In this episode of Dubspot Radio Rewind, we revisit an hour long mix packed with late night subterranean house by the French DJ Anthony Collins (Scissor & Thread, Frank & Tony).
Brooklyn-based DJ, producer, and label head Anthony Collins knows house. He’s one-half of the group Frank & Tony alongside Francis Harris. The duo also run the diverse label Scissor & Thread, a renowned house label patterned more like an artist development platform that focuses on talent, not tracks. We got a chance to interview Anthony about his love for Brooklyn, his revamped studio, and what’s up next for him.
What equipment did you use to record this mix?
A hybrid of decks and CDJs. The final editing was done in Ableton Live to try to make it sound clean for home listening. I usually just give out live recordings from club nights for my podcasts, but this time around I took a different approach since I had to record it at home.
What is the intended vibe for this mix? What did you have in mind when you were making your selections?
The mix 100 % reflects what I play out as DJ. It’s quite atmospheric and deep. I did not try to go too experimental, just did an honest mix.
What’s different for you between making selections for a recorded mix and when you play out?
I normally like to give out live recordings from nights out. When I do make recorded mixes at home, I have more time to make them a bit more clean, but I still try to keep my style the same. However, if the mix has a certain theme that I have to stick too, I will do something completely different.
Can you tell us about how you started DJing and what drew you to the craft?
I had a friend who was DJing at the time and seeing him play seemed super fun. I had money on the side and ended up purchasing some decks and records to start training. I got completely addicted and was spending ten hours a day mixing over and over the same ten records I had, haha. I finally ended up dropping out of school, focusing full time on the craft, and eventually landed some residency in various little bars in France to pay the rent and survive. I was really happy just doing what I loved to do, DJing. When you’re young you don’t think too far ahead, I was just enjoying the moment.
You’re a recent transplant from Paris to Brooklyn. What’s your impression of living in the city so far? Could you ever see yourself going back to Europe?
I LOVE BROOKLYN; it has such a vibe to it like nowhere else. As for now I don’t see myself going back anytime soon to Europe, things are amazing for me here. My label is doing great as well. I built a studio with my partner Francis Harris, and we are getting hired to do a lot of production jobs. On the bookings side, I have much more demand in North and South America, so things are great really.
Your collaboration with Francis Harris, Frank & Tony seems to be picking up steam lately. What is it about that collaboration that works so well?
Francis and I we really share similar taste on a lot of things in life, and if you knew Francis you would understand why it is so easy to get along with him, he is an amazing person and artist. In terms of business, are workflow is so natural, I wish we could have started this collaboration many years ago, hehe.
Can you describe your collaborative production process?
We both get involved in the studio and we often start off a beat Francis or I made on our own, then build from that together in the studio. The workflow is great as I mentioned, especially now that we just rebuilt our studio. Everything works great, so things are lot easier.
What’s your studio setup like? Do you produce mostly in the box or with outboard gear?
We only use the computer as a DAW and for processing effects. We also use outboard gear at times. If your set up is on point, it’s hard to beat the sound and feeling you get out of hardware. Anyways, that’s the way I like to work with Francis, just seems more natural this way.
What do you have coming up in the future? Any new releases on the horizon?
Yes, my EP ‘Lie to Me’ is out on ‘Have a Killer Time,’ my close friend Justin Miller’s label.
About Anthony Collins
Underground DJ and producer Anthony Collins has proven to be one of the most promising rising stars to emerge from the French house and techno scene.
Born to an American father and French mother, he grew up in both New York and southern France. Getting his first taste of music as a child in his father’s jazz recording studio in Los Angeles, it wasn’t until later in France that he discovered electronic music as a teenager and fell in love. Acquiring his first pair of decks at the age of 17 and playing his first gig the following year, it was soon time to push his budding career forward by moving to Paris. Quickly establishing himself on the scene, he was regularly booked to play at the city’s most prestigious nights and was soon taking his talents abroad, to benchmark parties in Berlin, Ibiza, New York, Los Angeles, and beyond.
Anthony describes his style as a mix of deep house, minimal, and deep tech. His ability to master this range is demonstrated in the breadth of high-quality labels he has released on. His EP’s span from iconic French imprint Freak N’ Chic to the hailed deep tech sounds of Curle, Steve Bug’s Poker Flat, Vakant, Mule Electronic, Ibadan, Liebe*Detail, Horizontal, and Supplement Facts. On the remix front, Collins’ unique style has allowed him to rework such luminaries as Ricardo Villalobos, and other famed talents such as Lee Foss, Cesare Vs Disorder, Alejandro Vicanco, Boris Werner, and Public Lover (the latest project from Bruno Pronsato). In 2009 he released his first full-length album, ‘Doubts & Shouts’, on Freak N’ Chic, to the acclaim of many in the underground scene, receiving full support from Loco Dice, LoSoul, Raresh, Ellen Alien and Shaun Reeves among others. A highlight of 2011 and Anthony’s career to date was his collaboration with Ricardo Villalobos and Los Updates, titled ‘I Throw Water Into The Lake’, a sultry, at times eerie, deep tech number on Nice Cat! Records.
As of late, Anthony has been focusing most of his time on a new venture with New York’s Francis Harris. Scissor & Thread, which launched at the end of 2011, is by no means your average dance imprint. The label is a platform for ambitious sounds, mixing up a slow and sultry house with the songwriting ethos of the indie world. With a steady stream of releases from newly discovered composers, producers, vocalists, and instrumentalists, 2012 was an exciting year for the label. On top of managing this new outlet, Anthony has still found time for his own musical endeavors, with upcoming EPs in collaboration with Francis Harris under their ‘Frank & Tony’ project, and solo work on his own more house-centric sub-label of Scissor & Thread, dubbed Natural History.
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