Jon versus Ron, Levels versus L.I.E.S. The poetry alone is good enough for the two to collaborate on a party together, but thankfully they’ve got plenty of musical common-ground too. Before they go head to head for a Levels party in London tonight, Jon Rust and Ron Morelli break e-bread, discussing new collaborations in the studio, some updates from L.I.E.S HQ and the changing face of club music in their respective cities.
Jon – Sorry got my best technophobe hat on this morning, not remembering how to initiate a G chat is a new low. Anyway…Sup Ron!
Ron – What’s goin on man?
J – Madrid & Lisbon this weekend. Propping open my eyelids with a couple o tooth picks. #Mondays
R – Haha
J – Yourself, how’s it over in Paris right now?
R – I’m good actually. In the studio as we speak with Low Jack and Vatican Shadow taking a break right now but yeah keepin busy. New old collab. We’ve been writing music together on and off for three years and we actually performed live at Weather Festival two years ago. Trying to finish some tracks for the Hospital Records 20 years comp
J – Dope..anything suitable for a summery picnic?
R – Most likely not, but there are some surprising things turning up out of the sessions…hopefully not the typical goons stuff but yeah this session was kinda last minute we all had some time so…
J – Gotta grab those windows.
R – For sure.
J – I’ve been bumping those slow jams you have lined up on LIES. It’s cool to hear the other side of the label.
R – Yeah it’s always fun when these releases pop up doing stuff with 45 ACP or Max D or someone like Samo DJ and yeah this new one by Krikor.
J – I’m a fan of all them I remember when starting out, bits like the Torn Hawk would poke through. Some technicolour. Variety being the spice o life and all that.
R – Undoubtedly. I wouldn’t be content just putting out one style. I’m fiending for it all actually would love to get another Torn Hawk shredder lined up.
J – Needs to happen. How are you keeping inspired and true to what drew you into music in the first place?
R – Same thing as in the beginning. There is always so much music to discover it is unending I’m always finding new stuff: house, disco, techno, some Japanese wave thing, it’s never gonna stop. It’s bigger than all of us, as jaded as i can get. This def keeps me going, mad freak stuff out there.
J – Youtube never ceases to amaze me… goldmine.
R – Dangerous place haha.
J – At heart I’m an 80s kid. Even pop was so out there, lots of risk taking going on I dig that.
R – What was thought of as commercially viable back then was undoubtedly different. Jump into some of those Human League dubs. Although modern hip-hop is pretty rough and weird and fucked up and I guess that is on the radio. I think the beats are dark as hell, like they def aren’t looping up soul records.
J – There’s a bit of a disconnect with hip-hop and house / techno music today. Real shame cos with all this talk about the future of clubs here in the UK it’s a conversation often focussed exclusively on the health of house / techno clubbing. The future of clubs had gotta be wider than that right?
R – Yeah I mean in the clubs in NYC in the 90s they had house and techno in one room then like hip hop and dancehall in the side room or vice versa. It all fell under one banner: club music. These days that is rarely happening.
J – Here in London too.. or jungle one room, house out back.
R – Also I think you would have labels like Fresh Records who put out Todd Terry and EPMD. It wasn’t looked at as odd, the dots were connected. Hip-hop records had house mixes. Probably not happening these days but you can’t dwell on the past though, right?
J – Hell no! Always forward with it..
R – Don’t be the old man gettin left in the dust. Create your own world.
J – Wierdo places to escape. There’s some killer parties in London right now… but it’s really all about the people. Without a crowd you got nothing.
R – That’s for sure. I still see mad mad passion for music in London though every time.
J – Earlier this year I did a real spur of the moment thing with Stevie J / Funkineven, start of the year. A random Sunday night, a basement right in the centre of town, and some speaker stacks. No bar, just bring your own drinks. No excuse needed, just a chance to shock out. 4am Monday morning, just realised it was high time I got back into that game.
R – Those are the jams! Free and loose, true parties not formal shit with rules. If the records are skipping and bottles are breaking you know its a jam.
J – What’s a party without a few skips?
J – What you lining up for our jam Friday? Bag packed yet? Been digging into the collection…all sorts freak stuff…very much looking forward to it.
R – Scene is set.. see ya Friday man.
J – Yes my dude, stoked for it. Gonna be a fun one hit you up tomorrow man.
Ron Morelli joins Jon Rust for the the Levels Warehouse Jam in London on 14th July. For more info and tickets, head to Facebook and RA.
