Fused - Archive - James Murphy

Murphy’s Law

Writing is something that we are passionate about here at Fused. Combining this with music is indeed a dream in itself, but this dream enters stratospheric proportions when you are given the opportunity to interview an artist you have the utmost respect for.

I received a call asking if I would “like to interview James Murphy” and a mixture of emotions ran over me from excitement, fear, panic, hysteria and happiness which all in all is a lot of emotional states to experience if you only have 30 minutes to prepare for an interview. The point I’m trying to make is that this man is a hero of mine. Why? Well when I first heard tiny trickles of ‘Losing My Edge’ it was like someone had swept the mundane musical rug from under my feet and given me the good shaking I needed. LCD Soundsystem challenged everything I believed about music; they not only absorbed me whole-heartedly but they gave me a reason to believe in music once again. The term ‘Disco Infiltrator’ truly is a fitting tag for James Murphy.

Putting my LCD related worship aside; the reason why we are here is because James and Pat Mahoney have just recorded an infamous Fabric Live mix; ‘Fabriclive36’. This mix is laden with a smooth blend of influential disco classics, grooves aplenty and a hefty slice of edgy funk, all combined with intoxicating rhythms and obscure tracks that will make you bop subconsciously. On the mix this dynamic duo give defiant nods to Donald Byrd & 125th St, Chic, Lenny Williams, Junior Byron and Love of Life Orchestra, as well as slipping in LCD Soundsytem’s own ‘Hippe Priest Bumout’.

Everyone worth their salt knows that James and Pat are two best friends in one of the greatest bands of our time; LCD Soundsystem, but if truth be told many people are not familiar with how this creative meeting of minds first occurred; James was in fact a sound engineer for Pat’s band ‘Les Savy Sav’ whom he helped build a studio for.

Its seems that their dissatisfaction with noise bands and indie rock had reached a halting climax for both of them giving them a solid connection which would later reach dizzy heights, “I played bass and he [Pat] played drums and it was just like Liquid Liquid, and we were trying to wrap our heads around making people boogie,” enthuses James.

James is certainly a party loving boy from Princeton Junction; his notorious DFA parties at APT in NY are infamous and something that us mere mortals yearn to savour. With appearances from the likes of 2manydjs,Optimo, Blackstrobe and Headman, amongst countless others, Murphy was one of the first US promoters to showcase these exciting bands from Europe. Another distinct difference to DFA parties was that there was no rule of thumb regarding what was played, “We could do and play whatever we wanted – Diana Summer, Kraftwerk, The Fall, Carl Craig always figured into the mix, we were also into some early proto-hip hop, electro hip hop, Nucleus and stuff like that,” James enthuses, “[The parties were] in my office, which held about 700 people – indie kids, dance kids, weird people, everyone was on ecstasy - it was genuinely beautiful”. Does he have any party tips for us when we visit the big apple? “There is such a rapidly changing club scene here which really keeps you on your toes, however I would suggest you look for the weird places. The very best nights are often in the worst places!”

With a track listing of 24 it is easy to fall into the misapprehension that a lot of tracks possible didn’t make the cut but this is sincerely not the case, “We got everything we wanted on there thankfully, there was a bit a of waiting to get everything cleared [legally] to appear on the mix but it all came through,” continues James.

When asked how long the mix took to do James replies “4 Minutes” – we both chuckle before he explains; “We did part one of the mix whilst we were on tour and then we did mix 2 after all the tracks were Okayed and then mix 3 finally.” The mix was in fact done an old Bozak, giving the mix a bit of vintage authenticity, “It sounds incredible. Everything sounds nicer and bigger and smoother and beautiful.”

So it was time to delve into the brain of Mr. Murphy and discuss mixing, “Please don’t ever mix using software,” he urges, “computers are great for recording but everything sounds so much better analogue when mixing as there are no peaks when using software everything is distinctly flat.” After greater debate James assures me that “Harmonic Distortion” is the key and is the underlying reason that all wanabee Murphy’s should stick to analogue in future; “you only need to listen to old records to hear this in action”.

When listening to LCD Soundsystem it’s the intricacy and attention to detail that astounds which partly steams from his time as a sound engineer. “It was necessary to get into engineering, I mean I played various instruments and I didn’t have the money to pay for stuff so I started recording bands on my 4-track for sandwiches.” Murphy adds, “I was never in a band when I wasn’t also doing some form of engineering, so they were always hand in hand. Sometimes being in a band is more important, and sometimes being an engineer is more important but they’ve always been together as one.”

It’s Murphy’s passion for music that really captures the imagination and that lead him to steal a drum machine and the aforementioned 4-track from a store his friend worked at. “I started recording at home until I moved to New York in ’89 but just hung around and produced various indie rock bands until I formed my own. I did live sound too, that was how I made a living.”

In his own words he is “obsessive” which explains the sheer precision and the outstanding work ethic displayed during LCD shows in which James can be seen tampering endlessly with equipment until the bitter end of the set. His obsessive nature doesn’t stop at music however, “I get quite obsessive when cleaning the house, I admire people who are much more relaxed in their approach.”

“Coffee is a big passion for me, but then there is fighting too,” James gets all street fighter on us, “I used to be a kick boxer and I love martial arts, I’m currently doing Jujitsu, but when I get fitter I will learn Thai boxing but with the constant touring we are all falling apart.”

James Murphy is the definition of multi-faceted, which is why there is so much we could write about him in this feature; instead we will leave you with his thoughts on the future, “We’re all going to live in space.” Better save for that Virgin Galactic ticket now then!

Fabriclive.36 is out now.
www.fabriclondon.com
www.lcdsoundsystem.com

Kimberley Owen