Three years ago 6th Borough Project, the Scottish duo comprised of Craig Smith and The Revenge, brought us their debut album One Night In The Borough. This followed a few years of releases and remixes across different labels. A relatively quiet period followed, as each pursued his own ends. Back on Delusions of Grandeur in 2014, they’ve dropped their second full-length, Borough 2 Borough. It’s a far-reaching affair, covering slow, emotive house and faster, moodier numbers brimming with funk. We got a chance to catch up with the guys and discuss the pain of disco, the lo-fi sound and Scottish independence.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. How are you guys doing?
Graeme: “All good. We just kicked off the album tour at the weekend in Paris and Berlin and both shows were quite honestly killer.”
Craig: “Yeah it was a great start to the tour. The longer sets are much more enjoyable as we get the set the pace and explore different musical avenues.”
What have you been up to lately?
Graeme: “We’ve both been active on our own labels and projects after finishing the 6th BP album. I’ve been working on some solo stuff for my Roar Groove label and a few other collaborative projects due for release throughout this year.”
Craig: “Finishing the 6th Borough Project [album] and setting up my new label Fifty Fathoms Deep. Likewise I’ve been working on some solo projects which will be out during the year.”
Let me congratulate you on the album, it’s a really great piece of work. You’ve both been very busy over the last few years, what was it like getting back and working together again?
Graeme: “We took a short break after the last album and then went back to our regular routine, which is usually once every couple of weeks spending a day in the studio listening to music, shooting the breeze and making some tracks. Working together is pretty effortless, so it doesn’t take much convincing to get us back in the studio.”
6th Borough Project – Borough 2 Borough (Preview) (Delusions of Grandeur)
You’ve both set up labels, yet you returned to Delusions of Grandeur for this project. Was that a case of neutral ground, sticking with a winning formula, or something else?
Graeme: “We have a great relationship with the guys at the label and the way they do things. It’s very important for us to trust whoever we are working with since we are both very passionate about the creation, manufacture and delivery of the music. We had the debut release on Delusions and we’ve been happy to continue working with them ever since. They are great guys and the debut LP was such an pleasant experience that I had no qualms about doing the follow up with them. They gave us freedom, that’s all we ask.”
I was listening to the B2B mix on Graeme’s Soundcloud, and in it I noticed a track with a vocal where a guy talks about how love is misery. That put me in mind of an interview with The Black Madonna, where she said the following: “I’ve always believed that the best music, even dance music which is so joyful, is often a reaction to difficulty. Disco and house are so often written off as this fluffy stuff, but some of those songs are unbelievably heavy.” She said that: “This mix is about how hard it is to care about people and how important it is to just do it anyway and dance through the parts of life that make you want to curl up in a ball.” Some of the tracks on the album, like ‘Our Love’, ‘Think It Over’, ‘Through The Night’ are quite emotive, what sort of reaction are you hoping for with those?
Graeme: “Music has certainly helped us both through hard times over the years. It has always been a cathartic force in my life, through good times and bad. It is very important for me to put a piece of me into everything I produce, otherwise it becomes like just another desk job.”
Craig: “It’s a cliché but music definitely saved me on a number of occasions. As Graeme says it’s there for the good times and the bad, always there for you. It’s amazing how music can reach out and touch you, how a lyric can be so relative to you emotional situation.”
Stream/download: 6th Borough Project – B2B Mix
How do you feel about The Black Madonna’s take on disco music?
Graeme: “Disco certainly appeared out of the hardship of those times, as a release for those that had deeper struggles in the real world. People could escape into the fantasy of those lush strings and uplifting songs. I’m no expert on disco, but the story of dance music going back to our ancestors was always one linked to escapism, celebration and ritual and that continues to this day and beyond as it’s part of who we are, regardless of genre. That’s why I don’t really give a shit about tags … disco, techno, house, whatever … too many people get caught up over-thinking the soundtrack in a club instead of just feeling it. Feel it or beat it.”
On another tip, tracks like ‘The Vibes’ and ‘Read My Mind’ are deep groovers. Is it ever a challenge trying to go in directions like that but not lose focus?
Graeme: “Nah … we really just let the track lead the way. If it ends up like some stripped-down 125bpm dub then that’s cool. But if it’s some 96bpm bedroom waltz then that’s cool too.”
Craig: “Too many people get caught up trying to be smart. Just find the groove and get on with it.”
6th Borough Project – Read My Mind (Delusions Of Grandeur)
You’ve said before that One Night In The Borough was a collection of ideas from a decade’s worth of work, were you more focused on making this an “album” as opposed to a collection?
Graeme: “We certainly started with that intention. But we had a lot to choose from … maybe 30 tracks or so that we whittled down to the final selection. I think it stands up from start to finish.”
Craig: “It was a different process but I still think it’s a cohesive listen.”
The album’s artwork is pretty abstract – can you tell us what it means to you?
Graeme: “We actually left the artwork up to the label for our albums. I always design my own stuff for my own label, but I felt it was better that Delusions had their take on our music from their side. They have a cool identity as a label and we trust them with our stuff so I think it is a good balance.”
As vinyl collectors, I imagine the sleeve is pretty important to you guys – how did you go about choosing the design?
Graeme: “I’m not a big vinyl collector. I have a small collection of records and I still buy some stuff if I can’t get it digitally. But I’m not a format purist by any means. I still manufacture cassettes, CDs, vinyl for my Roar Groove label. If there is demand for a format and I can afford to manufacture it, then I will. The most important thing is that the quality is high throughout.”
Craig: “I’ve been an avid vinyl collector for 30+ years with over 16,000 records so design is important to me as part of the whole appeal, but if the music in the sleeve is whack then the covers irrelevant.”
The lo-fi sound is pretty prevalent right now – but your music, while inspired by crackly old vinyl, retains your impeccable production. What do you make of the in-vogue sound of now?
Graeme: “I read all the music press over a coffee in the morning and keep abreast of what’s going on, but my main objective when making a track is that it’s honest. That I believe in it and want to play it out. I’m actually quite a nostalgic person, but I don’t want to make a copy of what went before. And the way I do that is to put a piece of me into the music. That makes it unique – good or bad, it’s still something I did for me.”
What are your thoughts on the upcoming independence referendum?
Graeme: “If Alex Salmond hadn’t had all those meetings with Donald Trump, I’d be a lot more convinced of independence. But who the fuck invites Donald Chump over for dinner? A man who can’t even choose a decent hair piece.”
Craig: “Alex Salmond is a numpty but for me this isn’t a short-term popularity contest, it’s got much wider repercussions. This needs long-term thinking, not shortbread emotion. We have the chance to have a more progressive-thinking society, which is what I think the Scottish people want. The current system of Westminster control is not working and hasn’t been for a long time. The Tories have never cared what’s happening in Scotland and ever since the Labour Party became “Labour lite” there has been no counterpoint in the political system in the UK so for me that’s why [we] need change. I don’t have all the answers and who knows if it will work but Scotland has been getting a raw deal for a very long time and it’s time for an alternative we need change and now it’s the time to grab it.”
When was the last time you danced?
Graeme: “Saturday at Panorama Bar after our set. And probably during our set.”
Craig: “I have been know to shake a leg…..”
6th Borough Project – Borough to Borough is out now on Delusions of Grandeur. Buy here. The album is launched in fabric on April 5.
