The more observant shrink-wrapped-house-import watchers will have noticed Tevo Howard’s name cropping up with increasing regularity. And with good reason.

The tipping point came with the third release on his Beautiful Granville label, ‘Without Me’ – a confident four-tracker which channels the raw spirit of his hometown Chicago, but combines it with simple, striking melodies – is something of a classic. It picked up plaudits from the clued-in Innervisions and Clone crews, and the latest installment, ‘Everyday House Music’, should spread the love further. With an album, ‘Dreamer’s Reason Café’ due to drop in the coming months, Bodytonic tracked down the publicity-shy producer to talk history, expanding horizons and confusing catalogue numbers.

This is your first interview, right? Can you tell me a little more about your background, what age are you, where you are from?

This is actually my second media interview. I was interviewed first on a Chicago radio station called Z95 FM in 1990. I still have the recording from that interview. I was 16 years old then. I am actually 35 years old, and I realise withholding that is not something that would work for long. I have been in music since I was seven and have been a DJ, off and on, since 1987 or so. I spent all of my growing years in Chicago, where I live today on the far north side of town. Officially, I grew up in the Lakeview neighbourhood.

How did you get into music?

I’m not quite sure how to answer this question, because I have always been a musician. There was not a day where I decided to get into it. However, I speak often of the day that my brother, Kevin, brought home the turntables. The very thing he told me was to never touch them or I might die if I did. We shared a room back then, and judging from the way that he told me not to touch them, it seemed true that I might die at age 10. Nevertheless, some two years later Kevin had fallen bored with them, and thus, I inherited about 10 crates, a set of tables and a new project. All of Kevin’s crates were house and I was determined to have a crate or, at least, a mix tape with the music that I was currently in to, new wave, as we called it back then. I remember the original goal was for one recording of one side of a tape. I went to Gramaphone Records on Clark Street, and Wax Trax Records on Lincoln Avenue to buy records with my daily lunch money. I did not know at the time that the search for the perfect mix tape would never end, and that buying records would never cease.

How long are you producing?

Oddly enough, I have only been producing since 2005 at the earliest. My friend Lionel Melgar showed me then what a midi file was. That was what originally sparked my interest in music production. I truly, truly, truly consider these years as my early years in production. I plan on producing at least for the next 10 years.

Who runs Beautiful Granville? It’s based in Chicago, right? Obviously the city’s sound is a big influence on you. (By the way, I also read somewhere that you were based in Manchester…)

I own, not in part but in whole, the entirety of Beautiful Granville Records. We are run out of Chicago, Illinois, no doubt. I’ve never been to Manchester, but I may be basing myself out of Berlin in the next coming months. Melvin (Traxx) Oliphant at one point ran Nation Records out of the office directly adjacent to mine. It was shortly before this that I created the record company’s name, Beautiful Granville Records. The company is named after a three block stretch that I live on in Chicago. Although Granville Avenue spans the full width of Chicago, when people in Chicago say “Granville,” they are usually referring to the three blocks at its eastern end. This is also the area that I refer to as “Beautiful Granville.” Here one will not only find “supposedly” 57 languages spoken (we happen to have made the most languages spoken in one neighbourhood in some census survey somewhere), but also a world-class coffee shop (Metropolis Coffee Company), and as well a portal to the world (The Granville ‘EL’ station).

Who were the key DJs and producers that informed what you do?

My mentor and life cohort is a man named Lionel Melgar. I have always resided with him in all of my musical endeavours, which includes DJing as a child. I have had other DJs play records with me during my early years, some of them well known today, but the original tag-team was Tevo Howard and Lionel Melgar. He does produce as well, and I hope that one day he will attend to a release on my label.

What DJs/producers are you listening to today?

I’m kinda stuck in the 80s. New Order is my all time favourite band. Nonetheless, I do a ton of reference listening, or that is analysing and comparing bands that I don’t regularly listen to. One such example would be Jellybean Benitez. He was a great producer.

Your label text refers to every releases as a ‘Boogiedisc’ – has the boogie sound been an influence?

In my opinion the word ‘Boogie’ is synonymous with the word ‘dance’. The text in this case reads BoogieDisc, because that was the original name of my company, BoogieDisc Records. This is why the catalogue numbers up to and including BGR-4 actually have an inscribed catalogue number of BDR, which stood for BoogieDisc Records. The confusion and mis-organisation occurred when BDR-1 was sold under the catalogue number of BGR-1. Because this occurred, I’ve changed the catalogue numbers to BGR, as they are to be known best by this catalogue number. It is simply that distributors called it one thing and that I had called it another, a lack in communication. For the record, I am always going to refer to this catalogue as BGR going forward. There may be references to BoogieDisc, but the company stands for Beautiful Granville Records.

I believe in banging on anything in the room with even a pencil if it makes a cool sound.

For me, your records combine the spirit of early house with a more musical/soulful approach – does this make sense?

I’m assuming that this question references BGR-4. Officially, BGR-4 was a soul band performing a “house track”. In other words, Flo Crew is a funk-orientated band that plays various styles. BGR-4 is simply Flo Crew’s version of a house track.

Did you learn any instruments growing up?

I have played a few instruments as child, such as piano and some drum kit. However, my main instrument is the bass guitar, which I picked up at 17. My interest for it was almost immediate, and always intense. When I finally felt as though I could pay attention to a college professor, I decided to study the Contra Bass (Upright), at a community college here in Chicago. But the most important thing I learned from that experience was in music composition and theory. It was a great time in my life, to live and breathe music for two years.

Tell us more about Flo Crew – who are they and how does it differ from other music on the label? It’s more of an album project, right?

Flo Crew is a modern funk band that addresses an array of styles from dance to ballad, and as well, addresses an array of subjects as they may pertain to romantic love. All tracks are intended in part for live performance, as the tracks are all written with a selection from the same six instruments: Piano, bass guitar, E-piano, small horn section (synth horns in the recordings), drum kit, and percussion.The band’s purpose is to address subjects from break-ups to make-ups, romantic relationships, and beyond. This band is a modern approach to funk.

‘Without Me’ has become something of an underground hit in Europe – did you expect such a reaction?

It’s strange that ‘Without Me’ carved a good path. As my third record, I hoped that it would do just that. But no one can predict these things with surety.

Is there much support for what you do in the US?

I have not yet completely targeted US sales. Flo Crew was the closest I’ve gotten to the commercial sound that the US enjoys. So far I’ve only preferred an underground sound, and it may be the case that I may not cross over to commercial. Or at least, I never plan to sell my soul. If I were ever to do a commercial sound for US sales, it would have to have a profound statement about the current condition and identity of the African-American public, or it would have to have some sort of benefit to the state of the African-American public.

Analogue or digital?

Analogue bumps better, but I believe in banging on anything in the room with even a pencil if it makes a cool sound.

Where do you buy your records?

I shop at Kstarke Records at 1109 North Western, in Chicago. The owner’s name is Kevin Starke, and he’s got one of the best collections in Chicago. I have also been known to hit up Reckless Records, and Gramaphone. Michael Sarafini at Gramaphone also gets a ton of respect from me.

Time is ticking and life is short. I’d simply rather push the envelope than talk about pushing it.

Who is Rick (Poppa) Howard, who features on BGR1?

Rick (Poppa) Howard is my dad. The most valuable thing about him is his words and the huge heart that he has that backs up the positive things he says. He currently resides in Berlin and can be contacted for full performance gigs here. He has a brilliant band and can perform at any size venue, from small to large scale. Mostly he is a blues and jazz artist, but requests are heavily warranted.

Apart from the Flo-Crew CD, you are vinyl-only for singles – will you release digitally?

I am attending to a couple of digital releases, but I intend to keep those rare for sound quality purposes. Vinyl simply sounds better. Initially, I would like to keep my vinyl selection separate from my digital selection.

You keep a low profile – little info on you or the label on Myspace, and no website. Is this intentional? Or have you been rather busy with other stuff?

The low profile is inherent to where I am from. In old Chicago days, people, or at least those around me felt no need for arrogant boasting. In my opinion it is just a waste of time, as you could be spending more time investing in yourself, or other perspective benefits such as higher education. Time is ticking and life is short. I’d simply rather PUSH the envelope than TALK about pushing the envelope.

Five tracks you can’t live without?

Off the top of my head:

The Other Two ‘Selfish’

Everything But The Girl ‘Angel’

Dave Brubeck ‘Blue Rondo A La Turk’

Mtume ‘Juicy Fruit’

Eric B and Rakim ‘Paid In Full’

The reaction to the new ‘Everyday House Music’ EP has been great – what’s next?

I have two releases in pre-sales. Once they are sold, I am off to Europe.

Will there always be house music?

House music has a living, breathing soul. That soul will always exist in some form.

‘Everyday House Music’ is out now on Beautiful Granville.

http://www.myspace.com/beautifulgranvillerecords