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 Rennie
Pilgrem has been at the forefront of breaks
for nearly a decade - producing, DJing,
maintaining top breaks label TCR and even
inventing (together with Danny McMillan)
the genre name "nu skool breaks".
But let's not dwell too long on that feat
because it only detracts from the impact
that Rennie still has on the industry and
more importantly, the music, now and in
the future.
Entering Rennie's hotel room I find him
sitting at his desk, with his new toy, a
Macintosh computer, still in plastic wrapping
in front of him. The man is completely oblivious
to the 30 degree Celsius day outside and
the view of Sydney harbour from the window.
"I'm a musician so I don't find it
hard to sit down and come up with ideas,"
he tells me. "A lot of guys are more
DJs and I think its more an effort for them
'cause not necessarily being musicans means
that it doesn't come as easily to them."
He doesn't search for answers like most
DJs, not that he gives you the impression
that he has done it a thousand times before
(which he has). Rather, he is completely
aware of what he is doing musically and
why he is doing it. He zips through his
musical career in about 30 seconds, preferring
to speak about the state of breaks and what
he is doing at present.
"My dad was a jazz trumpeter so I
was pretty much always into black music
of some description. I grew up listening
to jazz and all the funk and soul that comes
with that. I got into dance music as in
the Eighties with a guy named DJ Ellis D
who was one of the first guys who got into
breaks. He formed [Rennie's first band]
Rhythm Section, which was more kind of hardcore.
The hardcore thing, because of the drugs
the speed was going up and up and up, and
eventually it turned into drum 'n' bass.
It seemed too fast so we went back to a
slower speed in search of something a little
more musical."
Despite Rennie's success as a DJ, it's
obvious that he is first and foremost a
producer.
"I am definitely a producer more than
a DJ. I started off DJing because I was
doing a PA [live set] in America and they
were like, 'You're playing in 20 minutes'.
I could spin a little and had just bought
some decks, so rather than say no, I just
got up and had my first gig to like 2000
people…. absolutely shitting myself.
To me, DJing is just like doing research
for producing. It helps the music your doing,
because if you're going around listening
to what works and what doesn't, it has a
good effect on what you're doing in the
studio. Plus, it helps you see what is making
people dance."
Rennie says that the nu skool breaks term
which he coined has served its purpose.
"Its not really relevant now. At that
time, 3 to 4 years ago it was relevant as
a way of describing our music so that people
would know we weren't going to be playing
or releasing big beat. Now that big beat
is, you know, pretty much dead, it's not
really as needed, but hopefully it's still
relevant for those in breaks who are trying
to push things forward."
Rennie formed the label Thursday Club Recordings
(TCR) in 1993 and has developed it into
breaks' premier stable which now boasts
BLIM, Koma & Bones, Chris Carter and
General Midi among its artistsIs he surprised
at the success that TCR has had?
 "I
have spent so long doing it and put such
a proportion of my earnings into doing it
that I guess I would be disappointed if
it hadn't been. It has taken a long time
to get where it is, but that has added to
its feel, and really happy with how it feels
now. So yes, I'm surprised in the way that
I've been able to do what I want in music
and with the label."
"When you have 6-7 people in a kind
of collective and others here and there,
it really motivates you. I suppose if I
didn't have a label, I may do more music,
but it would be different and I would still
want to control how it is coming out anyway.
As breaks has grown over the past couple
of years, labels have been become more segmented
within the breaks genre as to what they
release, with Finger Lickin' taking the
funkier end of breaks and Whole Nine Yards
leading the house-inspired breaks niche.
TCR has seemingly avoided this specialisation,
instead focusing more on releasing dancefloor-based
music.
"I'm trying to steer TCR towards being
more clubby and more accessible to the people
who go out. The early days of breaks were
massively in awe of drum 'n' bass, and it
was all 'Look how futuristic and technical
we are' and 'Look how bloody clever we are',
but that has got to change to bring people
into the genre. As far as the style, I am
well over the dark stuff and am trying to
do stuff that is more funky or got more
of a groove. The label is more following
the general direction that I'm following
and what the nucleus of artists at my label
are doing. More about dancing, you know,
the one thing that we can learn about house
music is that you can have a good idea and
keep it going if you don't get caught up
in the challenge to be new and keep changing
everything when it's working anyway."
The release of the "TCR 50" compilation
in mid-2001 went on to become the label's
best-selling release and, perhaps more importantly,
marked the label's 50th release and looked
ahead to the next 50 releases.
"It was a really good way of announcing
that were are probably the most prolific
breaks label. We got a lot of stuff and
it was kind of a nice way to round off the
first chapter of the label. It did well
to raise our profile and did well to highlight
Koma & Bones. I think it brought us
a bit of respect as a legitimate label,
not only in the release itself but in what
it signified as well."
TCR has boomed with the rising popularity
of breaks over the past 2-3 years. Though
it is still growing in terms of record sales
and events, it is debatable whether breaks
will remain to be such force in music.
"I reckon breaks will end up been
like drum 'n' bass. It's a big scene, hopefully
it won't need the media or the mainstream
to decide whether it works or to keep it
going. There is so much variety that I reckon
it will be hard to ever right it off as
being stale, 'cause there are so many different
flavours..."
The release last month of Rennie's new
mixed CD "Tribalizm" signaled,
as the name suggests, a deviation in direction,
moving into tribal inspired breaks. It is
not your average movement in direction that
you would expect in the breaks genre, but
hearing Rennie talk about it convinces you
otherwise.
"I think the first tribal tune was
'Black Widow' that I did with Uberzone a
couple of years ago, and when we did it
we both thought we were on to something.
If you can get that kind of organic flavoured
music like bongos and earthy sounds to gel
then it sort of works. I don't like much
house but that kind or Peace Division or
West Coast tribal sound, I like. It's not
like I'm going away and making 4/4 bangin'
tribal, just tribal influenced breaks. Basically
using a lot of their sounds."
Meat Katie calls Rennie the busiest man
in breaks, referring to his seemingly constant
stream of releases, his label management,
his remixes and his DJing around the world.
The respect is clearly mutual and evidenced
in Rennie's response to who he feels is
taking breaks forward at present.
"I really respect what Meat Katie
is doing. I really enjoy pretty much all
of his tracks. Meat Katie's stuff has managed
to straddle that kind of tech/funk house
thing whilst still going down well with
the breaks crowd. I like the stuff on my
label, 'cause I wouldn't put it out if I
didn't. I think Koma & Bones are coming
on and on and on, they are going to be amazing
if they ever pull their fingers out ...
and obviously Plump DJ's have done a lot
to make it more commercial or viable."
Rennie is as renowned for his collaborations
as he is for his own releases. Rennie manages
to make them a true collaboration sounding
like a combination of the artists rather
than the too abundant type of teamup where
the most famous partner dominates.
"If you collaborate with someone,
there is no point collaborating with them
unless it goes somewhere where it wouldn't
go on your own, so if I do a track with
Meat Katie or BLIM or Arthur Baker or whomever,
I want it to sound like a clash between
the two. Yeah, it should go somewhere else,
'cause if it doesn't then why are you collaborating?"
To hear a mix by Rennie
Pilgrem or audio samples of his new mixed
CD "Tribalizm", visit www.tcr.uk.com
You can also check out a February 2000 interview
with Rennie Pilgrem on Breaksworld.
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