Ed the Red, Moscow, Russia, but living in the Usa - The Official Interview

Name:Ed "The Red" Goltsman
Age:Dirty thirties
Sex:Male
Born: Moscow, Russia
Location:Florida, Usa

1.Welcome back Ed. How are things with you nowadays with regards to life? Are things going your way?

Yes everything seems to be great, my life has balance in it... :)

2. Musically how are things going for you? Are you back on track with Bottom line records. It was such a great label. It was unique in the sense that it seemed it geared to promoting the best in the Soulful and a Melodic in House music that was coming out of New York and New Jersey.

Well, I'm releasing all the new music on U-Turn Records (progressive house and breaks). I'm actually releasing a new single by FLOW "True Feelings of Love" the end of August. People can listen to it by going to: www.u-turnrecords.com/newz.htm

I have put together 5 compilations of Bottom Line classics, most of which aren't available on vinyl any more. I'm selling them on line from my website (www.u-turnrecords.com/bottom.htm) and people seem to really love them. They feature unavailable tracks from FLOW, like "Another Time" and "Feel the Flow", Reggie Burrell's BME project, tracks from Lenny Fontana, mine and Nelson's productions from Barbara Dixon like "Wanna Be Your Lover"..Such classic Bottom Line names like Groovement and many, many more.

But here is something also very interesting...I was contacted by DIY Records (UK) and they want me to do a couple of Garage tracks for them. I already have a real good idea of what it's gonna sound like, but at the moment only in my head. But I will be starting to work on it in the studio in just a few days. It's gonna be exciting since I haven't done a Garage track since 1996.

3. You are a classically trained musician with the piano being your instrument.Then you told us that your family moved to the Boston, USA in the late 1980's. Where you went to the Berklee College of Music. Having that experience behind you, has this helped you understand music even better...?

Actually my Mother and I moved to New York in 1979. I did go to Berklee College of Music in Boston for a while and then moved back to New York. And of course any education makes you understand things better. The eye opening thing about education and experience is that the more you learn and the more you know, the more you realize how little you actually know...

4. After your spell at college you immediately moved into the learning Jazz music. Was this hard for you? As Jazz is a music that relies upon improvisation at lot of time. You were also "gigging" around with "gospel bands" that gave you more musical ideas. Was doing this more influential on what you create today then what you learnt at College?

I was into Jazz long before Berklee, probably since I was about 13-14 years old. I grew up listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Count Bassie, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and many more wonderful Jazz musicians. So Jazz and improvisation was my second nature from the time I was very young. I could sit at the piano for hours and improvise over a jazz blues progression, and my mother had to make me stop and go back to working on the classical pieces that I had to do in school in Russia.

In Moscow, Russia, I was going to music school from the age of 6. When I was about 15 I got into Santana, James Brown and Pink Floyd...I know they all are very different styles of music, but they all were major influences on me.

5. You met quite a lot of people in this field that would eventually lead to creating your label. Bottom line... But it seems as if the people that made the biggest impact on you are singers. Are you a person who likes vocalist more then instrumentalist?

I think that a great instrumentalist "speaks and sings" through their' instrumentta, but still the power of a soulful singer is unmatched in my eyes.

6.You are a songwriter as well as a dj/producer. Do you find it easy to make up new lyrics to grooves that you have created...? What comes first with you. The lyrics or the tune?

I used to first come up with a track and then write a song over it. A lot of times I collaborated with singers on coming up with the lyrics. But about 6 months ago I bought a real acoustic piano. I haven't had a piano in years just synthesizer in the studio. Now it seems like all I need to do is sit down at the piano and I come up with a melody. Sometimes it comes to me alone with words, other times I come up with words later.

7. You have worked with some classic house labels in the past such as Quark and Jump Street. How did that arise? Did you approach them. Or did they approach you?

In those pre-Bottom Line days I used to run around, knocking on doors and shopping my new tracks, hoping that one of those labels would pick them up. I really hated that part of the business (selling my own music). I did it because I had to, but always found something perverse in having to say to somebody "listen to this, this shit is slamming!!!" and be talking about my own production...

I really think that I didn't get bigger in the business because I wasn't a good salesman, rather a producer/musician/artist, not a very political type...

8. Your ex-Wife Nancy helped you a lot in the beginning with Bottom line. Do you still keep in touch. Or have you gone your separate ways?

Even though we parted as friends we haven't been in touch lately.

9. House music hit you, and hit you hard as you have mentioned beforehand. You mentioned that you were hearing hits from Todd Terry and Frankie Knuckles during the early 1990's. Was New York and New Jersey buzzing then when it came to House music? Was Todd Terry the main man in New York, Usa at that time when it came to producing great House tracks? Its seems as if New York City has lost some of its "electricity" about it when it comes to Soulful House and Garage music. Is this a fair assupmtion?

I think that's a fair assumption. Actually the period you described was more like from mid 80s to early 90's. My first house record came out in 1986 I believe. Yes Todd and Frankie were happening big time in the clubs in those days...It was great to see people running to the dance floor as soon as Todd's "Bango Bango" started playing...that made me wanna produce dance music!

10. Bottom Line records was started in November 1990. Who did you have signed up at the time for your label? You've mentioned that you had a good "working" relationship with the vocalist Vivian Lee. You had an early hit with her in the 1986 called "Music is so wonderful". Was Vivian one the vocalists that you just had to get on Bottom line records when it was in its early days...?Was she one the first artists that you signed up to Bottom line?

Yeah, I knew Vivian from the early 1980s when I was playing with all black gospel band and we were doing gigs in black churches, auditoriums and dances. Vivian Lee was one of the BEST and had a profound influence on myyaw musicianship, ability to work and bring out the best in a vocalist, sometimes push them to their limit and make them sound like they didn't even know they could sound.

Almost every vocalist I worked with told me after listening back to their voice on a track "Ed, I didn't even know I could sound like that!"Besides Vivian I had Donna Coma, Tammy Banks, MJ White all wonderful singers to work with.

11.At that period in time Strictly Rhythm Records ( New York City, Usa) where about? And they promised to release a "Dance" ( Predominately House and Garage ) track every week to anyone that wanted to buy it. Nu Groove records was going out of business as you have mentioned. And Nervous records didn't start properly until 1992/93. How big were Strictly Rhythm Records in terms of competition with you? I remember waiting for the latest Strictly release every week in London In the early days. Then your label started appearing and news spread fast... Was Strictly in those days the label to beat?

Strictly started building a good reputation pretty fast, but I didn't view anyone as competition in those days. I was just happy to do what I love and make a living at it.

Frankly, I couldn't compete with Strictly even if I wanted to, because like I mentioned before I was this kid from Russia who came to the USA with no money, no business skills, no contacts and connections...on the other hand Mark (Strictly's owner) was a seasoned industry professional who owned another label before Strictly, can't remember it's name right now. But he was a good businessman with a good budget to work with, who had completely different prospective on this business from mine. He had the means to buy the best talent on the market...hard to compete with that!

12. I used to love the artist/s on you label called "Jersey Boy and Brooklyn Underground". Also another artist/s called Jazzman and Sample minded.(Now they are wicked!!) How did you meet up with them? Was it through going to the House clubs in New York there. Or was it through other means. They released some excellent stuff on your label. Do you still keep in touch with them...???

OK, Jerzzey Boy was a brain child of a New Jersey producer George Locket. Cool dude and a talented guy. We dropped out of touch after Garage music went down and I stopped putting Garage records out. Brooklyn Underground was a collaboration project between George Lockett and myself. Jazzmen, ODC and Sample Minded I definitely keep in touch with...after all they all are your's trull :)

I just didn't want to release a bunch of records under "Ed The Red" name so I was coming up with fictitious names like FLOW or Sample Minded just to make things a little more interesting for people...

13. Was things going well for you during these times? Where you selling records?

Yeah from 1990 to 1995 things were great, but in 1995 sales started going down hill to the point where I had to stop putting Garage records out at the end of 1996.

14. Did you have any interest coming from major pop artists wanting to be remixed by you, or wanting to be on your label at the time? For instance you mentioned that you licensed quite a few of your tracks to labels such as Kicking, Esoteric, Moonshine ( England), Meldac (Japan) Pschent (France) and many others. It seems as if it was from all that. Tell us more?

I think to have interest from major pop artists you have to be in the "click" so to speak. And like I said before, I wasn't really into this shmoosing thing, politics and kissing ass...I don't know, maybe it was a bad thing...I probably would be much better off financially now if I was...but that's just the way I am...also moving to Florida didn't help that either. But I do still license Bottom Line and U-Turn tracks to any interested label and had licensed to some pretty big ones like Moonshine, StreetBeat (Pandisc), Kicking and others.

15. You mentioned that you visited London during these times. Where you impressed by what you saw with regards to House and Garage music? Did you meet anyone from there that you wanted to sign up for your label then? Have you been to London or Europe since? Are they any plans to come over to England and Europe in the future?

The last time I was in the UK was in 1992 and it was great. The house music scene was happening, everyone knew my music, live interview on Kiss FM, interviews with magazines, doing live shows with Barbara Dixon at major clubs...it was awesome, loved it!

We have a live show with Flow (which I am a part of) and if anyone in the UK or anywhere in the world wants to book us or just me as a DJ I'll gladly go. I love to travel and meet new and interesting people. Anyone interested can contact me from my website: www.u-turnrecords.com

16. All of a sudden Bottom line ceased in the middle 1990's. What happened. Because one moment you were on a crest of a wave then. Its gone. What happen to Bottomline Records?

I think I pretty much described what happened above...the scene changed, music started going more toward progressive and trance and in Florida"funky breaks".

Garage house suddenly was considered strictly "Gay" music at least here in Florida, Usa...well, if so, gay people really know what good music is!

17. You have new label now called U-Turn. How is that fearing? Is it going well for you? What are the styles that you are putting out on this label?

Yeah, the label is doing great. I had 17 releases up to date and 18th one by FLOW is coming out in just a few weeks. The style is progressive house, progressive breaks, funky breaks, electronica and other styles of electronic dance music of today.

18.You are based in Florida now. Where you sad when you had to leave New York? Do you still keep in touch with the friends that you made in New York all those years ago?

Far from Sad!, Actually I love living in Florida. Love summer all year around, beaches and the lifestyle in general, very relaxed:) I do talk to some friends in NY. Actually just spoke with Nelson about a week ago, we talk with Phoenix often and some others.

19. Bottom line is still going isn't it? Its back is it? Because I have heard that you have got a few singles coming out soon. Is that correct? I've heard a track called "Was I rough enough" by Kim/Caroline/Phoenix/Ed. It sounds very Bottomline indeed. Very old school New Garage. Is this the new single pending from Bottom line. Or is there more in the pipeline.

"Was I rough enough" was actually released by Old School (the UK record store) people. They bought the rights for that track for the UK and I allowed them to use Bottom Line logo. So it actually looked like a Bottom Line Record but was manufactured in the UK. Yeah I like that track...awesome vocals from Kim Crawford, Caroline Bronson and Phoenix...

I'm not planning any vinyl releases on Bottom Line Records right now, but I have put together 5 compilations of Bottom Line classics, most of which aren't available on vinyl any more, and selling them off my web site(www.u-turnrecords.com/bottom.htm)

20. If you had the chance to work with anyone within the House and Garage field who would it be. You mentioned beforehand that you did like the productions that Kerri Chandler was doing. Is this someone that you would like to work with?

Sure, also would love to get back with my buddy Nelson "Paradise" Roman once again and knock out some slamming house music, if only there were enough people who would buy the records to make that possible...Will definitely work with Phoenix, what a fine gentleman he is!

Sadly Vivian died in a car crash a few years back, that was a shock for me and what a loss for the music world...Rest in peace Viv, I'll always love you sweetheart!!!

21. You worked with Reggie Burrell as well from New York. He was releasing some excellent stuff, and was on track as being the next House and Garage superstar. Do you still keep in touch with him? Is it difficult to keep in touch with these artists now that you are based in Florida, Usa.

Haven't heard from Reggie or Ron Burrell in a while, hopefully they are doing well. Yes being in Florida I have a different crowd of DJs and producers that I work and hang with.

22. What is the scene like in Florida? Is it receptive to House and Garage music scene. Or is it geared to towards the music culture of Trance, Hard House or Techno. Is the House scene where you are?

Florida is definitely more about Techno, trance, break-beat, progressive house, jungle.I haven't heard Garage as I know it anywhere in the clubs here...but Florida is a big state and I really am only judging by what I here in Tampa Bay, where I live.

23. Out of all the artists that you worked with regards to Bottom Line. Who was your favourite to work with. For instance you mentioned quite a lot Vivian Lee. Was she a special person to work with?

Yes Vivian was very dear to me, great heart, loyalty, and what an awesome soulful voice. I'd have to say she was my favorite.

24. In England there seems to be a love for GARAGE and Soulful House music at the moment that resembles the early days of Hiphop music within the USA during the early 1980's. Labels are being sought after, the pirates are canning the music. Underground clubs via word of mouth are becoming " Sought after places to visit". Could this happen in America do you think? After all you invented the music?

I have no idea if this will happen in the US, but if it's happening in the UK as much as you described in your question, would somebody please get in touch with me so I can get back to doing Garage again??????????? Well...DIY records did contact me, but I'm open to any production, remixing, DJing or live show work.

25. What are your thoughts on the music such as 2-Step Garage music that is busting out of London? The music has bulldozed its way into the Garage world. It's the newest hybrid of the music within the scene. Some people hate it. Some people love it. What are your views on the scene and the music culture? Is it just a fad? Have you heard this new style of Garage music from England yet. Has it filtered down to your area of the world?

2-step is not happening here in Florida, Usa as far as I know, but to me, music is music I can never say that this or that styles are good or bad. I think there are good and bad records in any style of music.

26. Whenever I am in London, England I tend to think to myself I wish Girls Fm (illegal Pirate Station) where still about. They played all forms of House and Garage music on one station, which I thought was great. Do you think that the London pirates should be taking more chances then just playing one style of Garage music on their stations. Would you like to see a Girls Fm styled pirate station on the London airwaves again? Are you a firm fan of the Pirate Radio setup. Is there any sort of set-up like this in your area of the Usa?

There are no pirate dance music stations in my area that I know of. I really don't know enough about the issue to comment on it.

27. Changing the subject again. We know that you are a Dj/producer. But do you dj at all. Anywhere? And if so it. Your technique when playing out. Do you use a style of blending when you playing out; Or are you a person who like to jump straight in and out of a track without warning!!! What styles do you like to use?

Yes I do DJ. definitely blending. I'm not a resident at any club, but do guest appearences whenever they call me. Also we put an awesome live act together with my group FLOW. It features middle eastern bellydancers, a great vocalist-Jessica Soto and your's trully on keybords (live) and vocals.

28. House music is truly an International movement and sound .Are you surprised on how big it has become? Does the sheer size of the movement scare you? Makes you wonder how big it is going to get?

No, not surprised at all.

29. Is there anyone that you have seen lately that you think could go all the way and make it within the Soulful House and Garage world.

It's got to be a package deal...the right artist, the right song and the right production...if you have those 3 elements together there always are possibilities...

30. When you do manage to get away from Music as a business. What do you do to relax? Is it a case of putting on the slippers and relaxing in front of the T.V. Or have you other outside activities. Please let me know. What do you do to relax? For instance have you had a vacation yet?

I love to be active when not working. My favorites are beach volleyball, tennis, ping-pong, the beach, riding a bicicle with my german shepherd Mishka, relaxing in my jaccuzzi with Enigma or Sade in the background.

31. Lastly but not least. Have you got any advice for any aspiring record label producer, DJ or club owner within the world of House and Garage. Any rules that he should adhere to!

Yes I do! : !!!Eat healthy and exercise!!!

Interview conducted by Ed "The Red" Goltsman

All rights of the text and the images belong to Carl Brown and the Ed "The Red" Goltsman. If you which to use any of this interview. Please contact us. Copyright laws apply.