RUB N TUG - Fabric 30 (CD)
Eric D and Thomas met at a party (where else?) in LA,
through a mutual friend working at a clothing and disco unit called
Sarcastic. Random chance and coincidence soon found the two of them
together on the other side of the continent, pumping beats into the
heart of New York City's underground scene. Despite NYC commercialism
staring them in the eyes and singing it sweet siren song, Eric and Thomas,
with good mates and cheap drinks in hand, kept their feet firmly planted
in the fertile underground and sauntered on with a laugh. A friend's
acquisition of a Chinese Rub N Tug massage-palace-cum-loft-space sparked
a series of raucous parties where rooms were torn down, both literally
and figuratively, as 300-400 people shuffled to their wild disco mashups.
It seems only natural that out of the seedy, risqué, hell-bent
indulgence, Rub N Tug was born. Next up were their lock-ins on the rammed
disco floors of Passerby, now notoriously and fondly recalled as Campfire,
where house music poured out of sweaty speakers 'til the after-after-hours.
"We're into having a party. Music and having a
drink and a good time. Our friends and family in New York all kind of
gathered about us when we started to play jams. The first Rub N Tug
night was a loft jam at the AsFour Siver Cage - a crazy night with 40
cases of champagne on the fire escape, fights broke out while we scratched
records. At one point T played the keyboard with his bare ass. You know
that kind of party. That's how it started; may it continue as it began."
- Rub N Tug
Shortly after their first mix CD for aNYthing clothing
company came a boisterous compilation from Eskimo called Campfire, a
stylish capturing of their debauched nights/mornings at Passerby, and
Rub N Tug found they'd quickly transformed from NYC scene-sters to globetrotting
party starters. Remixes flowed out like tequila shots, sharp and burning,
and they were soon queuing everyone from !!! to Coldplay to Beastie
Boys to Roxy Music to Zero 7.
"I like the pop stuff but you've got to be into
it. The reason that we took the Zero7 tune is because it was so bloody
good." - Thom, Rub N Tug
On 'Fabric 30', shuffling disco and roaring house beats
prove that you've clearly never been to a real party until you've attended
a Rub N Tug party. Brain-throttling basslines rub on velvety synths
and tug on stretchy beats, coupled with irresistibly sing-along vocals
and hypnotizing guitar lines. As genres are bent and fused, the merrymaking
sounds of voices whooping, feet stomping, hands clapping and glasses
breaking are practically audible in the background. The duo soars through
the set flawlessly, closing the mix with smooth and addictive beats
that guarantee a "happy ending" you don't get charged extra
for.
"We just got into our record boxes and pulled
out what we were playing at the moment, our favourite tunes from the
current, what we're into now. So basically it's like a slice of a night
a Fabric in a way." - Eric, Rub N Tug
Rub N Tug 'Fabric 30' is out now through Fabric/Inertia.
