Let’s Go Swimming: Flavour Of The Label Mix

Music

Recent London upstarts 'Let's Go Swimming' have been causing quite a stir as of late, not just for their polite reference to the great Arthur Russell but for their interesting line ups and intriguing party booking policy. On the 21st of May they will return to The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington, East London where they will be joined by Bell Towers and Ozel AB. The coming months will also see the crew release their debut record which will act as the foundation of a record label of the same name. The debut release is produced by a newcomer, one third of the label, Mackness, who offers up three tracks which look as though they will fit well alongside the musical policy of the party itself. More of that later, we caught up with 'Let's Go Swimming' for an introduction…

Please introduce yourself…Who are you and where are you from?

Henry: I'm Henry Fry of East London.

Will: I’m William Earl I live down the road

George: I'm George Mackness. Grew up in Hackney and then moved to York. Back down in London now.

You’re pretty new on our radar, fancy telling us a little bit about yourself…?

Let's go Swimming is a party at The Waiting Room, a radio show on meattransmission and a record label run by George Mackness, Henry Fry and William Earl.

How did the label come to be?

Henry: On a cold evening in October 2015 I had my first night out with one George Mackness. We talked about how much we loved music and clubbing and how hard it was to actually find a good party in London and people in it for the right reasons. When we got thrown out of a friend of a friends house at 8 in the morning, I went back to Georges and very reluctantly listened to some music he had made, I thought it sounded like nothing I had ever heard before but I had been up all night. I still liked it when I got some sleep. Later on Will said that he thought that we should stop moaning about rubbish stuff and start trying to do stuff again and hope it wasn't rubbish. We got George involved and put all our money together to press the 3 songs he played to me on vinyl and to start a club night that we would run how we wanted to.

What’s the relationship between the label and the party?

We want it to be fun, creative and legit. We have a really decent crowd of likeminded people we are connecting with through the music we are releasing and coming to dance at the parties at The Waiting Room.

How would you describe the musical Influences behind the label?

With the label we’re interested in getting behind musicians and producers who completely believe in what they’re doing, no matter how different it is from what’s going on around them. Great music comes from all kinds of unexpected places and it comes in just as many different forms. With that in mind with Let’s Go Swimming we want to release a variety of music, sometimes falling just outside of the usual dance music genres, like house or techno. We wanna bring interesting music without the pretentiousness people normally associate with boundary pushing or experimentation. In terms of the influence musicians have had on us, Erol Alkan has always stood out and more recently the Lobster Theremin family. Bowie, The KLF, Kylie, Amir Alexander, Fela Kuti, Arvo Pärt.

Where was the mix recorded?

Henry: I recorded the mix in the Meattransmission studios in a very small gap before I did the LGS show (fortnightly Fridays 4-6) it has a track each from LGS001, 2 & 3, a mix of old and new tracks from other labels we love and one of the worst mixes I've ever done.

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

David Hockneys "a Bigger Splash".

What should we be wearing?

Whatever you want pal.

What would be your dream setting to record a mix: Location, system, format?

Somewhere by the sea, with nice food, nice drinks and nice people. Starting early evening and ending sometime the next morning.

What’s your favourite recorded mix of all time?

Henry: That episode of Beats in Space just after Tim Sweeney got dumped About 10 years ago. Rory Phillips played me it. !!W: Probably one of Erols 6 Mixes. Or this really obscure jazz mix mix for Berceuse Heroique i stumbled across by this guy called Alex Hobson, it’s perfect to chill to.

If you could go back to back with any DJ from throughout history, who would it be and why?

Henry: DJ Talent or Anger Fist

Will: Steve Davis

What was your first DJ set up at home and what is it now?

Henry: I had a really shit m-audio controller I got from the Apple Store for £50. I now have 2 1210s and an E&S DJR400!

Will: My current and only.. A beaten up mixer i got off gumtree and a pair of 1210s.

What’s more important, the track you start on or the track you end on?

Henry: Start on. It establishes you're whole set and who's going to stick with you. Ending is great to have a laugh with but I'm regularly sorting out an Uber.

Will: I reckon they can both be. Guess it depends on who's in the room when you start/finish.

What were the first and last records you bought?

Henry: The first was Space & the Woods by Late Of The Pier, ordered specially to Forest Records in Lymington. The Last was the MOUTH re-issue on emotional rescue and the Workdub EP on Music by Memory.

Will: First was this history of soul compilation i picked up at a boot fair. Most recent the new KWC 92 on LIES.!G: The first was OAR003 by Oni Ayhun, which is still one of my all time favourite records. That synth line… just doesn't get much better really. Last one was Listen To My Music by Afro Dj Pupo. Lovely little house track with African inflections.