Jason Shawhan: How did the two of you first get started in music?
Ralph Falcon: It goes back a long time. We've both had a thing for music since we were kids. I remember going over to Oscar's house for parties. He would be DJing and he was only twelve. I started DJing at about sixteen and had been playing drums and stuff long before that.
Q: What were the main influences of your sound? To this day, the only non-Murk record that ever vibed me in the same kind of way was Rick James' "17," which would be a killer mix for you to tackle if Motown ever went remix-happy.
Oscar Gaetan: We have been influenced by many things… DJs like Danny Tenaglia and Junior Vasquez early on, as well as labels like WARP and NuGroove… We also were highly influenced by groups like Ten City and Blaze.
RF: It's hard to pin down just a few influences because you gain more as time goes on. But I could tell you that the whole early House movement in general motivated us. I remember listening to Marshall Jefferson's "Move Your Body" and thinking where the hell did this come from? All the early TRAX, Hot Mix 5, DJ International stuff had a major influence on us. It just was something revolutionary at the time. Went against all the bubblegum of the moment. "Super Freak" would make a dope remix.
Q: Your sound remains relevant after over a decade. When you first started, did you think you would still be making innovative house music this far on?
RF: Damn, to be honest we never thought that far into the future. We were happy just to be around at that time. But I'm sure if you would've of asked us back then we would of said yes.
OG: I never imagined that I would do this for a living. I have always felt very fortunate to be able to do this at this level for so long… I enjoy it now more than ever!!
Q: What gear is it that gives us those amazing basslines and synth hooks?
RF: Ah, you would love to know that now wouldn't you? OK, I'll let you in the Bat Cave. We always try to stray from the cheesy digital modules of the 80s. In the early 90s most of the gear available were those horrible new age sounding synths, so we went with a Matrix 1000, Juno 106, Roland.
Q: The Bobby Pruitt "Tried So Hard" record had some of the most delicious low frequencies I've heard in a record. Did you set out initially to make that record deeper that the other records out there?
RF: By the time "Tried So Hard" came around we had set a standard for ourselves, so we had to top ourselves again. So, yes. We were trying to make the hardest record we could.
Q: Which comes first, the bassline or the drum program?
RF: Drums first.
Q: Your "Italian vacation" period was an incredibly fertile time for musical cross-pollination. Have you ever considered trying something like that again?
RF: Our "Italian vacation" was barely a vacation. We were constantly working over there, and yes it was a great time for us, but to spend so much time in another country like that would be nearly impossible now. We both have kids now and new responsibilities. To pick up and jet for months at a time wouldn't work right now.
OG: "Italian vacation period?" Interesting… I had never heard it called that before. I think that was a very productive time for us because we were working in a different atmosphere almost everyday. We were constantly touring around Italy and we would spend most days in the studio and then play a club at night. It was pretty wild… I think I slept for a week straight when we got home!!!!
Q: What do you see as the difference between your work as Murk versus, say, Funky Green Dogs? And along those lines, will there ever be another Liberty City track?
OG: I think at first we just wanted to make it seem like our label (Murk) had this huge stable of acts (since it was just us) but eventually each alias developed its own sound and concept… as for Liberty City- maybe!
RF: Murk will always be our outlet for new and most groundbreaking underground music. Anything outside of that usually has its own separate story and life.
Q: Of all the remixes that you have done, which is your favorite?
RF: I can't speak for Oscar, but my favorite is "Caught in the Middle" for Juliet Roberts. The mix was never released, but still remains my favorite.
OG: That's a tough question as we have been remixing stuff for well over ten years, but I would probably have to say Donna Summer "State of Independence" and Spice Girls "Spice Up Your Life."
