Issue 37 – Ravescene

FEATURED ARTICLE – RABBIT CITY & EDGE RECORDS

Interviewed by maxwell

RABBIT CITY and EDGE records are very successful but still much much under-rated in this country. Ravescene meets the owner (Gordon Matthewman) in a pub in Stockwell to find out the full story.

Rs: What were you doing before you started Rabbit City Records?

GM: My first job was playing the Trumpet on a ship.

Rs: You’re obviously musically minded, what do you think of Dj’s with no technical music ability making records?

GM: I think that’s perfectly legitimate. Its like if you put a producer with a group of musicians you can sometimes get a better sound than if the musicians were left to themselves.

Rs: Your first release on Rabbit City, ‘Cutter Mix’ was an instant hit, how did that come about?

GM: Well basically it was a mix using various samples. I got an acetate of it cut and gave it to Colin Faver. he played it for the first time at Rage and there was immediate reaction from a distributor who was interested in it.

Rs: Does Colin Faver play a big part in

GM: Colin has been a friend of mine for years, and it’s through him, and his show that I meet new acts for my label eg The Aphex Twin and Force Mass Motion.

Rs: Moving on, your biggest hit to date has to be ‘Compounded’, the first release on Edge records borrowing a line from an old Garage track, was that intentional?

GM: No, it was only two weeks after it was released that someone pointed the similarity out. I went back through my collection and found that I actually had the record in question. The strange thing was that they were both in the same key.

Rs: The B-side to that record is full of different styles, Deep House, Techno and Garage, was that intentional.

GM: Yes, I set up Edge records to concentrate on my own work, with R.C. concentrating on other peoples. I would advise people to do one all out club track and three experimental tracks per E.P.

Rs: What do you think of the Hardcore scene at the moment?

GM: I don’t know, I don’t go to Hardcore raves. Before I last went to Germany Some Dj’s asked me to bring some breakbeat tunes. I listened to about twenty but only liked four or five.

Rs: So can you relate more easily to the Techno/Acid German sound

GM: Yes, and it has resulted in me licensing two E.P’s from Structure and the setting up of Force Inc UK.

Rs: What are you doing in the immediate future?

GM: I’m going to New York and Germany, and Rabbit City II as well as Force Inc 3, featuring brand new Thomas Heckman tracks, are soon to be released.

Rs: And long term?

GM: I’d like to work with percussion sounds.

Rabbit City, Edge and Force Inc Uk will go from strength to strength and Gordon Matthewman deserves all the success he gets. The Excellent hard acid Ware House E.P. is now out on the Force Inc U.k. (No. 2) and if you have any demo tapes for consideration please send them to Colin Faver at Kiss FM. PO Box 100 8BR

ADVERTS

• De Underground Records
• Pyramid Promotions presents Innersense every Saturday
• Double Dipped and Every Picture Tells A Story
• Knite Force
• Labrynth Friday Night Wild
• 691 Promotions Ltd presents ReincarnationSaturday 29th May 1993
• Lucky Spin Records
• Slimes @ The Soundshaft
• Hardcore Zone @ Wax City Records

RAVE LISTINGS

• Destiny Saturday 29th May. All Night. Oscars, The Pier, Clacton, Essex.
• AWOL At The Movies Sunday 30th May. All Night. Bagley Film Studios, York Way, London N1
• Reincarnation – The Warm Up – Saturday 22nd May 1993 The Kings Hall, Herne Bay, Kent
• Reincarnation Saturday 29th May 1993 Crystal Palace Sports Centre Ledrington Rd, Off Anerley Hill Upper Norwood SE19 2BL
• Release The Pressure Saturday 29th May
• Evolution Saturday 29th May 1993 The Wax, Temple Mill Lane Leyton London E15
• The Lost City Sunday 30th May 1993 Bass Box Warehouse, Unit H9 Lea Valley Trading Est. Harbert Rd London N18
• Universe Friday 4th June 1993 A46 Near Bath, Avon (Junction 18, M4)
• Double Dipped/Every Picture Tells A Story Saturday 22nd and Saturday 29th May Club Labrynth (The Four Aces) 12 Dalston Lane, London E8
• Labrynth Friday 21st and Friday 28th May Club Labrynth (The Four Aces) 12 Dalston Lane, London E8
• New Age Friday 21st May. The Edge, Lower Ford St. Coventry.
• Slimetime
• Labrynth Warehouse Saturday 24th July at a Central London location
• Megadog Friday 28th May. The Rocket, Holloway Road, London N7
• Hippodrome 9 Sunday 30th May. The Hippodrome, Leicester Square, London W1