We caught up with British duo Framewerk recently. These two guys are part of a rare species that still use floppy disks while producing music. Darren & Alec are real dinosaurs of the rave scene in the UK, they believe in hardware equipment and their sound just never disappoints.

During three decades of getting involved in the Dance Music scene they used various monikers and went through many genre of music. Framewerk signed on a many well respected labels such as Prison Entertainement, Toolrom, Chapter 24, Click Records and their own label Capital Heaven. They pair shared their love for music and their best moments including djing live with John Digweed which was, they think, in 1988,

WWD: Your music caught the attention of Pete Tong. Tell us what song was it and how it happened?

It was years ago under one of our many guises…a track we signed to Seb Fontaines label which got support not just from Pete Tong but a wide array of DJ’s.

WWD: I understand you had several monikers throughout your career. How did you get to choose Framewerk?

We initially were making Deep and Tech House under our Manhattan guise but decided to set up Framewerk to encompass the Nu Disco sound coming through at the time.

WWD: Do you have any mentors? People that you like to consult when you are not sure about a song?

We don’t consult anybody regarding a finished product but have always been influenced by Sasha and Digweed, and more recently people like Solomun.

WWD: Your song “It’s You” will be out on Bimini records at the end of the month. Tell us about the production process. How did you make it? How long did it take you to make it?

Our songs generally take an hour or two to come up with the initial idea…sometimes the next day that idea will remain but more often than not it will change and evolve into something different to what we originally planned. Regarding “It’s You” we started off in quite a tough direction but wanted to make it a bit more melodic to tailor to the Bimini sound.

WWD: In your studio you use samplers and synthesizers, only hardware equipment for the most part. Do you find it more fun to use them than just a simple software?

We have been “hands on” with our studio equipment for so many years now that it is hard for us to change…you still can’t beat just messing around with analogue gear to get instant results.

WWD: Capital Heaven is the label you manage. How do you choose your artists? What sound do you usually look for?

We will listen to every demo sent and if there is a certain level of production or the basis of a good idea for remix potential, then we will endeavor to release it. We don’t limit the label to one sound – Nu Disco, Deep House, Chill Out and Tech House are the main categories at present.

WWD: You run a monthly show on Tunnel FM. Tell us about how you prepare the mix. How do you choose your music?

We look at what we have coming out on the label, in addition to what we may have coming out elsewhere, and add that to any choice promo’s we may have recently received. We also try to reflect our live DJ gigs within the radio programs wherever possible.

WWD: Can you describe Framewerk sound?

The sound we produce is the same as what we play… Darren tends to veer more towards the deeper end of the spectrum and Alec likes the more lighter side so we generally end up with something in between the two.

WWD: Your best selling song on Beatport is “Feel you hold you” on Liverpool based label Selador. Great work! How did you get you involved in this project?

We have known Steve Parry for some time now and played alongside Dave Seaman back in the days. Over the last two years we have moved away from the Nu Disco soundFramewerk started out producing and have taken on more of the edgier melodic sound Selador seems to get.

WWD: You released music on your label Capital Heaven and also Toolroom, Chapter 24, Click, and Voltaire. Is there a song that means more for you than the others? One that you are more proud of?

“Electric Religion” on Prison Entertainment is something more on the side of chill out we made quite a while ago which still seems to still stand up, and more recently “Blue Skies” on our own label, our remix of “Out Of This World” by Alexandre Allegretti on Making You Dance and our remix of Erik Christiansen’s “Love & War” on Bimini is a refection of our current sound.

WWD: You just had a show in Ukraine for NYE. How was it?

Although we have played in the Ukraine on quite a few occasions – for New Years eve we played at Klyuch for the first time. It is an absolutely amazing venue full of beautiful people who were really receptive to the sound we were playing. We played a four hour set and it went off right from the start!

WWD: What is the best DJ Set experience you had?

It’s hard to name just one as we have a few years of DJing to remember but Renaissance Boxing Day special alongside John Digweed and Quivver in 1998 (we think!) was a bit special and we have to say our most recent gig at aforementioned Klyuch is going to take some beating!!

WWD: What can we expect from Framewerk in 2016?

To keep trying to progress within our productions – we may have been in the business for many years but feel we are always learning and are keen to keep pushing new sounds… We also are looking at some pretty fantastic DJ gigs possibly on the horizon in Canada, Dubai and Ibiza so far.

WWD: Is there something that we have missed and you would like to share with your fans?

We just have to thank everybody who has supported us over the years so far.

Words by Rico – Rico is a Tour Guide, a Tri-Athlete and a go-go Dancer. Originally from Paris, he is part of a music duo named Wolf Story.