THE UNABOMBERS

Following the recent success of last years Electric Soul Compilation, the Unabombers are back with the follow up: Electric Soul 2. Drawing from 70s soul and funk, rare groove, disco and house, Electric Soul 2 picks up where Electric Soul left off: contributing some old-school authenticity to club culture. The album coincides with the 9th birthday celebrations of the Unabombers legendary club night Electric Chair, a monthly groundswell of energy that takes place under the black gables and gloomy exit signs of Manchesters Music Box. NIGHT catches up with Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford for some winter reflections.

How are you?

J: Tired! Since we brought out Electric Soul 2 weve both been incredibly busy DJing. Weve just come back from gigging in Europe America and Australia, which has been an amazing experience. Were just beginning to look ahead to the tenth birthday party for Electric Chair. It should be an awesome gig.

Since starting Electric Chair in 1995 you have often been described in the press as an institution - is that flattering?

L: Its double-edged because institution is a nice compliment, but we dont like to rest on status. Electric Chair still feels fresh and energetic, and still introduces new music to passionate music fans, as yet we havent suffered from the stagnation associated with institutions. Were renewing our audience and theres a healthy mix of long-term fans and people who are new to the vibe.

Where do you place Electric Chair in the clubbing scene?

J: When we started out we werent bothered about flashy lights and big profits. What we really wanted was a fantastic sound system, a basement where you can get hot and heavy, and a crowd who like good music and want to get together and celebrate it.

L: Ashley Beedle had it right when he described Electric Chair as a basement, 800 people, a red light and a feeling. The club has all the right ingredients: simplicity, soul and a vibe. The greatness of Electric Chair is about simplicity, passion and the crowd.

Could you summarise Electric Chair with a football analogy?

L: Were not Manchester United. Were more Sheffield United meets Cardiff.

J: Id say were Crewe!

L: Exactly: a shit ground with a brilliant atmosphere.

Does the new album, Electric Soul 2, reflect a change in musical tastes for the Unabombers - or their audience?

J: The first Electric Soul was a diverse mix of soul and styles but, being soulful and funky, actually had a lot of musical continuity, and has created a demand for more. We generally pick the years central tracks from Electric Chair. The album is distinctive as we try to emphasise the tracks themselves rather than the mixing. It means that the mood of the album changes quite drastically from track to track.

Youve been witnesses to the evolution of club culture over the last decade. Where are we now - and how did we get here?

J: For a long time clubland has been driven by branding and reproducing a concept in a number of venues. Before contemporary club culture places like Twisted Wheel and Electric Circus were about a fantastic atmosphere of soul and funk and that ethos has come full circle. People are happy again to pay for music for musics sake. Our club nights are traditionally held at individual, soulful clubs and I think that the demand is back for places where music is the focus. We never wanted to be the next Ikea!

L: Clubbing at the moment is defined by choice. Commercial nights are great for people who like them, and an underground or alternative movement can only exist if there is a mainstream. But the great thing about the Electric Chair is that it is in a scene which is not defined by the next big thing anymore. Theres no sense of a Madchester or a Gaychester or whatever - theres a lot of different alternatives to the mainstream.