August, 2010 | 4.51AM

• Written by: Alex Hughes
• Filed under: Music News: delicacies, fixed, simian mobile disco

Simian Mobile Disco are about to drop ‘Simian Mobile Disco Is Fixed’, a powerhouse mix CD celebrating New York’s Fixed party. Out October 12, the mix is a twisted expedition through peak-time techno at its most off-kilter, featuring the likes of Etienne Jaumet, Bam Bam, DJ Hell, Paul Woolford, Clement Meyer, and Carl Craig.

But while we’re all waiting for the main course, the duo serves up a tantalizing appetizer in the form of a new release from their own Delicacies label. Titled after stomach-churning foodstuffs like 1000 year egg and casu marzu (aka “maggot cheese"), it’s not for the faint of heart—but then, proper techno never was.

We interviewed the duo to find out what else they’ve got cooking up.

Your label Delicacies has a culinary theme to it. So far you’ve brought aspic, nerve salad, 1000 year egg and casa marzu (aka “maggot cheese"). What other dishes are you planning to spring on unsuspecting listeners? And will they all be so, uh, extreme?

Ha. the point of them is that they are extreme. Wherever we go, we always ask the local guys, “What’s the most disgusting thing you eat?” and then write down the name. We’ve got quite a long list now! My personal favourite is Ortolan which is a French delicacy. It’s basically an endangered species of bird that is really small. Apparently, they are fattened up, drowned in brandy and eaten whole. The tiny bones cut the insides of your mouth, which is meant to be part of the pleasure. When you are eating it, you wear a cowl over your face to hide your shame from God…

Are the Delicacies singles going to lead up to a new artist album from you, or are you taking your time and focusing on singles?

We are starting to work on a new SMD album as we speak but we plan to keep Delicacies ticking over as an outlet for the darker clubbier side of what we do. We always try to make our albums something you would want to listen to at home rather than at 6am in a darkened club. Having said that, I do think our next album will be influenced by the Delicacies stuff we have been making recently.

Your new material has a heavier, more techno feel than anything you guys have done before. Given your history in the indie dance scene, has it been difficult for you guys to convince long-time listeners to get on board with the harder stuff?

We are consciously trying to change how people perceive us at the moment, mainly because our tastes have changed quite drastically as we’ve been exposed to more and more club music. It may take some fans of our early stuff a while to get their heads around our new stuff but in general, the reaction has been really positive.

What’s your impression of the state of the dance-music scene in London right now? I get the sense that it’s quite dynamic—there seems to be a lot of fluidity between subgenres and sounds, which stands in contrast to Berlin, where you’ve got your techno scene, your house scene, etc., and everyone kind of colors inside the lines.

London seems a really exciting place at the moment. There is a lot of fluidity like you mentioned, and things move really fast. The fact that quite a few large clubs has closed is actually quite a positive thing. There are loads of bespoke little parties in odd venues and warehouses happening at the moment with really quality lineups.

Judging from videos I’ve seen, it seems like you guys do a lot with modular synthesizers. What can you tell us about your modular setup—what kind of modules do you use? Are you frequently adding to the system? What is it about modular synthesis that appeals to you?

The modular rig is constantly growing and changing, and that’s the appeal/danger. The main point about it, other that the fact that it sounds good, is that it affects every musical decision you make in a very real way. The system by which you make music defines the music you make, so to have a constantly changing system is inspiring and challenging.

When you sit down to write tracks, what’s your process like? Is it a matter of improvisation, trial and error, or do you already have a good idea of how you want the tracks to turn out? How much is done “live” and how much is done in the computer?

Most of the time we’ll set up a system involving the machines and then play with it for an hour till something good happens. we the record it into the computer and edit it. Sometimes we may use some MIDI that was written while travelling, but more often than not the spark is more of an abstract concept. i.e. how about trying to make a sound that does such and such.

The Matter closure must have been quite a blow for you guys. Have you figured out a backup plan for parties you were planning to do this summer and fall?

It was actually a bit of a blow. We had a really great series of Delicatessen nights planned with great lineups. We are currently figuring out exactly where to move the Delicatessen party to, but we have a plan.

What should folks expect from your DJ sets this summer?

We will be trying out lots of new Delicacies tracks along with our selection of the most interesting techno we can find.

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