We Should Hang Out More

by the partae
John Markey and Oliver Melling's new three-track EP is a pristinely produced house record, placing themselves and budding new label Jackie Knows Karate Records at the forefront of Scotland’s dance music scene. The record is the sixth impressive release to come from the label and sees the pair confidently step into the House genre. Deep and atmospheric, March Last Year is one for the afterparties. The opening track tao b.u is a wafty 6-minute number that ebbs and flows over arpeggio synths, building heat until the final fifth-minute drop. TSDM is an altogether more visceral house track that manages to retain the same level of atmosphere while a dark, driving riff means the track is at home on the sweatiest of dancefloors. Raw and dramatic, the third and final track, Tokens, delves a little deeper. A slower-burner than its predecessor, the energy radiating from this track pulls the groove forward until the middle-break when the dancefloor is given some breathing space before  he final drop carries the EP home. Oliver Melling said: “These tracks were conceived at a time when we were playing longer, heavier sets in all manner of weird and wonderful places. Taking to the booth often three times a weekend was frenetic. “The energy was wild, exciting, exhausting - so many thoughts and goals were all swirling around during this period in which these tracks were produced. I think that while they're obviously designed for certain environments - dropping an early version of TSDM closing the Dockland stage at Riverside Festival cemented this - they reflect that period of our lives accurately and personally: heavy, raw, and sleepless.” Hailing from Glasgow, We Should Hang Out More are longstanding champions of the city’s thriving dance music scene. Since arriving on the scene in 2014 Oliver Melling and John Markey have evolved from fresh-faced upstarts putting on small parties on the fringes of the Glasgow scene, to becoming two of the most celebrated DJs and party curators in Scotland. Known for being trailblazers of the underground, WSHOM operate on a ‘good music for good times’ ethos. It is no surprise then that blossoming homegrown label Jackie Knows Karate Records is boasting their latest release. Centred around a philosophy of “No BS. Just Pure House.”, the label has already accumulated an impressive stream of releases that have gained support from the likes of Patrick Topping and Shiba San. https://www.facebook.com/weshouldhangoutmore https://www.instagram.com/we_should_hang_out_more/

Where are you currently based?

In Govanhill in Glasgow. It’s the most culturally diverse area of Scotland, full of creatives and interesting locations, more languages than anywhere else in the country and a ton of green spaces. We like it here.

Your new EP ‘March Last Year’ will be out August 21, what influenced the sound and songwriting?

This was written at a time when we were holding down a residency in Glasgow’s largest after hours venue. It was a wild time, with us sometimes playing three times in a weekend until ungodly hours of the morning. The creativity, energy and vibes at that time were so exciting and exhausting. We wanted to write some music that we felt represented the venues we were regularly playing in, and so began writing our first house EP. There are many more to come.

How did you go about writing the music?

This was before we had built our studio and so were literally made in our bedrooms. We would take turns moving synths across the east end of Glasgow in the rain in January/February and sitting up late getting frustrated. It was a truly collaborative process, however all three tracks were from Oliver’s genesis. We cracked them eventually and sat on them for a while before deciding to send them out to labels. We wanted to work with someone in Glasgow, so Jackie Knows Karate were a great fit, as they weren’t reticent about a slightly heavier sound which we were feeling at the time.

Where and when did you produce?

Production took place in bedrooms, and mixing anywhere with a plug and headphones. We’ve since built a studio, which over lockdown has been a saviour.

What programs/instruments did you use?

We used Ableton as the DAW. Then a good chunk of the instrumentation is played through a Korg Minilogue (which any Minilogue owner will hear in these tracks immediately!), the Arturia Drumbrute provided some of the ancillary percussion and the rest would have been some finely attuned samples as well as the occasional digital synth.

Please tell us about your studio setup:

Now we have (see attached photo!) a Korg Minilogue, Novation Bassstation II, Artutria Drumbrute, a Fender Jazz bass, a few midi keys, a microphone and plenty of plugins.

How did you approach the recording/production process?

Recently we’ve been beginning tunes separately, bringing them as far as we can individually and then passing them over to each other. The new ears bring new musical ideas as well as new perspectives on the mix itself. We each have particular strengths which the other recognise and respect so it’s a great partnership.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

We’ve been listening to an absolute ton of music during lockdown. Spending countless hours cycling, walking and drinking mean countless hours of imbued culture.There’s always such a wide range of countries and genres always being played in our flat. Ladies on Mars’ edits have been lovely to get you moving in the morning, our pal Wuh Oh has been killing it with his bonkers productions, Fontaines D.C’s new record is unreal, Celeste has been a beautiful vibe, Baba Stiltz been on a lot, Toy Tonics always pump out jams to keep your feet moving, Mura Mesa made a track with Tirzah which has been on repeat the last week or so… This list could go on and on!

What do you like to do away from music?

With what little time we have away from music, we like to drink and eat. Also travelling and arguing with friends about politics. Lockdown has made a lot of that impossible, so we’ve mostly been drinking and eating. We’re also both keen cyclists so we’ve been taking this opportunity to properly explore some of the amazing Scottish scenery all around Glasgow.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2020?

Fuck knows haha. It really depends on what apocalyptic cliche happens next. If we manage to avoid nuclear war or alien invasion we’re going to keep producing at the rate we have over the last few months. We’ve got some serious stuff on the way which we can’t wait to get out there. Also, we’ve set up our own label In The Event of Capture and are lining up some releases on that. Send us demos! intheeventofcapture@wshom.club.

Favourite food and place to hangout?

We eat anything. We hangout (more?) anywhere. Just name the time and place. We’ll bring the cutlery.

 

Where are you currently based? In Govanhill in Glasgow. It’s the most culturally diverse area of Scotland, full of creatives and interesting locations, more languages than anywhere else in the country and a ton of green spaces. We like it here. Your new EP 'March Last Year' will be out August 21, what influenced the sound and songwriting? This was written at a time when we were holding down a residency in Glasgow’s largest after hours venue. It was a wild time, with us sometimes playing three times in a weekend until ungodly hours of the morning. The creativity, energy and vibes at that time were so exciting and exhausting. We wanted to write some music that we felt represented the venues we were regularly playing in, and so began writing our first house EP. There are many more to come. How did you go about writing the music? This was before we had built our studio and so were literally made in our bedrooms. We would take turns moving synths across the east end of Glasgow in the rain in January/February and sitting up late getting frustrated. It was a truly collaborative process, however all three tracks were from Oliver’s genesis. We cracked them eventually and sat on them for a while before deciding to send them out to labels. We wanted to work with someone in Glasgow, so Jackie Knows Karate were a great fit, as they weren’t reticent about a slightly heavier sound which we were feeling at the time. Where and when did you produce? Production took place in bedrooms, and mixing anywhere with a plug and headphones. We’ve since built a studio, which over lockdown has been a saviour.   What programs/instruments did you use? We used Ableton as the DAW. Then a good chunk of the instrumentation is played through a Korg Minilogue (which any Minilogue owner will hear in these tracks immediately!), the Arturia Drumbrute provided some of the ancillary percussion and the rest would have been some finely attuned samples as well as the occasional digital synth. Please tell us about your studio setup: Now we have (see attached photo!) a Korg Minilogue, Novation Bassstation II, Artutria Drumbrute, a Fender Jazz bass, a few midi keys, a microphone and plenty of plugins. How did you approach the recording/production process? Recently we’ve been beginning tunes separately, bringing them as far as we can individually and then passing them over to each other. The new ears bring new musical ideas as well as new perspectives on the mix itself. We each have particular strengths which the other recognise and respect so it’s a great partnership. Who are you listening to at the moment? We’ve been listening to an absolute ton of music during lockdown. Spending countless hours cycling, walking and drinking mean countless hours of imbued culture.There’s always such a wide range of countries and genres always being played in our flat. Ladies on Mars’ edits have been lovely to get you moving in the morning, our pal Wuh Oh has been killing it with his bonkers productions, Fontaines D.C’s new record is unreal, Celeste has been a beautiful vibe, Baba Stiltz been on a lot, Toy Tonics always pump out jams to keep your feet moving, Mura Mesa made a track with Tirzah which has been on repeat the last week or so… This list could go on and on! What do you like to do away from music? With what little time we have away from music, we like to drink and eat. Also travelling and arguing with friends about politics. Lockdown has made a lot of that impossible, so we’ve mostly been drinking and eating. We’re also both keen cyclists so we’ve been taking this opportunity to properly explore some of the amazing Scottish scenery all around Glasgow. What's planned for the remainder of 2020? Fuck knows haha. It really depends on what apocalyptic cliche happens next. If we manage to avoid nuclear war or alien invasion we’re going to keep producing at the rate we have over the last few months. We’ve got some serious stuff on the way which we can’t wait to get out there. Also, we’ve set up our own label In The Event of Capture and are lining up some releases on that. Send us demos! intheeventofcapture@wshom.club.   Favourite food and place to hangout? We eat anything. We hangout (more?) anywhere. Just name the time and place. We’ll bring the cutlery.

 

https://www.facebook.com/weshouldhangoutmore

https://www.instagram.com/we_should_hang_out_more/

 

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