Scott Fraser Interview / Mix via MbM

The one Scott Fraser blessed us with a floor destroying remix for the Bento 12″, his ‘Decompression Dub‘ putting the release on the radar of many of our favourite producers and DJs, rebuilding the version from the ground up with a 12 minute raw retouching. Even after the release however, the man for the large part remained a bit of a mystery to me, limiting my knowledge to his work with Weatherall, the World Unknown 12″ and the stunning Virgo Four remix plate shared with Capricara and Hierolgyphic Being. Stoked then to be passed on this interview that’s just gone up for Music by Marina, breaking down the last few decades to where he’s been unleashing the solo work on us and destroying dancefloors with the mixes.

It’s been accompanied with an 11 track remix featuring recent highlights from Ital, Max Esa and the dub of his own release on Astrolab Recordings. Check the mix below, then scroll down to read the article while you’re vibing out.

1. Ital – Doesn’t Matter If You Love Him (Planet Mu)
2. The Field – Looping State of Mind (Kompakt)
3. Unknown Cases – Masimbabele (Headman Version) (CDR)
4. Mugwump: Until Your Worth It (Andrew Weatherall remix) (CDR)
5. Caddilac – Past Midnight (Daniel Bortz Remix) (Future Classic)
6. Los Lopez – Are you a Lesbian? (Mugwump remix) (Days Of Being Wild)
7. Max Esa – Burning Palms (Hardway Bros shoulder of orion remix) (Is It Balearic?)
8. Scott Fraser – A John Hughes Excursion (dub) (Astrolab Recordings)
9. Ajello – El Charro (Alien Alien No Hay Nada Remix) (Danny Was A Drag King)
10. D’Marc Cantu – Say it and itsTime (Creme organisation)
11. Starship Commander Woo Woo – Mastership (Chocolate Industries)

via Music by Marina

Scott Fraser was born and bred in Glasgow.
Scott produced tracks for Weatherall’s label in the early 90’s which was his first release and worked with P. Walker with the duo BIOS.
Around the same time he also released tracks on Black Nation (Detroit) & Francois K’s Wave Records.
He has played in Glasgow and internationally in Detroit with Jeff Mills, Anthony Shakir and Claude Young.
He took time out 2 years ago from Dj’ing & relocated to London where he moved to The Basement, Andrew Weatherall’s East London studio.
His new releases are in an Astrolab compilation (Treasure Hunting), Light Sleeper EP on Headman’s Relish label & a remix for Headman’s Relish & a Origin and Mass EP on Mirko’s Etichetta Nera label in Italy.

Music by Marina : How did your duo Bios begin with P. Walker? Why is it over?

Scott Fraser : We actually started as a 3 piece with Myself, Peter and Alan Baxter.
I met Peter through a mutual friend at an Orb gig in the early 90’s and it went from there really.
I guess BIOS came to a natural conclusion over time, I felt I wanted to do something different musically and once I moved to London things finished completely.

MbM : What did you do in the 00’s?

SF : During the 00’s there were a lot of changes personally and the creative side was just not coming through for me (call it writers block if you will cliche though it is) there was a release in 2001 which did well and then a couple of re-releases in the mid 00’s but that was pretty much it. I spent more time DJing and put on some small parties in Glasgow the only gig outside Glasgow was weekend in Berlin.
I decided to stop DJing completely for a while and then towards the end of 2009 started to work properly again on my solo material.

MbM : Why do you decide to work alone under Scott Fraser?

SF : I had lots of ideas and I had got to the point musically where that was what I wanted to do, generally the writing, arrangement and production elements were my areas anyway and it was very natural for me to work on my own.
I decided to use my own name as it was always going to be a solo project going forwards.
I have really enjoyed working with other people on other projects though, I did the Virgo Four remix with my good friend Jonny Burnip and have also been co-writing with Andy Blake and Headman on a couple of separate projects.
Me and Sean Johnston (Hardway Bros) will get some studio time in this year at some point too.
I am recording under another name “Nothing but blood” with a more stripped down warehouse sound the first of which features Yula Fenn on vocals and is on the Astrolab Treasure hunting CD which is out this month.

MbM : How was your meet with Andrew Weatherall? Do you still work with him?

SF : I first met Andrew at the sub club towards the end of the 1980’s if I recall correctly and then again in the early 90’s.
We had gone into Rub A Dub records in Glasgow one afternoon as they asked us to bring in some tracks for them to listen to. Andrew came into the shop and then I met him again that evening and he asked me if we would consider putting some music out on his label.
I always kept in touch when Andrew came up to Glasgow (which was always a few times a year) and when I moved down to London a couple of years ago I moved my studio into his basement studio space in the East End.
Also down there are Tim Fairplay who works as Andrews engineer and is a very talented producer in his own right, and Andy Baxter who is a terrific bass guitarist.
Me and Tim also have a monthly Friday residency at the Berkely Suite called “Crimes of the future” which starts up again towards the end of August

MbM : What do you listen at home? What are your favorite artists?

SF : At home I have a really wide taste, I might listen to rock/ blues as much as electronic stuff and to be honest that has heavily influenced my sound over the last couple of years with lots more live elements in there.
I had a look at the stuff at the side of my turntable at home this week …John Martyn, Orange Juice, New order, Moritz Von Oswald trio, T-Rex, Carter Tutti, Patrick Cowley, The Oscillation, Paul Buchanan, and Shit and Shine …
I also came across an american blues act called the Siegel Schwall band recently via an album called Shake from 1968 which was great and the chocolate industries compilation album Personal Space has been an amazing purchase too.
Favourite artists at the moment … Tim Fairplay and Sean Johnston’s recent outings, Mr Andy Blake’s Cave Paintings stuff , Mugwump, Lord of the Isles from Edinburgh, Dan Avery, Capracara, Oliver Ho’s Raudive stuff, Baris K, Juju and Jordash, Steve Summers…. I could go on.
I also really liked the Analog Roland Orchestra’s album on ornaments, The Ital album on planet Mu, the new Harvey release on International Feel and Marcus Intalex’s recent Trevino release are both brilliant too. Label wise L.I.E.S, Nation and World Unknown have all been outstanding this year.

MbM : What are your projects this year?

SF : Its been pretty busy so far already.
Just released the Light Sleeper ep on Relish and remixed Headman, had a track on the recent Spargel Trax vol 2 and had my World Unknown single remains the same released.
I am about to release a nice 10” techno EP called Form and mass on Etichetta Nera in Italy, and am currently co-producing new music with Headman which includes a very special vocalist.
I have a release on Andrews Bird Scarer label coming very soon with an incredible remix on it.
There is a 12” release due on Astrolab with a great remix from Mark E and I also have a track on the Treasure hunting CD called “Shadow Dancing”
Remix wise, I have just finished a remix for a great new band called the Two Jackals, one for Chance McDermott on panel trax, a remix for Catalepsia which is due in the Autumn and a remix which I have done for Semtek is out on Awkward Movements 12”.
There are another couple of releases lined up on some other nice labels which I can’t mention just yet…
I am in the middle of some more nothing but blood tracks which I want to complete through the summer and then I will be doing some more original stuff under my own name.
DJ wise I have started taking on gigs again starting with a couple of London parties over the next two months and then myself and Tim have the new Crimes of the future monthly Friday residency for Transmission at the Berkley Suite in Glasgow which kicks off again in August…