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ESSENTIAL MIX WITH HELLER & FARLEY Broadcast 10/01/99 : 02:00 - 04:00 |
This week’s Essential Mix comes from two of the industry’s most respected remixers and producers, Farley and Heller. Having tasted national chart success in 1995 with their infectious club groove, ‘Ultra Flava’, the duo have gone on to remix everyone from Michael Jackson to Simply Red and U2. Listeners to the Essential Selection will be familiar with Pete Heller’s forthcoming single ‘Big Love’, which has been hammered by Pete Tong. We dragged Pete Heller from his sick bed for a quick chat about the new single and what the pair of them are up to at the moment.
Pete Heller Interview
How was your Christmas and New Year?
It was cool. I was in Amsterdam and I stayed there till Monday. Unfortunately I’ve come back with this stinking flu. I had some friends over on New Years Eve and I over did it a bit and don’t think I’ve recovered.
‘Big Love’ looks like it is going to blow up big time. Is it going to be a hit?
The record is looking good. I haven’t heard anything since I got back but before Christmas it was signed to FFRR. I still haven’t got any idea when it is going to be released. The reaction to the track so far has been fantastic so it is looking pretty good.
Why did you decide to do a track without your partner, Terry Farley?
It was quite by accident really. I actually recorded the track a long time ago, in May I think. Terry was away; he had gone to see Chelsea play in Cup Winner’s Cup final. I was in the studio doing some recording and ‘Big Love’ was what came out.
When he heard it was he gutted that he went to the final?
I don’t know to be honest, he wouldn’t even tell me if he was.
Did you ever find that the success of ‘Ultra Falva’ hindered you in that everyone who approached you to do a remix wanted ‘Ultra Flava 2’?
Yes but that is inevitable I suppose. The funny thing about ‘Ultra Flava’ was that we did it about two years before it actually came out. It started out as a remix for Ultra Nate. We released it as a dub mix on a four-track EP and it really did well. It eventually got licensed to another label so by the time it became successful it had been and gone for us. On the back of that everyone was ringing us up asking us to do mixes in the same style whereas we had moved on quite a long time ago. Fortunately ‘Big Love’ is still quite current sounding cos people are starting to ring up asking me to do mixes in the same style. It is just the nature of the industry I suppose.
You trademark groove is what has kept you so popular for so long, are you surprised by this?
I think we have always looked towards longevity really. We are quite lucky really because we have always been associated with the Junior Boys Own label and because that has always been considered a successful entity in its own right we have done well out of that association. I think we just tend to keep plugging away at what we do really rather than jumping on any bandwagon. We just do what we do and try to do it well.
Have you ever been tempted to go out and do a full on over the top party track?
Not really. I just think you are digging your own grave doing that sort of thing. In any walk of life, especially in the creative field, you have to be true to your own feelings and if it doesn’t feel good when you are making the music then it isn’t going to sound good to the people listening to it.
Do you prefer remix or producing?
Producing our own music, producing other people’s music or remixing. As long as we are making music we are happy.
What sort of music did you listen to before you started DJing?
I grew up the youngest kid in a big family so I grew up listening to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, Motown and Tamla stuff. I listened to all my brothers’ and sisters’ stuff. They were into punk so eventually I decided I wanted to get away from that. I then started listening to funk and hip-hop and stuff like that. It was music I could call my own. I went to see the Clash and they had Fab Five Freddy supporting them and that was my introduction to hip-hop.
What is your own favourite Farley and Heller remix?
‘Stinking Thinking’ by the Happy Mondays. It was a great remix and it opened a lot of doors for us. It became a big anthem at the Sound Factory, which at the time was a big thing for us. It was the only thing we could ever want.
What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment we are working on some new Fire Island material which is like a big afro-house kind of thing. We did one last summer when we returned from Ibiza so this is going to be the follow up. I also have some production work of my own to do.
Are there plans for a Fire Island album?
It depends on whether we can get enough material together really. We don’t want to release an album full of previous singles. Dance albums don’t really sell too well regardless of how good they are. If you look at Tenaglia’s album, which was absolutely brilliant, I don’t think that even sold too well.
Finally, have you got your tickets booked for Miami and Ibiza yet?
Definitely. I have my Miami tickets and I’ll be getting the Ibiza ones soon.
The Track Listings....
D-Ren 1 - ‘Afroflow (With You)’ (Low Pressings)
High Society - ‘Paradise 98’ (DNH)
Little Green Men - ‘Time Changes’ (Forensic)
Dr Gary Henry - ‘Faith’ Dennis F Dub (Sfere)
Unknown - ‘Unknown’ (Scuba)
Last Session - ‘Sometimes I Feel Like’ (Blue Cucaracha)
Mustafa feat Natalia - ‘Circles’ (Yellorange)
Reality Check - ‘Fantasy’ (Strictly Rhythm)
Studio 45 - ‘Freak It’ Pete’s Raw Flava (Azuli)
Donna Blakely - ‘Happy’ (Underground Connection)
Mistura - ‘Think Positive’ (Zedd Records)
Mount Rushmore - ‘You Better’ Es Cavalet Mix (MCA)
Sylvester - ‘Unknown’ (W/L)
Pete Heller - ‘Big Love’ (Junior Recordings)
Frankie Knuckles & Satoshi Tommei - ‘Hit The Floor’ (W/L)
Satoshi Tommei - ‘Darkness’ (Sony)
Madonna - ‘Nothing’ Club 69 Mix (Maverick)
Fire Island - ‘Oru Tan Ina’ (W/L)
Funky Green Dogs - ‘Body’ Ashley Beedle Mix (Twisted)
Funk Phorce - ‘M.U.S.I C.’ (W/L)
Arti$try - ‘The Worker’ (Fresh Fruit)
Unknown - ‘Vol 03’ (Sense