Entering The Madhouse: 5 Steps With Voyeur

Benson Herbert and Leo Picking are a young duo making big moves. They broke through in February 2012 with a captivating remix of Bombay Bicycle Club’s “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep” and have since gone on to play live in the Boiler Room and in the booth alongside greats like Kerri Chandler, Frankie Knuckles and Cassy. House legend Kerri Chandler was so impressed with the duo that he snapped them up for his Madtech imprint in November 2012. Releasing the pair’s debut single ‘Blame It on the Youth’ with a remix of his own, Chandler launched Voyeur to the next level. Ensuing months have seen people clamour to be heard playing music by the pair, including Radio 1 stars like Heidi and Annie Mac who have given them national exposure. As DJs this duo weave their own sonic tapestries, calling on smoky deep house, physical tech and plenty of shades in between at venues all across the UK and Europe and with their ‘Rain Away’ EP out this week on Madhouse Records we thought the time was right to invite one half of the pairing in Leo to deliver his 5 steps towards the outfits burgeoning success.

My Dad’s Vinyl Collection

It’s tricky to find a starting point for this, I guess the best place would be right at the beginning. My first exposure to electronic music must have been my dad’s records. He has a beautiful Jazz and Blues collection of CD’s and vinyl (amongst other genres) but the few electronic based records that I remember most vividly have to be Massive Attack’s first few records. My dad was an avid follower of the whole Bristol trip-hop scene and the first few records I became obsessed with were ‘Blue Lines’, ‘Protection’ and also Mad Professor’s remix album ‘No Protection’. The work of  Robert Del Naja, Daddy G and Mushroom have been a constant grounding for a lot of my musical ventures. The other record that I had on a constant loop was St. Germain’s multi-release EP series called Boulevard. The one I remember most was Thank U Mum (4 Everything You Did) and Easy To Remember. They are both house tracks and typical of St. Germain’s soulful style but also have this beautiful rolling dub feel to them. This record was probably my first ever experience of hearing house music.

Learning Piano and Guitar

When I became tall enough, I started to hammer away at our piano at home. Whilst growing up my older sister learned piano and took lessons every week. I soon followed suit and a year or two later started becoming interested in playing guitar also. My great grandmother’s guitar which my mum brought over from Sweden was always lying around the house and I used to love trying to play along to records by people like Eric Clapton, Led Zepp, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughn amongst a huge list of other massive influences to my continued taste in everything bluesy. I soon started going to a Saturday music school in Waterloo and took Jazz up as my main point of study. There were some fantastic tutors there who have influenced and bettered my musical knowledge forever and for them and all my other musical teachers I am eternally grateful.

Meeting Benson Herbert and forming Voyeur

I have met a lot of great musicians and friends along the way who have influenced my tastes and abilities. I was in a few bands at school where I met my good friend Charlie who is a constant source of incredible samples and a fantastic drummer. Soon after arriving at Leeds to study music production at Leeds College of Music I met a mutual friend Benson Herbert and within a few days we were writing music together and going to the same club nights. I guess Benson has been my main source of goodness when talking about electronic and especially club music. We both fell head-over-heels in love with house music whilst studying at Leeds. House music became the heart and soul of our daily lives and many many others in that magical town. We love you Leeds! 

Remix opportunities

Two years ago we were given the chance to remix Bombay Bicycle Club’s ‘How can you swallow so much sleep’ for Island records. Remixing this track was like jumping up the first flight of stairs in the game – it felt like people became aware of Voyeur overnight. It was a fantastic opportunity to remix a fantastic band, a great starting platform for any aspiring producers. This remix led swiftly to others, including Santigold, Foals and Azari & III. We also have a forthcoming remix for Kerri Chandler due on Watergate. 

Meeting Kerri Chandler and joining the Mad-crew

Step 5 would have to be joining the MadTech/Madhouse crew and having the great Kerri Chandler remix our debut original track Blame It On The Youth. We first met Kerri at the MadTech Boiler Room showcase, one of the most nerve racking experiences which was completely tamed by his beautifully humble nature. He has since been a huge influence to our DJing and we are incredibly honoured to be playing shows with him. We have our second EP (“Rain Away”) coming out on Madhouse Records this week.