It's been a long while since I caught up with Jafar and Maxime of Poussez and Artizan Music fame but as one of the original guest mixers for untitledmusic way back in early 2010 it's long overdue! After a relatively quiet spell the lads are back with a bang, they've been busy too, with a whopping 20 plus new tracks ready to go - that'll explain the quiet spell then!
For those of you in need of a little update on who they London based DJ/Producers are then this is for you: Poussez are know for producing a diverse range of electronic music from slow-mo house and nu-disco grooves, through to deep/tech house and techno. Jafar and Maxime have been producing together since 2004 (although their solo careers started in the mid 90s) and also run/own Artizan Music. Other than an output for their own music the label is home to some 28 internationally renowned names too, including Andreas Saag (Rebirth), Nacho Marco (Freerange), Pete DaFeet (Lost My Dog), Demarkus Lewis (King Street) and many more.
Poussez 'Discuits EP' CHAMPION STANDARD RECORDS by poussez
Most recently Poussez have returned with the 'Discuits EP' on Champion Standard while Artizan has also just released a 3-tracker by French-Canadian duo EZLV and have two new signings to the label dropping over the summer; a french producer called Aqwell and Russian producer Estetique.
Monday
Jafar: Alarm goes off 07.15 (and I thought working for yourself meant lie-ins!), get my ass over to our studio at Maxime's house in Grove Park...If I'm feeling really fruity, I run there from Brixton, but not today, not even Seb Coe runs on Mondays. Get to studio at 08.45. We crack into a bit of label admin and emails, until our 11am cut off (if we dont have a cut off admin takes over the whole frigging day!). Studio starts. Work through until lunch at 2ish..couple of nice ham sarnies on crusty bread with the legendary cholula sauce (never leave home without it kids!), then its back to the graft until 7pm.. One track finished and another started today. A good Day
Max: The wife generally leaves the house at 8.30 for the day job and I await the arrival of the jafanator, check my personal emails in the meantime, peep the news and generally groom our various websites and statistics. After all, I'm a scientist. Also currently sourcing content for our music blog uptownboogiedown.com. In between that I try to scarf down breakfast and chase away neighbourhood cats who have turned my garden into their litter box. Anyone have any good ideas because Cat-Off doesn't work!
Max: My Mrs has a late dinner with work so I ask the J-nut to stay over, means we can work on into the night and he's already here ready to go tomorrow. He decides to run here. In his Lycra tights. This always makes me uncomfortable. Strange glitch with my Digidesign 192 means I have to turn it on 30minutes early. Weird, but I seem to be the only one who has this particular issue, so I take it in my stride and just turn it on first thing after I wake up.
Jafar: Alarm goes off, decide to run to Maxes. 14k in my best running pants. Catford Bridge sucks.
Max: Studio is fired up, its a full day of work. The room gets pretty hot with all the gear running (running gear?) but we can't open the window for fear of scaring all the neighbours children with our sweet devils music.
We virtually finish yesterdays track and start a new project, nice nudisco piece. Working title currently Pisco (although we're not yet, no beer till Friday. Poussez studio rule 26347).
Jafar: We also have a Poussez / Artizan planning meeting. As many will agree, its so imperative to structure the week right, especially when you are wearing so many 'hats' - is today a label admin day? Is it a press & promotions day, is it a remix day, is it a mastering day, is it an events promotion day (well week haha), so the planning requires er, planning. So yeah, planning meeting in full effect (this also involved copious amounts of tea and ginger nuts)
Max: The biscuits, not... well you know...
Max: 08.15 I decide to let Jafar sleep in, actually fuck it, he's already slept in. Procure large saucepan and metal spoon. 08.16. Hes up.
Jafar: German bastard.
Max: Polish ballerina. Coffee time and straight back to it. Today is a mastering day. One of the tracks off our latest EP has been remixed by Detroit hero Kris Wadsworth, his very tasty final mix is back and we have a proper listen. It's great and we start planning for the 12" version. More admin... Great!
Jafar: Yes indeed a quality effort from KW in his trademark deep style.
Max: Finish up mixing another track that needed some corrections and then we return to a project from last week. Always good with fresh ears. Finally we both head into town for a meeting with our manager Bonnie. There's talk of a South American tour in the offing but our Brazilian contacts cant confirm dates until the Colombian guys can confirm the flight share. This often happens. Then the whole stack of cards falls down. C'est la vie. We still have a good laugh.
Jafar: 08.00...fking alarm didn't go off. Late. No running today, well other than to Brixton rail, Marmite sandwich on the trot. According to our planning meeting its an admin day. Get to maxes. Nice mug of coffee and we discuss a few films and books we're liking at the mo (both agree that Limitless was ace. Imagine what you could get done with a bag of those beans!) then its to the bat cave.
Max: The latest podcast is mastered (Oh yeah, we treat those like they're records), Artizan and Poussez websites updated, newsletter written, social networks updated. Databases groomed. Blah, blah. We also begin expanding our label target list for future Poussez EP's...its a bit like fantasy football league but more Sven Vath and less Sven Erikkson. (Badoom tish, here all night.) We go through a bunch of new A&R. Alot of it is just random trancey weirdness, but we do come across one promising artist from Russia called Estetique. We get back to him. We seem to be getting loads of Promos from Eastern Europe these last couple of years. Weird. Something to do with the electronic equivalent of the gulf stream perhaps.
Jafar: Press and DJ mail outs are done for ARTMD018 by our French-Canadian duo, EZLV. Coincidentally, they email us back a wicked animated video they've had made for the EPs title track. Great timing! We get that up on the site. Newsletter good to go, queue it up for launch Friday lunchtime (when everyone is pissing around in their offices anyway). Take lunch outside in the sun. Next doors cat is licking his balls. He's laughing at us man.
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| Jafar & Max, Steve Sole Middleton & Milton Jackon @ uptownboogie's 4th birthday bash |
Friday
Max: Gig tonight. Cool but low-key bar set. 61/2hours between us. Gives us nice chance to road test all the new tracks alongside our fave music new and old. Jaf moans about dragging 3 huge bags of vinyl down there. I just rock up with Tractor....sucker!
Jafar: Have a good old dig in maxes garage as he kindly allowed me to store my vinyl there when I moved to Sweden. Get very excited about playing some of the older gems. Early Ron Trent, Chez Damier and Kerri Chandler 12s (atmosphere lost dubs anyone?), some old fresh and Low, Playin 4 the City, a bunch of phonique and spirit catcher, winding road, early 2020 vision and ooh! Jam and Spoon 'Stella', not played that in donkeys....haven't even got to the techo. Shit going to need a bigger box.
Max: Afternoon is spent on a new track, then we have an early dinner and get on down to the gig. Bars already rammed. Sweet.
Jafar: Tracks sounding great. Time for beer.
Links
Poussez website
Artizan Music website
Artizan Music Soundcloud
Beatport
Nice page you got here man, lovely music,
ReplyDeletegreat stuff indeed(- -,)best...