It takes a certain kind of talent to create a unique sound amongst the outpouring of House music these days, one that is the likes of British DJ duo Prok & Fitch. Since first catapulting onto the scene, Ben Prok and James Fitch have seen wild success through their raw talent, skillfully executed hits, and support from the biggest players in the scene like Hot Since 82, Carl Cox, Mark Knight, Joseph Capriati, and many more. One thing we love about Prok & Fitch is that their music exudes an explosive groove that is punchy, erratic, and turns heads wherever they go. It’s no wonder that they eventually captured the attention of industry legend Curtis Jones, a.k.a the one and only, Green Velvet. The duos 2016 collab track with the king of Chicago, “Sheeple,” sky-rocketed to #1 on Beatport immediately after its release, where it remained on an astounding 10-week run. In the midst of their busy schedule, Prok & Fitch took the time to speak with us about the making and success of “Sheeple,” their upcoming track with Green Velvet, and all that is in the works for 2017.
It’s only March and it seems like you guys are already having a massive year so far. Can you tell us a little about what you’ve been up to lately?
Prok & Fitch: Yeah, it’s been a pretty crazy start to the year, the response to our collaboration with Green Velvet has been amazing. It’s opened new doors for us and musically we’re exactly where we want to be. As always we like to put the hours in the studio. So far this year we’ve released an EP on Relief and most recently a remix on Subliminal. We’ve got some excited releases planned for the rest of the year including lots of original material and putting the finishing touches to a remix of the legendary ‘LaLa Land’ by Green Velvet. Outside of the studio, touring has been pretty solid playing some wicked shows and racking up serious air miles! Our recent gigs at the Egg in London and BPM Festival have been our favorites so far.
Let’s talk about your track “Sheeple” for a minute. How did this collab with Green Velvet come to be, and what was it like working with him?
Prok & Fitch: Out of the blue! We played at his party at Exchange in L.A., and having never met him before we had a fair few drinks with him and got on really well. We were buzzing after the gig so soon as we got back to the U.K. we headed to our studio and made making a track for relief our priority. The “Steeple” idea came together quickly, and as soon as we had a rough version we sent it to him. His reaction took us by surprise, absolutely loving it and within 24 hours he had sent it back with that killer vocal. Curtis had been playing the record through all the rough demo stages and every time was saying “you have no idea how big this record is.” At the time we were obviously very excited and looking forward to the release date.
It’s a pretty special thing when you get to work with someone that you’ve respected and admired ever since we both got into electronic music. We couldn’t speak any higher of Curtis. Without a doubt he’s one of the nicest guys we’ve met in the industry and is an absolute genius when it comes to writing vocals and making records.
You seem to have an awesome relationship with Green Velvet. What kind of impact has he had on your work as of late?
Prok & Fitch: Yeah, definitely. There’s been a massive impact particularly in the studio, he’s really into us making what music we’re passionate about and is encouraging our darker side. Without a doubt we’re going through our best spell to date making music and couldn’t be happier about it.
How excited were you to see “Sheeple” at #1 on Beatport for over 10 weeks?
Prok & Fitch: Super excited! We had been very close before but never the top spot. To finally get to No.1 was quite a big thing for us. We were hoping it would stay up there for a week or two, but lasting that long was madness. Needless to say we had a lot of fun celebrating.
Do you have any plans to work with Green Velvet again this year?
Prok & Fitch: Yeah, we started a new idea almost straight away that’s sounding pretty cool so far. It’s a record that we’ll keep on going back to and improving before releasing. Next up with Curtis is our remix of ‘La La Land.’ We’ve been working on this for a little while and have given it a completely different spin to the original. The initial club reaction has been ridiculous so we can’t wait for this one to come out in the spring.
You recently released another favorite track of ours,“Wailer,” on Relief Records that’s been a hit. What else do you two have in store for your fans this year?
Prok & Fitch: Thank you. It’s probably been mutually our favourite record for some time, and if you like “Wailer” you should definitely be into what we’ve got planned for the rest of the year. Outside of releases on Relief and Toolroom, expect to see us releasing on labels we haven’t worked with before. We’ve got an exciting year ahead and we’re both looking forward to some wicked gigs.
What’s going on with your label Floorplay these days?
Prok & Fitch: We decided to put Floorplay to the side a couple of years ago because we were finding it hard to run the label and parties how we wanted to and at the same time keep productive in the studio and touring. We’re now in the right place to start a new concept. It’s something we’ve been working on for some time, so expect to see this launched later this year.
Are there any particular shows coming up that your most excited about?
Prok & Fitch: WMC is always a lot of fun, so with that just around the corner we’re looking forward to that. We’ve got some great gigs over there this year so keep an eye on our Facebook page for all the info. We’ll also be announcing a series of North America shows soon, so looking forward to getting back over in the summer time.
Your northeast fans in America are dying to know: any plans to head to NYC and the northeast soon (please say yes)!?
Prok & Fitch: Haha, yes to both of them! Things are getting finalized at the moment. We can’t wait to get back to NYC, it’s been some time since we last played there.
Big thanks to Ben and James for taking the time to chat with us while touring! As to be expected from this dynamite duo, Prok & Fitch will be busy causing a ruckus during Miami Music Week. Over the next few days beginning March 23, you can find them at The Pool at Epic on Thursday, Raleigh Hotel on Friday, and playing alongside Green Velvet, Latmun, Detlef, and more for Cajual vs Relief at Trade Miami on Sunday.
Connect with Prok & Fitch:
https://www.facebook.com/ProkFitch
https://twitter.com/prokfitch
https://soundcloud.com/prokfitch
https://www.instagram.com/prokfitch
http://www.prokandfitch.com
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