SGT SLICK AND JOHN COURSE
Following Slick’s remake of Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! and CJ’s rework of Liberty X’s Just A Little, the two have teamed up for the disco-tinged, Love Is. Marc Andrews reports.
Two DJ legends team up for the some disco-tinged Love.
DNA: Sgt Slick, you started releasing records 20 years ago and you’re still dancing. What’s your secret?
Sgt Slick: A real love of music – listening to it, studying it and producing it. What’s always been a constant is the rush you get when you can play something in a set that you have created, whether it’s a completely original production or a reinterpretation/remix/edit of a classic.
Tell us about taking on ABBA’s Gimme!
Gimme! Gimme! last year.
Sgt Slick: There was a groundswell happening with that track from the European party islands and a few underground DJs playing some of the edits floating around. So, I just threw the original ABBA version into Ableton [music software] and chopped up my own edit.
John, we love that your new single Love Is features a rainbow on the cover. Tell us more.
John Course: Rainbows represent love and equality, and it’s also part of an iconic street art made during the pandemic. The lyric has a message of positivity that Love Is all you need and shows stacks of street art from around the world related to the pandemic.
Rainbows are also a symbol that after bad times, good times can return.
John Course: Amazing things also happen during bad times – look at the compassion so many people have shown in 2020.
When did you two decide to work on this track together?
John Course: Slick and I have been friends for a long time. We started working on some ideas and this one fleshed out quickly. We didn’t over think it and just went with the flow. It’s a very simple message – show some love to people in any situation and the world will be a better place.
John, what did you miss the most in 2020?
John Course: The social aspect of clubbing. A dance floor can be in your lounge, kitchen, backyard, anywhere you want. It’s a tribal ritual to dance and listen to music, so do it wherever you can and with whoever you lawfully and safely can.
What’s the difference working a gay crowd to a straight crowd?
John Course: You can have a commercial gay crowd or an underground gay crowd, so it depends on the venue. A club like Poof Doof is totally openminded, the crowd trusts you as a DJ and goes with the flow that you bring.
What can we expect from you guys in 2021?
Sgt Slick: John and I are working on another project. There are some international remixes for my last record The Night The Lights Went
Out, as well as the follow-ups.
What are your hopes for 2021?
Sgt Slick: I’m hoping everything returns to the way it was. Most of the nightlife and music industry had to write off 2020. The plus side is that a lot of us had time to knuckle down studio-wise. When the dance floors are ready there is going to be so much good new music. It’s super weird being forced to do a total restart, but I cannot wait to get back out.
MORE: Love Is released through Vicious Recordings. Find Sgt Slick on Facebook @SgtSlick808, Instagram @sgt_slick and Twitter @sgt_slick. Find John Course on Facebook @djjohncourse, Instagram @johncourse and Twitter @DJJohnCourse.
Also check out JC’s House Vibes and Old School Classics playlists on Spotify.