Spektre is a world-renowned techno duo from the UK that has released tracks on iconic record labels ranging from Drumcode to Filth On Acid.
The duo consists of Paul Maddox (PM) plus Rich Wakley (RW) and they recently dropped a new Spektre release on their record label Respekt.
It’s the guys first new original material since 2020 and we decided to mark the occasion by inviting them for this interview, as we wanted to learn more about their track ‘‘Endless Days’, and what else they have planned for the coming months…
T.H.E – Hi Guys, thanks for taking the time for this chat. Are you excited for the summer festival season, and are there any events you will be attending just as clubbers?
RW – Super excited to see a pandemic-free festival season on the horizon. It’s definitely been a long time coming. We have some awesome events in the diary already including Ikarus, Crssd, Nibirii, 18 Hours, Echelon, and Beats for Love Festival to name a few. If I’m not mid-tour, I might try and make it over to Hilvarenbeek in the Netherlands for Awakenings Festival in July as well.
PM – Thanks for having us! As Rich said, we’ve got a pretty busy summer of festival shows, but I always try to make time for a pilgrimage to Glastonbury whether we’re playing or not. We’re not on the bill this year, but I’ll still be packing my wellies and heading south!
T.H.E – I recently had the pleasure of checking out your new release ‘Endless Days’ which has festival hit written all over it. Could you give a brief description of the track, and its inspiration?
RW – It’s a breakbeat-inspired, old school piano, dirty Reese style synth, peak time summer anthem that came straight off the back of a year in lockdown.
T.H.E – There is also an alternative version titled the “Breaks Mix” and I was curious about what made you decide to make two versions?
PM – The original idea that Endless Days grew out of was actually a breakbeat thing in the first place. It was during the lockdown, so we were feeling a bit despondent about making club tunes (as there was nowhere for them to be played!), but the weather was glorious so we wanted to channel some of those summer vibes into a musical idea. We then reworked it into the club mix, and subsequently revisited the other version to accompany it on the release, so a bit of a convoluted process but one that bore results in the end.
T.H.E – I’m told this is your first time releasing original music since the Lockdown, so I want to ask what had been the main reason behind that decision, and if you have any other tracks soon to follow?
RW – As we had just released our third studio album on Kraftek in January of 2020, the pandemic was pretty awful timing for us. However, we had always planned a hiatus in releasing music following the release. We both felt that releasing dance floor music whilst there were no dance floors open was a bit pointless and a false economy, so we were happy to use the time to create without the pressures of a release schedule. We finally feel it is the right time to start releasing again and this will be the first of three releases you will see from us this year; two singles and one remix.
T.H.E – I see your new one is coming via your own record label, Respekt. How are things going with the label, and who are some of the artists scheduled for the coming months?
RW – The label has been continuing to grow and we are super excited to have just passed our 200th release milestone. For this we decided to do things a little bit differently by releasing an anniversary Respekt NFT which will be available very soon on Rcrdshp. We also have releases in the pipeline for Gary Burrows, Shay De Castro as well as another Respekt Rebels release and the return of our Prospekt series.
T.H.E – On the subject of record labels, do you guys still send stuff to other imprints or is Respekt the only outlet you currently use for originals?
PM – Respekt has always been our musical home, as we can release things that may not fit on or appeal to the other labels we work closely with. That said, we will be releasing a two-tracker on Factory93 later this year, and no doubt we’ll return to our second home, Kraftek, at some point too.
T.H.E – Outside of music, what else do you guys enjoy doing now that the lockdown has ended, do you have any hobbies?
PM – I’m fortunate enough to live right on the edge of the Peak District national park here in the UK, so I try to get out into the hills as often as possible. Much as I love the studio work, it’s important for me to get away from the speakers, headphones, screens and artificial lights regularly to refresh my mind.
RW – I’m a huge Liverpool FC fan and I love to watch football and other sports including the F1 Grand Prix season. Since lockdown I’ve realised just how important exercise can be on mental health so, I also love hiking and going to the gym with the occasional gaming session on the side with my mates. Xbox is my console of choice and I tend to stick to FPS games like Halo and Call of Duty.
T.H.E – Not including any of your own music, could you list a couple of tracks that you think will be summer anthems this year?
PM – This is a shameless plug for a Respekt release, but Gary Burrows has just signed a collab he’s done with Rowetta (of Happy Mondays fame) to the label, and it is absolutely huge!
RW – I’m a massive fan of our recent release from Ignacio Arfeli on Respekt. But it’s another of his releases which followed ours on Odd Recordings that has also caught my ears. “10 Seconds” is an absolute monster that I have been dropping every set and the reactions are huge.
T.H.E – Thanks for running through the questions. Before we finish, is there anything else you would like to mention?
PM – Other than to remind your readers that “Endless Days” is out now on Respekt in all the usual places, I don’t think there is! Thanks again for having us, and hope you enjoy the release.
RW – Thanks for having us. We hope to see as many of you as possible over the festival season ahead.
