Freaks

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Feb 2010 - New Freaks 'Best of Times' mix up now on soundcloud.



Freaks - Best of Times Mix by LS Management



OK what can we say about ourselves - a potted history is probably the best way to tell all !! And if you're still interested in us after this blurb - check out the website www.musicforfreaks.com and become a member. There's a free download of Black Shoes White Socks (you can check it on player here).



The ever-evolving and never predictable musical venture that is Freaks is now in its 15th year of incarnation having first materialized in 1994 as the brainchild of London-based Luke Solomon and Bournmouth’s Justin Harris. Having followed the same DJ gigging route in the early nineties, Luke and Justin’s similar musical outlook and sense of humour meant that a collaboration in the studio was almost inevitable.



They began recording for Phono, home of Herbert and Sway and their first few releases saw them journey through filter disco (The Shrunken Head), quirky mid-tempo house (Journey’s Through Happiness) and minimal techno (The Milwaukee Stance).



In 1999, their prolific studio output meant that the duo felt that it was high time to set up their own record label. Hence, the imprint Music for Freaks was born. They began by releasing a series of four 12 inches each with a collectable sleeve highlighting the importance of unique artwork and style to the Freaks vision.



Taking musical inspiration from such diverse artists and producers as XTC, Green Velvet, Martin Hannett, John Martyn, Heaven 17, Brian Eno and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Freaks’ first album ‘The Beat Diaries’ followed, on which they shared writing duties with Joey Negro and on which they first employed the vocal talents of Stella Attar who would soon become their long-term frontwoman for Freaks Live.



Freaks went on to produce two more albums on the Music for Freaks imprint; ‘Meanwhile Back at the Disco’ and ‘The Man Who Lived Underground.’ The latter cementing their ambitions to make an album purely for the dancefloor. From these albums, records such as ‘Turning Orange’, ‘The Creeps’ and ‘Where Were You When the Lights Went Out’ emerged as seminal tracks in the Freaks catalogue with a sound that spanned everything from disco, house to rock ‘n’ roll.



Consistently central to the Freaks output was the large number of remixes that they undertook for various mainstream and underground artists including Pulp, Alison Limerick, Damon Albarn, Kasabian and Chicken Lips.



With the indie-dance crossover potential of many of the Freaks tracks, Luke and Justin decided to take Freaks on the road with a live band format that included Stella on vocals, Johnny Rock on guitar, Sascha Darroch Davies on drums and Rub on bass. Playing such luminary venues as Fabric and Cargo in London as well as Arthur Baker’s night at Club 11 in Amsterdam not to mention festivals such as Homelands and Global Gathering, Freaks rocked dancefloors everywhere with their particular brand of exhilarating anthemic dance music mayhem.



In summer of 2007, their huge selling underground record, ‘The Creeps’ re-appeared in a new form. Remixed by Vandalism and using the original bassline as the key hook, the record was re-ignited in the clubs again. Luke, Justin and Stella then re-worked it further by adding a new post-punk style vocal and renaming it ‘The Creeps – Get on the Dancefloor.’ The record became an instant classic with Radio 1 playlisting it 7 weeks upfront before it went on to reach number nine in the UK charts.



Freaks followed this with the release of Tweekers & Repeater at the end of 2007 on limited 12” and as a digital download, shortly followed by a digital release of Boiling Point featuring remixes from Derrick Carter and marketed largely to their US fanbase.



With the immense pressure that the success of ‘The Creeps’ placed on Freaks, Luke and Justin took a hiatus to enable them to regroup and take the Freaks vision back to its roots which is essentially all about having fun through the inspired formula of producing music that appeals to both the mainstream and dark underground. The result is the distorted psychedelic journey that is the ‘UMakeNoSense’ EP released in January 2010 on Crosstown Rebels complete with two Radio Slave remixes. As a precursor to this release, Freaks are also bringing out a ‘Best of Times’ compilation which includes tracks from all three studio albums as well as previously unreleased material.



Also soon to be released is the Freaks vs. Robert Owens track “Right Now.” A bit of a “lost” record that has never officially been released as a single but managed to make its way onto JT Donaldson’s DJ mix album on Franchise Player as well as Mark Farina’s House of Om compilation on the San Francisco based Om Records. Now for the first time, the record is being given the recognition it deserves by being released as a single on Rebirth Records.



With these releases on the horizon, it looks like 2010 is shaping up to be another exciting and prolific year for Freaks whose consistently innovative musical output seemingly knows no bounds.



For all forthcoming gigs, news and general info, visit:

musicforfreaks.com