Cita:
One is a journalist by day and a DJ by night, the other is a songwriter and jazz musician.
Meet the latest multi-tasking pairing in deep house to make waves in clubland
Housemates are a tricky thing to get right.
You’re either pulling each other’s hair out over the most banal of offences or else you’re like ships in the night and you never see other.
Craig Torrance and Phillip Hochstrate’s apartment runs a little differently.
Since Craig answered a want ad to move in two years ago, the pair have struck up a successful studio partnership.
So far they’ve released on esteemed labels like Berlin’s Moodmusic and Bristol’s Four:Twenty and next up from them is a track on Murmur, a new London-based imprint spearheaded by Mulletover star Geddes.
Before pairing up together Phillip had never made house music but Craig’s experience as a DJ, writer and long time record geek filled in his gaps of knowledge.
Since their first release their tracks have won favour from DJs like Loco Dice, Luciano and Damian Lazarus who featured their Murmur release on his latest podcast.
Time to find out more?
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Where did you both grow up?
CT: I grew up in a fairly small town on the outskirts of Glasgow.
It was a pretty backwards place and I moved to London about six years ago, studied journalism and then got a job at a dance music magazine.
Then a friend started making tunes a couple of years ago and I fell into it.
PH: I was born in Berlin and studied study jazz-piano there.
I come from a classical music background, my mother and grand-mother are both classical pianists while my father is a scientist.
I started playing jazz at the age of 15 and really got into before focusing on more avantgarde/experimental music.
Craig how did you discover dance music?
CT: When I was about 13 I started going into the record shop, 23rd Precinct, to collect all the new flyers for the big raves and buy mix tapes by the likes of Easy Groove and Top Buzz.
We started going to the Rezerection all night rave when I was 15.
It was pretty crazy, I had the worst fake ID ever and still got in.
After a few years the music started going really hardcore which I didn’t like so i started clubbing in Glasgow, at the Sub Club and the Arches.
I soon discovered deep house and techno and labels like Soma and I was hooked.
Phillip, please tell me what other kinds of projects you’ve been involved with?
PH: I play with the band Fraud, which combines free improvisation and electronic music.
We won the Innovation Award in the BBC Jazz Awards this year and the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Award in 2007 for “best new act”.
I also play in a free improvisation duet with saxophonist James Allsopp.
I’m also a songwriter and I’ve released on major record labels in the USA, France, Belgium, Switzerland.
As producer, I’ve worked with various artists, and I do occasional session work on jazz records
If you weren’t working in the music industry what would you be doing for a living now and why?
CT: Maybe a teacher? My dad’s a teacher and a big influence, although I don’t really like kids so that might be an issue!
Or maybe a sports journalist. I constantly watch sports, not just football, but also things like cricket or boxing.
PH: I always wanted to study something academic.
Sociology or political science have always interested me.
There was a period of a couple of years when I seriously considered ending my jazz studies and going into that direction instead.
Can you individually tell us about your favourite gig?
CT: playing for Pressure in the Arches in Glasgow was brilliant.
It is SLAM’s party so it’s always good people and a great atmosphere and it was like a homecoming gig, but my favorite has to be Panorama bar in Berlin.
I played for four hours and the place was rocking!
PH: There are quite a few gigs with “Fraud” that were amazing, it’s hard to pick one.
I prefer playing free improvised music.
I like the moment at the beginning of a concert when you have no idea of what is going to happen in the next couple of hours.
Tell us your top five records on Beatport?
1. Guillaume & Du Coutu Dumonts ‘They Only Come Out At Night’ (Musique Risque)
2. Afefe Ifu ‘Mirror Dance’ (Yoruba Recordings)
3. Julien Chaptal ‘Balkafono’ (Remote Area)
4. Ame ‘Doldrums’ (Innervisions)
5. Christian Burkhart ‘Maison Noire’ (Oslo)
Fuente: Beatportal
