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Techno duo and men of Beef (Records, that is) Michal Schwa and Nick West are returning to Australia to play two special homecoming live shows in Melbourne and Sydney this month (and another secret Sydney gig too, we discovered). Ahead of their much anticipated gigs, Pulse caught up with Shades Of Gray to get the dirt on their new material, upcoming Beef Records releases and their recent world travels.Check out their promo mix recorded for Charades Sydney too (tracklist below).
You’ve been pretty much on tour around the word since since the release of 'Soul Machine', right? Any particular gigs that stand out in your mind? Michal: As Shades of Gray we did great European and South American tours in 2012 - pretty much right after the album. It was amazing to see punters responding to our album and being able to perform it live on stage. Highlight was probably the Lost My Dog party in Barcelona during Off Sonar. Great venue which was rammed with a very 'up for it' crowd. I have also been gigging as DJ Schwa. I did some cool shows in Berlin, Switzerland, London and of course in my hometown of Prague.
Have you found there are countries or cities that are more receptive to your sound than others? Michal: I think our sound works really well in the US and UK. I think people are more influenced by the Chicago/Detroit sound there than let's say in Germany. But the borders are very blurred these days which is great, especially in big cities like London, Berlin, New York, Tokyo etc - you always find the right 'niche' for your music, simply because there is so many people living in the same town.
Were there any artists, acts or DJs on your travels you discovered who impressed you? Well, I don't really go out that much when I am not playing. When I have a free weekend I'd rather rest my ears and spend some time with my girlfriend. Nick is the same. But the DJs I have recently shared decks with who really impressed me were AlexKid and Claire Morgan. I have been also liking the whole Boiler Room thing and I gotta say that DJ Hell still rocks the house! His set was amazing.
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What can we expect from Beef Records this year? We have a new compilation series called Seasons. The first one, 'Winter', is coming out this week. We are also working on a downtempo/elektronica/trip hop compilation called 'Lay It Down'. That should come out in Spring. The new Shades album is in the making of course and I also should mention the upcoming EP by Lee M Kelsall. Fresh info is always on www.beefrecords.net and www.shadesofgraymusic.com.
Have you been writing much the past year or so? Nick: Yeah we are pretty much constantly writing new material as we are addicted to it. Like a couple of junkies craving the next hit, we are constantly searching for new thrills in the studio. We are excited to be releasing music soon on two of our favourite labels Get Physical and Om records. In the last year we have been working in close collaboration with American house music legend Miguel Miggs (listen below). We are also close to finalizing the new album which should be out by the end of 2013.
Playing ‘live’ can mean many things. Can you give us a brief description of how you play live as Shades Of Gray? Our concept for the live show involves keeping the audience guessing. We have our tracks separated by main element so we have total control which allows us to be spontaneous and create new arrangemnts on the fly. We have two laptops running Ableton which we then mix on a dj mixer. As for other hardware we use two Machine controllers and the Kaoss Pad 3 for mangling the sound.
What can we expect from your upcoming Sydney show? People can expect to hear a set packed with new unreleased material alongside some of the classic tracks. We are also hoping to take the roof off the place!
Why only one show in Sydney this year? You must have big plans for 2013? Michal: Well, I am only staying for 3 weeks this time. I just came for a little Asia tour and we also gotta do a show in Melbourne (Fluidlife at OneSixOne - very excited!). But there will be a second secret Sydney show, but we're not gonna tell you where and where yet. Also we have to keep some spare time for the studio…we are not hungry for playing gigs every day. Studio work is on our priority list. In terms of shows we prefer quality rather then quantity.
'SHADES OF GRAY LIVE ONLY' (exclusive mini-mix for Charades/Pulse radio) Tracklist:
1. Miguel Migs & Shades of Gray - Let Me (Salty Dub) [OM records]
2. Shades of Gray - Drums of the South [Beef]
3. Shades of Gray & Uone - Katoomba [Tonkind]
4. Shade of Gray - House Machine (Londonground remix) [iRecords]
5. Miguel Migs & Shades of Gray - Create a Mood [Om records]
6. Shades of Gray - Listen to the Bass [Blacksoul]
7. Smash TV - The Wake Up [Get Physical]
[Shades Of Gray play Sydney's Tatlers on Saturday 9th Feb. Buy tickets below]
