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Go BackConfidential with... Silicone Soul #17

Posted: 3/3/10 15:53

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Confidential with...Silicone Soul #17Four critically acclaimed albums, one timeless anthem and over five global residencies at some of the world's most cutting-edge clubs. Glasgow boys Craig Morrison and Graeme Reedie, better known as Silicone Soul, have been pretty busy then!

Whilst more people than you can squash into F*** Me I'm Famous will be more familiar to the sound of their 2001 worldwide hit Right On! Right On!, Morrison and Reedie have notably shunned the commercial house scene to stay true to their underground roots. It's been worthwhile too - over the past decade they've not only proven themselves as one of the most popular acts on their home label Soma Records, but have become international renowned DJs and commendable producers too. Of late, the focus of their attention has turned to nurturing their own label Darkroom Dubs, which likewise has gained immediate success. Despite being French-based, the imprint already boasts a reputation as one of the UK's more forward-thinking electronic labels.

To help them bask in the glory of their success (and enjoy a rare five minutes out from an increasingly bonkers schedule) Morrison and Reedie had chat to us about their biggest influences, the forthcoming single Hurt People, Hurt People and an epic journey from Toulouse to Leeds...

Where do you call home?
Graeme and I were both born and raised in a small town outside Glasgow called Milngavie but both moved to the city in our late teens. Graeme lives in the West End of Glasgow but I moved to a small village in the Southern France about two and a half years ago. So I suppose my heart is in France but my soul is in Glasgow.

Were you happy as a child?
Milngavie was a great place to grow up, lots of fields and woodlands and we both had a great circle of friends, many of whom we are still in touch with now. We were both very fortunate to have great supportive parents as well so it was a happy childhood definitely.

How much did your childhood help you in becoming an artist?
Neither of our parents we particularly musical as such so there wasn't a direct influence although Graeme's Dad had a great record collection, like The Rolling Stones and Jean Michel Jarre.
I had a girlfriend who lived nearby though, who's Dad had a wonderful record collection - i think i spent more time with him than her. It was her brother who let me hear Primal Scream's 'Loaded' for the first time, that was a special day for sure. I think overall we were lucky to both have a good upbringing and we learned the right values in life and that allowed us to follow our dreams.

Do you believe in fate / God?
It is a basic fact of Newtonian physics that energy cannot disappear so while not holding particularly religious or spiritual beliefs, we believe more in some kind of energy or resonance from life that science cannot yet measure. Throughout history humans have used religion, superstition and magic to understand things they cannot explain but science always catches up. And in no way does this lessen or diminish the wonder in the world.

What or who is the biggest inspiration in your life?
No one major inspiration in my life as such but musically there has been a lot of people and bands - Primal Scream we're a big one for us and later Slam, who introduced us to electronic music and helped focus our production and Djing.

Craig Morrison and Graeme ReedieChildren, yes or no?
Some of my friends have great kids but i have none myself, neither does Graeme, none we know about anyway!

Which artist or track did you think was no good but became successful?
Apart from ourselves i'm not sure!

Who is your idol and why?
I have a lot of admiration and respect for Laurent Garnier. Musically as a Dj and for his understanding and love of music and how he's not affected by the 'Dj lifestyle'. The same can be said of Ralph Lawson and Ben Watt.

What's the weirdest thing you've done to play at a gig?
Speaking of Ralph, not particularly weird but last time we were due to play at Basics, I was told when flying from Toulouse that due to a long delay that i would miss the connection to Manchester. So I flew to London Gatwick and hired a car to drive up. (It's about a 450 km drive) Was doing pretty well but then i got a flat tyre at Birmingham and had to change it on the motorway. I arrived in Leeds just in time but could find the club on foot. After finally huffing and puffing around Leeds with my record bag for about an hour I finally found it. Graeme was almost finished but managed to stick a few on, so it was definitely worth it.

One thing you hate about dance music culture.?
Hate is a strong word, i suppose no matter what your situation is, it's human nature to find something to complain about. There's a couple of dislikes but nothing major. To be honest, dance music is pretty good right now - there's some wonderful music and great parties around at the moment, anything else is just meaningless really and nothing to get all hot and bothered about. I suppose it's easy to look back with rose-tinted specs and say '"it was better in the 90's" but then some people will say "it was better in the 70's" so for me, it's all about grabbing the future.
Darkroom Dubs

Best friends in the music business?
We have met quite a few people on our travels through music that have became good friends, which is fantastic. As far as best friends go... apart from each other, we are really close to Dave and Glenn from Soma.

Your biggest fear?
I don't have any major fears, I try to live each day as it comes but i suppose the death of loved ones would be one.

Last club you went to party at, rather than to play?!
The Subclub in Glasgow is great with Harri & Domenic especially when you have a Sat off, Graeme's been down a couple of times recently. I'm not back in Glasgow as much now but there's a great little club in Carcassonne called Rockadelic that i'll go to, on a night off. Recently i went to Bar Tabac, an afterhour venue in Antwerp after our Cafe d'Anvers residency. Great night although i did end up spinning a few...

After hours; yes or no?
Really love a good afterhour - recently the aforementioned Bar Tabac in Antwerp (which after, I inevitably missed my flight home) and Graeme has been spinning a few at Sunday Circus in Glasgow. I used to really love Circo Loco too.

Penny pincher or big spender?
It's amazing how little you need to live.

If you were interviewing yourself, what question would you ask and what would the answer be?
That's where madness lies my friend!

What do you want to plug/promote?
We have our new single out now, ''Hurt People, Hurt People" on Soma and our new label compilation mix cd, "Darkroom Dubs Vol.2" will be out on the 26th April. And we have remixes we have made for The Black Dog, Prompt, Klartraum and Kevin Yost coming out in the next couple of months.

Next Dates
06/03 Cafe d'Anvers, Antwerp
07/03 Vanity, Seville
12/03 N*Style Mag Party @ Gossip, Lisbon
13/03 N*Style Mag Party @ Eskada, Oporto
19/03 Darkroom Dubs @ Druzhba, St. Petersburg
20/03 Darkroom Dubs @ Solyanka, Moscow
26/03 Woo Club, Naples
27/03 Fabric, London
01/04 Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria
02/04 Sirup, Zagreb
03/04 Osijek, Osijek
04/04 Jungla, Split
09/04 Push It @ Zuri, Knokke

www.myspace.com/4siliconesoul | www.myspace.com/darkroomdubs | www.somarecords.com

 Words by I Voice

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