Ewan Pearson
Ewan Pearson
19-10-16
The legendary Ewan Pearson has been putting out eclectic records for 18 years under numerous guises, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Superstore laser basement for Tusk! He has remixed for everybody from Depeche Mode to Chemical Brothers, and has more recently set up studio with previous TUSK guest Andrew Weatherall and worked on the new Jagwar Ma album. He caught up with Tusk promoter James Baillie to chat collaborations, clubland and exciting plans in the pipeline!
Last year you moved back to London from Berlin. Do you miss Deutschland?
I miss friends of mine in Berlin but I miss the city less than I expected to - but that’s more a function of having a two year old and a five month old to run after. Wherever they are is where my heart is. I’ve little time to go out wherever I am and certainly no time to pine. So personally happy to be back - politically, economically - that’s another matter entirely! If I’d had a crystal ball to predict the referendum result we’d still be in Berlin I think.
When you were based in Berlin you had a residency at Stattbad which was closed down by the local authorities in May 2015. The same thing is happening here in London with Fabric. Whats your thoughts on the whole Fabric situation?
Well with Fabric it’s a function of the current insanity with property prices in London - it’s not about drugs or public safety, it’s about getting hold of real estate. So it’s a much wider issue which affects all kinds of businesses and activities - a city can’t just consist of its paper value. But there’s so much money locked up in housing that all sorts of things are going to the wire as people attempt to get rich.
Can you remember the last record you played at your last night at Stattbad and why?
Well the last thing I played the last time I was there was Roisin Murphy's Jealousy I think which is just a storming house record to end on - but I didn’t realise that was going to be the last record I got to play at Stattbad. I thought I would be able to go over there every couple of months to play. It’s such a shame it was closed.
Any chance of a collaboration with Weatherall?
I would love to. Who knows?
You produced the brilliant new Jagwar Ma album which came out last week. Did you and Jono do a lot of digging in crates for inspiration?
I actually didn’t produce - I mixed most of it. And played a bit on a couple of tracks. Jono is the producer, but I was giving feedback from the demo stages and was there for quite a lot of the recording. It’s more involvement than I would normally have with a record where I wasn’t the producer but I love them and Jono is one of my best friends so I’m happy to help in any way I can really. I’m as proud of my involvement with Howling and Every Now and Then as anything I’ve done. The new record definitely feels broader and moves into more territory than the first one. The faster four four tracks like Slipping and Colours of Paradise are amazing.
Another album you produced was for the brilliant Flowers and Sea Creatures. For a long time I thought it was your own album with collaborations. Have you ever thought of doing your own album and collaborating with other artists?
It has been suggested a few times and a collaborative record is a good way to make your own artist record I guess - Michael Mayer has just done that and what I’ve heard of it sounds brilliant. I don’t know. I want to do more Partial Arts releases with my buddy Al Usher - I love the singles we’ve made for Kompakt and they really don’t sound like anything either of us would normally do which is just what you want in a collaboration.
What projects are up next on the mixing desk?
I have just finished remixes for Crosstown Rebels, Days of Being Wild and a couple of other things I’m not allowed to say. And I've produced and mixed an LP which is coming out on a big US indie label next year for someone I’m not able to name once again which has gone really well and I’m excited for people to hear. I think there might be some kind of announcement of all that next month. Don’t mean to be a tease!
This will be our last TUSK party for this year. What can we expect to hear blasting out the sound system from you?
Lots of righteous new music of an acidic nature. There’s so much great new music at the moment it’s hard to fit it all in!
Catch Ewan Pearson at Tusk on Saturday 22 October from 9pm-3am at Dalston Superstore.
Ewan's final set at Stattbad before it closed its doors is available for download on Soundcloud.
Ewan Pearson