House (London, UK)

Chart Info:

The House Of X-Press 2

www.facebook.com/houseofxpress2

Artist Info:

Such is their swashbuckling sense of adventure, it’s hard to believe that X-Press 2 have been at the vanguard of British electronic music for two decades now. Whether its as musicians, DJs or remixers, the London duo share the same sense of musical discovery that first united them on the acid-house dance floors of Shoom and Spectrum and the Balearic playgrounds of Ibiza. A pioneering spirit that fuelled early Nineties underground anthems such as the percussive, US-influenced Muzik Express and London X Press. A why not? Chutzpah that helped them create languid deep house classics like Lazy and Give It with vocalists as unlikely - yet inspired - as David Byrne of Talking Heads and Kurt Wagner of Lambchop. A DJ bravado that led to them thinking, two decks are for wimps. Why not six or seven? Why not twelve? The Three Musketeers have recently become two, with the departure of Ashley Beedle, but its full steam ahead for remaining members Rocky and Diesel. We shouldn’t read anything into Beedle's absence beyond the pressures of combining his solo and production work with X-Press 2, insists Rocky. It just got to the stage where Ash was trying to do too much. He’s the kind of guy who, if he could please everyone, he would, but it just wasn’t conducive to producing good music on either side. Its absolutely cool between us - we're still good mates and the doors always open if he ever wants to get involved again. So, now X-Press 2 are two, what does the future hold? In short - loads. Lazy is currently to be heard at a cinema near you, as part of the soundtrack Byrne and Brian Eno contributed to Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Then there are the two EPs they’ve recorded with Tim Deluxe, a kindred spirit whom they got to know well when they shared DJ bills at the Ministry of Sound. Small-hours monsters such as Tonehead Chemistry and Siren Track combine the heads-down grooves with which they made their name (Classic X-Press 2, says Rocky) with spacious, action-packed breakdowns They’re the most visceral, dance floor-geared productions Rocky and Diesel have been involved with for years. Rocky and Diesel retain their taste for the unexpected, especially when it comes to selecting guest vocalists. We always try and go for someone whose not associated with dance music, says Rocky. For the new album, that means people like Rob Harvey, former frontman of Leeds alt-rockers the Music, who previously collaborated with X-Press 2 on Kill 100 and co-wrote a new track called The Blast. The lyrics are quite cryptic, says Diesel. I haven’t asked him what they mean yet. It’s got a double chorus and its bit Lennon-ist that’s Lennon, not Lenin. Indeed, in X-Press 2s world of limitless possibilities, only one thing is certain. We will never make a song that says; Take me higher, insists Diesel. That’s just never gonna happen. Rest assured - Rocky and Diesel are as restless and averse to predictability as ever. Long may the adventure continue?

Related Genres:

House

Deep House