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Eclectic Method have been wowing audiences with their audio/visual remixes for a number of years now. You might have seen them at work in clubs around the world or on their MTV Mash TV show. The duo now reside in New York, where they have created unique video mashups for artists including U2 and Fatboy Slim. Theire new video mixtape, 'Lock Up Your Videos' was released earlier this year.
Jonny Wilson answers the Qs.
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Q1 How did you start out making music?
I started playing the guitar, but after seeing The Prodigy I dropped that for the sampler. I quit school at fifteen to go work on music and had the fortune to work for Brian Eno for a while, then ended up doing music projects in post-war Bosnia.
Q2 What inspired your latest video mixtape, 'Lock Up Your Videos'?
We wanted to create another great mix tape but show where we had got to since our last mixtape. We put in more soul, funk and TV/movie classics.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
When we do remixes for people we look for the best bits of video in their stuff and use that as our building blocks for an AV tune. Usually start with a riff over a rough beat then go back and fix the beat to funk with it better.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
Coldcut, Hexstatic, Eboman, EBN were massive influences on the AV side of things. On the music side, it was Fatboy Slim who animated me.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing Eclectic Method for the first time?
Don't just stand there staring at the screen – dance, my friend.
Q6 What are your ambitions for 'Lock Up Your Videos', and for the future?
Well my main reason for living in the states these days is sorting out the licensing issues. Over the past twelve months we've been making friends with the labels and artists to legally use and remix their stuff. The UK has a far superior club scene and I miss that a lot, but over here is where I have to be to get the music videos and film clips we need in order to advance. Our ambitions are a legal mix album, more collaborations – for example, we are working with Talvin Singh at the moment – and also future media technology, remix games, video jamming, Guitar Hero for your mobile phone.
published june 2008
