'Made Me Feel' is the new disco-infused album produced by Montreal duo Fabrikate. Taking us back to the days of studio 54, disco balls and shiny platform shoes, these two know a thing or two about disco music. Both had been exposed to the sounds of disco growing up around the house, so it naturally came full circle when Francis and Chuck decided to collaborate on this project. We caught up with the duo to talk all things disco, and of course, the album!
Congratulations on the release of your ‘Made Me Feel’ album! We had a listen, and it’s a fully disco-infused production. What is it about Disco music that draws you to the genre so much?
Thank you so much! Disco was how we both initially bonded, it just felt so natural to explore that path for this album. We both grew up in musical environments where disco music was always playing in the background and it just naturally influenced us in both becoming DJs later on in our lives. We owe a lot to disco!
How would you best describe ‘Fabrikate’ to someone who has never heard your music before?
We like to explore sounds from the past and give them a modern twist. We don’t define our sound as one that you can easily associate to as a genre. We like to keep it open, as it allows us to be more creative during the production process. We do love to use samples from recognizable disco records that we love, so that’s definitely something that characterizes our sound.
What direction did you decide to take with this upcoming album, and how is it different from your previous music?
As mentioned previously, we went back to disco pretty heavily on Made Me Feel. Our first album was a bit darker and moody, but Made Me Feel definitely has more punch and is way more upbeat. We wanted to present disco in a new fresh and modern way, whereas 'Bodies' our first album, was more 80’s synth heavy stuff. We’re finding our way and refining our sound into something that we really enjoy playing live and its never felt so natural.
"The authenticity of the process of how disco music was written and recorded is also something what we always really admired. That authenticity always went beyond the music itself as well, as the disco culture was literally brought up from the underground by the homosexual and African American community, in a time where white music ruled the airwaves."
You both had a strong influence of disco music surrounding you while growing up. What does disco music mean to you?
Growing up with disco has opened up our musical horizons more than anything else, really. Disco always had a wide reach as far as music influences: rap, soul, funk, house, techno… The authenticity of the process of how disco music was written and recorded is also something which we always really admired. That authenticity always went beyond the music itself as well, as the disco culture was literally brought up from the underground by the homosexual and African American community, in a time where white music ruled the airwaves. It was such a breath of fresh air when it all came to life and ever better to see its revival all these years later.
With the release of your new album, can fans expect any upcoming tours or shows? What’s a live performance with Fabrikate like?
Absolutely. That’s all in the works. We love to throw parties where we can fully be in control of the environment because we’re firm believers that music wins while being experienced when all your senses are being stimulated at once. A Fabrikate show is always very visually stunning. We incorporate live elements in our DJ performance to bring the whole experience to life even more. It’s the kind of party that you just have to come and see for yourself to get the full experience. You coming?
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