RUB N TUG interview



Thomas and Eric together are Rub N Tug. They throw a party called Disco Theatre of Manhattan as well as the Camp Fire nights. They have been doing some interesting remixes for projects like !!!, Sly Mongoose or Lcd Soundsystem and re-edits of old cuts by Chicago, the Beastie Boys, etc... In conjunction with his old Tonka Sound System partner from the UK, DJ Harvey, Thomas has also been producing original material for a very limited imprint called "Map of Africa" on the Whatever We Want Records.

01:How Was DJing In Japan At The Last Time You Toured? What Did You Feel About Japanese Clubs And People?What Do You Feel Comparing Japanese With New Yorkers?
Thomas: We Felt Free To Go Anywhere With The Music And That's The Best Way To Feel When It's Time To Play. The Clubs Were Nice And Felt Real Loose Like a Free Vibe Again. People From Japan Seemed To Be More Courteous And Positive Like There Is a Tiny Amount Of Lsd In The Water.
Eric: Good Fun!!! We Played 3Different Cities.. Each City Had Different Vibrations.. But All Were Open Minded And Up For A Good Time. Thats Hard To Compare Because Nyc And Japan Are Soo Far Away.
02: What Do You Expect And What Would You Want To Do In Japan In This Time?
Thomas: I Don't Know And I Don't Mind.
Eric: I Expect The Same As Always.. Super Cool People ,Good Food, Hanging With All My Old Friends... Nice.
03: Can You Tell Us About Your Party, "Camp Fire"? When Did You Start It? How Long You Guys Doing The Party?
Thomas: It's So Small. It's Like Being Drunk On a Fishing Boat In a Tropical Storm And Being Happy About It. Everybody Cheers When There's Thunder And Lightning
Eric: Campfire Has Been Going Almost 2 Years Now.. It'S A Place Where Us And All Our Friends Can Get Together Once A Week And See How Much We Can Drink.
04: Tell Us About The Recent Club Scene In New York?
Thomas: I'm More Of a House Party,Old Time Bar Kind Of Person Myself And Campfire Is Quite Enough For One Whole Week.
Eric: Don'T Know.. Mostly Just Go To Bars.
05: How Would You Describe Your Dj Style?
Thomas: Jake And Elwood
Jake And Elwood
Eric: It Would Probably Be Easier For Someone Else To Answer That Question.
06: Where Do You Mostly Get New Or Old Records When You Are In New York City (Or In Upstate For Thomas)? Is There Any Record Store In New York You Could Recommend?
Thomas: A1 In The City And Junk Stores And Stuff Upstate. Sometimes In The Post With The Bills Which Is Nice.
Eric: I Would Have To Say A1 Records Is Still On Top For The Old Stuff.. These Days The New Stuff Is Harder To Come Across... In New York.
07: Tell Us Your Favorite Artist And DJs?
Thomas: The Glimmers Too. And The Idjuts. Foolish Felix
Eric: Paul T. Is For Techno From Sarcastic, M.O.A., Thomas, Harvey.
08: Is There Any Perosn Like a Mentor For Your Musical Knowledge Of You?
Thomas: Jason Hinds, Cheese Expert, Neals' Yard Dairy, Covent Garden, London; Taught Me Everything I Needed To Know By The Time I Was 14.
Eric:
I Don'T Know If I Have A Musical Mentor.. But Over The Years I Have Made Friends With People That Have Turned Me In Different Directions... See Quest. #7.
09: Your Picture Disc From The Compilation "Camp Fire" Included Daniel Wang's Unreleased Song. Can You Tell Us How Is The Relationship With Daniel Wang?
Thomas: The Wang Man Rules
Eric: That Danny Wang Tune Is From The Never Released Balihu # 2 From Like 1995.. I Have A Test Pressing.. The Only One I Think. Danny Is A Great Friend Who Makes Awesome Music... He'S Raving To The Techno In Berlin Now..
10: Could Do Tell Us About Your Remixes Of Beasties Boys?
Thomas: I Like That Mix
Eric: That Was Pretty Random.. I Have Been Friends With Those Guys For A Long Time... And One Day Ad-Rock Called Me And Asked If We Wanted To Do A Remix Of One Of There Tunes.. So We Did It And They Loved It.. But The Sample Clearence Was A Little Tricky... Lucky For Us Someone Bootlegged It. Rnt Records!!
11: Is There Any Artist Or Song You Want To Remix?
Thomas: The Blues Brothers Soundtrack.
12: Tell Us Your Future Releases, Remixes Plan And Recent Activities?
Thomas: We Just Finished a Mix We Like a Lot For Sly Mongoose, Track's Called Snakes And Ladders Yeah. Original Rub n Tug Material Is Coming Out In The Fall. Stay Tuned !
Eric: Lcd Soundsystem Should Be Out Soon.. And Just About To Begin Remixing A Track For Coldplay.... But When That Is Finished Get Ready For *** Rnt Records*** Our Original Stylin' Comin Soon.

whatever we want records

What made you start WeWW?

I was tired of being inspired. + if Richard branson can do it!

weww

Personally, how did you guys get into music? And specifically this side of it?
I just read in the science journal that a good dancer makes for a good mate. Something to do with symmetry. Hence the reason all the guys on the label have hot girls. This covers all sides.

weww
Starting a record label must be a very daunting thing to do, and could cost a lot of money…where did the drive come from?

Saturday night binging with thomas and harv. I like whiskey, a McCallen 18 can motivate you to move buildings.

weww
As an independent label, would I be right in thinking that the majority of your signings have come from past relationships so far?

Yes, somehow it feels we’ve all known each other before. sort of like buddism or Hinduism, or one of those ideologies.

weww

Does WeWW belong to a specific genre of music that you could pinpoint?

Sure, my genre, 40 is the new 20, if you know what I mean.

weww
New York based and influenced, WeWW already has a large following in Europe, why do you think that is?

I guess they have taste?

weww
Map of Africa, is probably your best known artist… can you tell us more about them?

Yes, I guess Harvey is a legendary dj, it sounds weird to me, since he’s still alive and all. Him and Thomas both are talented, handsome and insightful. And they both don’t mind sleeping on the floor if they had to.

What can we expect from WeWW in 2006, 2005 was a huge year, can it get any bigger?
I used to think that when I was 13. I was wrong then…

What are you working on right now?

This crazy interview.