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Futerebound, the owner of the Viper label, first noticed the quality of Furlonge’s production and tried to work as fast as possible with him. The result is that he's well represented on the Acts of Madmen LP, a sample of what Viper has to offer; Sigma, Ed Rush & Optical, Matrix. 'High Commission' is one of the songs on the Jungle Fever Vol 1 mix cd of Murdock and the 27th of November he's coming to celebrate the release at the Rondpunt26 in Genk for a dj set on Breakdown.

The first time I heard about you was a collaboration with Brookes Brothers for Breakbeat Kaos.
F: The first thing I released was 'Drifter', a cooperation with the Brookes Brothers, it was released as a b-side of 'Tear You Down' on Breakbeat Kaos, the label of Adam F and DJ Fresh. After that there was an LP on Viper, the label of Futurebound, with 'High Commission' and 'It's Cruel, and now there are two of my songs on the Acts of Madmen LP. At this moment I'm working on my next LP for Viper.

Are you signed exclusively for Viper, or are you planning to work for other labels as well?
F: At this moment we are both not really interested in signing a long term contract. Unofficially I'm part of the Viper label, in the sense that Futurebound hears first what's coming out of my studio.

You are a classing schooled pianist. How did you exactly end up in drum and bass? Is it because of your relationship with Brookes Brothers and Culture Shock?
F: I'm indeed already friends for a long time with those guys and because we all experienced a similar evolution, it is certainly part of it. It’s only since 2000 that I discovered drum and bass. First I landed on a Ram party (ed. Ram, the label of Andy C, he's organizing one of the biggest drum and bass parties in the UK, and on regular basis) and after that I discovered Swerve and Hospitality; the first big liquid nights. Liquid, the soulful, funky variant of drum and bass, that came around at that time and it was that kind of vibe that appealed to me the most.

I saw on your myspace that, unlike the big hardcore- or hip hop directed influences of your colleague drum and bass artists, you often get your inspiration out of jazz- and rock artists like U2, Smashing Pumpkins, but also surprisingly David Bowie and Massive Attack.
F: I used to listen mainly to rock music, but I would say that my biggest source of inspiration would be jazz fusion. Because of my piano training I was exposed on regular basis to jazz, but it’s still fusion, the jazz that’s making bridges with other music, that is appealing to me the most. I'm thinking that it is exactly that what the new drum and bass artists, like Brookes, Sub Focus and myself, are trying to do in drum and bass. We bring influences out of drum and bass, like techno, electro, funk or jazz. By doing that we open it all up. I'm under the impression that it’s exactly this kind of drum and bass that gets appreciated the most. Here, in England, a lot of people think we loose the original concept and they tend to look down on our music, but in the rest of Europe we seem to create a new interest in drum and bass and a lot of people from outside the scene get attracted to the parties. People here in England prefer a couple of jump up dj's who repeatedly make new versions of the same songs, but I really cannot occupy myself with that. I want my music to keep growing.

When you go out, on what kind of parties do you tend to end up?
F: My close friends especially like techno, and the kind of minimal house that has the  euphoric build up of trance, but without the cheesy melodies and keyboards (laughs). Last year, for example, I went with some of my friends to Berlin and we visited a couple of legendary techno clubs.
When I started with drum and bass it was this kind of music all my friends listened to. In the mean time we are 10 years older and I'm noticing that the ones who are not busy with drum and bass everyday, because they are not producing or dj-ing, are getting more and more other musical interests. In England a lot of raves attract a lot of wrong people and kids that are more into booze, drugs and fighting, instead of the music, and the older you get, the less you are in the mood for those kind of scenes. I'm happy to notice that this isn't the case in Europe. The vibe there is way more pleasant and people are really interested in the songs we play. They also seem to know way more about it.

I'm hearing from Brookes Brothers, Sub Focus, Logistics and Chase and Status, that they enjoy making other music than drum and bass. They not only want to introduce new influences in drum and bass, they also want to learn new genres. Does that count for you too?
F: I'm not planning to make drum and bass until I die. I think I would become crazy. I like different kinds of music and I will certainly try other genres than drum and bass. At this moment drum and bass is still my favorite music genre, and I can see myself doing this for a couple of more years. We'll see what the future brings.

On your myspace you mark that one of your most import influences are shoveling dog shit, fear of flying and automated telephone services. Are you a lover of the small annoyances of life?
F: (laughs) O well, you know that... You make a myspace and you are in a good mood...then you dare to write a bit of bullshit. It would be terrible if I had a fear of flying, because to earn my living I have to travel a lot with planes. No, I'm a good airplane passenger. It is a minor discomfort that I'm happy to take with me to play my favorite records on a festival or in a club.

Download tracks:

Furlonge: Jenga
http://download.breakbeat.co.uk/lpsepsartists/furlonge/jenga.aspx
Moby: One Time We Lived (Matrix & Futurebound rmx)
http://www.moby.com/remix-matrix-futurebound

Info: http://www.myspace.com/furlonge

'High Commission'  on Murdock presents Jungle Fever Vol. 1 (Radar Records), and 'Track Masters on Acts of Madmen (Viper Recordings). Furlonge plays on the 27th of Novembre on Breakdown at Rondpunt26 in Genk, together with Viper artists Futurebound and Camo&Krooked.