words: Andy McColgan
Kitsune darlings Joe & Will Ask? follow up their massive debut with a three-track nod to the heady days of rave. Get ready for Mongozo!
Drum ’n’ bass, hard house and techno hardly sound like the ingredients for a good tune, but rising London stars Joe & Will Ask? have somehow managed to combine these influences into electro tracks that are getting all manner of DJs excited. The duo made a big splash with their debut release, Claymore, which was snapped up by the supercool Kitsune and played to death by everyone. Now they’re ready to drop their new one, Mongozo!, on Friendly’s hot-to-trot label Gulp Communications.
The new EP is a nod back to the warehouse rave days of the late 1980s, and the three tracks move effortlessly from the deep and moody to the intense and the techno. Regular fixtures at the likes of Trailer Trash, Ministry of Sound and Club NME, Joe (Ashworth) and Will (Green) are already firm favourites of the likes of Benny Benassi and Brodinski, who named them as his favourite producers of the moment. On top of all this, they’ve remixed the hippest of 2009’s emerging acts such as La Roux, Esser and Hockey. EQ pinned the lads down for a chat about Mongozo!
How’s the new EP being received so far?
We’ve kept it to ourselves and played it as part of our live set, but it’s been getting the biggest reactions we’ve ever seen from our music. People have literally been moshing to it.
Was the intention to showcase three different sides of your musical tastes with the EP?
Not when we were writing the songs themselves, but as we put the EP together, we thought it was a nice contrast.
Are you working on an album? What can we expect from that?
We are working towards one, although right now we are just making songs that feel right. We’re very keen to write an album that is cohesive and nice to listen through from start to finish. We also want the majority of the songs to be new – we aren’t into rinsing the same old tunes.
Tell us a bit about your DJing backgrounds?
Joe used to play drum and bass, Will used to go to hard house raves. When we first started playing together it was a bizarre mix of genres that probably sounded horrible. A few years down the line, we have found our balance – we aren’t afraid to skip genres, but our sets make sense. We both have slightly different tastes, but definitely love every record we play.
You’re proving to be very popular in certain parts of Europe. How does playing on the continent differ to the UK?
It depends where in Europe. You notice the difference the most in the smaller venues. We always have a great time in Berlin – a great relaxed atmosphere with a crowd who are there for the music.
Where are your UK residencies at the moment?
We don’t have a residency as such, although we DJ regularly at Trailer Trash. It’s a brilliant party in London, really mixed crowd who always go crazy – they are open to everything as long as it has good bass.
Any festivals planned this summer?
Most of them are confirming over the next few weeks so we can’t say much now really – best to keep an eye on our MySpace. There are a few in UK and a lot across Europe lined up though, so we are excited.
What’s next for Joe & Will Ask?
The last few months have all been producing producing producing. We’ve hardly left the house, but we’ve got so much done. There are remixes for Hockey, Kris Menace, Sharam Jay, Miss Odd Kid, Franz & Shape, Acid Girls, Division Kent, Jupiter’s Heroes, Lowline and more to come in the next few months. Aside from that, we are supporting Simian Mobile Disco at Matter and headlining NME at Koko in April. And we have a website going active soon.
Mongozo! is out on Gulp Communications on March 30. Visit www.myspace.com/joeandwillask and www.myspace.com/gulpcommunications
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