Interviews

Clive From Accounts returns to Brooklyn label Razor-N-Tape with his full length album “The Very Best of Clive From Accounts”. It’s a wild ride through varying shades of UK house and garage that will blow your mind! Here we get the chance to sit down with our favourite numbers man who takes us through some of his back cat memories, his mathematical ability and perfectionism. Clive also shines a light on the making of his incredible new album.

Where are you at this moment and how are you planning to spend the rest of the day?

My pleasure! Like most days I'm sitting in my studio, surrounded by synths. I'll most likely spend the rest of the day thinking about what feng shui maneuverers I can pull off to fit more synths in.

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Holloway, North London and currently live in Finsbury Park.

How is the health of the house music scene where you live?

I have a toddler and another on the way so haven't been able to get out much in the last two and a half years! There are lots of talented musicians, DJs & producers around though, Pete Cannon lives just down the road and I'm 2 seconds from Brownswood road: Gilles Peterson's house!

How long have you been making music? What was your first step into making beats?

The first time I really remember making something was when me and a pal were about 12 having a mess about on my older brother’s copy of Cubase. We managed to knock up a (very terrible) remake of Prodigy’s Breathe using the inbuilt GM sounds. No Internet really back then so it was all a big mystery. I remember how excited we were to discover quantizing!

When was the moment you realized that you crossed the line into becoming an artist?

I think the moment I bought my MPC 2000XL was the real turning point. I’d worked my way up to it with little samplers but finally getting my hands on that legendary grey box changed everything. I could finally make fully finished tracks which I recorded to cassette tape.

Is your day job really in accounts?

All I can say is I do have a Math’s A-Level.

475 times 11 divided 3?

Hahaha.

Your first release was on Outplay. Is that correct?

I’d consider it the first proper release yeah, first vinyl one anyway.

How did you hook up with the Fouk boys? They must have been a lot of fun to work with.

I just send them a demo blind and thankfully they got back to me. They’re super lovely lads and obviously very talented in what they do. I’d love to work with them again in some form or another. The only time we ever met in person was their London gig in March 2020. It was a crazy night as we all got first pressing Covid and then 2 weeks later the lockdowns started!

The Trouble with Clive reminds me of the new album. All those breaks and 90s UK flavours. How do you feel about this EP now? Does it still feel fresh to you?

Yeah I still like it. In general, after finishing and mixing a track with 1000s of repeated listens I can’t stand them but that’s passed now. It’s nice to be reminded of a different era. Not really knowing what I was doing making house music which made things sound unique I think. It’s always good to push yourself into uncharted territory. That’s why the album’s all over the place stylistically.

The following EP was on Dirt Crew "Cooking The Books". How many releases have you had with Dirt Crew? Did you ever consider releasing the album with those guys?

3 EPs with them now so that basically is an album if you add them together (told you I had math’s A-level).

Yes I love working with Peter, he’s a really sound guy and has helped me with other things including getting the Alan EP out on my own label.

Strictly Business was your first outing on RNT. Your Love is a killer tune! And Yukon. You must have had a lot of fun making that track.

Yes, the only EP I’ve done for RNT. They were all fun to make especially Without You Love as it features my brother on trumpet. I’m proud of that release and -It’s not That I don’t Care” which was originally supposed to be the 5th track.

Clive By Night, I think this is my fave Clive zone. Uplifting rolling house groove. Is there a particular style that you are most comfortable in?

Thanks! I like making all styles and try not to get too comfortable in one as it can lead to things getting stale.

I like listening to a lot of different styles of music so why not make them too. It funny though, I started DJing DnB when I was 13 but this is the first time I’ve ever really made a proper DnB track. There were a ton of ideas lying dormant for decades to come out!

Tell me a little about your relationship with the RNT crew.

I really like working with the RNT crew, and it was awesome getting to meet and hang out with Jason and Aaron in person when we played our London show last year. I’ve made a couple of remixes and a compilation track for them, but that EP is the only full release. It was the first time where a label I really liked had actually reached out to me for tracks instead of being ground down by my relentless demo-ing.

I’d love to hear about the initial idea for the album. When did you first approach the concept and what was your original intention?

My first ideas were a bit weird. I was going to make a full album worth of 70’s style cosmic library music (Brian Bennet, Bernard Fevre etc) and then make a separate second album of modern stuff made from only sampling the first. Maybe I’ll do that one day! In the end I just decided to just do whatever I wanted musically and give it a silly title. That’s the standard Clive ethos!

What are you most proud of with on this release?

Making an album has a lot of moving parts and is quite a big undertaking. It took me two years to make during which there were a few other big personal life events happening. So, I’m mostly proud of the fact that It’s been completed, with no tracks that are below par. I love them all.

I’m also over the moon with the artwork. The unbelievably talented trio of artists/sculptors Charlie Harrison & Teal Griffin and Photographer / Video effects wizard Sean Hancock made the visuals for the album so unique and memorable. If you can’t tell everything in the shots are half scale cardboard / foam board models. We had a really fun day setting up and shooting the scene at Teal’s studio.

What was the most challenging part of bringing the release together?

It was challenging to keep it interesting and varied yet cohesive and flow well. Hopefully it takes you on a journey.

I guess this record marks some years in the music business, I’d love to hear how your creative process has changed and remained the same over the years. Do you approach anything different now?

Good question but a tricky one to answer. I think a lot of the change is subconscious, but my basic approach is pretty much the same as in I treat each track uniquely and don’t use a formula or starting point. Basically, I try not to repeat myself or get stuck in the same creative rut. I think you open yourself up to more 'mistakes’ but end up learning more this way too.

Once a piece of music is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later?

I try to leave as long as possible before doing a final mix as you’ve often lost all sense of perspective from hearing it too many times.

Are you a perfectionist?

I’d say so yes, I agonize over every tiny detail, and it drives me crazy haha. Part of me wishes it wasn’t the case but then again it’s part of who I am.

There’s a very fine line though between getting that snare EQ just right and over-tweaking the whole track to death. Taking regular breaks and listening quietly can sometimes help to get a better zoomed out overview of a track.

You have to learn how to know when to get out of the way and let the track escape the studio.. there are no short cuts to this though it just takes time and experience.

After finishing a record and putting it out there, there can often be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this?

This is getting deep man! Yeah I can relate. It’s understandable if you put a lot of effort into something.. Your creative battery needs time to recharge.

Do you find that feedback from others is important, does it help you to gain new insights?

It can be very helpful and great to share ideas and learn from people but ultimately I think you have to learn to trust your gut and make the music you want to hear. As long as you’re happy with it then you’re pretty impervious to criticism.

What drives you to create music Clive?

I like the idea of making something that didn’t exist the day before and thankfully I still feel excited to experiment with sounds, weird ideas, and music in general

Now that this album is almost out there, what can we hope to see next from Clive?

I honestly don’t know! I feel like a new direction might be in order. Hopefully, this album does well though because I’d love to justify making another one! C x

Check out the latest release from Clive From Accounts.