The ellusive Drop Out Orchestra have been an industry dark horse from the beginning. Emerging around the middle of the last decade, they have grown to be a household name to avid Disco collectors and partygoers alike.
They have put out a handful of extremely clever reworks over the past few months, and we’re inquiring what has been going down, and what’s in store. And we’re proud to present to you the first mixtape from Drop Out Orchestra, exclusively, in this decade.
“Since we bounced back from our quiet years about six months ago we’ve been writing songs and doing reworks of classics, studio work mainly, just going with what feels fun to do.“
– Drop Out Orchestra
Drop Out Orchestra have been around since 2007, and although you have been faithful to your roots from the get-go there’s been changes. You used to do the occasional mashup or edit to fit your DJ-sets and mixtapes, these days it seems that your niche has become your main forte.
How do you see the progression yourselves?
Well the whole thing started out as a me wanting to make disco really, I was getting bored with the house scene that I was a part of at the time, as a producer. So when a friend of mine suggested I should sample “First True Love Affair” everything kind of clicked in my head. I was doing a lot more mashups and edits when we were out touring more, but I still do the occasional one. Since we bounced back from our quiet years about six months ago we’ve been writing songs and doing reworks of classics, studio work mainly, just going with what feels fun to do.
A main trait to your productions, are the equilibristic use of live-recorded basslines. How did that marriage come about?
“The 90s is when I personally discovered dance culture, I was one of the people who queued outside HMV early in the morning to get hold of a copy of “The Music Sounds Better With You” when it was released.“
– Drop Out Orchestra
It actually started with a bass plug-in, and the sound worked so well I decided it was going to be the DOO signature sound. When the DJ requests started coming in around 2011 I didn’t want to just go out on the road with my little CD case again like I had in the past, so I thought of different ways of expanding the DJ thing into something new, and finally thought of the idea of asking my friend Inko, who had been playing the guitar on lots of the tracks already, to join me on live bass. From there on he pretty much started playing bass on all the tracks as well being a full time member.
In your first iteration you managed to make Rick Astley hip again, you danced with Sade and boat partied with Craig David, you even were hell bent for leather with Judas Priest and rioted with The Sex Pistols. Suffice to say you covered many sacred grounds and always in good taste.
Can we expect any new original songs from you again, or is it all in the past this time around?
We have a 12”, an original track featuring the very talented singer Emma, coming out on Love Harder Records in March, plus a couple of songs just about finished that should come out early this year too on various labels, so it’s all very much in the future still! J
Your recent strike of reworks has taken off like crazy. Especially your rework of “Music Sounds Better With U” really struck true with the audience. The early and late nineties are now the next nostalgic wave to hit us. How do you rate the classics from the 90ies, compared to the 80ies?
The 90s is when I personally discovered dance culture, I was one of the people who queued outside HMV early in the morning to get hold of a copy of “The Music Sounds Better With You” when it was released. I went to the clubs, I DJ’d some too. So it’s nice to poke around there, see what you can do to make those legendary songs a little bit your own, hopefully without ruining them. J
The 80s tunes I sometimes approach with a more ironic mindset, thinking “we can twist this mess into something good”.
“I miss DJing. I did my first gig at a school dance back in 1986 and I have been hooked ever since.”
Drop Out Orchestra
Your mixtapes and DJ-sets are legendary. This is the first mixtape you’ve done in years to appear publicly at least. How do you feel about the whole DJ’ing thing, and how has the process of assembling a mix changed for you over the years?
I miss DJing. I did my first gig at a school dance back in 1986 and I have been hooked ever since.
The whole reason why Inko and I decided DOO was worth shaking back to life again is that feeling you get from people having fun in a room, dancing to your music, or at least knowing that somewhere in the world people are. I think at some point we will get out there and do a few gigs again, we have too good a live act to waste it away, simple as that.
The process hasn’t changed much, to be honest. Dig out some good tunes, find the tempo, the keys, BAM! hehe
And that’s that! Drop Out Orchestra are back, and ready to heat up your lives with bass heavy grooves, slick licks and some cowbell along the way I’m sure. Enjoy this exclusive mixtape, and be sure to swoop by the Drop Out store on Bandcamp and fill the gaps in your collection.
(Also: Don’t miss their incredible edits and reworks that we featured last month!)
Tracklist:
01. BRS – Check It Out
02. Andromeda Orchestra – Don’t Stop (Ray Mang Special Extended Mix)
03. MF Productions – Pass The Fonky
04. Donna Summer – Bad Girls (KON Remix)
05. Bizarre Inc. – Playing With Knives (Drop Out Orchestra Rework)
06. Kapote – Delirio Italiano (Dub)
07. T.U.R.F. – Good Times Roll
08. Will The Funkboss – Dat MPC-60 Track
09. Andy Buchan – Brand New Girl (Billy Garner Edit)
10. Confidence Man – Does It Make You Feel Good (Mind Enterprises Remix)
