"We prefer to dig deep for our music": People Get Real Interview

Resident DJs since its inception, People Get Real are staple fixtures on the Wax:On audio front. On a night out Newcastle natives Simon Lister and Peter Wilson cook up a mix of varied proportions.

Don’t expect to hear Beatport’s Top 10. Instead, brace yourself for a myriad of sounds from Techno, Electro, House and even Dubstep. The first EP from their newly launched ‘Join Our Club’ included three of People Get Real’s own productions and has already received praise from musical maestros Fake Blood, Brodinski and Stephan Bodzin.

Jasmine Phull speaks to People Get Real about studio efforts, new projects and J-Dilla.

Firstly, is your name a satirical comment on anything in particular?
In a way it was yes. We used the name when we first started out; we were putting on our own parties and looking for a name that would resonate with the outlook of the night. We took it from the Saint Etienne song as a kind of a call to arms, it was towards the end of that big ‘super-club’ era and everyone seemed to be playing the same stuff. We wanted to put on a night that reflected all the different music that we loved.

You’ve been residents at Wax:On since its beginning in 2004. How has it evolved since then?
The growth of the parties and the ‘brand’ has been exponential since it started as a monthly night in Newcastle back in 2004. Dan, the promoter, has been pretty sharp with getting the right DJs and pushing upcoming artists and sounds that have eventually gone on to be huge. The remit for the night has never been to get bogged down with one sound, Techno, Electro, House, Dubstep even Disco have all featured. While that eclecticism has effectively ‘evolved’ along with the night it was always the aim that it would be this way.

You’ve DJ’ed alongside some pretty big names. Give us one artist that taught you something. What did they teach you?
We think there’s something to be learned from watching anyone DJ, not just necessarily the big names. It’s always interesting to see how people approach playing at different venues and in front of crowds from different cities, probably the one thing you learn from the big names; the true greats, is how to get a crowd completely locked into what you’re doing and go along with whatever you’re playing, whether that be Erol Alkan throwing the crowd a complete curve-ball or Richie Hawtin giving a master-class in effects and EQing. It has all gone into how we build our sets.

You’ve been People Get Real since 2002. In terms of technique what is one thing you’ve improved on?
We’ve become really well known for being able to get a party warmed up for pretty much anyone, being able to read the vibe and what the crowd is expecting to hear before the headliner. It’s a real skill; not jumping in too fast and not holding back so much that it’s just boring. There’s a definite art to it and we just keep working on perfecting that. Traktor Scratch Pro has also really opened up the way we play; being able to loop, effect and manipulate tracks while they play has allowed for us both to be busy in the booth.

Your mixes are known for their variety. How do you mainly source your tracks?
Probably the same ways most other people do, some of the music we get are promos from labels or promo companies, but we still dig shopping - whether that be physical record shops or download sites. It’s all about taking the time to listen to as much music as you can (and buying as much as you can afford!). The variety is a lot to do with the fact that there are two of us, with different tastes at times; it’s all about matching that variety with the flow of one of our sets.

What is the sound that you are really digging today?
We’re really into the darker house and techno sound of labels like Get The Curse, Kill The DJ, Clouded Vision and more wonky offerings from the likes of Gomma, Relish, Spectral Sound. But obviously this goes into the mix along with the all of the other music we’re into and we play, this is just the stuff that generally gets us excited!

Compare that to a sound that you were really into five years ago. What was it and is it very different?
Not a great deal really, there are a good number of tracks that we still play now from the era when Wax:On started. We’ve always been into the slightly edgier sounds that are around at any time. The stuff we like has always been out there, just the artists and labels and their particular take on that sound changes.

The Internet makes receiving music a whole lot easier for DJs. Are there tracks you know you wouldn’t get your hands on if the Internet ceased to exist? Can you give us an example?
Can’t think of anything you wouldn’t be able to actually get but it does make things a lot easier! I guess what the Internet has allowed us to do is connect easier with like-minded artists, and share productions, remixes and edits with them.

Is People Get Real planning on moving into production anytime soon?
Prior to 2011, we’d put out a couple of tracks and remixes but we’ve always been really careful and selective about what we do. But certainly this last 12 months we’ve really ramped up our studio efforts and have some really exciting music to put out which we hope people will be into. We have just launched our own label, ‘Join Our Club’, the first EP was released last week which featured three of own tracks. The feedback we’ve received so far for this release has been great and we’ve had a cool response from a wide range of artists from Fake Blood, Brodinski and ZDAR all the way through to David Squillace, Stephan Bodzin and Kiki.

So you’ve got projects in the works?
We have EP’s coming out on Wax:On Music and Magicbag Music in the coming months plus remixes due out for a couple of really great local acts (Last Waltz and Anti-Tank) as well as a remix on French label MEANT which we are really excited about. Our new studio project XY-Me with our long time friend and studio collaborator John-Paul Denton is debuting next month also. XY-Me is our take on the more peaktime sounds in clubland.

What should the crowd expect from your gigs?
Expect the unexpected! I guess you’re never going to hear the Beatport Top 10 from us and you’ll also not hear us thrashing it out at 11pm. We prefer to dig deep for our music and play stuff others have perhaps overlooked. As already mentioned we spend a lot of time searching for music and we get a real buzz from playing the more unusual stuff (and getting away with it).

One great - recently deceased - artist?
From a few years ago but still relevant: J-Dilla. He just totally changed the face of hip-hop, with such great flair and vision.

Catch People Get Real at the following events:

Bad Robot with Erol Alkan, People Get Real and XY-ME.
Mint Club, Leeds, Friday 18th February
Tickets

Kissy Sell Out/People Get Real
Arena Middlesborough, Saturday 26th February
Tickets

Erol Alkan/People Get Real
Arena Middlesborough
Tickets

Interview: Jasmine Phull

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