Interview: Fleetmac Wood

The juxtaposition of  Fleetwood Mac’s legendary album Rumours and a rave initially seems ludicrous. How can perfectly orchestrated, played and produced soft rock classics such as Dreams, You Make Loving Fun and Go Your Own Way possibly complement the grimy, deep-down and dirty hedonistic excesses of a rave?

Fleetwood Mac have crept into the consciousness of dance music fans and club promoters creators of music you can lose yourself in. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the phenomenally successful Fleetmac Wood club nights. From the heart of the East End of London in 2012, the organisers have taken the project to venues in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Colombia, Glastonbury, Burning Man and Secret Garden Party festivals – and now they’re coming to Bristol.

B24/7 spoke to promoter and DJ Roxanne Roll about what to expect.

Why do you think Fleetmac Wood has been so successful, not just in the UK but globally?
A supergroup of master musicians, multiple songwriters, three distinct voices and a magic groove created by Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, plus the resources of the 60s, 70s and 80s music industry and the authenticity of the lyrics. In contrast to the majority of rock and roll bands from that time, having two women up front makes for another exciting point of difference to the sound and performance. The younger generation really have taken this music to heart. It’s not just nostalgic – it’s very much a part of their lives.

What sort of crowd do you attract? Is it hip dance fans or do you get die-hard ‘Mac fans from way back coming along too?
We get a great mix of people. Some may be just starting their journey into Fleetwood Mac fandom and some are way down the rabbit hole. It’s a celebration of a shared passion, so the atmosphere is like a festival when you are all in it together. We’ve seen lots of people make new friends and sometimes people bring their parents too which is really cool.

Do you think any other classic rock bands could have a night like Fleetmac Wood dedicated to them?
We have hosted a similar party at Glastonbury to celebrate the Rolling Stones before they played a few years ago. As a massive fan of theirs I would love to dive into that again soon, but at the moment there is still such a treasure chest of Fleetwood Mac songs. It’s the mix of so many genres and musicians that really is their strength. It was blues that became rock, with a touch of folk, country that ultimately became pop. And they are still creating new music with the latest Buckingham McVie album, which is very much a Fleetwood Mac album sans Stevie Nicks.

What can a first-timer, as most of the Bristol crowd will be, expect at Fleetmac Wood?
Musically, don’t expect Dreams on repeat. We like to make it a journey over four hours so we mix the big hits up with back catalogue and solo projects. There’s a visual element to the party as we like to immerse everyone in the overall aesthetic of the band and we definitely encourage dressing up. This is a celebration and very much participatory. People have so many emotional connections to the music that it’s a real cathartic experience to listen to this music on a big club soundsystem. We want people to let go and drift into the songs – to that special other place that music can take you.

Are there any Fleetwood Mac songs that no matter how good the remix or re-imagining you’d just not play?
We’re always open to experimenting and hearing something a new way. The originals are always the best but it’s more challenging for us as DJs and producers to try something different. I put off remixing Silver Springs for years until recently as I was intimidated by its greatness, but I finally just had a go. It’s not about bettering the original, it’s about bringing the original to the disco. We have a cool remix of Landslide by LOOTER (a Los Angeles producer) but we often play the original near the end of the night, because well, it’s Landslide.

What are your favourite three Fleetwood Mac songs – originals or remixes?
Gypsy, Silver Springs, The Chain – three songs is just unfair!

Have you forgiven Mick Fleetwood for the Brit Awards in 1989?
Of course, he is so charming. I have only heard about the incident as I am Australian and didn’t see it at the time. I haven’t been able to find it on YouTube either.

Do the band know about the nights and if so have you had any feedback?
I had the pleasure of interviewing Mick Fleetwood and he seemed amused by the project. I don’t know about the other members of the band. We would be so thrilled to have them along, and for them see all these young people raving away to their songs. Of course we would absolutely love to do an official remix one day. Dreams!

Fleetmac Wood is at the Thekla on Friday, July 7. Doors 10pm. For more information and to buy tickets visit www.thekla.club/#event_id=veu900e2

Top photo by Ben Cope, live photo by Jolanta Valeniece

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