Death on the Balcony has been DJing and creating wonderful music for years now, and here, we celebrate their skill in both fields. In this in-depth interview, we talked to the duo about their thoughts on club culture, the art of music production, and much more, having currently released the excellent Where Do We Go? on Loot Recordings.
Welcome to Magazine Sixty, Mark and Paul. I’ve always been curious about where the name Death on the Balcony came from?
Hi Magazine Sixty readers, yes that’s a fair question and one we have answered a lot! The name came from a moment in time when, after recently becoming friends from shared social circles, a fair number of late nights, early mornings raving and a shared sense of passion for similar music tastes. We planned a studio session a few months down the line to try start producing some music together, aside from us both doing separate things and solo projects at the time. So, on this first studio session, we had been hanging out and working a few hours on our then first tracks and ideas (a project that probably never saw the light of day!), and it got to a point where we decided to take a break.
Paul was living on the 12th floor of an apartment block in Leeds at the time, and we had a break from production and went to have a ‘smoke’ on the balcony. We were talking deep and philosophical about some things that had happened in our personal lives around that time. Some passing’s and things like this, high up on the balcony. So from this, we then coined the phrase ‘Death on the Balcony.’ We initially just saved the track title and project as Death on the Balcony… Life on the Balcony doesn’t and didn’t quite have the same ring to it, phonetically alone etc., so we just used the phrase for the track title, project, and then it just stuck… Then it actually became our aka, the rest is history!
Also, as time went on, we appreciated the mystery and theatrical qualities of the name too. We still do, but these were all afterthoughts that added to things. It was and is never intended literally or in a negative way, more, say, poetic intrigue or more towards actually living and not taking life for granted. The conversation we had on the balcony was more about perspectives and actually focusing on the positives in life and to seize the day, so to speak, as you never know what’s around the corner…
Your music always pulses with deeper emotions. Where did your love of melody and, at a guess, Soul come from? Were there certain artists growing up that left an everlasting impression?
Hard to answer this really, as there are so many between us, tbh, and artist-wise there really are sooooo many, but this gives a little glimpse, an idea to just scratch the surface… Mid/Late 70s, early 80s soul, disco, boogie, Italo, and subcultures in general and in all forms: The Loft, Music Box, Paradise Garage, Studio 54, The Warehouse, Ron Hardy, David Mancuso, Larry Levan, John Benitez, Ballroom, queer culture and scenes from then… Kraftwerk through to New Wave, New Romantic, The Blitz Club, Post Punk, 80s synth-pop scenes, Danceteria era also, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads, etc… Early to mid Chicago / NYC House: Larry Heard, Francois K, Ron Trent, Todd Terry, MAW, Frankie Knuckles, Kerri Chandler, Kenny Dixon Jr., Proto House, European Dream House, deeper Detroit Techno of the late 80s, early/mid 90s too, Underground Resistance, Juan Atkins, Carl Craig, Kevin Saunderson, etc. Late 80s / early mid-90s Hip Hop / Trip Hop too, like J Dilla, The Pharcyde, Slum Village, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Cypress Hill, Portishead, and the art of sampling culture. UK’s FAC51 The Haçienda, Factory Records, Back to Basics, Hard Times, early 90s DIY free parties, rave, d and b scene. Lots of downtempo, electronica, ambient works from all these periods also: Tangerine Dream, The Orb, Coldcut. Psychedelic bands like Pink Floyd, yacht rock, folk/country from these same eras as well. Bowie, Lou Reed, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Grace Jones, Sade — so, so many really — and, of course, all the many amazing film scores and compositions from over this time up to the current day! All these pioneers set a precedent and bar of quality very high way back then… The foundations and roots will and should always be respected, acknowledged, and be a major influence musically in the studio, behind the decks playing, and on the dance floor!
Music influences aside, personally just life, love, loss, connections, reflections, storytelling, art, films, scores, observing, listening, you, them, everyone, the world, and both of our influence on each other too! The “soul” essence or inspirations can come from random places at any moment. It’s fleeting and whispers, so you can miss them if you’re not paying attention, tuned in, or creatively conscious. It sometimes, if not most of the time, comes and finds you rather than you finding it — and if doing it right, “flowing not forcing,” from our experience intuitively over the years. Also, being consistent and practicing consistency. Beyond and as well as the creative process here, if you think about it, you can apply this positively to a lot of things in life in general, really, too…
Do you feel the art of songwriting has lost its importance over the years in dance music at all? What makes a great song for you, and what should the words reflect in terms of the politics or the human condition to achieve significance?
Perhaps if compared to the 70s / 80s in our formative years, you could say there has been a slight decline in the importance of songwriting to people. However, some of the music in clubs is not really aiming to be a song as such — it simply could be a track or tool for a DJ to mix with and dancers, party people to release to, something focused more so on moving a dance floor. There are still good examples of songwriting in dance music in today’s music. It’s not about bettering the most revered tracks in House music, as they are the pillars on which this house is built. So, to simply be able to stand next to these classics or to match the energy and essence is an accomplishment and something to strive for.
A great song should resonate with the audience and evoke an emotion, or a moment that connects to a person, or a room, or beyond. There is a beauty in the interpretations of a good song or lyric. Sometimes the best songs are melodically great, but you might think the lyric is about something totally different than it was intended. This is the beauty of music and lyrics — they are layered and subjective.
What inspired the title of your new release, Where Do We Go? on Loot Recordings? Can you talk us through how you created the track, and are there any favourite pieces of software/hardware you like to use?
The random creative process is, as it says, random! We started with a groove and arpeggiated melody and created a loop, focusing on maintaining a melodic nature but a groove and funk to it with the percussion and bass. We use Ableton to produce and really enjoy its intuitive nature and getting the bones of and sketch of an idea down quickly. This is and was always the most important part of songwriting. If you can preserve that initial idea, essence, conveying a feeling in your head, to then get it down in the moment and out of the speakers, then that really is the holy grail! Obviously, along the way there are always curveballs, surprises, and happy accidents that can randomly and positively occur in the music-making process — sometimes these actually make the tune.
Software-wise, we have a bunch of the Native Instruments Kontakt instruments, plus some great strings packs we are loving. Hardware-wise, we have a Yamaha DX100, Microkorg, Roland JU-06, full MIDI to name a few — and also the absolute art of sampling. We are believers in the final product result, and however you get there, it will always be about your ideas and how good your process is — consistency again, too. Obviously, it’s lovely to have lots of hardware to choose from, but it’s knowing where you are heading and what feeling that is the most important in our music-making, and not letting the machines do all the talking or lead the way.
What advice would you suggest to someone starting to produce their own music, given the expense and sheer volume of people making music these days?
You have to really love it and passionately want to do it, and be doing it for the purest of reasons — which is artistry and music-making. If you are doing it for other reasons than that, then you are in for a rocky ride or rude awakening.
It is a competitive industry, no doubt, but if you are willing to consistently work away and hone your sound, then that is probably the right attitude to have. It might not be that you are waiting years — you could blow up overnight — but it could take, and usually does take, decades too. Being ready and having the tools and skills to do so when it happens is key.
Also, if you have an audience — whatever size — then you are doing something right. Plough your field and plant your seeds. To harvest your fruit — it really is a universal cycle or feels like that. Also, you’re fortunate if you have a field to plough, so always be watering it, caring for it (metaphorically speaking), and never take it for granted even when you have built that up with dedication, time, and talent! Not trying to fit in or force something is the route to contentment, true flow, and happiness with your productions. If you chase something, then you will always be second. If you carve your own path, then it may be more difficult and a longer path — but it’s a true one to you, and you can send the message you want to send that is personal to you and your tastes, rather than trying to stay relevant and, in vain, trying to appeal to everyone.
Ultimately, if you feel you sincerely have something to give, share, and convey — and you enjoy the process, learning, and developing your skills — as you see your catalogue of tracks grow, and listening and dancing audiences too, you start to notice a sound developing. It then all makes sense why people want to do this, and you continue!
Is streaming a necessary evil? How do you see electronic music’s future in sustaining a living from it?
Streaming is here and here to stay. It reaches wider audiences than you can with sites where your music is sold. Not to say we are loving it or anything, but you have to adapt a little to what the industry is doing. There is still a huge market and place for vinyl. There is still a place for people who want to buy digitally and own the music too, of course.
The real question, perhaps, is about fair royalty rates and large corporations paying a fair amount to artists in the royalty share. There are people trying to do so, but also it comes down to people power — and who is subscribing to what platform to access their favourite music.
Streaming does provide a continual revenue stream. Yes, it may be small at first, but the more music you release — and if it does well — then it can keep streaming forever. It certainly has plus sides along with the critique.
Aside from music, are there any particular artists, writers, cinema, painters, etc, who have inspired you most over the years?
Beyond underground dance music and subculture, we have a love of cinema, scores, and soundtracks. We have been told and complimented a fair amount that our music has a cinematic storytelling quality at times. We would relish the opportunity to work on something like that industry-wise as well as the club and dance music industry!
A few inspirations from that world are Vangelis, John Carpenter, Jerry Goldsmith, Henry Mancini, Hans Zimmer, John Williams with older composers. There was something about movies in the 80s that transported you into their world via the score and soundtrack. More recently, though, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s work on film and Flying Lotus also deserve a mention for taking scores and soundtracks to another level too.
Music and scores aside, we have a general love and passion for all art, photography, design, fashion, film, cinematography, literature, and poetry.
Who would it be if you could work with any vocalist (alive or not) from any era?
It would probably have to be one of the many iconic and much-sampled soul and disco diva vocalists from the 70s and 80s, or Grace Jones, Kate Bush—once again, far too many to name. Or say Marvin Gaye, Al Green, David Bowie, and Prince—all would be amazing.
Do you find you tend to end up working in a particular key when making music? Is making music a daytime or night-time activity?
We don’t consciously aim to write in the same key, but we perhaps have a mood, essence, or feeling we want to create at the start. There isn’t particularly a set time for feeling the most creative. When making music, you have to know when you are in it or not, to get the best results. You can’t force it and we never try to; it’s not the one. When it comes down to the best outcome, musical workings and accomplished results, that said, there is always something to do, and the answer to the question is probably both—day and night-time!
Slave to the rhythm, we live, breathe, and embody the music 24/7 in some sort of capacity—listening, creating, finding, stumbling on, sourcing, being inspired, archiving, writing, collecting, playing, pausing, sitting with ideas. Suppose it’s like a positive obsession or addiction; it is also a cathartic process and release, both mentally as well as creatively.
As DJs, which words would capture the experience of playing music live? What do you seek to convey to people in the process?
“Melodic buzz of a hazy brain” and “House Wears Many Hats” are two of our philosophies that spring to mind. Also… “Deep, Warm, Emotive, Grooves.”
The performance aspect of DJing is about a lot of factors coming together at once—not one thing but many factors! But to put it simply, a positive, real connection and the release on the dance floor—because that’s more important than us; the dancers, diverse party people, and a clued-up crowd’s energy to engage and connect with in any given environment! Then it’s a two-way street and the major reason for doing this when playing, or it should be! Not status, not ego, not just financially—as much as it’s a business too—but respectfully so!
Everything can affect how you play, including what happened on that day or what’s going on in the world or your life personally at the time. But all this aside, we simply aim to deliver a positive feeling, message, and a true connection, release, and dance floor expression! We never really fully plan or know what we are going to do; it’s very much spontaneous between us both, personally and with the dance floor in that moment, as that matters more, and this is when the magic can happen when taking all these factors into consideration and with selecting what to play next when looking to captivate musically and emotionally in the actual moment!
“Dance floor, Energy, Soul, Connection”
Thanks for having us…
Hugs and Vibes,
Mark and Paul
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