Published
Tue, Dec 30, 2003, 06:08
Australian Rave legends, Southend, are set to make their first appearance in almost 8 years at Utopia on New Years Eve in Sydney. The band which made a big impact with their hit single, 'The Winner Is...' will be performing for half an hour from Midnight in the main room at Utopia. We spoke to the lads from Southend about their upcoming gig as well as the state of dance music in Australia.
Interview with Southend
Southend are without doubt one of the pioneers of the Australian dance music scene. Forming in the early 1990's, the band first consisted of three members Stuart McCarthy, Steve Younan and Sameer Sen-Gupta (aka Pocket). Melinda Page soon joined the group as vocalist, and it didn't take Southend long to get signed to legendary Australian label, Volition, alongside the likes of Severed Heads, Boxcar and Itch-e & Scratch-e.
The band had great success with their Fanactical EP first up, and they showcased their talents at events such as The Big Day Out, Happy Valley, Field Of Dreams and Prodigy from the early to mid 90's. They then enjoyed further success with their hit single, 'The Winner Is...', which enjoyed a spot in the National ARIA Top 10 chart.
Southend are due to make their first appearance for some 8 years, at Utopia on New Years Eve, in the main room just on midnight. RA felt it was necessary to talk to the lads that have been around this great Music Industry we love for more then 10 years, to find out more about their comeback as well as their thoughts on Music in general.
Do you think the scene has changed much in the last few years since you were playing in the mid 90's?
We came from an era when Saturday nights were spent in warehouses (sometimes illegally broken into) instead of clubs or 'Super Clubs' as some have become known. It was a lot more underground. To be honest things have almost come full circle. Dance Culture continued to grow and grow and grow through the late nineties to the point where it became a real mainstream thing. During that time many commeneted that 'Rock was Dead!'. Now as we near the start of 2004, its dance music that has stagnated and rock that is enjoying some kind of renaissance (don't get me started!). The same people are now saying 'Dance is dead' (which is complete bullshit).
R&B has certainly grown massively in recent years. Just check the urban section in street press like 3D - that certainly wasn't the case in the mid 90's.
Overall numbers are also up on ten years ago. For instance Utopia NYE will probably get somewhere between 10-15,000 punters - you' would have been hard pressed to get 5,000 back then.
In terms of sounds and equipment, how have things progressed in the last few years?
MIDI has been overrun by digital audio. Hard Disk Recording systems like Pro Tools and the like have changed the way electronic music is made. Of course MIDI still plays a part in the process, but essentially now anyone who owns a decent Computer can have access state of the art music technology.
We still have a studio full of Synths, drum machines, outboard FX and samplers, but these days pretty much the same equipment can be brought as software for your computer. Sonically, it's now near impossible to pick the difference between the software versions and the real thing!
What do you think about the success of Australian artists lately, such as Infusion?
I'd hardly call it lately. There's been Madison Avenue, The Avalanches, Josh Abrahams, Pnau....... But it's terrific, and in the case of Infusion well deserved. They have been my favourite local electronic act for years.
Do you think Aussie artists are getting more recognition then they were in the 90's?
Overall I'd say yes, but just about all the acts on Volition in the 90's, especially the likes of Severed Heads and Boxcar, were well recognized internationally, not to mention many artists out of Melbourne at the same time like Quench & Ground Level. Locally, there's a lot more profile on electronic artists and there's loads more of them than there was in the 90's.
What can people expect from Southend at Utopia on NYE?
A few suprises, a bit of controversy, some things old and some new, and hopefully an entertaining half hour!
Do you plan to play more live gigs beyond Utopia?
We'd certainly like to. There a few things in the pipeline, so let's just wait and see what eventuates.
What can you tell us about your upcoming remix of Vagen's classic rave anthem, 'Buggin'?
Not much! You'll have to wait and hear it at Utopia..............
It was a pleasant suprise to be asked by Sasha Vatoff from Seascape to be involved. Unfortunately we only had the original master to work from - there were no seperate parts which to a point was a bit limiting, BUT to be honest we wanted to incorporate a fair bit of the original track anyway - it's a classic.
We basically gave it a bit of a Southend flavour and beefed up the bottom end, and also made the arrangement a little less schizophrenic.
In terms of original Southend productions, do you have anything lined up in the near future?
We are doing a cover of Bronski Beat's 'Smalltown Boy' for an upcoming Groovescooter compile which is a really exciting project to be involved in - it's a whole lot of locals doing takes on 80's British classics.
We're having a bit of fun doing a remix of the mighty Newtown Jets RLFC theme song with Tim Freedman on guest vocals, which will be released through the club in 2004.
We're also looking at releasing some original stuff through Seascape, as well as doing some production work for Undercover Music. I have also heard murmourings of a possible joint release with a rather (in)famous local DJ who we've kicked around with before????!
To be honest, there's quite a few works in the system!