phatplastic

Shealan Forshaw & Chris Brackley have known each other for as long as they can remember. If you ask them where they grew up you'll probably get the vague answer near Brighton..., but dig a little deeper and you'll discover they actually come from Bognor Regis, their own dirty little secret. In Bognor they eschewed the popular youth past times of binge drinking and petty crime to concentrate on a shared love of music, which eventually led to a weekly residency in Bognor's only reputable night club, legendary sweatbox Gators, a favourite haunt for DJs like Harvey and a young Terry Francis. After a series of successful ventures in club promotion and commercial radio, the two decided Bognor just wasn't big enough for the plans they were hatching and decided to head for the gold paved streets of old London town. Immediately feeling at home amongst the bars and clubs London had to offer, they set to work spreading the phatplastic gospel. Covering a multitude of bases, from raw 70's funk to jump-up jungle via old-school hip-hop, the boys show a healthy disinterest in trend-hopping and style trappings. Name-checking artists like Aim, Jazzy Jeff and Steinski as inspiration, they're never afraid to drop a forgotten classic or undiscovered gem, as long as it's got the all-important 'funk factor'. It's all about having fun says Shealan. It's usually the girls that get it first and then the boys follow. We have no musical boundaries when it comes to genre, it's just a case of playing records that are going to make people shake their arses and grin like idiots. We even pride ourselves on dancing as much behind the decks as the people on the floor! A technology-minded pair, phatplastic are not shy when it comes to playing a variety of their own re-edits, cut-ups and remixes, bringing a unique presence to the party that extends beyond simply playing the same old records in a different order. We spend a lot of time producing re-edits and mashups in the studio, sometimes specifically for a certain gig. About a year ago we discovered Serato Scratch which has totally changed the way we play. We can now finish a track 10mins before the taxi arrives to pick us up for a gig, and an hour later be scratching with it on vinyl in a crowded club. It's technology sent from heaven! It’s this ability to keep things interesting which has given the boys a chance to spin regularly at such diverse venues as Herbal, Rhythm Factory, Turnmills and Elbow Rooms. Shealan has also played twice at Fabric for their birthday celebrations, as part of the Fabric All-Stars. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.