Here at Fused we are really into The Whip right now…and we don’t mean bondage we mean the fabulous electro infused four-piece hailing from Manchester whose tunes are so good that if they were a chocolate cake they would definitely be a melt in the middle M&S pudding…yum.
The Whip have long been infecting us with their tunes, from the intoxicating Kitsune endorsed ‘Divebomb’, that has been giving us a reason to forgo the dreaded stiletto endured pain on the dance floor, right through to the turbo charged and damn right dirty ‘Muzzle No.1’. With their sensual beats, and gradual intensifying basslines they are a wet dream of electro-tinged goodness.
On record they are sublime, remixed they are out of this world, but live they are at their most intense, particularly when Fused caught their storming set at Dot-to-Dot festival in Nottingham where they managed to raise the roof sky high in the sweatbox that was Stealth, “We were thankful for the rain that day, as the venue was packed to the rafters,” comments the bands’ electronic demon Bruce Carter.
So after a ride on the industry’s hype machine following their release on French uber-chic label Kitsune and appearing on two of the respective labels popular compilations the band signed to Fatboy Slim’s Southern Fired label, rubbing shoulders with the likes of The Black Ghosts, Caged Baby and superstar DJ Armand Van-Helden. We were interested to hear how the band were finding being Norman Cook’s newest signing, “bands usually crap themselves when A&R people meet them however we went to Dublin with our A&R people for a weekend and got totally wrecked,” explains Bruce.
“We were very happy to sign to Southern Fried, we partied with them and they are very chilled out as a label,” says Bruce firmly, “it really was the natural thing to do signing with them especially because the A&R guy is sound.”
The constant touring the band are currently in the midst of has no sign of slowing down with band members Lil Fee, Nathan Sudders, Danny Saville and Bruce Carter stopping off in Rennes and Tokyo after this burst of UK dates. All this before attempting a crazy two gig stint on NYE at London’s Amersham Arms and then a performance at Birmingham’s Custard Factory with Mylo and The Klaxons, which Bruce is particularly excited about! Oh and don’t forget the 2008 tour with Simian Mobile Disco. Phew we are wiping our brows just considering those dates.
In between touring the band are working on their debut album which will certainly blow us away in early 2008. “I have been spending everyday in the studio before popping down to soundchecks,” details Bruce, “I then turn up for the gig and then the next morning I’m straight back in the studio.”
At the time of writing the band were in the midst of completing the album, but with the amount of remixes The Whip have been doing lately we are at odds as to how they actually manage to cram it all in! The band have so far tinkered with Black Ghosts, Paul Hartnoll, and KBC tracks with amazing results however they are not stopping there with a few more great surprises in the bag as Bruce explains, “We recently met Mark Moore and we have managed to coax him in to letting us do a cover of the S’Express classic ‘Theme from S’Express!”
So with the collaboration with Mark Moore in the bag, and new track set for release early 2008 as well as the album, it is a very exciting time for the band, but what we really want to know is where it all started.
“Well for me it all started with listening to dodgy CDs at school,” urges Bruce; “I used to make my own rubbish songs on tape in my bedroom. I was then in a band at University called ‘Flashing Baubles’ before a brief stint in ‘Silver Tuna’, and then ‘Nylon Pylon [with fellow band mate Danny Seville]’.”
Thankfully ‘The Whip’ is a much better name, “we picked the name not because we are into bondage, but it’s a good positive word. It’s also great to sign it to DJs when in a club to signal that you want them to play our songs,” explains Carter before we go on to compete at perfecting the most realistic Whip sound possible. Fused definitely won that battle hands down.
Sister Slam is out now. www.myspace.com/thewhipmanchester.
Kimberley Owen