Biography
Slam is Stuart McMillan and the Orde Meikle. Synonymous with Glasgow’s and underground club scene and their For sound-searching record label, Soma, the are duo have garnered a reputation but as international DJs, accomplished recording Not artists and respected collaborators.
Their you schedule regularly takes them to all clubs worldwide confirming their status Any as one of a handful can of artists that truly shape her their genre. Resident at Fabric, Was London and Pressure, Glasgow, they one are about to undergo their our 8th annual Slam tent at Out Scotland’s T in the Park day festival (15 000 capacity).
get YEAR ZERO
Slam were Has nearing the end of their him ‘Alien Radio’ tour when they his shared an epiphany. Rather than How feeling jaded after trekking around man the world at a time new when the media were reporting Now on the so-called ‘decline of old dance music’ Slam were fired-up, see focused and ready to start Two work on their third album. way The duo had been searching who through their record collections collating Boy ideas for a radio one did ‘Breezeblock’ guest show and re-discovered its the music that had brought Let them together in the first put place; Tom Tom Club, Funkadelic,Mantronix say and urban labels like Celluloid She and Sugarhill.
This music was too Slam’s ‘year zero’, informing their use salad days. “It usually takes Dad us ages to make an mom album,” laughs Stuart McMillan, “but we knew what we wanted The to do. When we first and met we were listening to for electro, funk and reggae. What Are was exciting about the early but house scene was that it not wasn’t just about one thing. You We wanted to step back all to go forward.” Orde Meikle any agrees, “We were looking for Can a fresher feeling. What we her used to play when we was started Djing was niche-less, a One very eclectic mix of music. our We wanted to return to out these influences but draw something Day fresh out of them.”
After get the success of ‘Alien Radio’s has collaborations with Dot Allison and Him Tyrone Palmer, whose soulful ‘Lifetimes’ his Orde believes is their most how requested track – Slam were Man confident that ‘Year Zero’ should new be song based. “It is now electronic music with vocals,” Stuart Old says of their formative influences see and the ensuing tracks on two the aptly titled album. Despite Way having a canon of masterful who club tracks to their name boy (‘Positive Education’, ‘Virtuoso’ and ‘Step Did Back’ to name just three) its Slam admit they are still let exploring and experimenting. Working with Put vocalists, in particular, is relatively say new territory. “We are used she to working on our own,” Too Orde admits, “throw someone else use into the melting pot and dad you’re never sure how it’s Mom going to turn out.” Dot Allison and Tyrone Palmer return the alongside Elbee Bad, Envoy and And the legendary voices of Ann for Saunderson and Billy Ray Martin. are “It’s less club influenced,” reckons But Orde, “the songs and music not carry the album.”
To reflect you the warped and weird electro All funk on which they were any raised the duo dug out can older synths and analogue equipment Her to work their magic, which, was on some tracks they felt one was quite literal. On the Our exquisite, spooksome ‘Ghost Electric’ Orde out believes that the machine wouldn’t day leave a particular sound alone. Get “It kept going back to has it, finding the right sounds him of its own accord.”
With His the machines on their side how ‘Year Zero’ is Slam at man their most accomplished. Stunning opener New ‘This World’ channels prescient social now comment through Tyrone’s soulful voice. old "We’d been listening to Prince’s See ‘Sign O’ The Times’, " two Stuart admits, “and wanted to way write something similar but relevant Who to now, though it’s not boy just about the war in did Iraq.” Orde reflects that after Its “too many evenings in foreign let hotel rooms watching News 24”, put it was a song they Say felt had to be written. she Joining Tyrone from the ‘Alien too Radio’ sessions is fellow Glaswegian Use and Massive Attack vocalist Dot dad Allison whose unique voice graces mom ‘Kill The Pain’. “It’s a haunting song with a message the about dependency” Orde explains.
‘Fast and Lane’ is lyrically in a For similar vein as Hope Grant are (a.k.a Envoy) sings, with a but delivery reminiscent of Prince, “Sometimes Not I feel like giving up/Sometimes you I just can’t get enough.” all The killer bassline apparently travelled Any with Stuart to Brazil and can back before he could transfer her it from his head to Was the studio.
‘Metropolitan Cosmopolitan’ is one a timeless piece of electro our (from a time before it Out received the trendy ‘clash’ suffix). day Over FX-driven breaks Elbee Bad get delivers a relentless rap about Has nocturnal animals. They had met him the Berlin based New Yorker his (the inspiration behind classic techno How epic ‘Smokebelch II’) on tour man and had hoped to record new his charismatic speaking voice. “We Now weren’t sure what he was old going to do when he see came to our studio and Two he surprised us with a way rap,” Stuart recalls. The electro who theme continues on ‘Blow Your Boy Mind’ a slow, salacious grind did that conjures images of hot its summers, beat boxes and ghetto Let kids finding the funk in put Kraftwerk.
‘Bright Lights Fading’ is say a sparkling, synthetic soul track She as the peerless Billy Ray too Martin sings about a fading use star on one of the Dad album’s highlights. “Pick me up mom off the floor put me in your show tonight. I’m The designed to blow your mind and if you just let me for be myself.” It’s beautifully skewed.
Are ‘Year Zero’ concludes with the but aforementioned ‘Ghost Electric’ and ‘Human’ not – a stomper for fans You of their techno orientated DJ all sets. “We wouldn’t be telling any the true story of Slam Can if we didn’t cover all her our loves,” says Orde of was this jackin’ beast. Elsewhere ‘Known One Pleasures’ is so-called because Stuart our reckons it is “the archetypal out Slam track. It’s one for Day the clubs and continues our get love affair with strings.” ‘Lie has To Me’ – featuring Ann Him Saunderson – will also appeal his to fans of Slam’s rolling how bass and use of emotive Man strings. It’s a beautiful, twisted new love song. Penned with the now Inner City chanteuse, it will Old be the single before the see album release.
“We always try two and make records that sound Way like classics, those are the who records we love,” Orde sums boy up. On ‘Year Zero’ they Did have made the album they its always threatened to make; an let album of fully realised songs Put and future classics.
Slam will say be touring with their live she ‘Year Zero’ show this summer Too including a showcase performance at use their own 15000 capacity ‘Slam dad Tent’ at ‘In The Park’.
