THE VEGAS YEARS

Richard Fearless is a busy man. Working on a remix for Paul Weller and piecing together music for the screen version of Irvine Welsh?s The Acid House, the man also known as Maguire has only a few days left before the UK and Irish leg of his band?s debut European tour proper kicks off. Despite a sleepless night and the rigours of Death In Vegas? US live dates with The Chemical Brothers, Fearless is eager to talk, all the while munching on what sounds like his breakfast.
?We got great responses when we played live in Ireland and at festivals in the UK and Europe: then we went to America, and the crowds were cold and unresponsive which was disheartening. We?ve just been offered the support slot on the Blur tour, but we?re not sure to accept it: you?ve got to think about your sanity from time to time.?
Not that, at the tender age of 24, Fearless betrays any signs of succumbing to the pressures of the job. At each turn, he has played it cool and delivered the goods. An organiser of the legendary Moral Panic, Gurn and Job Club parties, where he started spinning, it was during this period that Richard also picked up his new surname, which, he explains ?started off as a joke with the other resident who was named Wreckless. I never thought it would be a problem when I had to show my flight tickets at passport control!?
bloated crooner
A love of dub, ska and techno ensured that his djing sets remained wildly eclectic, breaking the 4/4 mould of many around him. These broad musical tastes were shared by Steve Hellier with whom Fearless started to collaborate under the name of Dead Elvis, changing their name to Death In Vegas when they found out about another band already trading under the bloated crooner?s handle (as well as the Irish record label ? Ed.). By day Fearless was studying graphic design at college, and, when the band started to take off he left his studies, but continued to apply his art to the band?s record sleeves.
?I?m having my first exhibition this year in conjunction with Dazed & Confused magazine,? he says excitedly, before focusing again on the subject matter, Death In Vegas, and the so-called ?big beat? scene. With commissions for ads, remixes and soundtracks rolling in, it seems that the band are riding the crest of a big phat wave.
?Personally, I?m really sick of ?big beat?, whatever that is,? answers Fearless. ?Our music has more depth than that. Much of the music around is real painting-by-numbers stuff, records that copy the Chemicals sound over and over again. The Chemical Brothers are unique because they have fantastic production techniques and are great live.
?I don?t play ?big beat? when I dj, something I still enjoy doing whenever I have time. When I get booked for ?big beat? clubs it probably is due to my residency at the Heavenly Social: people are surprised, because I play funky techno, electro, Basic Channel and old dub stuff.?
The Death In Vegas sound, mapped out by Fearless and Hellier?s widescreen musical vision, doesn?t need to rely on cheesy formulas to succeed, and the duo remain unimpressed by the gravy train ideals that so many talented dance producers have fallen prey to. The remix route, for example, is carefully avoided by DIV.
?Mixes are just a cheap marketing tool for record companies,? explains the decidedly sussed Fearless. ?I?ve been offered a lot of mixes, sometimes from well-known bands, but I don?t do many. I?d rather use the ideas I have for my own recordings, and be known primarily as a producer.?
no plan
The pair are already working on the follow-up to Dead Elvis, their acclaimed debut album, and in keeping with the philosophy central to their career to date, Richard claims that the plan for the next album is, simply, no plan.
?We?re just working on each individual track, there?s no particular sound we?re striving for, and everything we?ve worked on so far has been different.?
This approach is also applied to the Death In Vegas live performance, where their music is worked into different interpretations by a full band. Imported by the like-minded Influx crew, Fearless? shows at Belfast and Dublin have been essential experiences.
?Our music has a live feel,? concurs Fearless, ?and playing a gig allows us to give our tracks a bit of a different twist. Anyway, a band are more exciting to watch than two blokes with a computer. Johnny Moy will be playing on our European tour as well; I?ve djed for him at his club quite a bit, and I like the Influx ideology.?
As Fearless prepares to head off again, there remains one unanswered question: why does he hate Sting so much?
?I don?t hate him, he just annoys me. I went to the MTV awards recently, and there were loads of gospel singers on stage, and Sting came up through the floor singing that cheesy tribute to The Notorious BIG.?
Elvis would?ve turned in his grave, if he hadn?t already left the building. n
? Death In Vegas, Black Star Liner and DJs Richard Fearless and Johnny Moy play Shine?s 2nd Birthday, Queens, Belfast on October 10th, and Influx, The Red Box, Dublin on October 11th.