David Penn’s relationship with Trimtone is built on more than a shared love of house music. Since first being booked by Tony Walker and Marc Dennis for Love To Be around 2019, the Spanish DJ, producer and Urbana Recordings boss has developed a friendship with the pair rooted in common influences, decades of experience and, crucially, a determination to keep looking forward.
That relationship now enters a new chapter as Trimtone bring We Gonna Dance featuring Alexis Hall to Urbana, a track Penn was pursuing within minutes of hearing a studio clip online. Meanwhile, his own creative momentum continues with “Talk To Me”, his club-focused collaboration with House Of Molly, alongside a prolific schedule of productions, collaborations and international DJ dates.
The Night Bazaar caught up with Penn to discuss his connection with Trimtone and Love To Be, what makes a record right for Urbana, the creative process behind Talk To Me, collaboration across generations, revisiting The Night Train and why, after more than three decades in house music, he has no desire to remain anchored in the past.
You’ve known Trimtone for some time. Can you tell us about your relationship with them and how your paths have crossed through house music over the years?
They first booked me around 2019 and since then they’ve booked me for many Love To Be events. We come from the same era and I think that makes it easier for us to connect. We have similar tastes in music and we got along very quickly. They also bring a lot of good energy to their shows, which is something I can relate to. We have a solid relationship.
Having all been involved with house music for a long time, does having that shared history and understanding of the culture create an immediate connection when you hear their music?
I believe so. We’ve all been in the music industry for many years and grew up with similar influences, which creates a bond and a musical connection that would naturally be different with younger producers.
Their new Trimtone single We Gonna Dance featuring Alexis Hall is coming out through Urbana Recordings. What was it about the record that made you feel it belonged on your label?
I actually saw a post from Trimtone on Instagram while they were in the studio and heard a few seconds of the track. Within two minutes, I was already talking to them about sending it over and possibly releasing it on Urbana. I really liked the track. I suggested a couple of tweaks to the duration and they were happy to release it on my label.
It has to be a track that excites me and that I want to play. It needs a good rhythm, a strong bassline with plenty of groove and, of course, a good vocal. It also needs a hook, something that makes the track stand out from the rest, at least from my point of view.
Trimtone have spoken about their determination to keep making contemporary house music rather than simply trading on their history. Is that an outlook you identify with, particularly given your own longevity in the scene?
Of course. Those of us who are creative don’t want to remain anchored in the past. It’s great to have had success in the past, but our passion for music makes us want to keep creating, playing and enjoying new music. I want to make music that sounds current while still carrying some of the more retro influences that are part of my sound.
Urbana has been part of your story for decades. At this stage, what does a record have to possess for you to say, “This is an Urbana record”, and where does Trimtone fit into that identity?
I always say that I only want to release records that I genuinely want to play myself. I have to love a track to release it on my label.
You remain extraordinarily prolific yourself. After more than three decades of producing music, what still gives you that compulsion to get into the studio and make another house record?
Music comes from within me, from the heart. It’s something I need to do and it’s my way of expressing myself. Creating music and having people enjoy it is what I love most. For me, it’s therapeutic. I really enjoy building a track from the first ideas through to the final arrangement. Sometimes it’s hard to decide when it’s finished, but that’s part of the beauty of making music. I enjoy the whole journey towards the finished track.
David Penn
Your latest collaboration, Talk To Me with House Of Molly, comes from a very different creative partnership. They describe starting out immersed in early East Coast hip house before the track unexpectedly developed into a playful break up record. How did you become involved, and what did you hear in their original idea that made you want to work together?
In this case, I received the acapella from House Of Molly and I loved it. The voice hooked me immediately and from there I started developing different ideas until I found the one that convinced me most. I sent it to them, they suggested some changes and we worked on the track until everyone was happy with it. I play it in all my sets now and it’s a hit.
House Of Molly bring a very distinctive vocal led personality to Talk To Me, while your own production style is immediately recognisable. How did you approach bringing those two identities together without either one overpowering the other?
I think it’s quite a different track from others I’ve made. The bass is powerful and groovy, but it’s perhaps less musical than some of my other productions. There are no pianos or violins, for example. But that’s the beauty of making music. It’s about making all the different pieces fit together. I would say it’s more of a club track, and I think that’s what the vocal suggested to me.
The record manages to carry a relatable idea about communication breaking down in a relationship while still being designed for the dancefloor. How important is that combination of storytelling and club functionality to the house records you make today?
I think we need to move away from the usual ideas. Music is about expressing moods and expressing what we feel. When I’m making a track, I start by bringing together lots of ideas and then work out what does and doesn’t fit.
The arrangement needs to be clear and clean, without becoming too complicated. If you put too many ideas into the arrangement, it can become confusing on the dancefloor. Each sound needs its own space and its own place so that everything can be heard properly. I also use a lot of ‘question and answer’ in my arrangements, trying to make everything flow while keeping the track interesting.
David Penn
House Of Molly have already worked with artists including Jamie Jones, Nicole Moudaber and Eats Everything, but they represent a newer generation than yourself. Do collaborations with younger artists challenge you creatively or introduce you to different ways of approaching production?
I love collaborating with people, whether they’re younger or older. You can learn something from everyone. It might be a new plugin, a different way of finishing a track or simply a small production tip that becomes useful in your own work.
Looking across recent collaborations with artists including Vintage Culture, St Etienne, Kurtis Mantronik, OFFAIAH and Wh0, and now House Of Molly, collaboration seems increasingly central to your output. What do you get from working with another artist that you perhaps don’t get when you’re alone in the studio?
I like both ways of working. Working alone is great, but sometimes it takes me longer to finish tracks and I can have more doubts during the creative process. When I collaborate, there are different points of view and you have to find a way to make those ideas work together. At the same time, you’re always learning new ways of working.
At the same time, you’ve revisited records from your own history, including the 30th anniversary version of The Night Train. When you return to something you made decades ago, how do you preserve what made it special without becoming nostalgic?
For a long time, many people had been asking me for a new version of “The Nite Train”, and I wanted to preserve the original spirit of the track while bringing it up to date. It’s not easy to remix your own track, especially one with such characteristic sounds. Many remixes have been made over the years, but the original was always the version that worked.
To get an outside perspective, I contacted Crusy, who I’ve known for many years and who is an excellent producer, and asked if he wanted to work on it together. He loved the track, so he got to work on the groove and then sent his ideas to me. From there, we polished the version together until we were completely happy with it. I’m very happy with how that collaboration turned out.
David Penn
Ibiza remains a huge part of your life, with appearances across Hï, Pacha, Club Chinois, Café Mambo, O Beach, Amnesia and Ushuaïa in recent years. After playing the island for so long, what does Ibiza still give you creatively that you don’t find anywhere else?
Maybe it’s because I’ve known the island for 30 years, but every time I go there, it fills me with a sense of freedom and joy that has inspired me throughout my career. Ibiza is different now, but it still has that magic and continues to inspire my productions to this day.
With We Gonna Dance arriving on Urbana and Talk To Me landing through Cr2, we’re seeing you simultaneously as artist, collaborator, remixer and label owner. Do you see those as separate roles anymore, or have they essentially become different parts of the same creative life?
That’s my way of life! Today, you have to take on many roles: musician, producer, DJ, businessman, content creator and more. My favourite parts will always be producing music and playing it out, but at the same time, I feel the need to follow the opportunities that life brings me. Learning about all the different sides of the business also gives you a much better perspective on everything you do.
David Penn, House Of Molly – Talk To Me is out now on CR2. Grab it on Beatport HERE.
Trimtone – We Gonna Dance featuring Alexis Hall is out now on Urbana Records. Grab it on Beatport HERE.
Head to Beatportal to read The Night Bazaar exclusive interviews in partnership with Beatport HERE.
