Chase and Status talk carnage, collaborations and Disney albums

Chase and Status hit Alexandra Palace in November for BKF Bass Culture. We caught up with the duo to talk about their recently completed No More Idols tour, collaborations, and Disney albums.

Jayne Robinson

Date published: 21st Jul 2011

Chase and Status are the production duo who brought drum and bass into the mainstream arena.

Like predecessor Leftfield, the UK's Will Kennard and Saul Milton have turned dance culture on its head by haphazardly combining electro and with their beloved, heavy ass, drum and bass. Having produced for the likes of Rihanna and Alexandra Burke it's no surprise that their slick 15-track LP 'No More Idols' comes bubble wrapped in pop sensibilities.

Where production values are raw and polished all at once, it's dustup to alt-pop, before it swerves back to their roots in drum and bass. Jasmine Phull hears about the process of creating an album based on features, from White Lies, Dizzee Rascal, Sub Focus and Cee Lo Green. Just how did they get them all in the same room?!

You recently finished your No More Idols tour. What were your expectations going into the tour and were they met by the end of it?
We never really have expectations, we just want the shows to be as busy as they can be, and for our fans to have a great time and experience carnage. Those goals were met.

In terms of performance, how much of your sets are live?
All of our sets are live - when it's Chase & Status LIVE, it’s the full show with the band with us on instruments, and when we DJ we're DJ'ing live.

You’re currently based in London but is there another location you would consider moving to in terms of evolving Chase & Status?
For me there's no question that London is the spot - have thought about living in New York for a while in the future, but for us London is where all the cutting edge music is and is where we want to be.

You’re affiliated with Roc-Nation. How did your relationship with Jay-Z first come about?
We worked on the Rihanna album ‘Rated R’ - he heard our tracks ‘Saxon’, ‘Eastern Jam’ etc, and then asked us to remix ‘DOA’.

The most ludicrous thing you’ve ever read about the band?
Too ludicrous to re print...

Festival season is in full-swing; do you find you have to cater your sets depending on whether you are playing a venue gig or a festival? Is there more pressure with one than the other?
Yes - with festivals you never do an encore, the sets are usually a little shorter but ultimately things are the same – the pressure doesn't really change.

No More Idols showcases 14 collaborations, what was the process of recording like considering you were working with a large number of musicians who I’m assuming were not always in the same city or country as yourselves?
It was a gradual process - most of the vocals were recorded at our studio and we have relationships with most of the artists so it wasn't too difficult. Artists such as Cee Lo Green sent their vocals via email and it was a series of emails and phonecalls at the finishing stages of that track.

How important is visual aesthetic to Chase & Status? On stage do you put a big importance on what you wear?
Visual aesthetic is very important - we make a big effort with our visuals, screens and lights etc. We wear on stage what we wear on a daily basis - keeping true to ourselves and our image.

Do you have a song you currently like to finish a set with?
Yes we do - 'Fool Yourself' off our latest album ‘No More Idols’.

What was the first album you bought?
Hmm - I really can't remember - it might have been 'Bad' - Michael Jackson in 1987 but I'm sure there was a ‘Disney Sings’ I may have acquired beforehand.

The last song you listened to?
Chromeo - ‘The Right Type’

Lastly is collaboration better than competition? Or vice versa?
Friendly competition is great, and a good collaboration is always great if done correctly.