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Ben Sims vs Surgeon Exclusive Interview by Sunil Sharpe

11.03.2009

So guys, you've been DJing together as Frequency 7 for almost three years, but have obviously known each other for longer than that. When and how did it happen that you decided to play together?

Tony: Ben and I have been friends for many years and while both DJing at a Boat party in London in 2005 Ben started mixing records over the top of the end on my set. This was a lot of fun and our different styles worked together very naturally. After a couple of secret gigs to test the project (one person present was heard to say, "This is the best thing that ever happened to me!") we took it on the road.

Ben: As Tony said, it was an accident that Frequency 7 was born really, we’d played on the same bill hundreds of times over the years, before and after each other and obviously we’re really good friends but I don’t think the concept of actually playing together had entered either of our minds before. I think we were both surprised just how well it worked and how our individual styles compliment each other.

Many people were previously used to pairing you together with Regis and Paul Mac in your own respective projects, so a Surgeon/Sims partnership maybe didn't seem as obvious on paper. Was Frequency 7 as much of a new challenge and step into the unknown for both of you as it was a vehicle for added bookings?

Surgeon: As I said, Ben and I have been friends for many years. Frequency 7 was a very natural pairing for us, perhaps it appears differently to people who don't know us personally? But, we were both surprised who naturally it works when we perform together. The purpose of the project is first and foremost for us to have fun when we play, that always transfers to the audience. We both have plenty of separate bookings, so we really didn't need any 'vehicle added bookings' :-)

Ben: The key thing is that we seem to think alike, we both know instinctively when changes should happen, when it's time to up the energy level or calm it down, yeah we’ve both worked with other artists before and probably will again, playing with someone who’s similar musically can have it’s advantages but it rarely creates something new or fresh, there’s just something special about Frequency 7 that was undeniable from the very first session.



You both specialise in your own area with F7, has working together and watching each other given either of you the appetite to swap places or to spend more of your spare time on Ableton (Ben) or on turntables again (Tony)?

Surgeon: For me, not at all.

Ben: Admittedly I am curious about Ableton, I’ve always been into mastermixes and ‘Live’ is definitely a program you can use to do intense multi layered mixes on the fly but I wouldn’t want to use it in clubs, not now anyway, I still love playing vinyl. I have been using it in the studio though so it helps that it’s not so alien to me anymore.

Obviously for your sets to work there comes a certain amount of compromise - can either of you recall moments or tracks in particular where one of you said "No, we can't play that!"?

Surgeon: I play different music in F7 sets than Surgeon sets, that's another one of the great things about the project for me. Ben and I decide that for ourselves, we've never said, "don't play that" to one another. We both understand what music does and doesn't fit into the vibe of a F7 set.

Ben: Yeah it’s another one of the great things about doing Frequency 7, we never have to discuss stuff like that, we just know. We’re both clear on the identity of the project. It gives both of us the chance to play stuff we don’t traditionally play and very often people will think Tony is playing something that I’m actually playing and vice versa, that’s always fun.



Is Frequency 7 ever likely to become a production partnership too?

Surgeon: Not this minute, but never rule it out.

Ben: We’ve discussed it, I’m sure when the time is right it’ll happen but right now we’re happy just focusing on the sets.

Does it disappoint either of you with the type of DJs that represent the ‘peak’ of DJing in magazine polls and wider dance media?

Surgeon: Honestly, I never gave it a moments thought.

Ben: I do find it quite annoying, the amount of fake, scene following sheep DJs out there, getting paid for doing fuck all, it’s a bit of a pet hate to be honest so I’ll shut up before I really start ranting ;-)

And whatever people say about politicians, businessmen, entertainers etc. needing to take pay cuts in these recessionary times, do you feel that the hierarchy of superstar DJs need to make a public gesture in terms of wage cuts too?

Surgeon: It works as naturally. People either refuse to pay them as much, or the infrastructure that supports those fees collapses.

Ben: Well most of big cheesers don’t deserve what they’re paid anyway, recession or not, there’s no way punching the air to pre programmed ringtone pop trance warrants 30 grand dj fees.

Tony, the slower recent pace of your labels suggests that they may have, for you, reached their conclusion in many ways. Does your previous work on Counterbalance or Dynamic Tension ever act as a restriction to what you have to 'follow' it with in the future?

Tony: Previous releases never act as a restriction, although I do make a point of displaying (some kind of) coherent evolution. Counterbalance and Dynamic Tension have appeared to converge more over the years.

Ben, you've recently relaunched Theory - are sales so far as  you expected, and what advice would you have to anyone who is thinking of starting a physical record label?

Ben: It’s more a labour of love now and doing my bit to keep vinyl alive, there's not enough music pressed on vinyl now so to keep my sets fresh I need to press them, I will be buying a ‘everlasting dubplate’ machine too though so I can keep my box filled with exclusive one offs as vinyl sales are pretty shit and regularly selling only 20% of my debut release is soul destroying sometimes.

Without dubstep's influence do you think techno would have made any positive change or progression over the last few years?

Surgeon: There's all kinds of exciting electronic music been made over the last few years, whether it's called techno, dubstep or something else. It's the attitude behind the label that I search for. What lies beneath.

Ben: Dubstep has been a long time coming in my opinion, I really think techno should have embraced drum n bass years ago and dubstep is really an extension of that, it’s like jungle for adults but there have been plenty of other styles lurking in the background…broken beat etc. that it’s a shame techno hasn’t welcomed with open arms, unfortunately the minimal craze has taken all the funk away but things seem to be changing, incorporating various styles is the way forward. All this genre splitting is pretty boring and narrow minded.

Do you see the reduced American influence on techno as being a bad thing over the last number of years? Do you have any theories on why output from Chicago or Detroit for instance, has dried up a lot?

Surgeon: I can still hear the American influence in techno these days, there's just been a lot more cross pollination.

Ben: For me there will never be a time when the USA isn’t important, it’s the birth place of most music I love, the recent Euro wave isn’t really a positive thing as far as I’m concerned. I wouldn’t agree that the output has dried up, yeah the artists might have changed but there’s plenty new ones, you just need to look harder.

Different to most other types of people, many music fans welcome a recession for the reason that hard times often bring about a greater reaction and hunger to create from musicians and producers. Have you felt any type of renewed energy or spirit in the scene recently?

Surgeon: I think it can take a while for things like that to filter through, if anything, I've noticed an increase in demand in the last couple of years. I wonder what the future holds?

Ben: No comment

Who or what are each of you excited about in music at the moment?

Surgeon: Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Guitar Wolf and Ayako Fuji

Ben: Seeing Biz Markie, ESG and A Certain Ratio at gigs this month, plus The Specials reunion tour in May.

How will your set on March 16th compare or differ to what you did here originally in 2006?

Surgeon: We never confer about what tracks we will play, it's always improvised so it's fun for us to hear what the other will play, so it will be as much of a surprise for us as it will be for you.

Ben: In general it’ll be tighter, we’re just much better at it now.

What did St Patrick rid Ireland of?
Was it: a. Potatoes b.Snakes c.Trance d. A recession?

Surgeon: Pious legend credits Patrick with banishing snakes from the island, though all evidence suggests that post-glacial Ireland never had snakes.

Ben: Trance
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Interview by Sunil Sharpe for DanceMusicIreland



Frequency 7 play for Collective Music on March 16th 2009 at Andrew’s Lane Theatre, Dublin 2

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