True House Stories® Youtube & Spotify Video Podcast
TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ FARLEY & HELLER
Farley & Heller interviewed by Lenny Fontana for True House Stories® # 025
Part 1
Farley & Heller both begin their humble beginnings at the start of the Acid House Movement. They both Dj and happened to work separately at Danny Rampling’s famous Shoom night in the 1980’s. In this interview you will hear them talk about their big club hit with Diva vocalist Loleatta Holloway and how they were responsible for creating the huge house banger track called “Ultra Flava”.
Terry Farley and Steven Hall are both responsible for running a successful brand-named Junior Boys Own. Terry Farley went on to create a successful club night in London called Faith and published a very successful magazine as well. Pete Heller in his own right had a huge hit with Big Love and together they toured the world as international Dj’s. Come listen and learn about the UK clubbing history and how it entangles with the US Clubbing scene.
Part 2
Respected UK dance music producers and remixers, Terry Farley and Pete Heller initially found success in the UK in the early 90s. Londoner Terry Farley was a fan of Studio One reggae and ska before becoming involved with the London soul club scene during the 80s.
Pete Heller grew up on the south coast of England and began his musical career by Djing in a Brighton discotheque, playing disco, hip-hop and house. After playing warm-up sets for Danny Rampling, Heller and Andrew Weatherall formed the Boy’s Own collective, running a fanzine, Boy’s Own club nights and eventually a record label – Junior Boy’s Own.
Farley and Heller’s initial productions as a team with Hugo Nicholson were released as Bocca Juniors. Since then, they have remixed for many artists including Michael Jackson, Jamiroquai, Sunscreem, K-Klass, Simply Red, New Order, U2, Janet Jackson, Boy George, and the Pet Shop Boys.
Their own productions have appeared under the name Fire Island and have been hugely popular on the club scene. As Fire Island, they covered Machine’s 1979 classic ‘There But For The Grace Of God’.
Their 1997 recording ‘Ultra Flava’ was a huge hit in European clubs and Ibiza and eventually became a UK Top 40 hit when the vocals of Ultra Naté were added.
In 1999, Heller’s track ‘Big Love’ was signed to Pete Tong’s London Records and quickly became ubiquitous on European dancefloors (especially those in Ibiza) before entering the UK charts at number 12.
Building on their reputation as excellent club DJs, they also mixed Late Night Sessions for the Ministry of Sound. In 2000, Farley began producing a fanzine called Faith, which featured a mix of music, politics and satire and was given away in hip London clothes and record stores.
Farley & Heller YouTube Video Part 1
Farley & Heller YouTube Video Part 2
Biography Farley & Heller
Although prominent house DJs and producers individually, London-based remixers Terry Farley and Pete Heller enjoyed their greatest notoriety working as a duo. They first surfaced in the early ’90s as part of Andrew Weatherall’s Boys Own collective, making their debut with a hugely popular remix of the Farm’s “Groovy Train”; hits for Espiritu (“Francisca”), Sunscreem (“Perfect Motion”), K Klass (“Don’t Stop”) and Secret Life (“As Always”) followed.
Farley and Heller also earned wide renown when their mix of M People’s “Open Your Heart” topped Billboard’s club charts in 1995. A year later they reunited to assemble a two-disc entry into the Journeys by DJs beatmix series, with their own “Ultra Flava” 12-inch appearing at much the same time. In addition to working under the own names, Farley and Heller additionally recorded as Roach Motel, an outlet for their more underground projects;
they also joined producer Gary Wilkinson in the lush garage techno trio Fire Island, as well as teaming with Weatherall and Hugo Nicholson in Bocca Juniors. Their other pop remix projects include work with New Order (“Regret”), Michael Jackson (“Blood on the Dancefloor”), his sister Janet (“When I Think of You”), Kylie Minogue (“Where Has the Love Gone?”), U2 (“Salome”) and Pet Shop Boys (“Go West”).