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A band, a collective, a pair of friends that have the same artistic and creative dreams.....to live a " HEALTHY LIFESTYLE" of musical dynasty with a touch of some Champagne bubbly delights. I had the pleasure to speak with Toronto's ESKALATION and find out whats up in their HOUSE!!
Tell me a bit about yourselves? KARL: I was deprived from music for the first eleven years of my life. So when I moved from Jamaica to Toronto you can imagine what it was like to actually hear music, and that was the time when disco was at its peak, rap, electro was in its creative stages. I got right into it because my dad had the baddest record collection. MARC: My interest in music initially came from top forty, like Casey
Kasem. I lived near Detroit in the eighties so I heard all of
its electronic music genres. When the 90’s came it was
techno: I went to Detroit often as a teen to attend parties. Then
I moved to Toronto in ’92 and at that time house was considered
mainstream. What is the ESKALATION sound? KARL: It’s a combination of old and new, disco, funk, jazz, which is what Toronto is all about. MARC: It’s a balance, particularly between house from New
York and Chicago. There’s a bit of Detroit in there along
with other styles, like Karl said. The accent, however, is on doing
something new. That’s important.
Why house music? KARL: House music touches people in ways they can’t even imagine. My first experience was quite positive: a dark place, not too loud, a lot of dancing, a lot of sweatin’ and a lot of happy faces. MARC: My first experience was at Oxford Street. I basically followed
someone there (our friend David Petrovic) and as I walked into
this rammed, jumpin’ space, I felt energy never experienced
before. It was Bucketheads’ “Whew!” that was
playing. It was very primordial... House music obviously has roots
in ancient tribal music, older than we can imagine. We use it today
for the same purposes: to gather and to share experiences and feelings
in order to create an understanding of togetherness. Name some your musical influences (each) KARL: Bob Marley, Chaka Khan, Prince, Frankie Knuckles, Masters at Work, Patrice Rushen, Grand Masterflash, Little Richard, Nina Simone, Sammy Davis Jr., Depeche Mode... MARC: Thanks for taking Depeche Mode! They’re one of my
favourites. Grace Jones, Blaze, Kraftwerk, Groove Armada, Martha
Wash. But really, it’s all about the many artists you never
hear about that are part of a DJ’s mix. People will ask me:
Who did this? Who did that? I can’t answer. Yet I can certainly
identify the songs and the patterns going on. What brought each person together for this project? KARL: It’s history, going to the parties together. I love it. I thought that the older I got I I’d move on to something else, but I love it even more. MARC: I agree. It’s something that has grown on me. I’ve
always enjoyed being creative. I started doing visual art and then
I discovered that the energy of music was so much more immediate.
There’s an interactive element to music. When you go to the
events, you participate: the body, the mind, and the soul. That’s
hard to duplicate in other art forms. You have a recent single called "Breakthru" that has been playing around town at some of the hottest parties? Tell us more about it? MARC: We had this really great instrumental and we sent it to Sacha Williamson. A month later she came back to us with vocals that blew us both away. Andy Roberts remixed it and it’s caused quite a sensation. KARL: Yes, it has. Blaze, they love it. John Cutler has remixed
it as well. Is the group planning to come out with its own album soon? MARC: Absolutely. We have eleven tracks in the works. There are a lot of collaborations with Toronto artists. KARL: Yes, there are some great artists working with us. We can’t
wait to get it out there. I notice that your group has a 80's new wave, pop & nu jack swing sound what do you think? KARL: Well, nu jack, you can’t miss that. We’ll hear it when the album comes out. MARC: Jack attack. Is the group on a specific record label or are you free agents. KARL: The first single, “Breakthru” is on Mixed Signals Music. We'll just see what happens and take it from there. MARC: We have to. Where do you see ESKALATION in five years? KARL: In five years we will be in Europe, playing arenas. Who knows? Maybe the Olympics. MARC: We’ll
be doing intense projects involving an international level of
co-operation. Most importantly we will be involved in projects
that transform the world into a better place for all. Do you think there is a Canadian market for your brand of music? KARL: I definitely think so. Canadians often don’t appreciate the talent that comes from here. I know people who are stars in other parts of the world, Nick Holder, Gavin Bradley, who, by the way, is working on a track with us. MARC: North American radio and television has maintained a strong emphasis
on rock and roll. I think that’s more of a reflection
of who’s directing the industry rather than the public tastes,
which are much more diverse than that. With house, the music ultimately
belongs in the clubs and in the parties. As long as that’s
happening, I’m happy with that. Have you tried International markets? Karl: Myspace has given us a lot of exposure, and going to the
WMC to promote our music had definitely helped. Would you say that house music is all about "THE REMIXES"? and WHY? KARL: I think with some tracks, yes. Our music is original. You’ll love it, remix or not. MARC: The remix has become an accepted cultural phenomenon in the broadest
terms. I hear eleven-year-old children asking each other: “Did you hear the remix?” It’s become
part of the compositional vernacular. It’s common to hear
producers taking other people’s work as a starting point
for new material. I’m still interested however in the traditional
concept of the “song”: structure, melody, rhythm and
harmony. Unfortunately, for some artists it’s become much
too easy to take a disco track, add their own shabby beats over
top and filter it until they kill it. If you could try out another musical style...just for one song what would it be? And why? KARL: Pop, it’s a little over-rated, but it would be nice to be on mainstream radio now and then. MARC: I think we have a pop dimension already. I’d like to do some reggae, some calypso. KARL: “Breakthru” would make a really great reggae
track. It’s got a lot of potential reggae elements. So when is the next ESKALATION new single party??? Karl: We are gearing up for a fall release. I heard that the group hopes to be a brand??? Could you explain...if that’s true? KARL: It’s true. What’s a group if you can’t market yourself? It’s in the works. MARC: We don’t want to become a corporate entity with something
like “Pepsi presents...” in front of it. However, it
seems that bands that diversify are the ones that survive. Why
not do a feature film, a play, some performance art, or clothing?
We enjoy working with a lot of people. Any last words for our readers and your fans??? KARL: Big ups to Sasha Williamson, Andy Roberts and La Foxx for believing in our dream. Pick up “Breakthru” in late September. MARC: Support Toronto and Canadian talent. Check out www.eskalation.ca and come and say hi if you see us out. Thanks ESKALATION
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