One of the UK’s finest DJ/producer duos, Faze Action, comprise brothers Steve and Robin Lee. Carefully blending Latin, Brazilian, African, jazz, classical with disco and good old down home funk riffs, they create a sound that tips its hat to the past yet certainly reaches out to the future.
Instrumental in making disco a credible force again, their music would not seem out of place in a Larry Levan set alongside Is It All Over My Face? by the Loose Jointz and Ednah Holt’s Serious, Sirius Space Party. Who can forget the mellow insistent shuffle of 1997’s In The Trees that, with its Philly strings and solo congas, that was simply irresistible?
The title track for their second album, Moving Cities, for record label Nuphonic is a monster tune that opens with a huge orchestral refrain on massed string and bass wind. Joined soon afterwards by congas, it builds with the addition of a disco high hat picky guitar riff into an almighty killer groove that is rather reminiscent of Vince Montana at his best and could have sat nicely on any dance floor over the last (and maybe for the next) 30 years. Chris Sullivan caught up with Steve Lee to discuss the past and the future.
What are the main inspirations in your work?
We get a lot of inspiration from listening to records we DJ a lot. We are always trying to make records that we can play out in our DJ sets. More recently we have been writing a lot of songs and I suppose we have drawn inspiration from personal experience or we imagine that we are someone else and imagine how that person might feel, etc.
How did you get going?
We were a goodbye present to each other. Robin was going to Japan to live and we decided to go into the studio and make a sort of farewell tune together. We were selling a lot of mo wax, house and a few choice cuts but there wasn't much that we really wanted to play out so we kind of made what we wanted to play.
What did you do before?
Robin was an English teacher in Japan and I worked as a waiter and security guard.
What does it take to be you? Namely a successful DJ/producer?
You have to love music. I think you also have to be flexible. Fashions and fads come and go and you have to change with the times and that is why listening to new music is important to us.
What DJ do you look up to now?
We like a lot of DJs but Danielle Baldelli is one of our favourites. I also like Prins Thomas, Dave Lee, Raj, Pete Herbert, Gilles Peterson, Harvey and the Idjut Boys.
Do you think you should always play new stuff? If so, why?
I don't think the DJ police will shoo you off the decks for just playing old stuff or just playing new stuff. You can play what you like. We just happen to play new stuff as well as old stuff.
What is the job of a DJ?
To express him or herself in the context of the people that have come to party on the dance floor with the records that he has got with him
What is the job of a producer/remixer?
To express him or herself in the context of what kind of music people are buying/listening to/want to hear
Would you stick to your guns even if you cleared the room?
We don't usually clear rooms. If you play the music you love in the right context, everything can work.
Give me your five fave tracks?
That's always tough, there are so many to choose from... Here goes: 1. Talking Heads – This Must be The Place 2. Vangelis – Let It Happen 3. The Clash – This Is Radio Clash 4. Leroy Hutson – Get To This 5. Sparkle – Handsome Man
And your five fave dancefloor fillers?
1. Sylvester – Mighty Real (Joey Negro dub mix) 2. Disco Circus – Dig It 3. Jay Shepheard – Retro Fit 3 4. Fast Eddie/Kenny Jamin' Jason – Can U Dance 5. Tuccilio – Panorama
What are you doing for Red Bull?
We are doing a DJ mix for Red Bull Music Academy Radio.
What are you doing now?
We are working on new music for the next album and the label.
Would you ever leave London? If so, why?
We love London but I don't feel any compulsion to always have to stay in London. I think I would always like to be in or around a big city though.
Vinyl, CD or Mac (tractor)?
It all depends on the club. Some clubs are really set up for vinyl, although they are very few these days (except for in places like Japan, for example, where they really take pride in their love of vinyl). Personally I usually travel with CDs as they are convenient and the sound quality is still good. Tractor, we don't use it but never say never.
What's your advice to a young kid who wants to be you?
We are flattered you deem us so highly that you would like to be us or be like us but the truth is that you can only really be yourself. Do it your way. If you have a vision/idea of what you want then pursue it.
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