Layo & Bushwacka Interview
We caught up with the DJ and producer duo to chat about their Amnesia residency, album plans, holidaying in South America and swimming pools.
I know you guys have been doing your residency at Amnesia this summer. How did that go?
B: It went really well actually it was a big project for us, a new thing we were working with new people and were out of our old environment. Historically we’ve done a lot of gigs at Space and doing something every week was a massive change. It went really well, we did ten parties, MTV were doing the terrace with various live acts from Snoop Dogg, to 50 Cent, Mark Ronson, Kelis.
That’s quite a big difference then isn’t it compared to what you were doing at Space?
L: It was very different because at Amnesia there’s only two spaces and they’re both big whereas at Space you’ve got the main room, the red room, the salon, the terrace, the roof... So we had really great guests with us as well. Magda, Marco Corola, James Holden.
I saw some of the footage of the party that Marco played at, that looked sick. Some kind of foaming upload which was pretty cool.
L: That was a busy one!
I do like him as a DJ he’s quality. He gets right in there doesn’t he, no messing around.
L: Yeah there’s a really good energy.
So are you guys gonna be going back there next year, I presume?
L: Always what happens at the end of the summer there’s loads of shenanigans ‘cause, you know, Ibiza is Ibiza and it kind of works that way. The theory that a hundred per cent we’re doing it next year but we’re just waiting to see what’s laid out for us and then we’ll make a decision. My only concern is that we’re working on a new album and that kind of takes up the whole summer for us ‘cause it only leaves us every Saturday every week, so that’s the only thing we’re really thinking about at the minute in regards to doing it, but it was definitely a success so it’s worth building on. But doing Ibiza every week it’s very different to being a guest, you know you can’t just rock up and play you’ve got to be a lot more conscientious about everything but maybe it’s time we grew up and had some responsibilities!
Definitely for you guys it’s good experience to get back on the promoting thing. You DJ, produce and tour and you throw your own parties and you’re doing it in Ibiza, so you obviously have your own responsibilities.
B: Some of the plus points about doing a weekly for international DJs, apart from all the obvious things is that a lot of them can rock up on a Tuesday when they’re not doing anything else. But, saying that, whether it’s a Friday or not, getting a whole summer of different people coming over to the island as well as the people that live there means that our music gets across to a much wider audience and it’s for that reason, as well as the other artists that MTV books, that for the few weeks after the concerts a lot of those people came into our room. And those people might have come over to see 50 Cent and may not be as aware of our music as people who know about us already. So, if was very good for us to get our music across to very broad audience.
In a couple of days you’ve guys have got Shake It! again. It’s by far one of the best parties I’ve been to and I’ve been to a lot of warehouse parties. I mean I did have to wait outside but even when I was outside I felt like I was a clubber. I’m a DJ and a journalist and I just wanted to get inside and when I did get inside the music was just great from beginning to end, it was just rocking. The system, the Funktion One, was tight as well.
L: Yeah really tight.
The crowd was amazing and I think a lot of those people will be back on Saturday. You’ve got Reboot playing for you on Saturday.
L: Yeah we try and vary it a bit to go through all the different shades of techno and house, we feel that that’s what we play and what we’re into, you know, and also you vary the audience a little bit because if you go and see Marco or Magda or Rich it’s a certain kind of thing - it keeps the party alive.
So are you guys gonna keep the same kind of format and do the Layo and Bushwacka thing. ‘Cause you guys are pretty diverse in what you play and I liked in the end where you guys kind of went a bit tougher and you just closed it up like that, it was quite rolling and techy and housey.
L: We’ll probably play slightly different this time we’ll probably play quite tough in our early set and then sort of space it out and go a bit more housey just before Reboot comes in just to allow him space with what he’s gonna do.
So is he doing it live?
L: No, he’s DJing, he’s DJing.
So is that your last party for this year?
B: No, we’ve got another Shake It! on the 3rd of December with Paco Osuna who’s absolutely fantastic.
L: One of our friends from the summer, he’s actually one of the one’s who came out and played at Amnesia. He played at our night in Amnesia and he played a fantastic set.
B: I was very taken over the summer and he was the one that kind of did it for me, energy wise.
Ok, so gonna chat to you about the album, I know I already spoke to you about this a few months ago and you said you’re thinking about the album but you kind of knew you were gonna do the album anyway but you didn’t tell me and now you’re actually in progress with it, how far have you come with it?
L: Yeah we’re pretty far now.
You’re pretty far now? Ok.
B: Out of all of the stuff we’ve written, we’ve chosen the tracks that we’re most happy with. We’ve arranged quite a few of those tracks already. So it’s done for some of them and some others are still a work in progress like the more dancefloor mixes. Some of the tracks have been sent out to various different vocalists for them to work on, and we’re just waiting for them to come back. So, yeah, we’ve got a format and we’re tidying things up right now, we starting to think about how to put it together.
And releasing in about late summer?
L: No I think maybe early summer, it just depends quite how we do it. So, yeah early or late summer.
So what else have you got in the pipeline for this year boys?
B: We are going off to Asia next week for touring and then we get back with just about enough time to wash our clothes and then we’ve got an amazing South American weekend with Creamfields in Buenos Aires, the SWU festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil. When we get back from there we’re doing gigs, staying in and working on the album and then Christmas come and it’s back to South America.
You like to take a month out don’t you?
L: (Laughs) Well yeah. It’s a kind of combination of having a lot of friends and family out there now. It’s their summertime now so we’re able to be based in Brazil and play all round there, and Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru. So we can have time out but work at the same time. This particular time away will be good because we’ll be able to have the album in draft and work out what we like and don’t like and address it so it can be fresh for the new year. I think it will be a new thing for us to have time that little bit more on our side. Once you release one album everyone’s expecting to have another one out and we haven’t had one out in a long while so we don’t have that pressure anymore.
Yeah, yeah.
B: You know it’s funny because last night I was up quite late and I had just hooked up my home computer system so I had everything, my iPad, my laptop and my iPhone all connected to my iTunes library from my home computer and so I went to bed and I ended up listening to the very last track from Low Life which was our very first album and it made me feel really emotional because it brought back all the memories of putting the album together. Writing it, the thoughts and emotion that went into it and there were so little rules and regulations that had to go with making it back then. It really, really reminded me that it’s all about the music and it’s either good music or bad music for me and it should be like that.
That is the power of music. An instigator of thoughts and smells, you can remember something so fresh as if it was yesterday even if it was years ago.
L: Yeah totally, different songs can completely define a winter or a summer or a relationship. I think one of the things I felt with Low Life it was sort of the most creative period ‘cause there weren’t any rules and we could sort of do it at our own pace. Now I don’t feel any pressure, this one’s going to be ready to come out when it’s ready to come out and then we go from there. The recording process has been very easy and very light.
I’m gonna ask you guys the same question as I asked you last time... If you could have an empty pool that you could fill with anything what would you fill it with?
B: Money.
What would you fill it with Layo?
L: Well if I wasn’t married I’d say beautiful women. Erm, good God. I guess I’d just fill it with water and go for a swim, why not?
That’s actually what Richie Hawtin said. ‘Cause he swims every morning and that’s what he does to get his head clear. Alright, thank you boys - looking forward to Saturday!
L & B: Thanks!
Keep up to date with the two British house at DJs at www.shakeitlondon.com
I know you guys have been doing your residency at Amnesia this summer. How did that go?
B: It went really well actually it was a big project for us, a new thing we were working with new people and were out of our old environment. Historically we’ve done a lot of gigs at Space and doing something every week was a massive change. It went really well, we did ten parties, MTV were doing the terrace with various live acts from Snoop Dogg, to 50 Cent, Mark Ronson, Kelis.
That’s quite a big difference then isn’t it compared to what you were doing at Space?
L: It was very different because at Amnesia there’s only two spaces and they’re both big whereas at Space you’ve got the main room, the red room, the salon, the terrace, the roof... So we had really great guests with us as well. Magda, Marco Corola, James Holden.
I saw some of the footage of the party that Marco played at, that looked sick. Some kind of foaming upload which was pretty cool.
L: That was a busy one!
I do like him as a DJ he’s quality. He gets right in there doesn’t he, no messing around.
L: Yeah there’s a really good energy.
So are you guys gonna be going back there next year, I presume?
L: Always what happens at the end of the summer there’s loads of shenanigans ‘cause, you know, Ibiza is Ibiza and it kind of works that way. The theory that a hundred per cent we’re doing it next year but we’re just waiting to see what’s laid out for us and then we’ll make a decision. My only concern is that we’re working on a new album and that kind of takes up the whole summer for us ‘cause it only leaves us every Saturday every week, so that’s the only thing we’re really thinking about at the minute in regards to doing it, but it was definitely a success so it’s worth building on. But doing Ibiza every week it’s very different to being a guest, you know you can’t just rock up and play you’ve got to be a lot more conscientious about everything but maybe it’s time we grew up and had some responsibilities!
Definitely for you guys it’s good experience to get back on the promoting thing. You DJ, produce and tour and you throw your own parties and you’re doing it in Ibiza, so you obviously have your own responsibilities.
B: Some of the plus points about doing a weekly for international DJs, apart from all the obvious things is that a lot of them can rock up on a Tuesday when they’re not doing anything else. But, saying that, whether it’s a Friday or not, getting a whole summer of different people coming over to the island as well as the people that live there means that our music gets across to a much wider audience and it’s for that reason, as well as the other artists that MTV books, that for the few weeks after the concerts a lot of those people came into our room. And those people might have come over to see 50 Cent and may not be as aware of our music as people who know about us already. So, if was very good for us to get our music across to very broad audience.
In a couple of days you’ve guys have got Shake It! again. It’s by far one of the best parties I’ve been to and I’ve been to a lot of warehouse parties. I mean I did have to wait outside but even when I was outside I felt like I was a clubber. I’m a DJ and a journalist and I just wanted to get inside and when I did get inside the music was just great from beginning to end, it was just rocking. The system, the Funktion One, was tight as well.
L: Yeah really tight.
The crowd was amazing and I think a lot of those people will be back on Saturday. You’ve got Reboot playing for you on Saturday.
L: Yeah we try and vary it a bit to go through all the different shades of techno and house, we feel that that’s what we play and what we’re into, you know, and also you vary the audience a little bit because if you go and see Marco or Magda or Rich it’s a certain kind of thing - it keeps the party alive.
So are you guys gonna keep the same kind of format and do the Layo and Bushwacka thing. ‘Cause you guys are pretty diverse in what you play and I liked in the end where you guys kind of went a bit tougher and you just closed it up like that, it was quite rolling and techy and housey.
L: We’ll probably play slightly different this time we’ll probably play quite tough in our early set and then sort of space it out and go a bit more housey just before Reboot comes in just to allow him space with what he’s gonna do.
So is he doing it live?
L: No, he’s DJing, he’s DJing.
So is that your last party for this year?
B: No, we’ve got another Shake It! on the 3rd of December with Paco Osuna who’s absolutely fantastic.
L: One of our friends from the summer, he’s actually one of the one’s who came out and played at Amnesia. He played at our night in Amnesia and he played a fantastic set.
B: I was very taken over the summer and he was the one that kind of did it for me, energy wise.
Ok, so gonna chat to you about the album, I know I already spoke to you about this a few months ago and you said you’re thinking about the album but you kind of knew you were gonna do the album anyway but you didn’t tell me and now you’re actually in progress with it, how far have you come with it?
L: Yeah we’re pretty far now.
You’re pretty far now? Ok.
B: Out of all of the stuff we’ve written, we’ve chosen the tracks that we’re most happy with. We’ve arranged quite a few of those tracks already. So it’s done for some of them and some others are still a work in progress like the more dancefloor mixes. Some of the tracks have been sent out to various different vocalists for them to work on, and we’re just waiting for them to come back. So, yeah, we’ve got a format and we’re tidying things up right now, we starting to think about how to put it together.
And releasing in about late summer?
L: No I think maybe early summer, it just depends quite how we do it. So, yeah early or late summer.
So what else have you got in the pipeline for this year boys?
B: We are going off to Asia next week for touring and then we get back with just about enough time to wash our clothes and then we’ve got an amazing South American weekend with Creamfields in Buenos Aires, the SWU festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil. When we get back from there we’re doing gigs, staying in and working on the album and then Christmas come and it’s back to South America.
You like to take a month out don’t you?
L: (Laughs) Well yeah. It’s a kind of combination of having a lot of friends and family out there now. It’s their summertime now so we’re able to be based in Brazil and play all round there, and Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru. So we can have time out but work at the same time. This particular time away will be good because we’ll be able to have the album in draft and work out what we like and don’t like and address it so it can be fresh for the new year. I think it will be a new thing for us to have time that little bit more on our side. Once you release one album everyone’s expecting to have another one out and we haven’t had one out in a long while so we don’t have that pressure anymore.
Yeah, yeah.
B: You know it’s funny because last night I was up quite late and I had just hooked up my home computer system so I had everything, my iPad, my laptop and my iPhone all connected to my iTunes library from my home computer and so I went to bed and I ended up listening to the very last track from Low Life which was our very first album and it made me feel really emotional because it brought back all the memories of putting the album together. Writing it, the thoughts and emotion that went into it and there were so little rules and regulations that had to go with making it back then. It really, really reminded me that it’s all about the music and it’s either good music or bad music for me and it should be like that.
That is the power of music. An instigator of thoughts and smells, you can remember something so fresh as if it was yesterday even if it was years ago.
L: Yeah totally, different songs can completely define a winter or a summer or a relationship. I think one of the things I felt with Low Life it was sort of the most creative period ‘cause there weren’t any rules and we could sort of do it at our own pace. Now I don’t feel any pressure, this one’s going to be ready to come out when it’s ready to come out and then we go from there. The recording process has been very easy and very light.
I’m gonna ask you guys the same question as I asked you last time... If you could have an empty pool that you could fill with anything what would you fill it with?
B: Money.
What would you fill it with Layo?
L: Well if I wasn’t married I’d say beautiful women. Erm, good God. I guess I’d just fill it with water and go for a swim, why not?
That’s actually what Richie Hawtin said. ‘Cause he swims every morning and that’s what he does to get his head clear. Alright, thank you boys - looking forward to Saturday!
L & B: Thanks!
Keep up to date with the two British house at DJs at www.shakeitlondon.com
