Hypnotically seductive as if their mixes are just dripping in nectar, Eli&Fur is a dj duo based in London that been rising up the UK house scene. Meeting at the tender age of 16, these girls have been inseparable since and has shaped one anotherâs perspective in music; nurturing each other to who they are today. Their love for the dance scene fueled their motivation to learn how to dj and by infusing their vocals into their production these girls translate their sound clearly as a dangerously cool pair that listeners need to watch out for. Eliza Noble and Jennifur Skillman has just wrapped up their US tour with a befitting Thelma & Louise inspired road trip across 3 states with 10 shows and dropped their âCalifornia Love – EPâ just a day ago. Back home, they have a handful of shows dated to the end of 2015 proving that these girls are still on their own musical road trip with no brakes.
Photography by Lauren Engel, Interview by Mel Truong
Tell us about your upbringing and how did it shape the person you are now?
Eli:
Growing up my parents always encouraged me to be myself and be comfortable in my own skin. As I was the oldest I had to find my own way. My Mum gave me clothes to wear and I just wore them, I didn’t really have an opinion on anything fashion wise and didn’t even know what makeup was till I was 16.
I probably took the idea of being happy in your own skin a little too literally as I didn’t really have any reservations when expressing myself which meant being slightly eccentric. I was a little like Marcus from About A Boy when he sings Killing Me Softly on the piano with his Mum. Thankfully I went to a school where that sort of thing was embraced so I was always super happy. I was also able to explore the most creative parts of myself and it was there that I started writing songs and made the decision that music was all I wanted to do. I always say if it wasn’t for the school I went to I would be a lot more closed as a person, I was really able to be free and myself. I changed schools when I was 16 though and it was a real shock, suddenly the idea of being “cool” hit me like a ton of bricks and I had to adjust really quickly. I think the balance of both places shaped how I am today, I’m glad I had both perspectives. I really believe school has such a huge impact on your personality just as those are the years when youâre really finding yourself, your parents are of course as important but if those two parts of your life dont aline it can be a really confusing time.
Fur:
I grew up outside Guildford in a village and my parents still live in the area. I loved being at home just as I’m really close to my Mum. That’s where I was most happy and able to be the most creative. My parents never pushed me to do something I wasn’t passionate about which I’m really grateful for. I was also able to find my own way.
I didn’t really enjoy school very much, it felt unnatural for me. I’ve never been sure why, it was just uncomfortable. I remember changing schools at 14 and having an art teacher who really encouraged me, that really helped me more become interested in that side of things. Art has always been an interest of mine and something I went on to study and I still love to do.
At around 16 my rebellious phase kicked in, when I moved to 6th Form College. I would go out on school nights as much as possible, it was all about music and having a good time. Eli and I met and could not have been more different but we became best friends.
I don’t really feel too different than how I was growing up, maybe slightly less irresponsible. I think experiencing dance music early on just gave me more enthusiasm to pursue it. I still love going home to see my parents.
You met at the age of 16–in what ways have you changed since then? Do you feel as though you two have grown up together?
Fur:
Definitely. We lived together as soon as we left school. Eli was working in music and I was studying art. We eventually started working at the same company songwriting, partying most weekends, discovering new music. It was that bond and those experiences which led us to want to DJ and make music together. We have not just grown up together, being at school, in the same classes together but chosen a career path and pursued it together. We have a really strong bond and have gone through a lot. It makes everything more meaningful and we really inspire and push each other creatively.
We honestly have not changed much, we both still like to party and have a good time, I guess time has only given us more experience when it comes to the music side of things and we have definitely developed a sound we love over time.
“We are definitely more drawn to that darker more seductive sound. Vocals are important to us, we alway like to try and get both our voices on the tracks we make. Sometimes we will sing certain things that we love but we donât feel are right for us.”
This year seems to be the year of female DJs taking headlines at some events, do you guys ever feel there is some scrutiny with the status of a female duo?
Eli:
We get asked this question a lot, we usually answer saying not at all and we feel totally on the same level but our opinions seem to change all the time.
There are loads of great female DJs doing well now and that figure is clearly growing so from that perspective things are great. For us personally, we don’t feel discriminated or favoured, it’s pretty balanced. I think it actually helps having having two of us, it makes you feel stronger. There can be negative perceptions for sure as with anything and think it goes both ways. I suppose you never really know if someone is making a decision on your gender or that they are just not into you.
When you two produce what is the motivation behind your sound? Do you think when you release something that you are bringing something different to the table or its just a representation of yourselves through sound?
Fur: We are definitely more drawn to that darker more seductive sound. Vocals are important to us, we alway like to try and get both our voices on the tracks we make. Sometimes we will sing certain things that we love but we don’t feel are right for us. We spent the first couple of years working together at a pop production house writing for girl and boy bands which is something we love to do and is still ingrained in our brains. Depending on what we create instrumentally it can bring out a variety of melodies. We pick out the ones we feel fit our sound the most but always hold on to all the parts we like.
For your mini USA tour, I read it’s Thelma&Louise inspired road trip across three states. What attracted you to their story and why did you want to implement their theme into this particular tour?
Eli: We both love the movie and the idea behind the film, we have spent a bit of time together on the road in California over the past 3/4 years. We love that idea of a road trip. It’s such a great theme and the fact that Thelma & Louise is such a great film it seemed like a cool idea. We both agree having a theme for a tour is great, you can be super visual. We are really into that side of things. For us it’s not just about going to shows and releasing music, it’s also about the journey, who we are as people and we feel expressing ourselves in as many ways as possible is really important.
Has there been a song you guys have remixed or produced that one thinks it represents the other the best?
Eli: I would say that Nightmares is very much Furs style vocally, she has this amazing depth to her voice which always sounds dark and hypnotising. I Stole A Car I know is one of her favourites too, she’s the dark side of the duo. We have a lot of fun in the studio singing each other’s melodies, it always creates something pretty cool. As well as production, we like to try and balance that light and dark feel in the tracks we make.
Fur:
California Love is very Eli, she wrote the melody on the guitar which is how she works best, she’s also obsessed with California so I know it’s a special one for her and came about really organically. It was such fun to make as it literally started with a vocal and chords and we build it up from there. You can really tell when the tracks are made that way as they obtain a real emotion which is often hard to create with the more clubby based tunes.
Buy link:Â https://Anjunadeep.lnk.to/CaliforniaLoveEP
California Love:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6Ipl0L8k8Q
www.eliandfur.com
www.facebook.com/eliandfur
www.twitter.com/eliandfur
www.instagram.com/eliandfur
www.soundcloud.com/eliandfur
