The word legend gets tossed around too easily in the world of dance music. But when it comes to DJ Harvey, the term fits. Starting his DJing career in the early late-80s by bringing the disco-tinged sound of NYC house (or “garage” if you prefer) to London clubs, most notably the massive Ministry of Sound, Harvey is a true innovator of the genre.
20 years later and he has found himself at the forefront of yet another disco revival movement, this time while based in Los Angeles, where his Sarcastic Disco parties have become the stuff of local lore. A true DJ’s DJ, Harvey returned to the studio this year to record the album, Locussolus, released under the same name. URB caught up with Harvey while on his first global DJ tour following a decade in visa purgatory.
You just got back from a pretty epic tour of Japan. How was that experience, especially given the recent tragedy that has hit the country? Could you detect a difference in the mood of the dancefloor?
Japan has been really good to me over the years, I have family and friends there, and you know a lot of people cancelled tours to Japan in fear of how it would be, their health, etc. . . and to each their own. But, I wanted to go and show people I am in their corner. I wanted to offer light relief in the form of the disco, cause really that’s what it’s for, you work hard, you have your dramas and issues and you want to go escape for a minute. Some people have religion, some yoga, or exercise or whatever. We choose the disco as our form of fun and escape, if I didn’t go that was one less outlet for that.
I actually got really ill on my return, in fact while I was there, and I paid a price for the schedule I had, but c’mon, those people saw what the end of the world could look like and still turned out with smiles on their faces and hands in the air. It was so humbling and it made me want to do great for them.
You then headed straight over to NYC, after sadly missing Detroit. For Americans who haven’t experienced clubbing in Japan, are there any things that you can point out that capture the experience, and contrast the dancefloor differences?
Ha, I rambled on a bit in the last answer but over there people are really into it, I mean we are everywhere but there is a real sense of observation shall we say, and Japanese people are very excitable.
Locussolus is the moniker you’ve been producing under recently, and the name under which the new LP on International Feel is being released. Where does the name come from? The 1914 French novel ‘Locus Solus’ by Raymond Roussel, the 1983 album by John Zorn ‘Locus Solus’, or a inter-stellar exploration you’ve under taken recently?
It does indeed come from the book, which is a great story I was introduced to by Dennis Kane (a very well read smart DJ friend from NYC). It’s a long-player really, a collection of the singles, and some remixers as well as a couple previously unreleased tracks.
What distinguishes Locussolus from DJ Harvey? Are there other collaborators? A different musical aesthetic?
I’m happy with it, it’s as good as anything out there, people seem to like it. The recent mixes Com Truise and Dr Dunks did really take the original tracks to a better level for me. But I made it, I work with a great engineer, Josh Marcy, we put it out there, and then you know, you just have to sit back and let it do its thing.
I’d love to play live. I’m a performer, I love getting up there and turning people on. I’m like a drag quee.n I think about what I’m going to wear to DJ even. This music is an essence of me and what I’m into. I could sit and make music everyday, in a lot of genres. I play a lot of instruments, some badly (laughs), the singing was just a bit of fun and then it sounded alright, it’s sincere though, it’s hard to talk about music after you’ve made it.
The LP has some pretty heavyweight remixers—Lindstrom and Prins Thomas, Emperor Machine and a damn fine and out there Andrew Weatherall remix. Subsequent remixes by Soul Clap and Com Truise have also showed up. Are these all friends of yours? Did you know who you’d have work with you on the LP before it was complete?
It was really a collective decisio. Heidi is so much better at that kind of thing than I am, but then I have the final say in a way, although I didn’t over her sending that vocal to Andy Weatherall. But she heard it, went with her gut and it worked out, she said she thought I’d either love her for it or sack her. Same with Com Truise and Eric and even Emp Machine. Heidi was on all of those they were her ideas and shit, of course they turned out to be the best ones, she’ll sack me for talking about her now.
Clearly you know you’re way around a studio, but it seems from your discography that you do really embody a DJ first, producer second, mentality. This is something which I think has reversed itself amongst emerging DJs today. Do you think the necessity for emerging talent to produce music to get noticed threatens the art of DJing in the future?
Yeah people expect it, like ‘oh he plays good music he must be able to make it too,’ and that’s not really the case. I’m learning, and getting better, I had the luxury of being able to play some instruments. During my hiatus I taught myself guitar a bit. It’s the ultimate boys toys, my mantiques as I call them. I love messing with them. The studio is a fun ship to steer, just like the DJ booth
Your Sarcastic Disco parties in LA have become the stuff of legend. Warehouses, with only a mirror ball and amazing sound. Do you think nightclubs have lost their way a little and forgotten the elements of what makes a good party in all the pomp and circumstance?
The Sarcastic parties we have actually been honing for years, maybe 10 years from their original incarnation. The elements you have to get right, and it’s so important, but without the people it’s not a party. It’s our job to get the aesthetic right; great sound so the music gets the best chance it can, some nice mirrorball effects to play with peoples minds a little. But the people, without that it means nothing, and you can have a party with 20 people or 5000 and if they come in the right frame of mind then that’s what makes your party. We have a really good crowd in L.A that’s grown over the years. A perfect mix up uptown, downtown, straight gay, fashionistas and gangsters old and young, and this in a town that likes to make money on everything, the door, the bar, the seats that you sit in. Nobody is getting rich from Sarc Disco and Paul does parties with other DJ’s not just me. but we will have some rich memories for months afterwards
I think everyone who’s seen you play, would love to take a look at your record collection. How large is it? Where do you keep it? Do you ever find yourself just having a browse, reminding yourself what’s in there?
I recently got a man cave to accumulate everything all in one place, I shipped my collection over to the U.S and I have lots of records in the house too. I am constantly going through my records, flipping through thinking oh there it is, I’ll play that next month at such and such a spot. I have records I play that might only work in NY or some that I think oh that’s great and it’s perfect for Panorama bar or wherever. I’m a constant listener and adjuster of my music
I did want to touch on your Black Cock quickly (who wouldn’t). It seems to have been a bit limp of late. Any idea when we can expect to see it standing to attention again? Have you uncovered any more gems you’re keen to get out there?
Haha, well i am literally leaving for Europe in days, so I went into the studio and made a couple edits, I want to give the people that come out something they haven’t heard before, I know most things exist online almost immediately so the only way to stay exciting live is to make some little treats that only I have to play to you
Lastly, I know you’re a bit of a cosmic explorer. What secrets that you’ve divined from the future would you care to share with our readers?
That it’s a mystery, that’s all I know for sure the future is a mystery
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