Following the release of Balance’s massive compilation curated by industry masters, Dave Seaman & Quivver, we had the pleasure of chatting with the two producers about all things VA and their collaboration on ‘Make This Disappear.’

WWD: Hey, Dave & John! Huge congratulations on Balance Presents Dave Seaman and Quivver! It’s a fantastic release which hasn’t left our speakers. How long were you in the studio working on it?

John: Well, if you count from the day we started ‘Make this Disappear’ – about 3 years! Our own productions have been in the making for a long time, on and off, but the rest of the album also took quite a while to come together. There was a lot of tweaking and fine tuning, especially towards the end. I totally underestimated how much time and effort it would take, especially as it’s a double CD. It’s a LOT of music!

Dave: Yeah, it actually took around 3 weeks in the studio creating the two mixes but the whole thing took much longer. We started compiling around 4 months prior to that which is the really time consuming part of the process. Searching for and securing which music we were going to include was arguably the more challenging bit.

WWD: All tracks across the two mixes are unreleased and exclusives which is a real coup, especially given the huge quality of artists featured. Which artists were you most excited to have on board?

John: That’s a tough one, there are so many great artists on the album, and a couple of the lesser-known artists provided some of the best music, so it wasn’t just about landing the biggest names.

Dave: Personally, I was delighted to finally get an official release on my Underworld remix. I did it back in 2016 as an official mix for what was to be the last single from the ‘Barbara, Barbara’ album but for whatever reason, they decided not to run with a 4th single in the end, so it’s been a bit of a secret weapon ever since. I always saw this as the kind of project on which it could finally get a release and it’s proved. So happy to have it on the vinyl version too 🙂

WWD: How long did it take to receive all of the tracks after you reached out to artists?

Dave: As I mentioned earlier, it was around 4 months compiling. This is the massive difference between your average online digital DJ mix and an official mix compilation album release. There’s so much more time and care and attention devoted to an album like this.

WWD: Were there any arguments or lengthy discussions on which tracks made the final cut?

John: Not particularly, we do have quite similar taste, so if we received a few tracks from an artist we tended to pick the same ones. Thankfully that part of the process was pretty easy.

Dave: Yeah, there was very little debate over which tracks we choose to be honest. There were an odd one or two that I liked more than John or vice versa but nothing that we came to blows over. Not that I’d ever get into a fight with John. I’m not that stupid! He does jujitsu!! Hahaha.

WWD: We premiered your collaboration ‘Make This Disappear’ on When We Dip. Tell us about the track and the meaning behind it.

John: We wanted to do a vocal track before the Balance album was even a thing. I’d made this arpeggio bass groove in Ana 2 which was working well, then Dave sent me some lyrics he’d written a while back and I had a mess around with some vocal ideas.

I recorded a vocal take, and we built the rest of track around that. The track was almost finished and vocal sounded ok but we both thought it needed something, a different delivery and attitude so I did it again and it sounded way better, then Dave added his stellar BVs at the last minute and that was the icing on the cake!

Dave: Yeah, it was actually a track we started back in 2020 and then forgot about for a while. It wasn’t until we were going through some old folders searching for unreleased projects that could potentially be resurrected for this project that it really began to take shape. Sometimes you just need a bit of time and distance away from something to get a fresh perspective and it all becomes obvious exactly what it needs.

WWD: Speaking of which, if you could make anything (or anyone!) disappear, what (or who!) would it be?

John: Donald Trump.

Dave: Same. That’s the easiest question to answer of the whole interview!  Hahaha

WWD: We love Dave’s remix of the mighty Underworld’s ‘Low Burn.’ Have you heard Underworld’s reaction to the remix?

Dave: I think they liked it. I didn’t have direct contact with them on it to be honest. It was all done through their management. But the fact that they’ve allowed it to be released on this album suggests that they must have liked it at least!

WWD: We hear you are touring the album together. Where can people catch you playing over the coming months?

John: At the moment, we have Argentina, Bali & Australia lined up and I’ll also be in going to Pakistan for the first time in May so really looking forward to that.

Dave: We’ve got a weekend in Mexico planned too and then also a couple of UK shows confirmed for the summer plus more to be announced. Watch this space as they say 🙂

WWD: The Balance series is such a massively respected milestone for any artist. Which Balance mix is your all-time favourite?

John: I loved Joris Voorn’s. Still listen to that occasionally and it still sounds amazing.

Dave: I’ve got a particular soft spot for Phil K’s. God rest his soul. Particularly the first mix of his album, the Breaks Mix. But there’s been so many amazing albums in the series. Anthony Pappa’s and James Holden’s both also spring to mind.

WWD: When you’re not in the studio or touring, how do you both like to unwind?

John: Usual stuff. I exercise a fair bit, watch TV when I’ve got time, but to be honest when I’m not in the studio, I want to be back in the studio.

Dave: I watch a lot of football and films. I’ve taken to Audiobooks quite a bit recently too. I get through a lot more books that way than conventional reading.

WWD: Thanks for speaking with When We Dip, Dave & John!

Dave: Thanks for having us and for the continued support.

John: Yes, thanks very much!

Balance Presents Dave Seaman & Quivver is out now. Buy/stream here

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