Blaze

Interview by MFSB in 2003

Everything related to these guys who made their debut almost fifteen years ago brings us back to the spirituality and the mysticism hailing from those who've written the most beautiful pages in the history of soul music. Needless to say that their coming for the first time to Europe last summer was a not to be missed event for the die-hard fans of the genre on this side of the Atlantic. We've managed to have a chat with them while at Sunslice Festival in Toulon that we feel it's now time to post you with as the pair are getting themselves ready to give us some appetizer of their forthcoming Underground Dance Artists United For Life - Keep Hope Alive – compilation this Sunday in Miami…
 

March 2003 (Miami).

A Massive crowd is queuing up surrounding the entrance of Opium Gardens. Nothing but the usual affair here, as the Masters At Work are having their annual rendez-vous by the sunny shores of Florida. The line-up is once more consequent with a DJ set by Kevin Hedge amongst others followed by a Blaze live PA. Something that Sunslice Festival A&R, DJ Bool couldn't miss prior to the performance of the aforementioned scheduled over there four months later…

"Somehow surprising to see how dance music is one of the rare niches whereas you find true talents. Course, you may find good singers on the R&B area but everything's built around sex…"

Looks like the divorce between Clubshelter and you (or more precisely Kevin who was one of the three heading faces of the place alongside Timmy Regisford and Freddy Sannon) is a reality. What happened ?
Josh Milan : What happened ? (smile). Well, Shelter keeps on and it looks like they're doing rather good, don't they ? Kevin was leading the club before Timmy taking his seat and there were obvious differences in terms of approach between them, that made us taking some distance. We're still in touch although loads of people have thought that our relations had come to a definitive end. Kevin and I have then decided to focus on our studio activities, but the fact that we may drop some new night in the future is not excluded at all.

Do we have to understand that you don't see any objections as keepin'on releasing new material on Shelter Records ?
No pro bat all. We may even have some live PA at the club as their sual crowd have always supported our music and I think it's our duty to do so. You know how we don't do that many performances like that, but should we do one in NY, it couldn't be anywhere else…

Still have in mind the souvenir of Kevin telling me that he didn't like that much to be under the spotlights and face the usual staff that goes with…
You know what ? Kevin has never considered himself being a DJ. Everyone has his own thing. If you come to remember Larry Levan's sets at the time or Timmy's, you realize how DJing may be a form of artistic expression in itself and Kevin simply feels that he has not reached this level. I think he feels more like being a selector even though I tend to think that he's (also) a DJ. Some people are DJ's I should say naturally. Some others aren't. To be a DJ isn't simply spinning records, it's being inside them !

You've got this new album - Underground Dance Artists United For Life – soon to be released on King Street…
Yeah. A benefit album for LIFEbeat Foundation (the President of which is West End Records co-founder, Mel Cheren) which has been very active while collecting finances dedicated to the research against AIDS. As you may also know, many people have had to deal with this disease amongst the house community and as a matter of fact many people have agreed to give their contributions to this album project, like Joi Carwell, Byron Stingily, Barbara Tucker, Arnold Jarvis, Kenny Bobien, Ultra Naté or Michelle Weeks. Remember that Michael Jackson's initiative called "We Are The World" ? That's exactly what we aim to do with this.

Don't you fear that it could be difficult to promote such an album, due to the quality and the volume of the casting, remembering what happened to Masters At Work with their Nuyorican Soul project ?
Hmmm ! Have to admit that I hadn't seen the things under that perspective. This said, it shouldn't been any problem concerning New York as most of us are living in the area. Could well be hard to do the same kind of thing abroad though…

Then, there's the release next week of Louie Vega's Elements Of Life vinyl album boxset. What's been your commitment to it ?
Louie's called us one day for being a part of it. We've written "Brand New Day" and I've played my vocals on this song. The rest is his. I think it's a very coherent and fluid album to be heard straight and it's also the opportunity to discover an artist like you'll rarely find those days. I wanna talk about Raùl Midon. He's equally high standards as an author as a singer and it's an incredibly good guitarist. The only problem being that no one gives a sh** about this in the record industry nowadays, as it's nothing but all those prefab things with the usual clichés about pussy and the stuff like this that are pushed to sell records… Somehow surprising to see how dance music is one of the rare niches whereas you find true talents. Course, you may find good singers on the R&B area but everything's built around sex…

What should be done then to increase the potential of the dance music ?
Well, everyone has his own opinion about this. Myself, I'm tempted to think that the record labels should be more inspired to meet the talent instead of searching at any price what is the subject of an instant marketing.

Right, but talent being synonymous of character is not necessarily compatible with the current short term politics.
You're right, but you're talking about short term and we've been around for almost fifteen years ! And our label (West End Records) aims to focus on quality standards, musically as lyrically speaking. I have a 14 y.o. daughter and I wouldn't like seeing her hearing all the kind of stuff around about sex and drugs, so that all the members of a family may hear what we release on West End.

In fact, nothing but what would have to be considered as a contemporary form of soul music…
True, even though I don't really appreciate the principle of labialization. I'd rather like simply call this good music…

Text and Pictures: © 2003-2004 by Frédéric ‘MFSB’ Messent & Jean-Jérôme Lebel.

Interview by MFSB in 2004

2004 looks really like the awaited… blazin' year for Kevin Hedge and Josh Milan and I'll personally never say enough how to me (and surely to most of our visitors here) it sounds like justice. With some consistent releases on their West End label, a weekly residency alongside Louie Vega at NYC Cielo for Kevin + some collaborations as demonstrated on the EOL album, not to mention their current "Love Is On The Way" 12" heavily promoted since the last WMC, Blaze embarks on a totally new adventure with their Found Love CD mix album to be released on West End in America and already out on Slip'N'Slide for the rest of the world. More explanations with Kevin (this time)…

"Found Love" brings us back to the souvenir of last year's Sunslice Festival. Not only was it your first European performance, but you also introduced us with this song for the very first time… Has this experience that you've had over there been for anything in the conception of this CD mix album, having on top of it Josh doing keys

How did this concept appear to you ? I mean, you could have done the mix alone like most people do…

We have always been a group and done all our work together. So in the
spirit of being creative and the fact he and I are a team, we've done this project together.

I can see that you've secured a deal with Slip'N'Slide although you might have released it solely on your own label, and it's obviously the case about your Dance United Artists project to be released separately in Japan on Victor and US on King Street. Is this that it's too hard for an independent label to do the job on a worldwide scale ?

Partnering with labels that are stronger than West End in other markets we feel, gives the project a better opportunity for success.

You said to me a while ago that you didn't feel like a DJ, as compared to Timmy Regisford and you end up having this outstanding mix sounding almost like a Blaze production. Could it mean that you've trained hard spinning apart for your other activities ?

What I mean is, I humbled by the talent and the work that guys like Danny Krivit, Francois K. and many others have and have put into entertaining audiences around the world. These guys are pioneers and have advance DJ culture. I can only hope that one day I will be respected in the same light.

How was this other form of collaboration with Josh ? Did he provide you with suggestions of his own ? Has this been some hard studio production work at the end of the day ?

Anytime we are in the studio our first plan is to give our best to the creative spirit. We have always done our work in collaboration. And input and ideas from the both of us are included on every production.

What about your weekly residency at NYC Cielo alongside Louie ?

I feel honored that Louie has invited me to come play with him at the ROOTS party. Again he has contributed so much to our seen and he is a huge talent. I only hope to learn more about the craft from him.

You look like being more close to each other from a year to another, not to mention the EOL experience… Is there anything else to expect in the near future ? Is it that joining forces can be taken as an obligation facing today's situation ?

We feel that Louie shares our same vision, to share our passion for music with the world. We are good friends and we love each other. He is our brother.

What about your newbie ("Love Is On The Way") on Louie's label ? Its release date ?

That is something new for the EOL extensions album, to be released in September.
 

How do you see today's nightclubbing in NYC ?

The club scene in NYC is good. Instead of one or two really big parties, we have many smaller more intimate ones. The really good ones are ROOTS, Deepspace and 718 sessions.
 

Is house music to stay underground ? What is this to be done for its acceptance by a bigger crowd ?

We as a community have to be happy with what our scene is. We do have something and it has survived through the many changes in the business. However in order for us to grow we have to become better marketers.

Text and Pictures: © 2003-2004 by Frédéric ‘MFSB’ Messent & Jean-Jérôme Lebel.

Thanks to MFSB (In Da Mix Worldwide) to allow the publishing of those articles

Discography

 More information at Discog.com