Glasgow based DJ team Optimo have spoken about their upcoming Fabric mix, and their habit of throwing curveballs at the dancefloor.
Back in the mid 90s, Scotland was turned into a techno paradise. Virtually every club played four to the floor, with the mutant strains of ‘Ardkore gaining a huge following across the entire nation.
Two of the scene’s DJs deciding to rebel against this hierarchy. Forming the night Optimo at Glasgow’s Sub Club, Twitch and Wilkes decided that their only rule would be: play anything you want, to hell with the consequences.
Recently calling a halt to their Sub Club residency after thirteen years, the duo are preparing to release a new mix for Fabric. Speaking to the Quietus, JD Wilkes spoke briefly about their habit of spinning completely unexpected tracks for the dancefloor.
Optimo favourite ‘Everybody’s Got To Live’ by Arthur Lee is a prime example of this. “I played it one week and it cleared the dancefloor” he recalled.
“I played it the next week and it still cleared the dancefloor but I just kept on playing it and playing it until it seeped into people’s heads. And by the end, even though it’s not really available on record, everybody knew all the words and would sing along to it.”
“It became a huge, huge song but only at the club because I didn’t have the balls to play it anywhere else. But it is the least likely song you can imagine to hear in a club because there’s no rhythm to it. I guess I was just bloody minded and thought, ‘I’m going to make people fall in love with this song.’”
Meanwhile, JD Wilkes also revealed that the policy has resulted in some disastrous moments along the way. “This is the thing about the residency, you’re in a position where you can play something and the whole dancefloor will look at you in complete horror. And you’re like ‘Sorry guys! You’ll probably like the next song better!’ I wouldn’t do that if I were playing Fabric or a club abroad. I can’t think of one off the top of my head but there have been plenty but it was always worth taking the risk.”
Optimo’s Fabric mix is due to be released this summer.
