* * SPACE CAMP * * Eskimo Records Party This Saturday! (1 Viewer)

[Space Camp]

DIRK (ESKIMO LABEL BOSS) / MATAGOURI / + SPACE CAMP JOCKS

Seem to have struck a chord with this night as Space Camp present a night celebrating
all things Eskimo we host our first label night; a Space Camp/Eskimo Recordings party.
Out host for the night will be none other than the Eskimo boss, Mr Dirk De Ruyck.

Eskimo recordings are one of the most influential labels in the last ten years, with its
strong disco influence, Eskimo has brought us some amazing releases from artists such
as The Glimmers/Glimmer Twins, Chromeo, Dirty Minds, Dj Naughty, Foolish & Sly Aka
Lhas Inc, Future Beat Alliance, Headman, Ivan Smagghe, Jean Winner, Lindstrom And
Prins Thomas, Max 404, Mugwump, Optimo, Padded Cell, Pete Herbert, Ray Mang,
Recloose, Rub N Tug, Splay, The Lotterboys + many more

As well as these DJ's favourite 12" releases Eskimo Recordings has found its way into
many people's living rooms with compilations such as Serie Noir and the highly sought
after Culture Club Mix Cds, volume 2 by The Glimmers is in many peoples all time top
10 DJ mixes.

Dirk has recently launched a sub-label, Suicide Recodings
& has a host of brand new Eskimo releases, including some hotly tipped tracks from Hiem
& Justus Koehncke, many of which will recieve a first airing this Saturday.

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There will be various Eskimo Recordings goodies to giveaway on the night.
Support comes from Matagouri & Space Camp DJs

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Next Saturday 07 April: Space Camp Website launch party
then....

Saturday 14 AprilCLAUDE VONSTROKE!

www.spacecamp.ie

 

[Space Camp]

Riddim Interview – Dirk De Ruyck / Eskimo Recordings

Eskimo Recordings rose up from the ethic of the renowned Belgian club nights, and its ethic is to try and disseminate new and interesting dance music, with the spirit of the Eskimo and Belmondo club nights as anchor. Eskimo started out producing compilations, but began to look to the work of interesting artists, and Lindstrom & Prins Thomas went on to produce their lush, bass heavy self-titled debut on the label in 2005. Since then, Eskimo Recordings have expanded to incorporate an enviable list of talent including The Glimmers, Optimo DJ’s, Ivan Smagghe, and Recloose and along with the celebrated Culture Club, subsidiary label Suicide Records, and coveted compilations and 12” series, Eskimo Recordings is among the few setting the standard. Siobhán Kane talks to label head Dirk De Ruyck.

You started with the Eskimo and Belmondo parties, and then formalised it with Culture Club. How did you retain that same D.I.Y. ethic?

It all started small and it went bigger and bigger...after a while, you can’t stop anymore, and then you have all these things on your back. But it works, and I think it’s the way I am....I like to take risks.

Do you think that the D.I.Y. ethic is getting harder to work, with more restrictions on creating parties and ‘happenings’?

It is. You need a good vision and to make sure that what you do can’t be copied. The restrictions are indeed harder these days, I just opened a new space in Ghent - www.make-up-club.be which this time is a small one (350 people), and it was really hard to get our licence etc., but at the end, there’s always a solution!

The Culture Club has featured Scissor Sisters, Royksopp, Gilles Peterson, Cash Money, Gucci Soundsystem and various other eclectic artists. What has been the defining ethic?

It was all divided. We had our residents’ nights on Saturday and special parties on Fridays, from Hip-Hop with guests like Jazzy Jeff, Maseo etc, and House nights with F Kevorkian, Masters At Work, King Britt, and Electro Nights with Ivan Smagghe, Erol Alkan, but this was five years ago. Now Culture Club has become a very commercial place, with a different policy.

Culture Club has an important aesthetic (in terms of the architects you used like Glenn Sestig and Patrick Six, and more recently Interface Architects) and Belgium has become quite synonymous with interesting design (in terms of fashion, the Antwerp Six). How important is design to you?

Good music is timeless like great design and art, etc...you have to make the difference!

Artists like 2ManyDJs and The Glimmers have held residencies at the club. Does it inspire musical collaboration?

Before we had the club we set up a lot of parties like Eskimo, and Belmondo (at the Museum of Contemporary Art). These people started to play at my parties, so we go a long way back. When 2ManyDJs started to play my parties’ people hated it! Can you believe that? We grew up together and inspired each other in all different kinds of music, and we’re all big collectors also, with sixties, psychedelic, mod, seventies rock, disco, punk, wave, so it is all collaborative.

Ghent is a very medieval city. Has it in some ways influenced the kind of music you wanted to produce and listen to?

I don’t think so! However, Ghent is small (only 250,000 people), but it was always the music centre in Belgium. When we throw parties, it is always a mix of all different crowds (hip-hop, drum ‘n’ bass heads, house people) and that’s the strong thing about Ghent...it is very, very open minded!

Was it always the plan to develop Eskimo into a label that would also encompass artist albums as well as the flagship compilations and 12”s?

Not at all, it started as a joke for us. We did these Eskimo parties at this factory from the ‘30’s, which started with 600 people, and ended with 8000. Then we were approached about doing a compilation for the Belgian market, and magazines like Jockey Slut picked it up because of the eclectic sound we brought, which was very different at the time. Then from one thing came another.

You have propounded this sound of ‘New Beat’. Was this from an accidental experimentation when Belgian DJs began playing A Split Second’s EBM track ‘Flesh’ at 33 instead of 45?

The early part of New Beat was a great time...accidental; I’m not so sure about, I think Baldelli was first with this! Musically it was great, and very inspiring, then it became commercial.

With other acts such as !!! (Chk Chk Chk) disco has once more become a major influence in dance music. What appeals to you about it?

I think it’s more about the sound than the disco thing...after a cold period you get a warm one. Electro was very dark with cold beats, and bands like !!!, and Lindstrom & Prins Thomas made it fresh again with live and organic sounds. And indeed it is very inspired by the disco sound, but also from acts like Fleetwood Mac, and John Martin etc.

Of your many imminent projects, isn’t one of them with Deus?

Yes, they asked me to do the creative part for their next album. I gave them some proposals last week, so we will see were it goes. I’m also doing a party in Antwerp soon for M.A.C. cosmetics with Miss Dita Von Teese; it’s a private night for 350 people in a great place - Zoo of Antwerp. In May, I have to set up a party for Diesel...that’s always the best party of the year. Check the pictures of last year to convince you http://www.good-luck.be/diesel/flash_ok.htm ! Then I have more projects for companies near the summer; things like this are my main income.

Space Camp presents Eskimo Recordings, featuring Dirk De Ruyck, at Rogue, on Dublin’s Dame Street, on Saturday 31st March. 10.30pm – late. €10; €7. www.eskimorecordings.com / www.spacecamp.ie