They host parties in an old public toilet, their new label mixes up techno and dubstep, and they’ve just teamed up with the massive Timewarp festival. ROB CHADWICK talks to Lost Souls…
Lost Souls has become one of the most talked about brands in London. Thanks to their infamous gigs at Public Life – aka The Toilet – and booking some the best up-and-comers for their events, promoters Lee Hume and Ant Difrancesco have seen their profile rocket. They’ve also launched a label, Lost Souls Productions, which looks set to go the same way, with tracks from the likes of Alpha Rhythm and Sigha, and remixes from Gaiser and Marcel Dettmann getting the imprint into the record bags that matter. And to top it all off, the guys have joined forces with major festival Timewarp as the leading promoter in the UK. EQ chats to Lee and Ant to find out more about their rise to the top…
Lost Souls seems to be on a bit of a roll at the moment. What’s the secret behind your success?
Ant: The summer has been a busy one for us – we’ve been working hard on developing the label, we’ve put on some great parties at Egg with Gaiser, Konrad Black and Neiderflur, and we were lucky enough to host Room 2 at Fabric for our good friends at WYS.
Lee: It’s been a lot fun, but I’m looking forward to the winter. We’ve got some events lined up with some top DJs ranging from Seth Troxler and Peter Van Hoesen to Scuba. Keep your eyes peeled!
How did it all start for Lost Souls? How did you guys meet?
Ant: The idea came walking out of Fabric to go get the train – my friend and I felt like Lost Souls! The conversation then went on to putting on some parties with friends, and over the years, I’ve added people to the team. We have a real varied taste in music, influences and backgrounds, but we’re all like minded and on the same level.
Lee: The mixture makes things interesting – it’s a great group of people and it’s really enjoyable to be a part of.
You have two sides to Lost Souls – the parties and the label. What’s the idea behind having them both?
Ant: Our Public Life residency and other parties give us an opportunity to play the music we love to people, but the label has a much further reach and enables us to have another avenue for creative output. Something that gets recorded lasts longer than the length of party.
Lost Souls have a really good relationship with the German event Timewarp. This must be a lot of fun?
Lee: Our relationship with Timewarp is one which has flourished over the past year or so. The events they host in Mannheim and Rotterdam are some of the most amazing parties in Europe, if not the world. Their production and attention to detail is something which takes the party to the next level. The DJs all up their game, and the atmosphere is incredible. Taking coachloads of ravers with us to the event is such good fun – from when you arrive there as a big group and take over a hotel, to when you get into the event and see some familiar faces. It all adds to the experience…
You also run your weekly party at Public Life in London, Shoreditch’s infamous old public toilet. How would you describe these parties?
Ant: Unique. The venue itself is a very intimate environment. There are no other places like it. With the right crowd it really does go off. It’s great to be able to party in a venue which we have made our own with regulars, friends and people who travel from all over the UK to be there.
The parties get rave reviews, what have been your highlights?
Ant: The times when we’ve been joined by Chris Liebing – he took the roof off the place playing to around 100 people. It’s the times when the mixture of music and people are just right that you get a party with an electric atmosphere.
Lee: You can almost guarantee this when we host New Year’s Eve parties. The fancy dress theme throws up some weird and wonderful outfits, and along with the darkness of the night (we usually host day parties) that adds an extra little something to the night.
How would you describe the sound of the label?
Lee: The concept behind the label is to get techno artists remixing dubstep tracks and vice versa. To date we’ve had some great releases and have some real treats coming up for fans of both sounds. We’re working now with established artists such as Dettmann, Brendon Moeller, Dario Zenker and Perc, along with some exciting prospects who are yet to release on an imprint.
Ant: Above all we’re looking to put out quality music, which is something which hopefully shines through. We’ve also had some great news recently that Scuba’s remix on LS003 is to be featured within a mix he’s compiling for the Berlin venue Berghain.
Visit www.lostsoulspromotions.com and www.lostsoulsmusic.com
