30.07.26 - The Smart Es - 30 Years And Rising (information and Interview)
Hi Everyone,
Well, today I get to reveal some very exciting news about Thursdays release! We have been teasing it for a few weeks, and have released 4 different mini videos of some of the music, and finally we get to talk about it....Its a big one, and it's especially meaningful for me due to the nature of it.
Yes, if you haven't already seen, we have a brand new triple album from The Smart Es! Yep!
Ha, I have no idea whether this will induce groans of terror or cheers of joy, but from my perspective, its absolutely brilliant. Let me tell you why!
Firstly, its brilliant because, hand on heart, I think this is one of the best musical projects I have been involved with in my life. We spent nearly 2 years on this, from conception to completion, planning it, and putting it together bit by bit. Every track is exactly how we wanted it, built with love and care, and with the ambition to do something seriously awesome that also feels like the correct follow up when it comes to new material from Smart Es.
I am just so excited and proud to be releasing it at last.
We very much wanted to make an album of interesting and ultimately, uplifting music. The sort of thing that would grab your feet but also your feelings, and not let go. And I think we have done that exactly. There are piano led, breakbeat old skool tunes, but its also an album that varies in tone and style, with hip hop and downbeat elements sneaking in here and there, so it is an exciting album to listen to as an album from start to finish, or to mix in part of a set.
It also contains zero children's theme tune rip offs lol - and this was deliberate.
Before we even started all three of us got together and talked a great deal about what we would want to do, and none of us felt like we wanted to do cheesy rip offs of TV shows. Despite what we became famous for, all three of us were always mostly wanting to make good, exciting old skool rave, and thats what we did back in the day with tracks like Loo's Control and Magnificent. It's just those all got massively overshadowed by Sesames Treet. So we were keen to get back in the studio and let the music come as it pleased.
Now that we are living further apart, it was interesting to work in a new way. Often we would all work on things from home - Tom would send parts, Nick would add music, and I would put it into my studio and add beats and so on. Sometimes Nick, Tom or myself, would have things nearly fully formed. Other times we would all be in the studio together. We bought in Jimmy J to help produce one of the tracks, and Stu Keating to help with another, because the tracks demanded their input. And then all the tracks were finalised in my studio through my mix desk so the album "sounds" a certain way, and it has an authentic analogue and old skool feel. 
Secondly, what an honour and pleasure it has been for me to work again with the people I first stepped into the music business with. Tom, Nick and myself started Smart Es in 1991 and we had an absurdly successful record with Sesames Treet as well as multiple ridiculous releases and experiences. Over those intense and high pressure years, we became firm friends with ties which are for life, even if we did not know it then.
In the years that passed after the chaos died down, all three of us went different directions in life and in business. We all found different callings within the industry and sometimes outside of it...but all of us remained in the music one way or another and we kept in touch in a sporadic way as time floated past.
A few years ago we came back together to rerelease Loos Control and Sesames Treet, and to do a frankly absurd PA art Knite Club, and we had so much fun doing it that, that we realised there would never be a better time to get back in the studio.
So thats what we did.
Once we had the album ready, we decided to go all out on the presentation just for the sheer joy of it. So we have a triple gatefold sleeve, which is rammed with Smart Es memorabilia. The vinyl is 16 sided Hexadecagon, and available in black or coloured versions. It is a little known fact that after Smart Es, we did some work under the name Echora, which was much more mellow, downbeat and ambient music. As we happened to have some of those tracks available we added a little 10" bonus record, free for those who buy the colour version of the albumalbum.
We also did a USB containing EVERYTHING Smart Es ever did...all the singles, our previous album and so on, as well as video clips from past PAs and much more. And we topped all of this off by adding a signed promotional pic to the set. Why? Because back in the day, we had those to give out. It was standard industry stuff to give "fans" a signed photo haha! So we recreated it, with us doing the same pose, and thought it would be funny to add it to the ensemble. Whether you want it or not lol.
Of course, after it spiralling out of control in that way, we decided "might as well make this bigger" lol...so...Alongside the album and all its goodies, we decicded to repress our first single, Bogus Journey / Fuck The Law, as well as a repress of Sesames Treet with Loos Control on the flip.
AND THEN...we also found the DAT of what was originally planned to follow up Sesames Treet. Thats right - before Sesames Treet exploded and went worldwide, we had two tracks - Hawaii 5-0 and Waynes World, ready to follow up Sesames Treet. They are both a bit daft and rough around the edges, but good tunes nonetheless.
However, when Sesames Treet did what it did, it was felt by us (and everyone else), that we had a choice - carry on with the theme tune stuff and be basically a joke act, or do a more sensible release. We chose the second option because in the end, we were ravers first. So instead of releasing these two slices of ridiculousness, we did Loo's Control.
And I am glad we did.
But in a different timeline? It would have been Waynes World. So we decided to release this EP as well, just for "keep the alternate universe at bay" reasons. And as we were doing that...new sleeves and bright colors. Wheeee!!!!
So yeah - I very much hope you will love this work as much as we do. It was ludicrously long in the making, obscenely expensive to press, but for us, it was worth every second because all three of us have just loved working together again. Nothing can beat that.
Here is a an interview for you to waste some time on us three old farts banging on about Sesames Treet and the new music and so on:
Smart Es - 30 Years And Rising Triple Album, and the three old school singles, go live at 7pm, 30.07.26, www.kniteforcerevolution.com
Many thanks,
Chris, Tom and Nick - The Smart Es