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BARGROOVIN’
WITH BEN SOWTON…
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Ben Sowton, the creator of the Seamless Recordings label, can rightly lay claim to kick starting the trend for bar/cocktail inspired compilation albums that is sweeping across continents. Ben created the Bargrooves series as a consequence of being involved in the club scene through the underground ‘Come Dancing’ house party and setting up one of London’s most successful late night DJ bars, The White House. After DJing for many years and growing increasingly tired of the formulaic trance scene at the end of 1999, Ben created Bargrooves…a soundtrack that combined both soulful house with edgier techy sounds… funky yet eminently danceable.
The label continues to go from strength to strength, with the addition of a strong singles roster to the ever-popular compilation album series. We get together for a chat with the man himself, Ben Sowton…
Words: Gavin Leversuch
Who and what are your main musical influences?
I confess to being a big disco fan when everyone else at school were trying very hard to be Punk Rockers – I’d have made a very bad Punk so decided that Chic was much more me in the late 70’s…After that I then had the privilege when I was 12 to 16 to live in Barbados so I was immersed in fantastic reggae during the halcyon years and loved everything from Peter Tosh and Bob Marley to UK acts such as Steel Pulse. A long spell of The Cure and Talking Heads with bits of Grace Jones got me up to the moment an old friend in April 1989 said ‘Come to this club. The music, the vibe – it’s amazing…’ and from that moment on I have barely listened to anything other than electronic music – so much so that it has been central to my work for the last decade.
Where and when did you come up with the idea for Bargrooves?It was the end of 1999 when the superclubs were starting to lose their appeal. Having been a big fan of trance and progressive I was starting to tire of it…The alternative was chill out compilations which drive you mad after a while. Bargrooves was the antidote – it was reasonably chilled played at low levels and danceable when played loud. It was definitely the soundtrack to late night bar culture which the older age group were leaning towards – service, cocktails, comfort, and sophistication – and this was the soundtrack that fitted that. The music was a blend of jazzy, funky beats with deep and techy harmonics and melodies.
You have mixed over 20 Albums for Bargrooves, Which is your favourite Bargrooves mix?
As I always say my favourite is the last one I mixed! But seriously I have always been a fan of the darker side to dance music which I know is not to everyone’s taste so Bargrooves Black has to be my most favourite selections of the Bargrooves albums. I think the first and third Bargrooves Black mix for me is exactly what I want to listen to when I'm either driving on a long journey or in a club….
Your favourite DJ?
What, apart from Joel…[Xavier, Kinky Vinyl and Whoop! Records boss]!? I would have to say that it’s a toss up between Laurent Garnier and Sasha for big occasions.
Which producers do you most admire and respect?
At the moment its Dennis Ferrer…’The World As I See It’ is a fantastic piece of work – the track ‘Touch the Sky’ is sublime. I have to say though look out for Physics’ latest album which we are releasing in a few months as that is 14 heavenly tracks and I have to plug Soularis or they’ll kill me as they are on fire at the moment
Have you ever been in the studio yourself and produced a tune?
It’s a time issue (that and I would hate to find out that actually I was crap!) running the label, the White House, many international DJ dates and a family with 2 small boys doesn’t leave a lot of time…
What’s in store for Bargrooves in the future?
Got a crystal ball handy?! More of the same and even more of things different. We are constantly striving to improve what we do – discover more talent that fits with the Bargrooves musical philosophy. We need to do more events which has always been the hardest part as that takes a lot of time and investment but does pay dividends when it works
Bargrooves has enabled you to travel the world – what have been the highlights so far?
It has to be Manilla – the only country where I am actually the tallest in the crowd!!!
Aside from Bargrooves, what other projects are you involved in?
I have developed a label from creating Bargrooves. It’s like the daughter giving birth to the mother – the mother being Seamless. We have recently merged with Whoop! and Kinky Vinyl and that has been a big shot in the arm for us creatively. We now work with a huge number of talented artists and have a formidable release schedule across a number of genres of music. I also run the White House and we are looking at opening more large late night venues in the very near future.
You’ve just taken the label in a whole new direction with the new ‘Vintage Grooves’ series. What was the thinking behind this project?
It’s not so much a different direction but more to expand our base. Relying on a narrow style of music is dangerous in a rapidly changing music environment. One thing is for certain that classics remain classics and are collectable which means that you always have a market – you certainly can’t say that about minimal electro house!
You also own the world famous bar ‘The White House’ in Clapham. What are the main benefits of having a permanent platform for Bargrooves and your other projects?
The real benefit is that we call the shots – It’s no surprise that the Bargrooves vibe fits the White House – it’s what we do and what we do well. Everything that both companies do has to be seriously good quality and I hope that we have all achieved that.
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