With their tour de force of progressive events dawning this Friday, Maxumi chats up with the influential organisers behind this massive event.
How did FOUND first come about?
Will: I’ve worked with James a lot over the last 2 years. He seemed the natural person to curate an exciting and groundbreaking new series of underground
electronic music.
James: Will and I thought it was about time Hidden’s amazing and as yet largely undiscovered three underground arches were put on the map. A series of events
seemed the best way to do this and FOUND was born out of an amalgamation of the varied music styles and promotions we’ve both worked on over the years, drawing
particularly from Will’s Eastern Electrics model, combing this commitment to cutting edge labels and promoters with Urban Nerds’ grass-roots underground bass
programming.
How would you describe what people can expect at a FOUND night?
Will: The night will be a creative combination of great, great DJs, a booming sound rig, a massive garden for smokers, lots and lots of seating, bars and arguably the friendliest crowd in the Capital.
James: Some of the most exciting sounds being forged in London and in British underground dance music at the moment, played by a wealth of known and
unknown DJs spearheading the scene, accompanied by a truly eclectic crowd who appreciate cutting edge clubbing!
FOUND comprises 13 events. How do you keep track, and what are the logistical challenges you face organising such a large scale programme of
events?
Will: I think it’s giving James a breakdown! Joking aside James works with me, Yasmin and Sophie to keep careful tabs on all aspects of the 13 nights in the series.
He has a commendable grip on the detail which will help make these nights a fun experience.
James: The OCD waiting to break out from inside me tends to help! As does an unhealthy obsession with spreadsheets. That aside, it’s the huge commitment from
all the promoters involved and FOUND’s dynamic duo Sophie and Yasmin which keeps it all on track. When 13 events are involved, it’s very much a team effort.
What is your background in progressive?
Will: I’ve helped run Eastern Electrics with Rob and Wil Troup for the last 3 years. This event has always pushed the boundaries in electronic music. We have always
wanted to go that one step further than our contemporaries in booking new talent and in putting genres of music together that don’t always get considered as natural
bedfellows.
James: I’ve promoted Urban Nerds for five years and with my two partners have always looked to combine the biggest and best underground talent with the
unknowns that need a break. Nerds have never held back on a line-up and the bigger shows pride themselves on often endless lists of some of the greatest acts
in dubstep, electro, garage, grime and UK bass. We were one of the first promoters in London to actively pioneer the amalgamation of sounds now often pigeonholed
as ‘bass music’.
Do you have other possible plans or avenues you’d like to explore with FOUND? Such as a festival, music compilation album etc?
Will: As we are approaching the launch it’s a little early to say, but we are already at work on a reinvented series 2 for Feb and March 2012.
James: Yes, we won’t count our chickens but immediate plans are moving towards a series 2 in the spring. With our affiliations with the warehouse scene, it would be
great to see FOUND move in that direction further along down the line.
Can you tell us about any partnerships or sponsorships you’ve put together for FOUND?
Will: James, Sophie, Yasmin and Loriann from BigBox have worked very hard to finalise creative partnerships with key companies like Mixcloud, FACT, Data
Transmission and Trap magazine. We are very excited to have mixes and interviews being hosted throughout the series by all three media organisations.
Do you have any other events beside Found in the works?
Will: I’m working on Eastern Electrics NYE as my other key project. We are announcing our first 2 world-class headliners on Thursday 28th Sept for what
promises to be our biggest NYE to date.
James: Urban Nerds have announced two massive winter dates, the first of which is a Halloween Special on Friday 28th October at London Bridge venue, Cricifix Lane. Secondly, we’re also back for NYE. Whilst Eastern Electrics looks after the biggest house line-up the capital’s likely to see this New Year’s, Urban Nerds take to a secret East London warehouse location with undoubtedly the biggest dubstep and bass led explosion in the city. Urban Nerds NYE that will see 5 huge underground promoters and labels join forces!
