New Black Butter acquisition Bassically are all about
house music played live. Their first releases are essentially live videos that
showcase their insistence on playing, filtering and singing…live.
Spearheaded by RazOlsher and Juba Wetzler the electronic
music producers have already had global success in previous projects. New project Bassically
is a chance for them to show off and have fun whilst leaning towards a more soulful, US
house sound. With their live shows feeling like Cream or Pasha in the early naughties their last single release, ‘Know This Land’ on Noire Records featuring Andre
Espeut has a Balearic undertone but is all together more menacing.
We caught up with Raz at his east London HQ, Fossil
studios to get the low down..
Bassically is the result of a childhood fantasy and the pursuit of new, live electronic music performance. Over the last couple of years a group of musicians, producers and singers have been meeting up, jamming, writing, performing and experimenting. Our agenda is to make great music, push the boundaries of dance music performance and get laid as much as possible.
How do you choose which singers to collaborate with?
We look at their social media following and how old they are…other than that we look to collaborate with talented songwriters that ultimately have something to say. We are always on the lookout for an interesting voice, so we love working with singers from different cultural backgrounds as it brings fresh new ideas and helps us break the formulas.
You describe yourself as a Live Dance collective...what does that mean to you?
We see Bassically as a big family and every artist or creative involved is a part of it. All the musicians, producers, singers, designers, visual artists, sound engineers, chefs, cleaners... all these people contribute to what Bassically is and what is come to be. The core musicians are Yuval 'Juba' Wetzler on Drums, Hamish Balfour on Synths/Keys, Sara De Santis on Buttons and FXs and myself on Bass. Then we have our group of singers lead by Gizelle Smith and Andre Espeut.
What's your ideal show? Do you have a particular crowd?
A show is a moment in time and then it’s gone forever. Each one is like none other and that is the magic of live music. What makes a show most enjoyable and rewarding to us is that connection between the performance and the dance floor. It's that cycle of energy between all the people in the venue that feeds us all to go higher and deeper into the celebration of music, dance and life. When all are connected and going for it, it can be very powerful. It can be a sweaty basement in East London or a sunny beach in the Indian Ocean, we love it all.
Outside Bassically, what do you get up to?
I produce, write and score films from my HQ at Fossil Studios in Hackney. I have a couple more original projects such as Rubato - an experimental/classical 3 piece and Bubblegum which is a disco funk party vibes outfit.
You've have some success in the music industry before Bassically, have you got any advice for up and coming producers?
Follow your heart, thrive to improve all the time and don't forget to floss!
Check out Olsher’s other projects below.
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