The second part of our double Bank Holiday Podcast special comes from one of the heroes of UK electronic music of the last two decades, Mr. Adam Freeland. He made his name pushing his nu skool breakbeat sound in the late-‘90s, coming as a breath of fresh air with its crisp, clinical, bassy sound, and with his excellent Marine Parade label helped to unearth talents like Evil Nine, Ils, Alex Metric and Beber. His group Freeland emerged with a stunning debut album, Now & Them, in 2003¸ and proceeded to become a mainstay on the festival circuit and create another album, Cope, and subsequent remix package.
Over the years, his style developed from breaks into electro, nu-rave (as it was briefly known), techno and house, with elements of rock thrown into the mix. This Podcast sums his eclectic sound up succinctly, all driven by the love of a nice, meaty snare…
What's your personal favourite track on it?
Ah. That's a tough one, I love em all. Maybe Massive Attack's Atlas Air (it's all about that organ!), or the Om Unit mix of Mizz Beats. This guy Om Unit is on it right now.
What's the special ingredient in this mix?
I'm a sucker for snare drums. I just find straight 4/4 beats all night long too straight, yet I love the vibe of house music such as the Manuel Tur mix of Solomun on here, so I've re-edited the straighter tracks to have beats that give the whole mix my kind of vibe.
What's the best gig you've played recently?
Merlin in Budapest last Friday was off the hook. I always have had a lot of love in Hungary, it's a mutual thing. Budapest is such a great city.
What have you got coming up?
Most timely is the event I'm organising and playing at in Brighton this Sunday May 2nd with Apparat. (
http://www.datatransmission.co.uk/ViewEvent/4477/). The concept is it's a 'Micro-festival' so we are putting on a festival in a night club with short films early and also some Balkan influenced music as well as various performers and art...before the onslaught of awesome electronica as the night progresses.
In the studio, I'm working on some more underground club stuff since my full band album and tours, I have a track coming out called How To Fake Your Own Life. Etienne De Crecy has done a mix and its HUGE! It's going to be up on Beatport next week.
And finally, do you have a special message for our readers?
I'm always a fan of a good quote by someone much wiser than me . I just enjoyed this one...
"Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Howard Thurman
Tracklisting:
Keepaway - Evil Lady
Massive Attack - Atlas Air
Hey Today - Talk To Me (Busy P Mix)
Colette - Think You Want It (Hansenn Dub Mix)
Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia - Soldiers (The Revenge Dub)
Golden Bug - The Game
Hijack - Bring the Panic (Elite Force Remix) (snippet)
Light Year - Sex Education / Freeland - Heel 'n' Toe(snippet)
Mauro Picotto - Diamond (Adam Freeland Edit)
Booka Shade - Bad Love (Azari and III Remix)
M17 - Rocking Down The House (snippet)
Felix Cartal - Love (Adam Freeland re-edit)
Mr Oizo - Hun (Ninety Hz mix)
Hey Today - Talk To Me
Mizzbeats - My World (Om Unit Mix)
LCD Soundsystem - 45-33 (Pilooski Mix)
Solomun - Cloud Dancer (Manuel Tur's Syphon Drum Mix)