Interview: Retro/Grade

Serge Santiago and Tom Neville are Retro/Grade. Neither is one or the other, together they are both. They are today’s italo-disco; a sound with its origins rooted in early 1980’s Italy and its technique mastered by modern day producers.

In the summer of 2009, the duo released debut single MODA which received high appraisal from the likes of Soulwax, Brodinski and A-Trak, and early 2011 sees them look forward to the release of their labour-intensive yet lovingly crafted debut Motion. It’s loud, hard and hooky - euphorically relishing in its two most integral components, the synthesizer and the drum machine.

We talk to Tom Neville who after hesitantly picking up the phone (he has an adversity to answering unknown numbers) spoke about the perils of finishing a song: When is enough, really enough? And the uncertainty of their impending remix of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool’s second single, since the recent death of member Charles Haddon.

From about late 2009 "it’s been a rapid climb", says Neville and a year later it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. This October sees the release of Retro/Grade’s second single and welcomes their supporting slot for fellow British music mixers Groove Armada.

Your working on your debut album Motion, is it almost complete?

It’s very likely to be out at the beginning of 2011. Serge and I started working on it about three or four years ago, so it’s been a long long time. We initially started tinkering but then it was quite well received so we decided to go ahead and create an album.

How hard is it to know when a song no longer needs tweaking?

You’ll never be 100% happy with and you can only put it to bed when it comes out as a record because you obviously can’t change anything after that. Serge is probably a bit more fiddly with it then me, I’m a bit more brutal... Your ears just get really muddy to the whole thing. When it’s about balance and frequency you go round and round in circles and you don’t even know what you’re listening to.

So Retro/Grade produce and remix?

Yes, we just released a Ting Tings remix and were about to get started on the second Ou Est Le Swimming Pool track. Only I just literally found out that one of the members killed himself. So I’m not sure what’s going to happen with that now.

In January you had a feature in Clash Magazine. Did you feel the impact of that after?

It’s been a rapid climb from the very end of last year. We’ve been sorting out the record deal with Deconstruction and now we’re kicking back into action again.

What are you currently listening to at the moment?

Loads of early 70’s and 80’s disco funk and late 80’s soundtracks. I also listen to reggae and classical. I do prefer to listen to pop music instead of dance music because I find it more inspiring.

When are you most inspired?

I’m most inspired when I’ve been to a big show or festival. I love seeing a wide range of acts and it always gives me millions of ideas. Definitely gets me buzzed up.

What about the name? Is one of you Retro and one of you Grade?

(Laughs). Yea we fight about it every morning. No it’s just a name and we used the slash so it would stand apart from the word ‘retrograde’ which has something to do with astronomy.

You’re jumping on tour with Groove Armada in October. How did that relationship start?

They’ve always been really big supporters of the tracks we released earlier on. Both the guys were on board from the beginning. And then at the end of the October tour we’ll release our second single.

Does Retro/Grade have an on stage persona?

We’ve really focussed on the whole visual aspect. Me and Serge stand behind two screens and images are projected onto them. There’s two wire-framed men that stand directly in front of us and it all kind of develops with the music.

So the aesthetics are as important as the music?
Very much so. Even more so maybe.

Interview by: Jasmine Phull

myspace.com/retrogradeishere