Sorley
Artist Interviews

Sorley gets his Funky Groove on…

It’s the second release on Untidy UX and it’s already causes shockwaves within the house scene, with a remix that has already seen support from DJ royalty Pete Tong MBE and Danny Howard, on both their Radio 1 shows. We speak to the man behind the remix, the extremely talented Sorley about remixing the hard house anthem.

This is your first, and probably not your last production for Untidy. How did you become involved in the UX project?

The guys reached out to me and said they loved my music, told me about their plans for the relaunch and asked if I wanted to get on board and help introduce it to a new generation, they sent me over the full catalogue and I had an instant connection with some of the tracks and it was an absolute pleasure to be considered with this task.

Do you feel you have stepped out of your comfort zone audience wise or do you feel this is more of a way to introduce your style of music to a new audience?
Yeah definitely but I am firm believer that if you stay inside your comfort zone you’ll never grow so I am always trying to push my self, not just in music but in every day life too. If it connects with anyone, even be it just one person and puts a smile on their face or makes them feel a certain way that’s a win for me. With this remix I think it works both ways too, it introduces my music to the Tidy fans and it opens up the doors to an amazing catalogue of music that people who love my music may never have heard, so I’m really pleased with it all.

Did you have a choice of what you could remix and were you aware of the tracks prior to remixing?
Yeah haha… it was a bit daunting at first because there are so many massive tracks. I managed to whittle it down to a list of about six and was just listening to them over and over, left it for a bit and decided to run with the one that gave me the best feeling which was Funky Groove.

The track you have remixed is a hard house classic. It changed the sound of hard house. Funky Groove was being snapped by Manifesto due to it wider appeal back in the day. How did you go about putting your mark on the track? Was there a certain style or sound you wanted to create with it?
Because its such an iconic track, I really just wanted to compliment what the original does with something I could play in my sets, so I kept the pace fast, added my bassline, sythns and sample chops and tried to create a break that just keeps teasing you in and out never quite knowing when its gonna drop.

The remix is incredible… how long have you been producing?

Around 5 years now, I’d say the last two more professionally really coming into my sound, feeling more confident in my music, creative direction and ideas. I always feel like improving day after to day so this gets me proper buzzing about what I can create in the future too.

What are you using to make your music?
I use Ableton Live, and for pretty much the 4 years I’ve been in the box but since buying a Push 2 in the pandemic its opened up a whole word of creativity for me and I feel my music has took another leap up.

How would you describe what you make?
I’d say straight up club music with a groove, it has to have a groove for me, I create music with the dance floor in mind, but also want people to be able to enjoy my music in everyday life, so I always try to provoke some kind of feeling that listeners will want to experience outside of a club too.
I’ve recently just come back off a 30 day challenge where I made a track a day each day, and just let my creativity run wild. I feel like I can dabble in any genre which is why I don’t like to pin my self to one because I really do love so many styles of music.

Any thoughts on what kind of reaction you will get from your new audience?
I’ve already had a few messages from a lot of the Tidy fans saying they haven’t heard this sample in so long and they got goosebumps when they heard it so I think its being received well and that’s all I could ask for with this remix so I’m over the moon.

The mix has already received two plays from Radio 1 last weekend by Pete Tong and Danny Howard. How do you think abut that?
This was my first Pete tong play, so its a really special one for me to hit that goal with this record.

You are a well-respected DJ within the house. How would you describe what you play as you are one of the scene’s tastemakers… a DJ who really can influence what people buy and play? Who influences you?
I feel I’m really just getting started in this industry so its really exciting time, the music I play, I always from my heart, I’m a raver first and foremost and a music lover so I like to express that in my sets and introduce people to music that excites me along with the music I create. I’ve got influences which span a few generations from Derrick Carter and Mark Farina up to Jamie Jones, Luciano, Darius Syrossian and Patrick Topping. I feel this artists all have a distinct sound but are very versatile and it’s what I aspire too.

You’ll be playing the Tidy Weekender on the Sunday at a party hosted by the legendary Bez. What can wer expect from you?
I know im so buzzing for this, I think I’m playing in the afternoon so some upbeat house, few disco cuts and if things start getting lairy, i’ll definitely start to boot it haha, we will have to see!

How difficult has it been for you to promote new music during Lockdown and the restrictions placed on the music industry?
It’s been tough, as it has been for everyone I imagine. We rely heavily on the club side of things to push and break the music so its been a struggle, but I’ve kind of just buried my head in my production and music so I’m locked and loaded when this is all over.

What else can we expect to hear from you in the future?

I’m just so excited to get out gigging, testing all this new music and showcasing what I’ve been busy creating during this whole period, I’ve got a few nice releases coming up as well as some dream gigs and a few other exciting bits in the pipeline so stay tuned x

https://www.beatport.com/release/funky-groove-sorley-remix/3312337

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