We feel like Sean Connery after James Bond actually! We don't really care about peoples' expectations of what Deep Dish needs to be about or sound like. Whenever we feel like people are trying to pigeon hole our sound and try to fit us in a nice and neat catergory ,we just change our sound. There are far too many people out to catergorise music so that they can feel more comfortable in understanding and/ or dissecting it.
This is why there are so many divisions and purists in music today- we hate purists

The scene in Washington D.C, was when I was there in 1993, very pro HipHop, New Jack Swing and even more pro to was "Go-GO music". However, 3 Years is along time in music. Are the party goers, Djs or Vinyl junkies starting to wake up to Soulful house music?

The scene in Washington D.C, is very stale and segregated. You still have your Hiphop and /or Go-go clubs your tired mainstream clubs-of which there are far too many- and your rave orientated events. The spot that we spin at is a tiny Russian bar called State of the Union, and we host a weekly Fridays night affair for a mixed crowd that covers a host of wide-ranging spectrum of music.

In the front room, we've got a Dj that plays Hiphop/Jazz/ Rare Groove and in the back we play Ambient, Drum N' Bass and the various forms of what is termed "House Music"

The crowd is loyal and is really receptive to all of the music that we play

Who has continually impressed you over the last 5 years in the realms of this music and why? Blaze, Masters of Work, Victor Simonelli,etc Who?

In the last 5 years we've been influenced and impressed, in dance circles, by such peoples as the
Masters of Work, Mood 2 Swing, Danny Tenaglia, Maurizio, Basement Jaxx, Ashely Beedle and a host of others too numerous to mention.

Forgive us over here in Europe, and more so in England, but we have come to the conclusion that New Jersey seems to be able to find Djs or Singers at the top of a hat. Within this style of music. Blaze,Smack, Adeva, Jomanda, David Camacho, Micheal Watford, etc

Is this happening within your area of the USA?

Is there a weath of talent within your area on tap!

There is a wealth of talent in our area, but most are struggling to get out and move to places like
New York as opposed to living and working in DC to try and further the scene. We've now made a life long commitment to basically put DC on the music map

When presented with a remix project to do for somebody elses single release are you the type of Djs that will look upon it as a way of completely changing the single original resemblance to create somethimg completely different.

Our attitude on the subject of remixing has changed considerably since we started.
Back then we would only take the vocals or a semblance of the original material and totally create another song around it

That's not remixing, that's producing!

Nowadays, we share more of an attitude to dub and disco remixers where they would take the original music of the artists and stretch it out and re-eq the mix using a host of effects. Of course with the way that technology has advanced since then, we can take this approach to new lengths We basically like to take the original elements and flip the script, so to speak. Meaning we'll take the original drum sounds and resample and reprogram them. We'll also take the musical bits that we like and loop parts or run them through crazy effects.

Keeping the integrity of the original song is sometimes completely ignored by self-indulgent and ignorant remixers!

Have you visited and played in Europe beforehand!

If so, what has impressed you the most.

1. The attitudes of the people/Clubbers to this music.
Does it differ to the Usa.
2 Are the Djs of Europe of the the samequality as they are in the USA; or are they even better.

In your opinion has this music any chance of breaking the monopoly that Hiphop and ROCK MUSIC has over the youth in America?

Unfortunately, we've never been outside of the USA and Canada, but we plan on coming over in January of next year. Although we' re optimistic, its hard to say how and when dance music will be widely accepted in the USA, but then again why? Dance music is Club music and belongs there, not on the radio; and there just aren't enough talented producers who are able to make music that takes it to another level. Kenny and Louie are totally capable of doing this with projects such as the forthcomming Nu Yorican Soul album. Brian Transeau will try and do this with his next album.

What happens to people like MK, Morales or Knuckles is that they water down their music to a chessy, Rn'b slant so that radio and the genaral public will be able to relate to it. We love and have a good relationship with Frankie and David and believe that they will succed one day.

If anything which style of house music do you prefer
Deep House/ Or a Cut n' paste style of Garage
Garage house / Pure soulful vocal vibes,

We don't have a criteria for liking a certain type of music.We like what sounds goods to us.
It may be a Dutch Techno record, but we'll just pitch it down. We're not purists!

If you could work with some one in the
Soulful House on a regulary basis who would it be?

Kerri Chandlar, Victor Simonelli, Mood 2 Swing, Master of Work

The same question applies outside the Soulful House world....
. Micheal Jackson, Sade, Gang Star, etc....
Who?...Or doesn't this appeal to you?

We don't particulary like to work with too many people in dance music because it can be an uncomfortable and intrusive thing. We can only work with people who we're good friends with and have known for some time Danny Tenaglia, Carl Craig, Brian Transeau, and other friends in the Dc area.

We recently had Lem Springstem from Mood 2 Swing in Dc to lay down vocals for our second single on Deconstruction records, and we plan to doing something with Mark and Tom from Global Communication. As far as people outside the dance spectrum, we'd like to work with Sade and we're actually doing some work with Ben and Tracey, from Everything,But The Girl

Do you still listen to the radio, when you have a chance within your area of the US? And if so, do they play a healthy supply of Soulful House music; or is this music still considered to being to new to be touched by the Radio Bosses.

We don't listen to much House music apart from being in a club or checking out new records at the shop. We'd rather listen to Stereolab or Sarah Mclachlan! and as far as the radio is concerned,
most mix shows don't reflect our personnel tastes and tend to play commercial or SAFE records.

How do people within Washington area generally rate you
or have taken to you since you gained a world wide hit with the single " Hideaway".
Is there some jealously within the dj circles towards your success?
Or have people been generally Ok.

We've never really had too much support in DC . We have been banned from many clubs and record shops! People in DC tend to get very jealous when they feel that someone is becomming successful. There are just too much politics and ass kissing that's involved and we've never subscribed to any of that. We got hurt and steeped on in the past, but our preserverance has made us stronger today. Those that have supported us have been our families and close friends and that's all that mattered to us!

Actually, along with producers like the Basement Boys and 95 North productions, we've opened many doors for aspiring new talent such as the Alcatraz Boys and Brian Transeau. Unfortunately, alot of people tend to feel that just because a couple of goofy Iranians djs were able to make it in this crazy business that they have some right! They are all flocking to the music shops to buy samplers and are just too eager to put out record. Nowadays, Djs feel like they need to have a record out to become popular and to be taken seriuosly. This attitude is the same everywhere and ultimately hurts the quality of the music, and just floods the market with half ass records and labels

Is there any chance of you colaborating with Blaze in the future?
Remember they were responsible in writing the world wide hit you had with "Hideaway"

Actually, Josh from Blaze told us that he's retiring from music any day now. We'd love for them to write songs for us to produce but we don't think it will happen.

In your opinon, who should we be watching out for in the future concerning House music etc

Look out for Sandy and Jay from Kings of Tommorrow. They have a rather deep and dark approach towards house music.

Are you surprised with countries such as Germany and France now being recognised as
producing Dj's that will can turned any bodies head concerning Soulful/Deep House music
Do you like competition, such as this

We're not surprised by the quality of good tunes and
producers comming out of Germany and France. I mean, look where we're from!
And yes, we love competition, it keeps us on our toes!

Have you heard of the Deep House scene coming out of San Francisco?
If so, is there a danger of what has happen in HipHop, rivalry in a bad way.
East coast v West Cost Deep/Soulful House battles?
Do you think this could ever happen in House music?

The whole East coast v West coast thing that's happening within Hiphop
is instigated by those that have nothing better to do and is just hype. Most of it is between New York and California and has to do with the New York community feeling that rap started and flourishes in New York ; while the West coast producers have their new sound which is actually outselling the East Coast stuff.

People like NAS working with Dr. Dre should change all that. For us, we can't get into the West coast thing at all! It's highly unlikely that this will happen with House music though.

At present who impresses you within the world of House music?
Please give you reasons why?

Presently, we love Mood 2 Swing, Danny Tenaglia, Carl Craig,
Masters of Work, Francois Kevorkain, Basement Jaxx,
Ashley Beedle and his whole camp, Marizio, Dobre and Jaymz, The Cajual/Relief crew, Conrad and Dan from the Idjut Boys, KOT and a host of others.
We like these producers because thay have carved out an identity and sound that's unique to them.

There is a rumour going around that you are in the process of starting up a Record label.
Is there any truth in the rumour?
And if so what will be released from that label.Will it be just House; or will there be a showcase of other forms of underground dance music present there ( Rn'B, Acid Jazz, Hiphop, Jungle).

Actually, we have 2 labels, Deep Dish and Yoshitoshi, and have just released a record on our hiphop offshoot, called middle east recordings.

  

Who has been the greatest influence on your work so far.
Was it your father?
Or was it djs such as Frankie Knuckles
or was it Tony Humpheries that has aspired you to greater things.

It's hard to say who are greatest influence has been. We've been inspired by the talents of so many Dj's and producers.And these same people who are too mumerous to mention have also helped and looked after us as we were coming into our own. Also, our families have been terribly supportive in our career choices!

Thanks, Deepdish that's it!

Thanks Carl. Anytime!

This copyrighted. If you would like to use
this review then please do back to
Deep Dish,(Washington D.C) Usa and Carl Brown, (Ipswich), England.

HOME || THOUGHTS || CLUBS || RECORDS || INTERVIEWS || ADVERTS || EDITOR