The Drill — The Drill
Matt Schwartz’s “The Drill” came out on his Destined Records in 2005, spent 13 weeks on the French chart and took him to the Paris Techno Parade.
- The Drill was an alias of Israeli-British producer Matt Schwartz, who wrote and produced the track.
- UK CD single on his Destined Records on 19 September 2005; French 12-inch on Electron Records.
- 13 weeks on the French singles chart in autumn 2005, peaking at No. 31.
“The Drill” is a 2005 electro house single by The Drill, the alias of the producer Matt Schwartz. Released on his own Destined Records, it spent 13 weeks on the French singles chart and took him to the Paris Techno Parade that year.
Who was behind The Drill?
Matt Schwartz was born on 26 October 1971 in Haifa, Israel, and moved to London in the early 1990s. He studied at Kingston University, started at the Hit-House studio in Hammersmith in 1994 and worked at BeatFarm Studios from 1996 to 1998. He co-wrote Massive Attack’s “Dissolved Girl”, and in 2000 he founded Destined Records for his own releases.
Before The Drill he already had chart hits. In 2002 he formed Deepest Blue with Joel Edwards; their single “Deepest Blue” reached No. 7 in the UK in 2003, and “Give It Away” No. 8 in 2004.
The record
Destined released the UK CD single on 19 September 2005. It carried a radio edit of under three minutes, remixes by Sam Malm and Paolo Bolognesi, the original mix of more than six minutes, and the video. Schwartz is credited as writer, producer, engineer and programmer. In France, Electron Records pressed a 12-inch with the original mix on the A-side and a remix by Laurent Pautrat on the B-side, listed on Discogs as electro house.
France and the Techno Parade
France was where the record connected. “The Drill” entered the French singles chart at No. 32 on 24 September 2005, peaked at No. 31 and stayed in the chart until mid-December, 13 weeks in all. In 2005 Schwartz also performed as The Drill at the Paris Techno Parade, and he later toured under the names The Drill Sound System and DADA Sound System. A second single, “One More Night”, followed in 2005.
After The Drill
Schwartz kept switching names. As DADA he reached No. 18 in the UK with “Lollipop” in 2006. He then moved into writing and production for others: Kylie Minogue’s “Timebomb” and Conor Maynard’s “Turn Around” in 2012, Mike Mago & Dragonette’s “Outlines”, and KSI’s “Patience” (2021), a UK No. 3 hit.
For other electro house records from the same years, read about “Put Your Hands Up for Detroit” by Fedde Le Grand, “Able to Love” by Benny Benassi and the wider history of French electronic dance music.
FAQ
Who made The Drill?
Matt Schwartz, an Israeli-British producer, who wrote, produced, engineered and programmed it under the name The Drill.
When was The Drill released?
In 2005. Destined Records issued the UK CD single on 19 September 2005, and Electron Records pressed a French 12-inch the same year.
Did The Drill chart?
Yes, in France. It entered the singles chart at No. 32 on 24 September 2005, peaked at No. 31 and stayed 13 weeks.
