5 minutes with… Deep Shit

Deep Shit have been holding some uproarious parties across London of late due to the pairing of Jack Savidge and Edwin Congreave, who started up the label having DJ’d together while touring with their respective bands, Friendly Fires and Foals. Their latest signing, Dimitri Veimar, joins Dubinsky on a burgeoning roster of electronic artists. We caught up with Jack a week before their next night at Basement on February 1st.

Hi there, how are you and what are you up to today?

Hello, I’m well. Last night a bird flew into my bedroom window and broke it so I’ve been sorting out getting it fixed today, and I’m working on some music and drinking green tea.

So how did Deep Shit come together? What inspired the name?

Edwin and I have toured together in our respective bands, and we’ve ended up DJing together after gigs a few times, most notably in Cologne which was rather brilliant. We decided to take it further and began the NTS radio show with the help of Edwin’s friend Adam who deals with a lot of the behind the scenes stuff. The origin of the name, I don’t even recall. I think Edwin suggested it, and it was stupid enough to stick. People have begged us to change it- not least because we can now never be mentioned on BBC stations due to their sanctimonious embargo on some of the best words our language has to offer.

How have the parties been going down? Are they crammed full of Foals/Friendly Fires fans or is the crowd more diverse?

The first one we did at Plastic People definitely had a FF/F atmosphere, but since then its taken on more of a life of its own. I’m proud to say we have a hardcore of 30 regulars. My only hope for the night was that it would have proper regulars. The last one at Basement was probably my favourite- the place was a total jack pit from beginning to end.

What artists are you digging at the moment?

Francis Inferno Orchestra, Quell, Debukas, Sanfuentes, Christian S and the Andy Meecham Monophonic album.

Do you think your background of being in bands affects how you run Deep Shit, having seen the industry from the performer’s perspective?

I think it not being our day job means we take more risks with it, and keep it really pure to our tastes. We’ve made a few contacts over the years, and so can call in a few favours for the line ups.

What do you think makes for a great club night?

Good network of regulars, but also new people coming in each time. People who know how to have a good time and aren’t being idiots. Good sound that doesn’t tire you out over the night. Steady stream of good quality intoxicants.

What do you look for in artists that appear on the label?

So far we’ve only worked with completely new artists, so I think we look to take little risks on stuff that other labels mightn’t go for, cos the artist isn’t established enough or whatever. Our next one is by a guy called Dimitri Veimar who you might have heard about though. That one’s an absolute banger, as we say in the business.

Are there big plans for Deep Shit in the new year? Future releases, events etc?

Oh there are indeed big plans, and you’ll be the first to find out when we work out what they are.