“The title is an oblique reference to a religious order called the Passionists,
I thought the general vibe of our track was quite mystical and connective so I wanted to underline this vibe with a religious connotation in the title.
Chattting to IHOUSEU this week about his (fantastic) new single ‘The Congregation of Discalced Clerks’, Mugwump main-man Geoffroy insists his decision to use the world discalced’ (meaning ‘priests who wear sandals’) has no personal significance.
“Do I wear sandals? Sure? But not with socks I’m afraid,” he laughs, “I’m always pretty fussy with titles.”
The track itself is masterfully produced baroque techno classic of the sort that Vitalic and Blackstrobe’s Ivan Smagghe do so well in marked contrast to recent Mugwump material, though Geoffroy disagrees.
“I don’t think its THAT different from the previous tracks Kolombo (aka Olivier Grégoire) and myself have released on Kompakt, R&S or Gigolo really but you tell me,” he chuckles.
“We wanted to make another epic tune a bit in the vein of Yanja" (released on Disco 45 in 2008 and big with Michael Mayer and Sven Vath), but with a huge strings break,” he explains.
“So we worked on the strings first and then did a first version with some funkier synth lines but quickly replaced them with those italo arpeggios that are lifting the track so well, I think. We ended up finishing the track in a week,” he adds.
Making his name initially some 20 years ago when he became one of the leading lights of Belgium’s hugely influential New Beat scene, he’s nowadays one of the most eclectic, genre hopping big name producers of today, reflecting his heart felt commitment to variety.
“Why do we persist in producing so many styles? Well firstly I don’t think we produce that wide a variety of tracks, and certainly I think there's always a defined and recognizable vibe in our productions, whatever the tempo we're using or the direction we tend to go to, be it for a disco, house or a techno label.”
“I'd like to simply reverse your question and ask why do most producers and DJs stick to just one style?” he continues.
“If I’m not mistaken one of the reasons why we usually fall in love with dance music in the first place is because the open-mindedness of its lifestyle, so I’m kind of astonished with the lack of open-mindedness all over the scene, or scenes, when it comes to making music to soundtrack that lifestyle.”
IHOUSEU: How much of a problem is it that when you DJ people have expectations for particular styles they prefer?
Mugwump (Geoffroy): “It's NEVER a problem really as I always follow the vibe of the DJ before me in a respectful way and I also always try to go in directions that suit the vibe of the clubs I’m playing at. I've been DJing for more than 15 years and always considered a set as a trip across the board but I know what I can do and what to play when I’m in a club I’ve agreed to DJ at. I do play a lot of our own productions too so nobody would be alienated if they're expecting some Mugwump vibe.”
IHOUSEU: “I was Googling mugwump and discovered the history of the word- about it being a group of 19th century political activists who ‘rejected the financial corruption’ of politicians”: were you aware of that when you chose it?
Mugwump (Geoffroy): “The Mugwump word has several meanings. Firstly it’s an American-Indian primitive tribe. It was then used in American politics, originally as a term to describe independent politicians who refused to support and vote for people from their camp if they did not agree with their ideas. I loved that! But more likely it was the name chosen by William Burroughs to call the ambivalent and weird reptile creatures that were filling his narcotic visions when he was writing "The Naked Lunch".
As I’m a huge fan of David Cronenberg, who brilliantly adapted/translated that book onto a supremely classic movie, it felt funny and right to use that name when I started getting into music production (originally with my friends from Spirit Catcher). I also associate the word Mugwump with total independence (by not being willing to stick to just one 'sound' I guess) and the vibe is often psychedelic too, hence 'The Naked Lunch'. Michael Mayer once said our music was a mind trip on its own but you could easily enjoy it in a sober state too. Perfect.”
IHOUSEU: How much of a political aspect (if any) do you attach to what do you? (i.e. do you think dance culture has any greater power/ significance beyond being just entertainment?)
Mugwump (Geoffroy): “I always wanna’ try to break the mould and try to see if we can change people’s views about what house and techno or dance music in general has to be or should be. So maybe that's political in a way but I’m not so sure. And yes I really think dance music does have a genuine power and significance that's unfortunately diluted by its total hedonism. And I know what I’m talking about here.”
IHOUSEU: Mark Twain was a famous Mugwump: I want to throw you one of his quotations; “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great’: how difficult was it to rise yourself above the thousands of bar and local DJs out there: how ambitious were you when you started?
Mugwump (Geoffroy): “I was a well-known face in the halcyon days of the Belgian New-Beat and house music scenes and naturally moved on to DJing but it was hard getting noticed, so I took all my records and moved to Ibiza for a whole summer. After three consecutive, full seasons there in the mid-nineties I ended up as a resident at the KM5 and had played in every club and party of the Island, sometimes sharing the decks with the likes of Sasha, Alfredo or with Ricardo (Villalobos) before he became so huge. So yes it took all that for me to get noticed in Belgium, as the next summer I was chased all over the island by a well-known Belgian promoter who offered me to become resident and programmer at the now mythic Food club.
The music scene in Ibiza wasn’t so spoiled with underground music like it is now, it was sooooo shitty then in the main clubs and trance was big, Cocoon hadn't even started yet. So I didn’t want to miss this chance of playing proper dance music and flew back to Belgium immediately, for this residency which ended up lasting around 8 years and opened me the doors to every Belgian club and party and loads of festivals.”
IHOUSEU: How much did you encounter people trying to hold you back?
Mugwump (Geoffroy): “I don’t think people have tried to hold me back but I certainly made some bad 'career' choices at some stages, which held me back, especially at the end of my residency for the Food club. In particulat I signed to a management agency who didn’t really share my attitude towards music and I ended up devoting nearly all my time to my Hi-Phen label with nearly no cash flow and didn’t move fast enough way from my deep-house image as a DJ - although I was playing everything possible in my sets. So I’m happy all is getting much better these days with Mugwump getting really good.
Working with my Mugwump partner Kolombo is an everyday source of contentment really. He's truly talented, wicked and open-minded and releasing most of our music on Kompakt also feels great as they truly do epitomise the broad scope of dance music I want to dive in. Michael Mayer is definitely one of the most helpful guys for us out there. Getting support from Ewan Pearson, Ivan Smagghe, Chlöé and a plethora of other DJs or having so far released music on labels like Gigolo, R&S, Permanent Vacation, Cocoon, Endless Flight and more recently connecting with The Rapture & James Friedman with their Throne of Blood label is also great. It’s been a great trip so far.”
IHOUSEU: I keep reading articles about Belgium possibly breaking up as a country; does it matter to you?
Mugwump (Geoffroy): “Firstly, it’s been 30 years now that news of a possible break-up in Belgium has been bubbling. It’s the nature of our country. And yes I’m very concerned. The way negociations are being held right now truly gives me the confidence that we are on the right way to finally make this country work better, even with an ultra-nationalist like Bart DeWever in the pivotal role. That guy is very, very intelligent and pragmatic and shows he' s able to make concessions. He plays the democratic game in a fair way so we should all support what's cooking right now.”
IHOUSEU: Anything else to add?
Mugwump (Geoffroy): “Not much apart from a shameless self-promotion plug. Be sure to check our upcoming new Kompakt single ("Raping the world we left behind"), our exclusive tracks for two essential summer comps: Kompakt's 'Total 11' and Endless Flight's 'I’m starting to feel Okay Volume 4" and our current and up-and-coming remixes for Juergen Paape, DC Salas and Shout Out Out Out.”
As well as a little feature i just did for Ivan Smagghe's wicked new blog: http://tinyurl.com/332vfh5
