The disco revival is most definitely in Dubai

The disco revival is most definitely in Dubai, and nowhere is it stronger than at 360 where Future Disco and our very own DJ Magazine parties are representing the sound, both past and present. We pair up Feel My Bicep, one of the most infl uential disco blogs around - and now partly based in Dubai - with Sean Brosnan from Future Disco to discuss cheese, cheesy songs and being ‘there’ in 96.

What do you think is the future of disco?

I think disco has been constantly evolving ever since it arrived in the 70s. It’s never really gone away. Fast forward thirty or so years and producers are still pushing it forward, but now constantly taking bits from the past and adding in new production techniques. I think there’s a place for every kind of disco, but my gut feeling is we’ve had the italio burst and quite camp disco. I think it’s  only natural it gets a bit more housey as larger dancefl oors catch the bug. You can see that with producers like Tensnake or The Revenge, who are crossing over into the house world.

As a label you must draw a lot of infl uence from Paradise Garage etc, do you think this vibe is worth replicating or has it been done to death?

I wasn’t there at the Paradise Garage, or at The Loft in New York or in Ibiza in  1988 for the summer of love. I was there in 1996 but not sure that sounds quite as good. I think everyone has their own infl uences in terms of the clubs and parties they have been too, the music they have consumed over the years. The Paradise Garage was a massive part of house and disco today. It’s only when you dig deeper and pull out some of the those Larry Levan reworks that still sound great today, you think ‘wow’ this man really understood dancing in a night club. And this wasn’t a quick re-edit on Ableton either.

What do you think is the future of disco?

I think disco has been constantly evolving ever since it arrived in the 70s. It’s never really gone away. Fast forward thirty or so years and producers are still pushing it forward, but now constantly taking bits from the past and adding in new production techniques. I think there’s a place for every kind of disco, but my gut feeling is we’ve had the italio burst and quite camp disco. I think it’s only natural it gets a bit more housey as larger dancefl oors catch the bug. You can see that with producers like Tensnake or The Revenge, who are crossing over into the house world.

As a label you must draw a lot of infl uence from Paradise Garage etc, do you think this vibe is worth replicating or has it been done to death?

I wasn’t there at the Paradise Garage, or at The Loft in New York or in Ibiza in 1988 for the summer of love. I was there in 1996 but not sure that sounds quite as good. I think everyone has their own infl uences in terms of the clubs and parties they have been too, the music they have consumed over the years. The Paradise Garage was a massive part of house and disco today. It’s only when you dig deeper and pull out some of the those Larry Levan  reworks that still sound great today, you think ‘wow’ this man really understood dancing in a night club. And this wasn’t a quick re-edit on Ableton either.

Does this infl uence your approach to A&R in terms of music direction for the label?

My past does, for sure. I’ve experienced all kinds of genres over the years and got masses of vinyl as a testament. I had a period of being into 2 step, and then broken beat struck a chord with me. But throughout the years, it’s been the soul and funk in the music that draws me in. When signing records I’m open to just about anything as long as it has that soul and depth to it. But forthcoming on the label I have quite an eclectic schedule, and sometimes producers are surprised when I say I want to sign a record as they expect me to just be about disco. But that couldn’t be any further from the truth.

What is your stance on the current edit culture and when do you think it will die off?

You can argue people have overdone the edit thing, but then look at the producers that have emerged from re-editting culture in recent years - it has to be a good thing. The Revenge, Mark E, Todd Terje and more recently Cottam, are all very talented individuals that found the need to take something from the past and give it a twist for modern fl oors. I think

with computer programs like Ableton, editing is here to stay and if anything will get more popular as up and coming DJs take tracks and edit for their sets. For the Future Disco albums, I edit everything. Taking drums from one record, laying under another, cutting out bits I’m not that keen on, adding reverb to give emphasis in parts etc. It gives me the freedom to create the ultimate listening journey. Hopefully what I achieve is what I consider a seemless piece of music, almost like one long track. When you can do this kind of thing, it’s amazing.

These are tough times for the music industry; tell us about some of the problems you’ve encountered?

I think there are threats and opportunities in the music industry right now. Illegal downloading is by far the biggest issue and the demise of vinyl has meant the backbone of dance music has gone, downloads haven’t been able to fi ll the void. But in a good way we don’t have thousands of records being pressed that you play once. Now you can create, upload and play a track within an hour. Worldwide, new places are getting into dance music. Like Brazil for example: they are crazy about dance music. 10 years ago there wasn’t the scene there. Today someone in Brazil has the access to download sites, internet news, mixes and programs to produce. Ten, fi fteen years ago it was all about if you lived in or near a major city and could access a record  shop, now it’s wide open in dance music. So I’m positive about it all, but there’s no doubts things are going to get even tougher for the music industry in the next few years - people simply have stopped seeing value in recorded music.

With the rise of MP3s, releasing on vinyl has increasingly become more a labour of love - how is your label funded and do you have a specifi c business strategy?

I always believe in releasing a quality product. So this means investing in music, artwork, and packaging. I spend months on an album project, where the bigger labels probably put it together in a few weeks and I think people can feel that when they listen to them. My strategy when I started Needwant/Future Disco was to be involved in all aspects of the music industry which is exciting and testing at the same time. So we do recordings, publishing, events, single, albums, management and sure there will be more to add to that list over the next few months.

What would your guilty pleasure genreof music be, we really loved the cheesy italo-disco sound that’s around at the moment?

I love those classic love albums you fi nd in second hand record shops. I have a couple of vinyl double packs of end of the night classics from the late 80s, early 90s. There’s something about great love songs from that era. Future Disco @ 360, Thursday May 13, and check out www.feelmybicep.com for some in-depth disco.