Julio Bashmore has been knockin’ around the dance scene for a superlatively long time now. Famous for both his mixing acumen and refined production skills, the Bristol-born artist’s debut album Knockin’ Boots is a record that won’t fade from memory any time soon.
Laden with perfect sampling, precise percussions and cross-genre playfulness, the LP is a renegade yet delicate mash of summer funk and miles away from the Dubstep scene Bristol is famous for. But will we be seeing much of the album vibes in his notoriously insatiable DJ sets that will be gracing the Bacardi x Boiler Room stage at Sugar Mountain and Astral People’s Summer Dance opening party this weekend? Before we found out, we’d have to talk about his pup pup.
IC: We’re pretty darn excited to see you when you come out next weekend.
JB: It’s really soon – for some reason I’m just doing the weekend. Sometimes they say that I could be around for two weeks or just a weekend but I’ve got a dog now. I cant leave him too long. My position is the pack leader which is pretty dubious at the best of times. So him running round for two weeks will be a disaster.
JB: You’ve gotta show them who’s boss. Dat alpha thing. Will we see an alpha on tour?
At the moment it’s pretty good. This is right now the happiest I’ve ever been with my DJing. I put the album out last year and I’ve always been more studio focused. But now I have the chance to go digging more and hone the craft of DJing. Everything’s in a nice place at the moment, I don’t think theres any pressure to play any one thing. I think people are open to lots of different genres. I’m introducing UK funky back into my set, house, techno – everyone’s always up for that. Also my love of African music. I’ve been playing that since day one, because I was so wrapped up in the UK funky thing. It’s got such a good energy and such a good vibe – in the album I got to work with a bunch of cool cats – a whole heap from South Africa. So I’m getting into that.
IC: Is it always your intention to drop random genres on punters?
JB: I think sometimes, in the past, my sets have had a little bit of a marmite effect. I think it comes from 2007/2008 when I started DJing properly I kind of got big on the success of inoffensive, polite tech-house. I guess from day one my whole thing has been the reaction against that. That comes from restoring all of house music’s weird freaky fringe scenes and bringing it all together – that’s what I’m all about. Being unorthodox, I guess.
IC: How do you find the response to that?
JB: Generally pretty well, I’ve gotten this far. I don’t mean that to sound arrogant but I think that people want it – there’s enough boring techy stuff that gets played in bars and people want a reaction against that.
IC: I think that spells a respect for the partygoer.
JB: At the end of the day I want to make sure everyone’s having fun. I’m not going to be playing the tech, ambient, noise records. Sometimes I’ll even drop Billy Idol, although I’m not sure that’s always a great idea.
IC: Well, Billy Idol just pops up from time to time.
JB: I think the last 50 people in the tent I was in were enjoying it, so that’s all that counts really. I think I’ve learnt over the years what I can get away with, all in the interest of making people have a good time.
IC: Tell us about Knockin’ Boots.
JB: I just wanted to make something really soulful and sample based – with one foot in the past and one in the future. There were two key references which were French touch sounds and kind of Chicago sounds – but not Frankie Knuckles – more underground disco with really hype funk sound. I want to let the vocalist bring something new to the table.
IC: How do you work with your vocalists – what’s the dynamic there?
JB: I can only really get stuff to work when I have a good relationship with someone. All the vocalists, we really got to know each other. I didn’t want there to be any nervous tension in the studio. Some producers will have a different vocalist in every day of the week but I wanted to really have relationships with mine.
IC: What’s next for Julio Bashmore. Lots of touring for the album and…?
JB: I see a real opportunity to work on my label Boardwalk and sign some new artists to that. There’s also loads of stuff that I want to re-issue. I also want to work again in the album format – it really works for me. What I want to do next is kind of – and this is where it’s good to be a DJ – give myself a little bit of time to do it in, and spend some time building up to it and listen to shitloads of music. I’m going to listen to all of it – a bunch of African music –
IC: All the Billy Idol you can handle?
JB: Endlessly. Although I should point out as a disclaimer that I won’t be playing any Billy Idol on this tour. I’m keeping it locked away.
Julio Bashmore will be in Australia this weekend…
Saturday 23rd January // Sugar Mountain Festival – Bacardi x Boiler Room Stage, Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne
Sunday 24th January // Summer Dance – National Art School, Sydney
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