Earlier this year, Jonny White found that nothing is permanent, nothing lasts forever. In April he announced a split from production partner Kenny Glasgow. As Art Department, the Canadian duo broke through in 2010 with the Crosstown Rebels released moody masterpiece "Without You". Together they released two LPs and a string of singles and remixes in a five year span.Glasgow cited a "strong need to follow that up and explore that side of my production," in reference to his solo material, as the reason for the split. White seemed sanguine, noting that, "of course Art Department is not the same Art Department without Kenny, that's something that can not be duplicated. It will take a new shape, but this is an exciting chapter for both of us as friends and artists."
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That exciting new chapter's found itself ending with a pretty definitive full stop: White is on the verge of releasing a fabric mix under the Art Department moniker. The 82nd instalment of the definitive mix CD series is a lithe, skippy, trippy blast through house, techno, and, well, tech-house. We caught up with White ahead of the release for a quick chat.THUMP: What happens with a mix like this — who approaches who?
Jonny White: Typically the record label would contact an artist they would like to have mix the compilation, in this case I don't even really recall how it all came about. It's something that we've been trying to make happen from both sides for a couple of years now but the timing was always off with both the club's scheduling and the Art Department touring and production schedule. Thankfully we were finally able to organize the fabric 82 mix with a bit of space between the album and this comp.Did you spend weeks and weeks honing a set or was it more of an 'on the fly' situation?
No this was quite a project, it definitely didn't happen overnight. When it comes to mixing a compilation, especially one as important as fabric's legendary mix series a ton of thought and pulling out hair goes into it. Mixing this comp was a real definitive moment for me especially with this being the first Art Department project done on my own. It really speaks to what I personally like to play and listen to without really taking the projects' past into account. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to mixing a CD and I'm overly aware that this really captures a moment in time and will be around for a long time so it's weeks of going through records and finding the right music and programming that i hope will stand the test of time.
Jonny White: Typically the record label would contact an artist they would like to have mix the compilation, in this case I don't even really recall how it all came about. It's something that we've been trying to make happen from both sides for a couple of years now but the timing was always off with both the club's scheduling and the Art Department touring and production schedule. Thankfully we were finally able to organize the fabric 82 mix with a bit of space between the album and this comp.Did you spend weeks and weeks honing a set or was it more of an 'on the fly' situation?
No this was quite a project, it definitely didn't happen overnight. When it comes to mixing a compilation, especially one as important as fabric's legendary mix series a ton of thought and pulling out hair goes into it. Mixing this comp was a real definitive moment for me especially with this being the first Art Department project done on my own. It really speaks to what I personally like to play and listen to without really taking the projects' past into account. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to mixing a CD and I'm overly aware that this really captures a moment in time and will be around for a long time so it's weeks of going through records and finding the right music and programming that i hope will stand the test of time.
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Which are your favourite mixes from the entire fabric catalogue?
That's a tough one. There are so many legendary ones. Craig Richards, Fabric's resident has done a couple of great ones. Andrew Weatherall has a really special one. It's really hard to say because just about anyone who's anyone has done one and you can tell they always put a lot of thought into it. I think my favourite mix ever would have to be Omar S' mix that included a ton of music that he didn't release on his FXHE label to my knowledge.
That's a tough one. There are so many legendary ones. Craig Richards, Fabric's resident has done a couple of great ones. Andrew Weatherall has a really special one. It's really hard to say because just about anyone who's anyone has done one and you can tell they always put a lot of thought into it. I think my favourite mix ever would have to be Omar S' mix that included a ton of music that he didn't release on his FXHE label to my knowledge.
Does the club itself deserve the reputation it has as one of the world's best?
Absolutely, no question about it. There are some clubs that have had their moment and maybe aren't quite living up to the hype any more but fabric has been an institution that has contributed so much to the culture and has supported and helped breed so many important artists for so long that it's almost blasphemy to question that. They have been really instrumental in the success of Art Department and my record label - No.19, hosting showcases and they've always been up for including a lot of lesser known artists to help break them.Does it feel important to be releasing this mix under the Art Department name so soon after the dissolution of the group?
Yeah as I mentioned earlier, it is kind of a big deal. As much as i would have liked to have had the opportunity to do one with Kenny as well, we've done several together in the past so it was an exciting opportunity for me to program this with a fresh outlook in mind throughout the process.What's next, Jonny?
Well, of course I'm still touring tirelessly as Art Department, holding it down and in the midst of launching 3 new record labels that will all cater quite specifically to different sounds. There is the Social Experiment imprint off the back of the branded events that we've been doing for years. this is a partnership between Kenny, Nitin and myself and will coincide with a new Wildlife conservation project called MAAC (Music Against Animal Cruelty) that i'm working on with Wade Cawood - the founder of Pulse Radio. The label will be one of several fundraising initiatives that will be facilitated by MAAC and will be focussed on a more dancefloor oriented, underground sound, whereas No.19 is releasing bigger singles and will remain a bit more broad in terms of the of music that we release. Another new vinyl only label called Sunday Money is also set for launch towards the end of summer with more focus on a much deeper sound. Another project with Adam Gill - Founder of Embrace that will cater to a completely different market. Of course i'm still running No.19 music and working on a big last half of 2015 that will include releases from Eric Volta, Maher Daniel, and Guti who i'm really excited to be working with. Our biggest project for this year will be the release of Kenny Glasgow's second solo album for the label which i think is really going to blow people away. This should keep me busy for a minute…fabric 82 mixed by Art Department is released on June 22.Follow Art Department on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter
Absolutely, no question about it. There are some clubs that have had their moment and maybe aren't quite living up to the hype any more but fabric has been an institution that has contributed so much to the culture and has supported and helped breed so many important artists for so long that it's almost blasphemy to question that. They have been really instrumental in the success of Art Department and my record label - No.19, hosting showcases and they've always been up for including a lot of lesser known artists to help break them.Does it feel important to be releasing this mix under the Art Department name so soon after the dissolution of the group?
Yeah as I mentioned earlier, it is kind of a big deal. As much as i would have liked to have had the opportunity to do one with Kenny as well, we've done several together in the past so it was an exciting opportunity for me to program this with a fresh outlook in mind throughout the process.What's next, Jonny?
Well, of course I'm still touring tirelessly as Art Department, holding it down and in the midst of launching 3 new record labels that will all cater quite specifically to different sounds. There is the Social Experiment imprint off the back of the branded events that we've been doing for years. this is a partnership between Kenny, Nitin and myself and will coincide with a new Wildlife conservation project called MAAC (Music Against Animal Cruelty) that i'm working on with Wade Cawood - the founder of Pulse Radio. The label will be one of several fundraising initiatives that will be facilitated by MAAC and will be focussed on a more dancefloor oriented, underground sound, whereas No.19 is releasing bigger singles and will remain a bit more broad in terms of the of music that we release. Another new vinyl only label called Sunday Money is also set for launch towards the end of summer with more focus on a much deeper sound. Another project with Adam Gill - Founder of Embrace that will cater to a completely different market. Of course i'm still running No.19 music and working on a big last half of 2015 that will include releases from Eric Volta, Maher Daniel, and Guti who i'm really excited to be working with. Our biggest project for this year will be the release of Kenny Glasgow's second solo album for the label which i think is really going to blow people away. This should keep me busy for a minute…fabric 82 mixed by Art Department is released on June 22.Follow Art Department on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter