Franc Moody are an idiosyncratic London collective who marry contemporary concerns with classic, crate-digging sounds.
Franc Moody are an idiosyncratic London collective who marry contemporary concerns with classic, crate-digging sounds. They are, in many ways, the brainchild of partners-in-crime Ned and Jon, who were raised on the contrasting influences of a classical household (Jon) and the searing soul of New Orleans (Ned) but both finding an enduring love of dance music in nearly all it’s forms. The pair first met when they were part of a group of musicians who took over an abandoned warehouse in North London, which soon became a staple of the local area thanks to the raucous live shows they put on which lasted well into the night. Gradually, the idea of making records on their own that reflected that history of underground dance culture (its energy, community, and urgency) became entwined into the philosophy of Franc Moody, and the musicians they met along the way have formed the live experience with them, and are very much a part of a collective feel that Ned and Jon have fostered around the music.
It’s an energy that has evolved across Franc Moody’s releases to date, and now looks set to be pushed further still on the band’s forthcoming debut album. Inspired by heroes like Daft Punk or Jamiroquai, Franc Moody draw from the style and techniques of disco and techno whilst simultaneously threading influences of contemporary dance music into everything they do. In a time when London’s nightlife is dogged by closure and censure, the timeless (but timely) need for nightlife also appears paramount to Franc Moody – a band as seemingly beholden to Studio 54, The Haçienda or rave culture as they are Louisana Crawfish boils or (in their case) a Tottenham warehouse, in the belief that the party ultimately starts and stops with the individual.
Having already sold out the likes of London’s Village Underground, Heaven – and supported acts ranging from Nile Rogers & Chic to Friendly Fires and Parcels – Franc Moody have amassed the kind of IRL following which few independent bands can rival. Soon, ‘Terra Firma’ may be all that’s holding them down.
