Schmorgasbord is one of the most interesting new labels to emerge from the Bristol (UK) electronic dance music scene of late. Bristol is a city with a long and rich history of musical trail blazing; from the reggae and sound system scene to Massive Attack, trip-hop, Roni Size and in the last few years the dubstep movement, the city has been at the forefront of many a musical thrust.
[October 2011] Schmorgasbord is one of the most interesting new labels to emerge from the Bristol (UK) electronic dance music scene of late. Bristol is a city with a long and rich history of musical trail blazing; from the reggae and sound system scene to Massive Attack, trip-hop, Roni Size and in the last few years the dubstep movement, the city has been at the forefront of many a musical thrust. Innovation through collaboration and the opening of musical circles has been a tradition in this city for a very long time, and Schmorgasbord is a true child of this. The first thing that raises an eyebrow or two is the concept – to pick two artists, one from a 4/4 background and one from a broken beat/dubstep/breaks genre, and put them together to make a record. Oli Warwick, the label’s creator sees himself as having a role akin to that of a curator. He is the orchestrator of the operation, and the man responsible for conceiving possible combinations and putting the collaborators together. This may not be a totally original idea, but it is the first label I’ve come across which exclusively releases records – and they are proper vinyl records – that have been created by pairing two producers in this way. The idea of a concept label might be slightly odd, and may even seem a bit restrictive, but this has the feel of something that is being done for the right reasons and not merely as a gimmick. Certainly the results so far have more then justified the project.
Schmorgasbord launched in April this year with an insanely good vinyl collaborative release – Ny Fizzzzz / Fountains Of Paradise – by October and Appleblim. These two producers are both heavyweight names in the Bristol underground dance music scene. In fact, Appleblim is one of the biggest names in the UK, and is regarded as one of the pioneers of dubstep, not to mention owner of the legendary Apple Pips label. The record is an understated gem of 4/4 dance floor wiggle fodder that went down so well it sold out and had to be re-pressed within a short time of its release. That is a pretty impressive record straight out of the blocks. Clearly, to be able to put a release of this gravitas together for your opener means you are either well connected or well respected. Or maybe a bit of both. Label owner Oli Warwick is a young man with a lot of passion for the music he is involved with, coming as he does from a background of putting on nights, working in a mastering studio, DJ’ing and writing as a freelance music journalist. He has managed to become firmly entrenched in the Bristol dance music scene since moving to the city in 2007. It strikes me that this is key to the label’s success so far; that he is able to think of a pairing that might work, and then have the connections to call them up and get them on board. This again is testament to the openness of the Bristol music scene. Being able to draw on artists who are already well established is important in this case, certainly until the label itself can build up a reputation of its own. It piques interest from followers of the artists and intrigues people as to what the result of such couplings might yield.
Schmorgasbord released their second record in July (2011). Platter 002 features the pairing of S-Max and Spatial, which has also been received very well by those in the know. At least three more releases are already in development for the future, with some very interesting couplings in the offing; Al Tourettes and Paradroid is one which particularly intrigues me, as well as the all Manchester collaboration between the AnD crew and Indigo. Exciting times indeed! I have a feeling that we’ll all be hearing a lot more from the Schmorgasbord label in the future as it develops and more legends of the underground dance music scene are fused together in order to create new hybrid electronic forms.
Interview with Oli Warwick – label boss of Schmorgasbord ::
Gustave Savy / Igloo :: You’ve set up the label with a very clear structure in mind. Can you tell us what the concept is exactly?
Oli Warick :: The whole idea with Schmorgasbord is to take two producers from different disciplines within electronic music, whether that be house, techno, electro, disco, dubstep, jungle and so on, and wedge them together to see what happens when their respective styles mix. Admittedly in these times generic divisions are something of a blur anyway, but it’s really just an experiment in mixing and matching. The collision may take the form of collaboration, or original tracks and their ensuing remixes. For the time being the label will simply be a series of twelves varying between two and four tracks with a dance floor punch and an experimental edge.
Igloo :: What prompted you to take this direction?
OW :: I’ve always been a fan of both experimental music and collaborations, and it seemed like an interesting spin to take on the label format. I like the idea that people might be surprised by the combination of producers on a particular record, hopefully piquing their interest to hear the results.
Igloo :: Your first release features two giants of the Bristol music scene. How did that come about? Was the idea a suggestion or was it something that came to you in a flash of inspiration? (I know this is two questions, but it’s kind of the same one really)
OW :: I’d always wanted to do something with Laurie (Appleblim) as he’s someone with a very pure and adventurous musical nature. The legacy behind him is one thing, but spending any amount of time with the chap you begin to wonder what else he could be capable of in the studio that he hasn’t turned to yet. Likewise Jules (October) has always been one of my favourite producers in the Bristol music fraternity. He has such a fearless way about his music, from his early broken beat stuff to his more techno-driven stuff to the way he approaches house music. He’s never afraid to push his tracks into strange, sometimes dark, territory, and he really lives and breathes what he does with 100% commitment.
I was talking to Jules about the label idea and asked if he’d be interested, and if so who he’d like to work with, and Laurie was the first name he mentioned. Fortunately Laurie was also wise to Jules’ music and jumped at the chance, and so it took shape. It’s been great to see the two of them working together more since then, and the one time they’ve played back to back in a club proved just what a lovely musical pairing they are.
Igloo :: Do people approach you with ideas, or are the releases solely down to you?
OW :: I’ve not really had specific collaborations proposed to me although I’m always open to ideas, but to be honest I’ve got a never-ending list of artists I’d like to get involved and I also have a very specific idea in my head about the kind of sound I’m looking for. I probably couldn’t put that into words, but hopefully over time it’ll become apparent with the evolution of the label.
Igloo :: How did you end up in Bristol?
OW :: While I was at uni I came to Bristol to do a two week work placement with I-DJ magazine (R.I.P), and although I didn’t meet many people and didn’t really have a full-on night out, I fell in love with the place. The atmosphere, the people, the culture. Like most other out-of-towners I’m an avid preacher of the virtues of Bristol life. We’re like a glassy-eyed cult when people from elsewhere ask where we live. After uni there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to move here.
Igloo :: How do you find the general vibe here?
OW :: As many other people have said before me, the beauty of Bristol is in its welcoming, accessible nature. That applies across the board, not just with music. It’s a place where creativity certainly thrives, you just have to look at the walls of the buildings to know that, and anyone with passion and a willingness to contribute will be included and encouraged, where so many cities are quite resistant to what they might see as added competition. No-one takes themselves too seriously, and originality takes pride of place as a result.
I’ve always been a fan of both experimental music and collaborations, and it seemed like an interesting spin to take on the label format. I like the idea that people might be surprised by the combination of producers on a particular record, hopefully piquing their interest to hear the results.
Igloo :: It’s a city with a huge musical legacy, do you feel a part of this?
OW :: Hmmm… I think it would be a bit bold of me to stake a claim in the incredible things that have been done in the past in this city. I’d like to think I contribute somewhat to what’s happening now, and I’m privileged to work alongside some incredibly hard-working, talented people (a lot of which also happen to be some of my favourite musicians). It’s a beautiful, ever-evolving thing I chip into where I can.
Igloo :: Do you remember the first track that blew your mind?
OW :: Haha, well there’s got to be a lot of tracks that shook me in some way at different points of my musical understanding I guess. Some of them are probably quite embarrassing. Off the top of my head, I would say that early on, properly hearing Black Dog by Led Zeppelin did something to me. Likewise Voodoo Chile by Jimi Hendrix. When it came to electronic music, I remember “Poison” by the Prodigy making my eleven-year-old head melt. Even back then I remember hearing things like Origin Unknown, Valley of the Shadows on the Evening Session but I probably didn’t fully get it at that point.
Igloo :: What is really floating your boat musically at the moment?
OW :: Right now, a whole lot of different things, as per usual. I’ve been getting on a slight country music tip, the darker end of it like Townes Van Zandt. On a more beat-driven tip, a nice mixture of swung techno-dubstep-hybrid-blah-blah-blah stuff from the likes of Kowton, AnD, Al Tourettes, S-Max, then also soul stuff from Erykah Badu, GuSHee, smoother house stuff from Move D, Linkwood, Soulphiction… I could probably go on!
Igloo :: What is your favourite record? I know this is almost impossible to answer, but maybe give us a few.
OW :: Ah yes, one of those classic and immensely tricky questions. I think the best thing I can do is pick a few highly played winners from old iTunes library. By no means comprehensive!
Flying Lotus – “Tea Leaf Dancers”
Tricky – “Abbaon Fat Tracks”
Pinch – “Qawaali”
Al Green – “Simply Beautiful”
TRG – “Broken Heart (Martyn’s DCM Remix)”
Led Zeppelin – “Going To California”
Keith Rowe – “Groovy Situation”
Sly & The Family Stone – “Can’t Strain My Brain”
In fact these all seem to be tracks I put on for nights in with my girlfriend… I do like rough stuff as well!
Igloo :: Are you putting on or involved in any nights or shows?
OW :: I’ve been co-promoting Delete down in Bournemouth for five years now. We started out booking artists like Akufen, Mike Shannon, Mossa, the bumping, grooving end of micro-house. Since then we broadened our horizons and we’ve had Pinch, Bodycode, October, Appleblim, Tom Demac, and some regular guests such as Spatial, Alex Fisher, Chris Box. It currently resides in a beautiful 1920’s pub called The Winchester, managed by the best man I ever met working in the club industry. The residents are also some of my all time favourite DJ’s, and they taught me a hell of a lot about good house and techno.
I also put on the Western Union parties in Bristol alongside Kidkut from Immerse Records. Between us and Hodge, Chris Farrell (from Idle Hands) and the local cats, we put on an intermittent shindig for those of us pushing interesting and leftfield house music in Bristol.
I also do the odd Schmorgasbord showcase from time to time, and had the great pleasure to do a party with the Wholemeal guys up in London at The Rhythm Factory. We had Peverelist, Al Tourettes, October, Spatial, and the great honour of giving S-Max his first gig in the UK. Suffice it to say the place was banging all night.
Igloo :: What are your plans for the future of the Schmorgasbord label?
OW :: I’m taking each release as it comes in the early days, but there’s definitely some interesting prospects lined up for the next few twelves. There’s some names that may be familiar, alongside names that probably aren’t so familiar, but all with that indescribable Schmorgy twist. I hope everyone enjoys the results as much as I do.
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For more information about Schmorgasbord, visit their Facebook page.
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