Connections with Andrew Thomson

Sally Ann Gross is an academic who - along with George Musgrave - wrote a book called “Can Music Make You Sick: Measuring the Price of Musical Ambition” which was a complete game changer for me in terms of how I see the world, and myself.
The book gets into the impact of working as a musician today and explains a lot about how people are affected by operating in a hyper competitive age of abundance. These conditions affect us all as music fans and participants alike and I found it deeply personal and somewhat relieving to put a voice to various feelings and experiences I have encountered over the years.
This convo was actually recorded back in late 2023 and I’ve been thinking about it again in relation to the recent Geese chat. As Young Marco hinted at, these practises are also becoming commonplace in the electronic world and the outcry reminds me of the emergence of the influencer DJ a few years ago, buying likes, etc. I’m optimistic - perhaps naively - that this type of revelation will help pop the illusion of ‘anyone can make it’ and highlight again that social media platforms flatten lots of inequality by falsely suggesting we’re all in it together. Technology bringing about the end of gatekeepers was heralded as a good thing, but in our world, it has meant even more are competing for even less opportunities. Don’t hate the player, hate the game and all that, but as a result, I’ve came across a lot of frustration from artists who are struggling mentally in pursuit of something that is out of reach for many - despite being encouraged by the opposite being true.
Anyway, Sally Ann wrote a very well researched book on all this and tells it far better than me, she is a fascinating and approachable person to present ideas that might otherwise be a bit lofty or difficult to process - important as there are. Some of the other things we discussed have became even more relevant since, so thought it was worth sharing here. Sally Ann has lots of great stories about her life working in music and it’s well worth you time.
Thanks to Ray Philp for introducing me to the book in the first place. You can read it here. For free ~ www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Ca…ick/exoMEAAAQBAJ


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DJ Sotofett is something of a mythical figure in certain circles. A production powerhouse who self-releases an insanely high output both in terms of quality and volume. He seems to be as competent making jungle as he is techno, dub, various strains of house, electro and the rest. Musicality shines throughout.
Our paths have crossed a few times over the years. I booked him to play at Plastic People and the Sub Club, after I’d caught wind of him playing for less money if he was able to play all night - and took full advantage! After the Sub Club party - where he played tons of his own productions, without ever sounding samey - he agreed to remix a track from the Auntie Flo album and I was impressed with the professionalism in how he conducted himself. It showed a confidence in his abilities to deliver something within a timeframe, and his consideration to how the music should be presented thereafter. It could only be sold on vinyl, etc. In most cases, a remixer would be glad of the fee and would be far less interested in the format their music lands on. As the weeks got closer to his designated deadline, I was getting more and more excited and when it appeared in my inbox, I didn’t really know what to make of it. Not only did it not sound like the original, it didn’t really sound like anything I’d heard before. I still love how undefinable it is. Copies here
I’ve been intrigued to dig more into the Sotofett world - full of labels, aliases, collaborations - he’s created for himself. It seems to sustain itself within, yet slightly outside, of the regular music industry. He didn’t disappoint and we had a great chat at CBR the studio last year. Complete with DJ Sotofett post-production, naturally! Big thanks to Bash Man who helped coordinate before the Rush birthday party that night.
https://djsotofett.bandcamp.com/


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I first met Marco in 2012, when he came to London to play at a party for my flatmate James. He also played his first (of many) Boiler Room’s on the same trip. Just clocked that he is playing CD’s which is a nice detail that illustrates how much has changed since. As a result, it’s been really exciting to have felt being on the Young Marco ride from the early days and I’ve followed what he’s been up to with great excitement. He’s been reliably consistent with his productions and his DJ’ing seems to naturally evolve, avoiding being stuck within certain sounds or scenes. He had a huge moment at Dekmantel in 2022 which was a proper buzz to experience as a fan and brought his talents to a whole new audience. I’ve been hoping to arrange a chat with him for a while and the stars aligned on his most recent visit to Glasgow before a sold out Berkeley Suite, followed by a romantic DJ lunch the next day.


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I don’t have many heroes, but the few that I do, have remained constants over the years. I’m sure there is something in whatever attracted me to them in the first place is also part of their enduring appeal.
I’ve been fortunate to meet most of them by now and Ivan Smagghe is one who continues to loom large. His Suck My Deck and Death Disco mix CD’s were pretty seminal among my group of pals who became regulars at Le Pulp one summer in Paris. We first met at various nights he was playing, either at The Arches or during my Megabus trips to fabric era around 2004/5. Over that time we had fun interactions which led to a friendship that involved sending each other CD’s to share troves of music we were finding. He opened my mind to so much music away from 4/4 stuff. It would have taken me many more years for Scott Walker to reach my ears were it not for Ivan’s introduction, one that has likely impacted my enduring SW love to this day. This also applies to all the Wierd wave stuff and loads more.
I’ve always admired Ivan’s singularity and have related to his restlessness. I’ve learned lots and he’s shown me much encouragement, support and graciousness over the years. He has played at various H+P parties here and there over the years and it remains a huge honour to have released a Smagghe & Cross record together.
There have always been questions I’ve wanted to ask and had reached out a while ago with the idea of discussion his various long running partnerships. Little did I know, but he was cooking up a book - Nul si découvert - which features more than a glimpse some of these important figures in his life and much more. For someone who is quite mysterious and private, the book has bits that are shockingly intimate and deeply personal. After working my way through the book and Ivan reading the Twitch chat, we resolved to have an in person conversation, so I booked some cheapo flights up and down to London on a sunny Tuesday in February and we got to it.
It’s worth mentioning that the book has sold out, so this conversation might at times be more of a companion piece to whoever bought one, but hopefully there are enough jumping off points to make it illuminating for everyone else. I happened to catch Ivan at the Sub Club a few weeks before - as he played b2b with Domenic - and the room was electric and a real buzz to experience a new generation becoming initiated into the intruiging world of Ivan.


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This feels like a fitting chat to round out the past year and see in a new one - with the bold Sean Monahan from 8ball. Wishing you all the best for the year ahead..
I’ve been drawn to Sean’s insightful writing for a while now and he was gracious enough to have a chat with me about the notion of the world moving through trends and cycles. I find it comforting and helpful to view an increasingly chaotic world in these terms. Nothing lasts forever.
As a prolific writer, I was worried about feeling under prepared, but we jumped around quite easily and got to some interesting places.
I can’t recommend Sean’s work enough. You can follow it here ~


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