10/03/08
Text: Nik Mercer
12" record labels seem to be popping up like daisies these days, but that's not necessarily or always a bad thing. Particularly in the case of http://www.myspace.com/discodemolitionrecords target="_new">Disco Demolition Records, a small label that the guys from the funky, disco act, Codebreaker, recently started up.
Needless to say, D.D.R. caught out eye, and we decided to chat with the guys behind it about the first release (which features Kathy Diamond's vocals on the a-side track, "Fire"), how it all began, where it's headed, and a few headier bits about musical trends and revitalizations. Stream "Fire" in the media player to the right or, better yet, download it below before getting into the Q&A!
Codebreaker feat. Kathy Diamond - Fire
You guys are pretty mysterious; tell me a little about how you got together, started making music, and, most importantly, if there was any conceptual backing to what you were trying to achieve.
Well, I'd say 2001-ish. I was experimenting, working with different folks, trying to interpret a wide cross section of ideas and inspirations that had been all floating around in my head. I guess I spent a lot of the 90s asking a lot of questions from anyone who played music and was just really into any genre I respected. [Like,] the start of a journey of just trying to get to guts of what I liked about anything from dub, disco, reggae, soul, pop, new wave, old country...
Then of course, just attentively listening, listening & then eventually writing. Finally, I started recording demos... shortly after that, I approached Sage; it was such an obvious choice for me. I didn't know anyone else at the time I wanted to work with. He was the only person I knew who you could find playing in a rockabilly band one night, spinning techno another, and playing in a live electronic dub act the next.
You're based out of Milwaukee. I can imagine that being there removes you from the various "scenes" that comprise disco, funk, soul, etc. revivals which are primarily centered in N.Y.C., L.A., and S.F. (at least in the States). Are you thankful for being separated?
It definitely has facilitated putting a big underscore on us being on our own planet, which can be both good and bad, for different reasons. At the end of the day, I guess I'm thankful, because it's played a role in sculpting what I'd like to think is a unique approach and attitude to music, anyway.
The cost of living here is cheap and it's enabled me to spend a lot of time writing, recording, and working on the label, instead of working three different crap jobs somewhere else. Trying to write great music is my favorite thing in the world, so that's where my head's at.
There's not much of scene here or anything, but there are small pockets of greatness. I'm on the coasts frequently, so coming back to someplace very quaint, friendly and accessible is nice.
How do you integrate live instruments into your shows? Why do you think that live sounds are in such demand for dance groups today? D.F.A., for example, insists on using real horns, strings, etc.
Live/touring Codebreaker is a four-piece. Currently, our set-up live is: PA/keys/vocoder, bass player, guitar player... and I sing, play keys, various percussion, and vocoder. I'm not sure if the reason why people like to see a live dance music group is different than any other sort of band. It's just an extension of expression, communication that people desire. Sometimes I want to see a live group, sometimes I just want to lose myself dancing to the DJ.
D.F.A. is an incredible label. They are great at what they do. However, Disco Demolition is brand new; we're not really in a position to insist on much of anything, let alone live string sections.
Relatedly, it seems as though this so-called Disco Revival is fueled by the dance music world's disinterest in hyper-specific sub-genres and a sort of refusal to include many different and various sorts of music into stuff you can get down to. How do you respond to that?
Look, at the end of the day, I just think more people here in the U.S. are realizing, Fuck, life is for living. Hanging out at these socially-conservative mini-conferences known as "indie rock shows" or some chach'd out nightclub is just a bummer.
Give us soulful stuff; funky, sexual, free, and expressive. The tides are turning and whether it's performing with Codebreaker or DJ'ing, I've been seeing nothing but more & more people letting go, and rejecting all those silly confines.
