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Q: Has it been a
purposeful goal to sign a diverse array
of acts or has this just happened?
Neil: "It's a fairly intentional direction.
There are loads of great breaks labels out
there but we like to think that our output
reflects our diverse musical backgrounds".
Steve: "It was always a goal for us
to stick our necks out, to make and release
music that we loved regardless of style
and cool"
The diversity of the label is evident on
the first "Raygun Administration"
compilation released in 2001. Unlike many
labels producing nu skool breaks, they are
happy to support artists making house, hip
hop, electro or chillout. Well-respected
acts such as Stabiliser
(who had previously released on Boombox
Records) came to Plastic Raygun because
of "their open-minded attitude",
and "Neil’s sunny disposition".
More established acts like the breakbeat
master Scissorkicks
signed on for Raygun's fresh approach.
2001 was a seminal year for Plastic Raygun.
The year saw a plethora of great 12"
releases as well as their debut compilation
CD. They also had an unexpected chart success
in the form of Steve Raygun aka Jean Jacques
Smoothie's UK top 10 hit "2 People",
a smooth Minnie Ripperton-sampling house
tune. The artist had been making tunes and
remixing for Plastic Raygun for three years
before scoring a massive hit witth "2
People" in 2001.
Steve: "The track was written a few
years ago. It eventually landed on the desk
of Steve Lamacq who played it on [BBC] Radio
1. We received a phone call from the head
of A&R at Echo [Moloko’s
label] the next day. Since then it's been
somewhat of a rollercoaster ride".
The resulting release was remixed by French
producer Mirwais,
has taken Plastic Raygun all around the
world, and led to a white-suited Top of
the Pops appearance on British national
TV.
At the time Neil and Matt were on tour
in the states (as Phantom Beats), and were
"gutted" to miss out. The Raygun
team did find out that presenter Gail Hipgrave
(nee Porter) is a big fan - apparently she
listens to "2 People" while working
out.
The success of Jean Jacques Smoothie has
brought further attention to the label,
which can only serve to help their artists.
Phantom Beats have  new
releases scheduled for this year (first
up is the fantastic "Mercury"),
as do Stabilizer, Scissorkicks, Vandal and
Deep Impact.
Another Raygun act which is causing a stir
amongst industry types is Dynamo
Dresden. A new project featuring
Maf (managing director of Plastic Raygun),
their tracks opened the "Raygun Administration"
compilation. Two outstanding sofa-tastic
tunes that would make Zero
7 or Air
turn green with envy.
Q: So what can we
expect from Dynamo Dresden?
Sam: "They are gonna be huge. Some
of the things they are currently working
on (especially on the audiovisual side)
will be mind blowing."
Neil: "They are currently causing
a furore with the major labels, even being
offered remix work for pop diva Whitney
Houston" but thankfully they turned
this opportunity down to concentrate on
their production.
Neil: "They are sooooo prolific. The
tunes make the tracks on the compilation
look weak in comparison ... The live element
of Dresden will be an important part of
their profile, portraying them as a band
rather than a guy making music with a computer.
Sam: "They have been collaborating
with design students a nearby university
and are really developing some amazing ideas
with regards to translating to sounds into
visuals. By the time the show is ready,
Dynamo Dresden will either pass for a band,
a design project or an art installation.
It is going to very classy."
Q: So after their full
debut in Cardiff in March, when can we expect
releases?
Sam: "As for music we are holding
back on releasing anything new for a while,
just concentrating on looking at new ways
of getting the band promoted. There is real
radio potential with their music but we
want to look at new ways of pushing the
band before we go through the usual promo
routes. We are doing the pop thing with
Jean Jacques Smoothie, so it will be nice
to experiment a bit with Dynamo Dresden".
Another way in which Plastic Raygun are
pushing boundaries is their willingness
to spread their efforts into other aspects
of the media. They made the pop promo for
"2 People" and have produced stuff
for TV.
Q: So What’s the
deal with the TV & pop-promo stuff -
Neil, are you preparing to be the next Jamie
Theakston?
Sam & Neil splutter "ah, more
like Matthew Kelly or Noel Edmonds!"
"Plastic Raygun TV is another way
of exploring creative avenues, helping turn
peoples ideas into finished/sellable products,"
Neil adds unabashed.
So the future looks bright for the Raygunistas,
with a plethora of releases scheduled which
all look set to make waves, TV production
and a multimedia live act. Perhaps the reason
for their success is their openmindedness,
perhaps it is due to their renowned partying
abilities or their "sunny disposition".
Whatever the reason, like Ninja Tune a decade
ago, the music industry can learn from these
Welsh wonders. Ultimately though, it is
the music fan that will benefit.
For further information
about Plastic Raygun, visit:
http://www.plasticraygun.com/
To
listen to Plastic Raygun tunes or download
tunes in MP3 format, visit:
http://stage.vitaminic.co.uk/main/plastic_raygun
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