- Fri, 2009-02-20 17:09
Chase & Status are most well known for their success in the drum n bass scene. Comprising of the duo Saul Milton and Will Kennard, they are no strangers to turning up the volume and rinisng out their tunes.
Their recent album release More Than Alot saw Chase & Status begin to approach a number of different styles and genres, from dubstep to grime. Their track Against All Odds featuring Kano saw significant air play on Radio 1, while the filthy rolling beats of dubstep track Eastern Jam found itself picked up in a number of underground mix tapes.
I Like Music caught up with Will to chat about making tunes, what they're playing in their sets at the moment and why he'll alwats remember watching Andy C at The End.
"I Like Music because… I think it is the best form of escapism.” Will, Chase & Status
ILM: Can you describe the vibe behind your album More Than Alot?
Will: It began about two years ago. It was a real mish mash of styles and at first we weren't sure how it was going to come together. We had over 40 tracks for it and it was just a case of sorting through them and working out what was best. It's a representation of everything that we are into. Obviously we come from a drum and bass background, but we are into a lot of other styles, for example dubstep.
ILM: Yeah! Talking of dubstep, Eastern Jam, what a track! Are you planning on making more dubstep?
Will: Yeah definietly. I'm really into dubstep and we've been playing a lot of it in our sets at the moment. I think there is a lot of scope to add more vocals into dubstep, sort of a slow, soul tinged female edge to it that would really work. I think people are a lot more open to different styles of music these days anyway, they don't just expect one thing from you, which works for us.
ILM: How do you and Saul work together?
We get on incredibly well. Obviously. We've known each other for a while. We have far more agreements than we do disagreements, although those do happen, we've been known to argue, of course. But it just works, we work well together, yeah.
ILM: Your single Against All Odds features Kano. What was it like to work with him?
Will: Amazing. The hardest part of that whole thing was getting in touch with the right management and actually getting him to hear the track. We'd been big fans of Kano since his first album, and we wanted to get a grime element to the record. Not that he would probably appreaciate his music being labeled simply as Grime, but yeah. We put the basics of the track together and then he came down. He literally nailed it in two takes, it was immense. He was such a nice guy to work with too, very polite, very appreciative.
ILM: Your tour schedule at the moment is crazy....there are so many dates!
Will: I know! I try not to look at the diary, if I do it tends to freak me out a bit. I just like to turn up and sort of just do the sets!
ILM: Out of all the sets you've played, which are the most memorable?
Oh God! So many. We played at the Carling Academy in Oxford the other night which was amazing. It had been sold out for about two months and the crowd were just going mad. I also just got back from Belgium. That was crazy too, seeing so many people in the audience who knew the words. That was an eye opener. Realising the potential that music has to cross barriers and things. Also we played in Russia at the beginning of the year to about 30,000 people. That was amazing too. So many good gigs.
ILM: Do you have a favourite club or soundsystem to play on?
Will: I always get asked that and it's so hard to answer. It depends. I mean, Fabric will always be good, especially from a soundsystem point of view. The new club matter as well, we played there and that was sick. We also go out to Australia a lot, I love playing Perth. But we played YoYo at the Notting Hill Arts club the other night, and that was only to about 100-200 people, and we really enjoyed that too, it was nice to be somewhere smaller. So yeah, lot's of places.
ILM: You come from a Drum n Bass background, but your album reflects a number of styles. Do your sets reflect that, or do you stick to DnB?
Will: This is a tour for the album, so our sets reflect that. We are playing the tunes that people want to hear, because most of them have the album. It does mean that our sets can be a little bit similar at the moment. But it's all good. Plus we throw in a lot of re-mixes, VIP versions and things to mix it up and keep it interesting. It feels like it is becoming more of a live thing, as opposed to a DJ set. We have so many different collaborators and people on stage with us, plus it's always changing. But I like that, it's cool.
ILM: What would your advice be to anyone looking to come into the music industry?
Will: Hmm. Good question. I think perserverance is the key thing. You need to be ready to give up your time. It is a bit of a geek thing really. But, you have to be willing to sit in a dark room learning how to make a high hat and this beat or that beat sound really, really good and work together. Get ready to give up any kind of social life, girls and going out and things! haha! Nah, it's not that bad. But perserverance is key. That's not just with learning either. This industry moves at a lot of different paces, and sometimes you can finish a tune and it won't be released for another two years.
ILM: What is your earliest musical memory?
Will: I was always into a lot of different music. I like New Order and Joy Division because my cousin was into them or something. Also, I was a massive U2 fan, I remember being about 14 and playing them a lot. I remember going into Our Price, they don't have them anymore, and seeing a tape with a graffiti picture of some guy looking really cool on the front of it. I didn't know what it was, I had never heard of it, but I bought it anyway. I remember taking it home, putting it in my tape player and it was Grooverider ** and this drum n bass. I just thought 'F*ck. What is this? I have to get into this scene, I need to find out more about this music.' I also remember hearing The Prodigy and Rage on Kiss FM and just thinking the same. That was when I was about 15 or 16. Then I eventually got decks, started collecting records and it just went on from there.
ILM: What are you listening to at the moment?
I've been listening a lot to an artist called La Roux. Her track Quicksand and also In For The Kill. I played that track about four or five times the other night at the NottingHill Arts Club! I also really like White Lies. They have such an 80's sound. Like a modern day Tears For Fears. They're just these young kids from London, but I really like what they are doing. That 80's sound is around a lot at the moment.
ILM: Out of all the gigs / sets you have seen, which will you always remember?
Er....there have been so many. I'll always remember seeing Andy C at The End in about '93. I used to go there a lot, that was when the DnB scene was really kicking off. The nights there were wicked, I used to go, get a little spandangled, and just have a fucking great time. One of the things I loved about The End was that you could just see everything the DJ was doing too.
