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 i:Vibes.nu catches up with the legend that they call Rennie Pilgrem, the Godfather of UK Breakbeat, while he talks about how breakbeat formed in the UK and how it has grown. Read the interview with the legend and quite possibly one of the funniest men in the music industry today.
Rennie Pilgrem is known around music circles as the UK breakbeat Godfather, where as his buddy Adam Freeland is known as the Nu-Skool breaks king. Rennie Pilgrem has been around music since a very early age, his father was in a jazz band and he caught the bug. He originally played Saxophone then ditched that for a set of turntables and a mixer. He formed Thursday Club Records in 1994, he was playing house and not breakbeat. TCR's first release was "Coming On Strong", a house record that would have charted in UK, if they had put barcodes on their records!. What changed Rennie Pilgrem was his trip to Florida in 1994, where he caught the Breakbeat bug and the rest as they say is history. He has been playing worldwide for years, he is always in demand and his label TCR, keeps on going in the face of music industry problems. He came out with his new artist album called Pilgremage, which you can buy Here and you can read the ivibes.nu review for it Here. So ivibes.nu caught up with a very busy man and here is what happened.
i:Vibes: Do you think that if you did not play Tenor Saxophone or that if your dad was not in a jazz band, that you would be a deejay/artist today?
A: I think I got the music bug from my father but I've always been drawn to it, so I think I would have been in bands eventually. Ellis Dee (got me into the whole rave thing) so the dj/artist bit came from meeting him rather than
my old man
i:Vibes: What really pushed your interest from funk bands to more of the early hardcore, which eventually led to house and breakbeat? Was it more of
what Derrick May and co. sound that was being pushed out of Detroit at that time that got you involved?
A: I Loved that early Detroit sound it I really liked early house as well and started doing demos, but to be honest as soon as I heard the breakbeat-house (as it was called then) and it blew me away rhythm-wise. I loved the fact that you could make the music on your own without having a whole band involved
i:Vibes: Are you still disappointed that your "Coming on Strong" song never charted because you never put barcodes on the records?
A: It would have been great to do Top Of The Pops 'rave-stylee' while I still had hair but really it was a valuable lesson in doing things properly
i:Vibes: Are you surprised that not many people realize that the first TCR records were actually funky house?
A: Not really, it's 10 years ago and many people in breaks don't go back that far. I could name you a good few big breaks djs who were actually playing cheesy house back in the day.
i:Vibes: What was it about Florida that turned you on to breakbeat during your trip in 1994? Do you think you would be so heavily in breakbeat, if it was not for that trip?
A: Simple, if you were caught making a breaks tune in the UK you were stoned by an angry mob. Florida was an oasis of breaks n electro when it was vary uncool to be doing breaks over here because Rave went really cheesy
i:Vibes: Was the breaks scene even smaller back in 1994 or was it mainly underground like some of today's music?
A: In 1994 it was small enough to fit into a Smart car (which is a very small car).
i:Vibes: Are you surprised that TCR has lasted 10 years, which in the music industry seems to be a rarity these days? What do you think kept it going besides releasing quality tunes?
A: Tight financial control by Jasmine, good organization and swearing (Pippa). Huge A&R ears (me) and we also run a major drugs cartel which helps
i:Vibes: Does Rennie Pilgrem get sick of people labeling him the Godfather of UK Breaks and do you ever get tired of being pigeonholed as Nu-Skool
Breaks, which was really a media term, not really a sound?
A: I think Nu School as a term should be put out to pasture, it's not so relevant now, but I'm honoured that people see me as a figurehead. I have been doing this for a long time, so it's not like I've jumped on any bandwagon.
About your "Pilgremage Album
i:Vibes: Why did it take this long to put out a full length album? You've been doing breaks for a decade, why now?
A: Been busy, learning the craft of djing, collaborating with producers I respect and something else like a remix always comes along to put it back further. I used to be not so good at saying 'No'
i:Vibes: So how long did the album take?
A: 18 months
i:Vibes: Did you leave off any songs for the album that we might see as a TCR release
A: Yes there are three or four extra tracks ready to go
i:Vibes: What's different about this album to compared to all your other releases?
A: I have tried to use real musicians in places where once I would have used samples. I have learned to play bass on many of the tracks. I have many religious messages on the album which you can only hear if you play the tracks backwards whilst keeping the flies off your melon
i:Vibes: As I listened to the album, I found that the album had a lot of funky elements, is that something that you have always tried to add to your
work
A: Now more than ever funk is very important. It's where I'm from musically and it lifts dance in general by giving it more of a swing. I don't like stuff that looks 'too white' if you know what I mean
i:Vibes: Describe the album in 10 words or less?
A: punkrockelectofunktechnobassdubbeat
i:Vibes: Have you ever thought about getting a band together and touring say like Adam Freeland did with his band Free*Land or how Hybrid has become more of a band for their P.A's.?
A: Yes I have and may well do but it will have to be done right and properly 'live' and definitely no air guitars. I've said I will play live at Glastonury next year so the die is cast
i:Vibes: So what's next for Rennie Pilgrem
A: I have just done the title sequence for a movie, love to do more of those. I will doing a HUM mix album with Meat Katie in the spring and I will
release an album from J.D.S.
i:Vibes: As I have reviewed many of the recent TCR releases, I get the impression that your quality controls for your label are very high and that you always seem to pick the right person for remix duties. How do you do it?
A: I have really tightened up the quality control in the the last year. Mainly my policy is 'Will I play it out religiously for months'.
i:Vibes: Are you amazed at the success of your free night HUM that started two years ago with 80 people and now gets 1500 people per night?
A: Yes it's been a lot of hard work but the re-launch at Canvas was actually a dream come true.
i:Vibes: What's next for TCR?
A: This year
Roxiller 'Fear/Exocist', J.D.S. 'Disco Rockers/Wipeout 5'
Rennie Pilgrem Feat MC Chickaboo 'Celeb' remix
Koma & Bones 'Speed Freak/Now's The Time'
i:Vibes: Are you surprised that TCR is still around in an era, where clubs and labels are folding and the music industry constant cry about the
problem with mp3 downloading?
A: N0 because Breaks hasn't been hit like House. We are growing because we are an alternative sound. But Illegal downloading could be the end of label like TCR if vinyl doesn't keep going
i:Vibes: Are you shocked at the popularity of Breakbeat of late and are you concerned that it may become too commercial and lose the plot like so
many genres before breaks.
A: I think there's so much variety it is hard to lose the plot collectively. Yes commercial shit will hurt it, but who's going to do it?
i:Vibes: Since you see a lot of artists and hear a ton of music, who is the next artist to watch for, one that feel will be very big and why do you think that?
A: Atomic Hooligan is not new but I think they are getting better and better (let's face it that's not hard). My tip for a newer boy is Kraymon (mainly because he has great hair)
i:Vibes: Do you ever think that you will try to mix 10 records at once, as noted by your son at Glastonbury, just to show him that you can do it?
A: Mixing two is hard enough for me
i:Vibes: Anything else that you wish to add?
A: Yes I've run out of honey could you get me some on your way home
We would like to thank TCR for setting the interview up and Rennie Pilgrem for taking time out of his busy life to do the interview. Check out Pilgremage, if you have not already and check out TCR and yes, the jar of Honey is in the post, (NO KIDDING!).
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