From the dancefloor to the decks: Wax:On favourites Eskimo Twins talk to Skiddle

Do you remember your first album? The tactile object you purchased all those many years ago when digital was a tiny seed and cover-art, and music video, were key players? Would you still like it if you listened to it today?

Leeds’ Eskimo Twins remember their first time and would be more than happy to do it over and over again. Initially interested in acoustic and rock, it wasn’t until halfway through their Music Production course that the boys developed a love for dance music. After many a night-time session at their hometown’s club night Wax:On, Tim and Nath began producing their own tracks and before they knew it they were no longer the punters requesting tracks. 

Eskimo Twins talk to Jasmine Phull about Leeds' diverse music scene, how they went from the dancefloor to the decks at Wax:On... and East 17.

You met at university in Leeds. Is there a good music community there and is it close-knit? 

Leeds has a brilliant music scene, yeah! There are plenty of great club nights like Wax:On and Back To Basics. The live music scene has always been good too, partly due no doubt to the big music college. We got a lot out of the Leeds scene and still really enjoy playing there and being involved as much we can be. Not living there anymore has had an effect on that but we love going back; its home for us.

What did you study and is it related to what you do now? 

Yes. We were on the same Music Production course so you could say it has helped us out in what we do now… We learned a lot, although we were both into rockier stuff when we first went there, so we applied ourselves to that side of things more. We got into dance music around the same time though and started hanging out together, going to Wax:On and stuff. By the time we left we were both making electro, albeit separately at the time.

Where are you based now? 

London these days, but we still play at least once a month in Leeds, usually more.

Where do you source your tracks for your DJ sets? 

 Well lots of places really. Blogs, label mailing lists, promo companies, friends, other DJs and producers, record shops, absolutely everywhere we can. It’s important, as most DJs are on the same promo lists, so if you want your sets to stand out from the crowd you can’t be lazy about sourcing music.

Explain when and how you got involved with Wax:On. 

We always attended Wax:On as punters at university; we bonded over a shared love of going to that club night among other things. When we started producing, playing live and DJ’ing together, we put out some mixes, demos, remixes etc and the Wax:On team picked them up. They invited us to play a few shows and before long we were residents. We’ve been involved for over two years now and have seen the brand grow and evolve. It’s a great crowd and we’ve played some pretty special nights at Wax:On.

What is it about the club night that attracts you and keeps you there?

It’s a club night that doesn’t play it safe or rest on its laurels. The line-ups are always fresh and exciting, there’s something for everyone. The crowd is always evolving and changing too so it keeps it exciting.

How does being an artist affect the way you hear other people’s songs? 

Well as producers, we can’t ever just listen to a track without analysing it. It’s a bind sometimes because you’re always critiquing music, it’s hard to just listen and enjoy it for what it is. The same goes from a songwriting point of view, it’s hard not to analyse every element of the music you hear. But that’s why we’re passionate about music.

You’ll be playing the Hideout Festival this summer. Can you describe what steps of preparation you take before a gig? Do you compile the list of tracks to play or improvise at the time? 

Both. We always prep before gigs to ensure we are prepared for the type of set we are about to do. We do fresh edits and reworks for our sets and things like that but we never decide completely what we will play. It all depends on the crowd, the feel of the gig and how we feel when we get behind the decks. That way we hope to keep it tight but also spontaneous.

Do you have a current track you like to end a set with? 

We were ending sets with ‘Yeah’ by BoysNoize until we heard WILL IAM’s re-vocal-ed version; that put us off a bit. 'I Just Can’t Get Enough' by Depeche Mode has come out a lot recently, as has our rework of Throbbing Gristle’s 'Hot On The Heels Of Love'.

Favourite music blog? 

Tough one. Can’t give just one, but some we like are: Pelski, Robot Dance Music, Noise Porn, Blastercase, Get Hyped On This, Too Many Sebastians, Palms Out Sounds…

First album you bought? Would you still listen to it today? Why?

Nathan: East 17 – Walthamstow – Of course I would listen to it. House of Love is still a great record!

Tim: First bought album is a toughie; I was massively into tapes as a kid and had loads of copies. But the first one I can remember physically buying was Nirvana - Unplugged In New York. I do still listen to it. Regularly. Because Nirvana fucking rule man.

Interview by: Jasmine Phull

www.twitter.com/j_fool

Eskimo Twins' next Wax:On appearance will be at Bad Robot on Friday 25th March at The Mint Club. Tickets are available through Skiddle below. 

Eskimo Twins will also be playing at Hideout Festival in Croatia this summer. Get Hideout tickets here.

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