Following a long series of successful singles – ‘Cola’, ‘Breathe’, ‘Hypercolour’, ‘Panic Room’ – and a meteoric rise to the top of the dance music world, Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum duo Camelphat have finally released their highly anticipated debut album, ‘Dark Matter’.
The album is set to be one of the biggest electronic-indie crossover releases to date, featuring collaborations with icons like Noel Gallagher, Yannis Philippakis, Skream, Jake Bugg, Lowes and more. The result of two years of hard work and fine-tuning, this album will probably be one of the first things you hear once we’re allowed onto dance floors again.
Camelphat took some time to update Rollacoaster on their new album, dream collab partners and their frustrations with the lack of support for the nightlife industry in the UK right now. Camelphat is currently preparing for their biggest headline tour yet. The ‘Dark Matter’ tour in 2021 will include history-making moments, as Camelphat will be the first house act to headline the SSE Arena Wembley. The duo have come a long way from bedroom producers and local DJs to selling out arenas and working with the best industry, all while maintaining their humble Liverpool roots.
Check out the interview below…
How has quarantine been for you two?
It was a much-needed break to begin with. We’d been hitting over 180 gigs a year for several years, so it gave us a chance to feel human again. Although we’re both more than ready to get back on the road right about now.
Why is your new album called Dark Matter?
Right from the start, we’d always had the mindset of trying to write music that had a connection. We felt this could be achieved by writing darker lyrics with our melodies – things like depression, anxiety, fear and addiction. We just felt it connected better because it allowed us to avoid becoming a pop act. Dark Matter feels like it represents the album as a complete body of work.
You’ve done a lot of collaborations, what makes a good collab partner?
They have to be sound for a start. Musically, they need to be on our wavelength, have previous tracks which we’ve always loved or wish we’d written and an understanding of dance music from our perspective.
Is there someone you haven’t collaborated with that you want to?
I think The XX or Bicep would-be class. They are artists we constantly look up to because they just have a unique sound. The XX in particular from a writing point of view really inspire us because their lyrics always feel very personal and honest. We love that.
The track “Not Over Yet” from your new album features Noel Gallagher, what was it like working with him?
Noel is a class act, totally genuine and incredibly down to earth. We smashed out two tracks in just a few hours. It was mad for us, two lads from Liverpool who’d been to so many Oasis concerts growing up and bought all the albums, finding ourselves not just in the same room and writing together, but we also just relaxing and talking about football.
You guys are going to be the first-ever house act to headline the Wembley Arena on April 17th next year. Who would be your dream artist to play with on stage?
DAFT PUNK would be incredible, or the legend Carl Cox. I can see the flyer now, it would be some party!
How did you guys find each other and start working together?
Mike was a security guard at 3Beat Records, and I (David) was just a local bedroom DJ buying vinyl from the store every week. We DJ’d locally at bars and clubs throughout the week, so bought similar records and usually ended up very drunk at stupid o’clock in the morning together. The big man introduced me to Jack Daniels. Eventually, we got in the studio together and made some really terrible tracks together. This went on for some years until we eventually realised we had to make music for the dance floor, rather than our local bars. And that’s how CAMELPHAT was born.
You’ve been vocal about the lack of government support for the live performance and nightlife industries during lockdown. How do you think nightclubs are going to look in the future?
Personally I feel it’s utterly shambolic. It’s an outrage, the UK government is actively promoting the arts and hospitality industries to go away and retrain for “Cyber” industries instead. We both feel completely let down. Honestly, I’m finding it really difficult to imagine any form of nightclub operation right now. My guess is it’ll be super controlled, much smaller in capacity and many more seated areas. I think nightclubs will invest heavily into virtual reality so they can bring the dance floor to the home. But the fact no dialogue or road-map has come from the government speaks volumes about how unimportant the industries are to them.
What do you miss most about touring live?
We miss everything, even the flight delays, the last calls, the no legroom seating, the lack of sleep, the terrible diet, the promoter with the dodgy mates, the angry sound engineer, the hangover from hell, the list is endless. Most of all we miss the dance floor and thousands of happy faces vibing away to your own tunes. There’s no better feeling.