Lab4 were a big part of the global hard dance scene for over a decade until they threw the towel in a year ago to concentrate on other projects, away from each other. But we've not heard much from either of them yet hmm? Adam Newman, one half of the dynamic duo, spoke to us ahead of his debut solo LIVE show at Frantic NYE...

Hi Adam! How’s everything going now that Lab4 is no more?

I can’t believe that it’s been a year already! The main thing that I was really looking forward to was having more time to write music. I’ve written three full albums in the last 18 months now, all just waiting for final mix down before I do anything further with them. I finished my Horizontal Instrument and Judas Coven albums and then felt refreshed to write some club music again. I got on a roll and was really enjoying it and just felt desperate to get out to play it live again - hence the A+D+A+M lab4 LIVE! show that I’ve put together. I also did a few live shows with The Judas Coven in the summer which made me realise that after almost 20 years of gigging it’s in my blood and I miss it.

What’s Lez been up to? Is he still making music?

Lez has been really busy this year also with various side projects as well as some Hard Dance / DJ work. We haven’t seen much of each other this year as we have both been so engrossed in our own projects.

Would you ever work collaboratively again?

There’s no reason why not, it would be a while off yet as we are both busy and after working together so productively for 15 years it is good for us both to be able to work freely on other projects for a while. Lot’s of people seem to think we fell out but that was definitely not the case in any way.

You’re playing for Frantic at their NYE warehouse party. Had many crazy nights in warehouses yourself?

Yeah a few, possibly one of the most memorable was about 7 years ago in Helsinki in a massive disused Train Station /Warehouse /Train park. The party was amazing and has gone down in history in Finland as one of the best parties to have ever been held there.

What are your fondest memories of Frantic events from across the years? Can you remember your first time at the club?

Difficult to pick as we have never had a bad or even average time at a Frantic event but for me without a doubt the events that Frantic organized at Brixton Academy over the years are among my favourite gig in my whole career.

As for the first time, as if it were last week! It was 11th December, 1998. We were so excited to get the chance to play for Frantic as it seemed to be the closest event that was similar in music style and over all direction, as well as being a really similar crowd to the Final Frontier nights that we had played 3 or 4 years before at Club UK in London.

When I sat down to start work on some new Hard Dance music having not really written anything after None Of Us Are Saints was written, I started thinking about what I thought was the essence of Lab4 Live rather than thinking ‘right, I have to try to come up with the next new sound or riff etc. which was often the pressure we put on ourselves with Lab4. I just started writing and trying to work with the same kind of “innocence” that we wrote with when we started Lab4 which is what I feel I have come up with. I never tried to re-do Lab4 as I believe that takes the two of us (me and Lez) but I also sat down to write with my “Adam Lab4” cap on so I guess it’s all in the same vein…

Are you going to feel weird being up on that stage all on your own?

I really don’t know… I had to do a Lab4 show on my own once and I hated being up there on my own because Lab4 was the two of us, not just me. I have been on Stage four times this year with my Judas Coven project and while a good friend of mine helped out with some guitar for me the rest of the set including the lead vocals was down to me and I had a ball so I’m hoping it’s not going to be so different. Also I have been DJing a lot this year so I’m used to being on my own doing that.

Not to spoil the surprises too much – but what’s going on with this “new stage show” we’ve heard talk of?

Well after Lab4 was finished we sold all the gear that was still working and put the rest in a Skip. I am still working on things and my biggest worry at the moment is whether I can fit it all in my car! My aim was to design something that was visually going to compliment my music but also that I would be able to set up and pack down on my own. The Lab4 gear used to take us 3 hours to set up between us so I’ve had to try to work out a way of drastically cutting that down while still having some sort of visual presentation. It’s a bit scary as the old Lab4 rig was developed over 12 years where as I am trying to build / test the new rig in my studio!

Hard dance music in 2007 – what are/were your thoughts?

Well actually I found it quite inspiring. Some years when I’m looking for tunes for DJ sets I can’t find a single tune that I think is exciting or hammering enough and often end up going back to tunes from years ago. I was pleased to hear the really sickly hardstyle sound become less prominent across the country - while I liked some of the sounds and there were definitely some similar elements in some Lab4 tunes it was all a bit too generic and European for my taste. I still think that for the most part UK Hard Dance is the cutting edge. I found lots of tunes this year from various producers that didn’t just sound like “Tunes by Numbers” - I like tunes that sound different to each other rather than all using the same fat saw synth or arp pattern etc.

Which other electronic/dance music producers have you been admiring this year?

I always get asked this and it’s really difficult to answer because there is hardly ever a single artist/producer from the electronic/dance music scene who I could honestly say I admire but I know that sounds really snobby! Basically music just inspires me across the board and it’s usually producers like Rick Rubin for example who have produced everything from the Beastie Boys to Johnny Cash to Slipknot etc. and artists like Marilyn Manson who for all the bad press and criticism he gets, creates a new sound and style with every album yet still always sounds like Marilyn Manson and then manages to tie it all together in his live shows seamlessly. I think if I had to pick one tune that has been in my record bag all year and I really love to play and whish I had written it’s ‘Heat Wave’ by Ali Wilson (at least I think that’s who it’s by - sorry to who ever wrote that if I’m wrong!)

Interview by Ben Gomori for Evolution99 // ben@evolution99.co.uk

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