Fleetmac Wood on their Rumours Rave

It’s been 40 years since Fleetwood Mac released their now-iconic album Rumours, and it's gone on to sell over 40 million copies worldwide. With the resurgence of vinyl, these sales are bound to continue with the record finding its way into the collections of many music lovers both young and old. Now Rumours is getting a disco re-boot by Lisa Jelliffe and Alex Oxley, the duo behind Fleetmac Wood, making the already-accomplished album even more dance-floor friendly.

The DJ duo have toured since 2012 with the Fleetmac Wood project and present their ruby anniversary gift to Fleetwood fans in the form of their Rumours Rave tour – a hedonistic party where you can find clubbers of all ages enjoying the music together. We caught up with Lisa Jeliffe to find out what’s in store for the fans attending their upcoming Glasgow gig, and learn why this is a rave you can take your parents to.  

The Skinny: Who are Fleetmac Wood and how did it all begin? 

Lisa Jeliffe: The project is the two of us, myself and Alex Oxley. I had been DJing for many years and throwing Fleetwood Mac tracks into my sets for a long time. There was always an ecstatic response and I had a hunch that a whole night [of Fleetwood Mac] would be polarising and therefore exciting.

I always wanted the event to have a creative element to it so after sitting on the idea for a few years, the idea of making it a remix and edit project became clear and the timing was right to gather friends together and make it happen. As soon as I worked out that it would remix-focused then [deriving] the name was really easy, as an edit of the band’s name. 

Five years of touring across the world is impressive. Did you imagine when it all began that you would have accomplished so much and would play Glastonbury among other festivals? 

We didn’t have a big plan to make a full-time gig, it happened organically and we’ve always tried to retain that secret society of Mac fans’ vibe. It’s always a thrill to play Glastonbury and this will be our 4th year playing the Stonebridge Bar in the park. We’re big festival goers and both DJed at Glastonbury and Secret Garden Party amongst others before this project, but the Fleetmac Wood sets are really special as the music really means a lot to people. It’s like a rave that you could take your parents to, I guess. 

Photos from previous Fleetmac Wood nights across the globe show a disco-tastic, high energy, fun vibe with lots of punters dressing up for the occasion. What’s the dress code for your events and is there an outfit that has stuck in your mind? 

The naked man at Burning Man hanging above us stands out in my memory! In terms of dressing up, San Francisco has great style. Stevie is not a gender, she’s a state of mind! We encourage people to dress up and explore their own creativity. Anything goes but capes and shawls are a great starting point and a fun accessory to waft around on the dance floor. 

From the rave in NYC recently there appeared to be a giant inflatable chain wrapped around your neck, how did that affect your ability to DJ? 

We are used to DJing with accessories. Wearing a top hat with headphones is already a challenge and I have to be careful with my cape and the cross-fader. It’s fun to add props and surprises when you can. 

You last visited Glasgow in 2016 at Stereo, and you're at The Art School next month. What are your memories of Glasgow and what can we expect this time around in a larger venue? 

The Glasgow crowd is so up for it and fabulous. It’s the only crowd that has its own Fleetwood Mac chant on the dance floor. We’re looking forward to playing The Art School and we have more of a visual show and some playful elements. 

It’s been 40 years since the release of Rumours, an album filled with classics and loved by millions. How do you approach remixing such revered tracks? Is there pressure when you remix a Mac track? 

I put off remixing Silver Springs for many years as it is a favourite track, but I finally had a crack at it and decided not to worry about it too much, but just try and enjoy the creative process, the result has worked well at our parties. In no way are we bettering these tracks – the originals are masterpieces, but we do add elements to make them a little more disco and dance-floor friendly. We play an edit or remix of every track on the Rumours album, almost in the same sequence as you hear on the album - we start that around half way through the night (or earlier) so don’t get there too late or you’ll miss it. 

Late Night Tuff Guy is a DJ who is also known for his edits and remixes of artists such as Prince; are there any DJs that you particularly enjoy and that give you inspiration? 

There have been so many great contributors to the project; Psychemagik, Mojo Filter, Twin Sun, Antenna Happy, Inflagranti, Pocketknife and many more. In terms of producers that have an inspirational talent for edits, Todd Terje, Joey Negro, and John Talabot come to mind. 

Have you met any members of Fleetwood Mac? Any close encounters? 

I had the pleasure of interviewing the very charming Mick Fleetwood over the phone; such an intelligent and insightful man. We haven’t met any other members. We’d obviously love them to come to our parties and see everyone losing it and raving away to their music. 

What are your thoughts on the Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green and the Fleetwood Mac post-Green, as most know them? Do you have a preference? 

Peter Green is in the band’s DNA so to us there is no separation. The blues roots of the band is really their backbone and the reason why their pop music still has a strong groove on the dance floor. There’s also a wistful beauty and a psychedelic glint that his contributions share with the music that came after with songwriters Bob Welch, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and of course Stevie Nicks. 

In a Fleetwood Mac pub quiz, what would be your quiz name? And would you win? 

Ha ha! Well I think there are people more obsessed with the band out there so not sure we’d win, but we’d have a good chance. I think my name would be Katherine DeLongpre which was the name that Stevie would use to secretly check in to hotels.

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Fleetmac Wood presents Rumours Rave is at the Art School, Glasgow on Sat 1 Jul, and Constellations, Liverpool on Fri 7 Jul.