Soul Mekanik brothers Danny Spencer and Kelvin Andrews are house music legends.
Subscribing to the theory that in the beginning house music belonged to those who were a little bit twisted, their musical careers, both individually and collectively, have been characterised by a series of delightfully deviant acts.
Danny produced his debut single during the birth of acid house in 1988 with his classic 'Ride the Rhythm' under the name of This Ain't Chicago. By 1990, not even out of his teens and giddily fuelled by the playful spirit of the times, he was on Top of The Pops and the cover of Smash Hits in his cult incarnation of Candy Flip with a cover of the Beatles' 'Strawberry Fields Forever'.
Kelvin meanwhile, had become a DJ and one of the original Golden residents. Since the age of ten, he has amassed a unique collection of the most experimental funk from the last fifty years, and yet, he is always still searching out his next vinyl hit. Kelvin is a true believer that music can touch your soul as well as moving you on the dancefloor.
In the early 90s, under the pseudonym of the illustrious Sure is Pure, they created some of the anthems from the now golden age of house. Their unfailing touch meant that they were called to remix for artists such as Aretha Franklin, Sister Sledge, The Doobie Brothers, South Street Player, Sly and The Family Stone and Marvin Gaye. At the peak of their Sure is Pure period, they set up their own Pharm label and created another slew of club hits. This culminated in the global chart success of Blueboys Remember Me, which they plucked from a scratchy B side that most people had ignored into one of the mid-90s anthems that spread way beyond its house music origins. Just when it seemed that they had the world at their feet as Sure is Pure, they took a characteristically twisted turn and ditched it all in favour of further experimentation with the band that became Sound 5. Criminally under-rated, Sound 5 had been an ambitious project at the outset: five mates getting together to forge a new pop sound, and unfortunately the machinations of the industry got in the way. Egos came into play, recalls Kelvin. The friendship was tarnished. In the end finishing the album was like a combination of throwing up and giving birth. Nonetheless, the album, No Illicit Dancing, shot through with bold and hook-filled songwriting, remains a late 90s classic for the cognoscenti.
During that period, relief was gained when they got a call from an old mate from Stoke, who was dealing with a few issues of his own. Robbie Williams had got to know the two brothers when he had first ventured out into Stokes notoriously ebullient nightlife as a young teenager and they had stayed in touch ever since. Following his departure from Take That, he had swung in an out of their nightclub lifestyle for a while and then asked them along to sessions for his second album. The album contained three songs that they wrote together including the massive hit Rock DJ for which they received an Ivor Novello nomination.
A period of rest was needed to recover from the pain of the Sound 5 project. Although it seemed that people were starting to realise that these two club loving brothers could write songs as well as make records for the dancefloor, they decided at that time not to become writers for hire. Bloodied, but unbowed, instead they decided to go back to their first love of house music and back to basics to work as a duo. The sibling relationship meant that there were no games to play. "There's no bullshit", says Danny, the younger of the two. "We're made of the same stuff so it makes it easier".
15 years on, Danny and Kelvin started afresh as Soul Mekanik, and delivered their debut album 'Eighty One'.
Hiding behind the smokescreen that Soul Mekanik were two unknown producers from Luxembourg, their initial EPs for Rip Records were aimed at the dancefloor, but in time they began to get back on more familiar terrain: a place where they could experiment but still craft warm, melodic and slightly off-kilter electronic body music. It's this sense of purpose that has been fully realised, with the added assistance of the local vocal talents of Clover Ray, Charmaine and Lanni, on the album.
Located somewhere between the expressive pop of Mylo, the edge of Black Strobe, the production savvy of Richard X, the then and now of Tom Tom Club and the sheer accessibility of Royksopp, 'Eighty One' is charming leftfield house at its very best. Kelvin points out the reference to the year of the albums title tells you what they are trying to achieve: "Everything was in the melting pot then. From punk to disco, early electro and hip hop: it felt like music was progressing, there was an energy."
After its initial limited release and great club and radio reactions, the pair delved into the studio again to tinker. Adding some new songs, and reworking several more, the definitive version of the album is now set for a re/full release in early 2007. Pop not pop, disco not disco, house not house, 'Eighty One' heralds the emergence of a new sonic locale. Music that cocks a snook at convention and encourages a smile to return to that faded visage of dance music.
That wonky approach to pop music has since led to a reunion with Robbie Williams, the first fruits of which are current single, Rudebox and several more tracks on his forthcoming album. Now feeling that their time has finally come, they are throwing themselves into the realm of writing and producing for a slew of household names with the results likely to be aired in the New Year.
Kelvin continues to DJ across the world as one of the most revered pioneers of acid house now playing sets across the musical spectrum a well deserved place among the beards is his. Meanwhile Danny can be found permanently tinkering with his digital bits and his MDNA house music has so altered his physical realm.
So, enjoy Soul Mekanik and watch as they bring the world the sound of WONK.
29th July Kelv played as a special guest at Aficianado at Odder bar in Oxford Rd Manchester... Smashin !