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Phantom Beats

January 29th, 2007 by rui

We catch up with Matt & Neil aka Phantom Beats – DJ stars at Eastnor, The Big Chill Bar and The Big Chill House.

What’s your night called?

Matt: "Phantom Beats presents:" cos we’re a pair of egotistical, Judge Jules loving, DJs that never smile.

Neil: Yes. We love ourselves. A lot.

What have you been up to, before this residency?

Matt: Well we had an amazing couple of rock’n'roll years where we were residents at famous clubs, (Heavenly, London & Spectrum, Nottingham), produced lots of records and remixes, ran the Plastic Raygun record label, regularly flew around the world DJing and basically got ourselves into mad adventures. We both briefly thought about settling down and having babies, decided we could wait a bit (cos it was too much fun), I moved to London and we’re now on course to reclaim our title of "The most consistent party rockers/drinkers in the UK"

What’s the music policy for Phantom Beats?

Matt: Our music style has always been eclectic. If we’re playing for the dance floor we’ll know how it rock with breaks, funk or house. That’s why we enjoyed DJing so much during the big beat era. We could put lots of different styles together and still make the party jump. We also love DJing at the Big Chill bar as we have 5 hours to play all our favourite chill and down tempo music without the need to make people dance. Plus Neil can sit down.

Who has played, or is going to play at your nights?

Matt: The lovely Katty Heath, the lead vocalist from Bent (who did a sterling job singing with us at last year’s Eastnor Castle), joined us at our first BC House gig alongside Catskills Featurecast. The amazing Dr Rubberfunk is our next big guest for our 9th February evening. His productions, mixes and new album "My Life At 33" are stunning and obviously incredibly funky. In the top room we’ve got Phantom favourites Max Coopers and Mr Seavers from Nottingham that we really rate plus Friends & Family main man Tom Dodd dropping some choice tunes.

Our resident VJs are Biskitt Visuals: video artists Ross (creator of the Wagon Wheel) and Steve (1983 European Buckaroo Champion).

If money was no object, and you could book any line-up of DJs and bands living or dead, who would play?

Neil: Stevie Wonder, Prince, Richie Hawtin, Lowsparks, Matt Phantom

Matt: DJs: Gilles Peterson, DJ Derek, Nick Warren & Grant from Massive Attack (back 2 back -eclectic set), Norman Jay and Larry Levan. Plus Matt Phantom (30 minute set for an agreed £250,000)
Live: 4Hero, Bjork, James Brown (cos I missed him), Roy Ayers and The Clash. It would of course be hosted by Pete and Katrina somewhere foreign and lovely.

What are your current top 5 tunes?

Neil:
1. Lowsparks – "That Way"
2. Hi Population – "Club Action"
3. Merka – "Yakumo’s Ready"
4. Drummattic Twins – "Hyperspeed"
5. Telefon Tel Aviv -"What It Is Without…"

Matt:

For rocking it situations:

1. Chemical Brothers – "Electronic Battle Weapon 8"
2. Justice – "Phantom"
3. Phantom Beats – "Take Control"
4. Bloc Party – "Banquet" (Boys Noize Vox Mix)
5. Phantom Geek! – "Freakstar" (Geek’s You’re Just a Freakin’ Freak mix)

For chilling it situations:

1. 4Hero – "Play with the Changes" LP
2. Cinematic Orchestra – "To Build A Home"
3. Chilled By Nature – "State of Grace" (Beauty Room mix)
4. Jazzanova featuring Thief – "The Siren’s Call"
5. The Heritage Orchestra – "Sky Breaks"

What three things would your ideal bar have to have?

Neil Phantom: Beer, great music, friends.

Matt: Non alcoholic beer, only costcutter barely salted crisps and a boss-eyed bar man with a massive and exposed beer gut.

I’m just on my way to the bar – what can I get you?

Neil: A pint of something cold and local, please!

Matt: A pint of non alcoholic beer, some costcutter barely salted crisps and give the boz eyed bar man (with a massive and exposed beer gut) a long lingering kiss from ‘Neil’.

Ideal evening chilling at home?

Neil: Some wine, a big sofa, a load of West Wing DVDs and maybe a movie or two.

Matt: Winter: Champagne, a roaring fire and a certain lady. Summer: Champagne, sun in the garden and a certain lady.

Ideal evening chilling out?

Neil: A good cafe or bar with friends is all I need.

Matt: Friends, drinks, great music and loads and loads of jumping about, jumping on each other and jumping in jumpers. No jumping off high walls or through windows though please. The latter really hurts.

Favourite places?

Neil: Berlin, Tokyo, Melbourne, San Francisco

Matt: Sydney, Southern Spain, London (since I’m a recent newbie) and Ikea (Saturday 8am. Start of sale. Properly crushed up by the doors.)

What are you reading these days?

Neil: I’m in a real reading frenzy at the moment. Last three – William Boyd’s "Any Human Heart" (stunning!), Willy Russell’s "The Wrong Boy" (funny and brilliant) and Malcolm Gladwell’s "Blink" (real eye opener).

Matt: Just finished Tom Sykes – "What Did I Do Last Night?" A brilliant account of a journalist caught up in the drinking and antics of the nightlife he wrote about. I’m still searching for the lingerie section in the Argos catalogue too.

What are you working on at present?

Matt: Some new Phantom Beats singles, music for my house side project Phantom Geek! and my six pack.

Neil: I’ve been really busy setting up a new company – all to be revealed soon!

What would most like to achieve over the next five years?

Neil: More travelling and more time with friends.

Matt: Less travelling and less time with friends. Plus beat my brother (1983 European Champion) at Buckaroo.

What would you like to see change most in the world over the next five years?

Neil: The world to seriously address environmental issues, and me to develop a dress sense.

Matt: Gingers to be made extinct or at least boxed off in a secure area.

Highlight of your life?

Matt: Being given a residency at Heavenly Jukebox, Turnmills straight after our last record at our first ever London gig. It kick started a career where we were able to DJ in some great places such as Australia, Japan and Russia.

Neil: Yep, the very first Heavenly Jukebox gig was our first outside of Cardiff. And to be rewarded with an instant residency was pretty special. But travelling to about 35 countries all in the name of rocking parties has been a constant highlight!

At a festival – tent, B&B, or hotel for you, and why?

Neil: Tent. It’s the only way to experience a festival. You’re right at the heart of things 24 hours a day.

Matt: Tent. It’s the cheapest way to experience a festival. You’re right at the heart of the sun. 10,000 degrees heat 24 hours a day.

What was your Top Big Chill moment?

Neil: Where to begin? There’s so many. I loved our first ever set at the very first Enchanted Garden, and Punchdrunk in 2005, and our set in 2006. But a million other mini experiences to boot!

Matt: Our Eastnor Castle DJ set in the cocktail tent 2002. It was the last set of a sunny Friday evening. The tent was completely packed and there were hundreds and hundreds of people dancing outside. Inside people were going completely wild! All our friends were there. There were loads of smiling people and hot women were buying us cocktail after cocktail. We had a bunch of security trying to get us to stop. (The distraction benefits of a DJ duo!) We ended up putting about 4 more tunes on after ‘the last tune’. After the set people couldn’t thank us enough. Throughout the festival (and after) many people told us we’d created ‘that moment’. That’s what all good DJs strive for.

Describe the essence of The Big Chill…

Neil: The people. Just the brilliant, wonderful, chilled-out, smiley people. I feel completely safe and at home there!

Matt: Some of the best times with best friends and sun soaked sounds. When’s the next one?

Phantom Beats at The Big Chill festival 2006