From rare boogie 45s to a full-length LP steeped in gospel, funk, and disco, Tom Noble’s ‘House of Spirits’ tells a story of patience, passion, and persistence.
Few figures in modern disco and house culture embody the spirit of the crate-digger quite like Tom Noble. From running beloved record stores and reissue labels to unearthing hidden boogie gems for the dancefloor, Noble has always been about more than just playing records. He is about preserving and extending a musical tradition. With his long-awaited debut LP House of Spirits finally released on Razor-N-Tape after more than 15 years in the making, he has crafted a work that feels both timeless and alive, steeped in soul yet glowing with fresh energy. We sat down with Tom to talk about his journey, the making of House of Spirits, and what keeps him inspired.
Tom Noble
Knights of the Turntable: Tom, thanks for sitting down with us. You have built a reputation as a true digger and curator with a deep love of disco, boogie and soul. Let’s start at the beginning. Do you remember the first records that made you fall in love with music and set you on this path?
Of course. One doesn’t forget their first…
One formative find for me was Starvue “upward bound” LP. Pulled from a vendor selling records in a box in the middle of a street. $1. I intended to trade it to a digger from France who had it on his wants. I was to get French porn soundtracks in exchange. But after listening to the Starvue LP, I felt that I related way more to Midwest soul music than early 70s French soundtrack funk. So it helped forge a new path in direction for what I was interested in looking for. It was also cool because it looked very independently released, which was intriguing to me at that time, and also put me down another path entirely.
Knights of the Turntable: You grew up in Milwaukee, then spent time on both the West and East coasts. Each of those places has its own musical identity. How did those environments shape your approach to DJing and producing?
Milwaukee seasoned me. Learned how to read ppl and push boundaries.
LA has more of its own culture. So I played by local rules more. That being, keep it slow and build shit vs blowing them away with bangers. NYC is just, nothing matters until it is 122-125 bpm. And that no matter the vibe, drugs will take over by 2:30 am and vibey music is needed in those hours. At least this was the case in the last 12 years here.
Knights of the Turntable: Beyond DJing, you have run record stores and reissue labels for years, from Lotus Land to Superior Elevation in Brooklyn. How has that side of your life sharpened your ear and influenced the way you make music?
It’s hard to say or explain how owning a shop has impacted my music consumption and DJing. But I guess it means it keeps me open to discovering things from a wide net. Not just focused digging for one scene. It keeps my mind working for many different scenarios . The reissue game hasn’t done much for influence. How can you get influenced from your own mix tape? It has lead me to believe there are absolute fuck tons of amazing music sitting on tapes, just languishing in the wild. It’s the future diggers job to find those.
Knights of the Turntable: Your House of Spirits project has been over 15 years in the making. That is a long journey. What kept drawing you back to the album and finally pushed you to complete it?
Because I believed in the material. I knew it was good. The songs needed structure and melodies and I did my job by not rushing them. I took long spells off and away from even listening to it. Sometimes years. Finally it was just like, ok wtf let’s finish this. Came together nicely. Shouts to Scott Stallone for the mix and JKriv for the finishing touches.
Knights of the Turntable: The record feels alive, with a warmth that could easily be mistaken for a vintage disco session. Was it important to you that House of Spirits felt more like the sound of a band than a purely producer-led project?
It’s just a basic formula: raw production done right, with a live band, preferably one who already has been playing for years. Record to tape. Write tunes that don’t suck. Finish with some minor glitz. I surely wasn’t going to let it enter the realm of “modern music with all the things that were hot last year” or, god forbid, quantize it.
Knights of the Turntable: You balance a lot of roles: DJ, producer, label head, shop owner. How do you move between those worlds without losing the thread of your own creativity?
I don’t know I think they all feed each other more than they distract from each other?
I learned how to write around age 19, 1998? My influences that carry my creative brain originate from what I valued at that time. Curtis Mayfield. Wailers. paragons. Clash, Stevie wonder, Serge Gainsbourg, Jobim, Jorge Ben. All the masters. Since then the main thing to influence me is actually traveling to gigs and feeling different energies around the world (as corny as that sounds) it’s true.
Knights of the Turntable: When you are in the studio, what does your process look like? Do you prefer to jam and capture raw moments, or carefully structure tracks from the ground up?
To quote Gordon Gekko “I don’t throw darts at a board”. If you aren’t Jimi Hendrix, don’t go in without a plan.
Knights of the Turntable: As a DJ and collector, you have spent years unearthing rare gems. Did any particular records inspire moments on House of Spirits directly
Yeah for sure. Darryl Douglas “Holding On” is what inspired Holding On’s name. Which tbh looking back was kinda ballsy, as the original slaps so hard. Also pretty much the entire Patrick Adam’s disco catalog, but mainly Donna McGhee on Red Greg. That one got into my skin.
Knights of the Turntable: You have watched countless tracks come and go on the dancefloor. In your opinion, what makes a record truly endure across decades?
Hard to say precisely but we can evaluate some of the linking facts of bangers:
Bangs. Produced to kill. Sounds good.
Has catchy or hooky moments.
Has done something that the current society hasn’t been privy to yet, or if it has, hasn’t had in a very long time.
Keeps one in anticipation or just absolute bliss.
Knights of the Turntable: After such a long road, the album is finally out in the world via Razor-N-Tape. What was it like to hold that finished vinyl in your hands for the first time?
Felt great. Job well done all around. I’m very happy to release this on a label owned by friends and local NYC neurotics. It allowed me to think about the next type of music I’d make. And tbh all I want to hear is euro disco and things that sound great in the hot sun as well as the moonlit beachy nights.
Knights of the Turntable: Since its release, what kind of feedback has meant the most to you, either from fans or from peers?
I’m honestly blown away by the amount of people who just say they have listened to the whole thing. People will write “just finishing this now and it’s so sick bro” that type of review means it all worked. Feel very good. And also the amount of those who post it, just trying to tell the world they have heard some real shit, and it looks cool too. Best of year lists. Signed panties (kidding) Anything reaffirming the work, works for me.
Knights of the Turntable: Do you see House of Spirits as a one-off passion project, or is this the beginning of an ongoing series?
That all depends on how I spend my time. I feel like I have another house of spirits LP left in me. But I also want to make more summer disco. And get away from soulful meaningful tunes to give way to breezy sleazy tunes. If that makes sense?
Knights of the Turntable: And finally, looking ahead, what excites you the most right now, as a DJ, a producer, or a record store owner?
DJing is less exciting for me at the moment. Shop is always fun tho. I’m excited about the school and the radio channel we are going to create this year. Should be fun 🙂 As a producer, I haven’t been active in years. Despite all this coming out, most of it was 90 percent done already. I hope I have what it takes to get more good music made and release it to yall. Let’s hope 🙂 to quote the LP “time is running out”
Pre order ‘Holding On’ on Razor-N-Tape on a 7″ format now here.
