'Acid Trax' was and always will be the definitive acid record: the first to introduce the world to the joys of the Roland TB-303, and in dance music terms, as influential as 'Can You Feel It' and 'Strings Of Life'. While the Mr. Fingers and Derrick May contributions to the holy dance triumvirate were firmly rooted in the sounds of their native cities, Chicago and Detroit, Phuture were a law unto themselves.
Fusing house and techno rhythms with warped, sinister acid bleeps and squelches, 'Acid Trax' was an unforgettable order to dance, inspiring everyone from Luke Slater to The KLF, Plastikman to The Chemical Brothers and Hardfloor to Fatboy Slim to invest in the now unavailable machinery, and twiddle and tweak the boxes to create the last decade's most captivating musical moments.
While these developments were taking place on a global level, what had happened to Phuture? Two of the band's original members, DJ Pierre and Roy Davis Jr., left to pursue alternative careers. Pierre became known for the development of the often copied but never emulated 'Wild Pitch' sound and released countless tracks on the US label, Strictly Rhythm, while Davis, the man responsible for the utterly terrifying 'Who Dares Believe In Me?' mellowed out with age, and weighed in with the superbly soulful 'Gabrielle' smash of last year. However, the third member, Spanky is still in Phuture, now called Phuture 303, and collaborates with Professor Trax and DJ Skull. This month saw the release of a new Phuture 303 album, Alpha ... Omega, and Digital Beat caught up with Spanky and Trax to talk about the good and the bad times.
"Phuture has been around for fifteen years," explains Spanky, "and things are getting better. Pierre and Roy used to get all the recognition - people didn't even know it was my group. I'm the type of guy who is aggressive and I didn't want to seem conceited, but at the time I got real depressed about it."
As Spanky relates some of his experiences, it's clear he sees himself as a victim of the cut-throat music industry. He believes that nearly every organisation and person he has encountered has ripped him off to some extent, and the bitterness in his voice is understandable.
"We started it and we're going to end it, but everyone else who made acid music got rich. Why aren't we benefiting from it? Why didn't the labels we worked for, apart from Strictly Rhythm and A1 - I've been lucky with them so far, but you'll know if something isn't right if I ain't working with them again - ever pay us or give us publishing rights? Is it because we're black? We were so broke we couldn't even get a lawyer.
"I have the question in my head 'why I am working a regular day job?' I'm not broke, but it's not from the music business. I'd like to concentrate on music full-time, but until there are enough honest people we can't do that. There are still too many devils running the record labels, who steal the music from the artists. Generally, though, there's a lack of respect for house producers. There are as many talented people in house as there are in hip-hop and r...b, but do you ever see any house musicians at the Grammys?"
Unfortunately, dishonesty in the music business has had the knock-on effect of Phuture experiencing a lack of finance and resources, thus stifling the group's creativity. While Alpha ... Omega is a higher standard than the work of most production outfits, a lack of progression is detectable. At times, the album flirts with deeper textures and downbeat structures, but more often than not it eventually returns to the same acidic sounds that have become the group's trademark.
Spanky refers to the Phuture sound as house music, originally called "trax", but says that finanical and label pressures impinge on his creativity, and, despite the success of their recent live shows he claims: "I could do more with the live act if I got paid more, but as long as they keep treating us like this I'm going to be up there with a 303 and a drum machine."
Professor Trax, the other full-time member of Phuture 303, supports Spanky's opinion, but is quick to admit that Alpha ... Omega is the same sound as usual.
"We like the LP, but it has been around in some form since 1993, and we know we can do better. If we had more money, we could create warmer, fatter sounds. We want to do tunes with a singer and a saxophonist, make the music housier, but you need money for that.
"In general, we want to branch off into different areas and prove that Phuture can do other stuff. We want to be classified not as an acid group, rather as a good house and dance act. The next LP will explore different avenues and shock a lot of people: we have so many ideas, but it can be very frustrating if you are constrained by money."
Surely this is a painful real-life warning to any aspiring producer out there. n
* Alpha ... Omega is out now on A1.