Page 24 - Zone Magazine Issue 011

Digital, CD's or Vinyl, and why?
All of them! I use Traktor with two X1 controllers which allows me to access 4 decks with amazing ease and loop and FX elements to create something completely original. For me it’s about the creativity. I have resisted the Laptop DJ culture for a long time but with what you can do now is just too powerful to be ignored. I still use CDJs and Vinyl and always take records and a CD wallet to my gigs just in case something goes wrong with the technology. I love to pepper my sets with some subtle scratches and the odd spinback with a big delay when dropping from one track to another. I know there are purists out there who think DJ's should still mix or who only play vinyl.
I mixed on 3 turntables and 2 CDJs every week for 7 years at Sankeys, sometimes using a Rane rotary mixer which is tricky (we only broke that out for certain DJ's who knew how to work the sound system properly) and I would regularly have 3 deck mixes on the go with a teaser track or acappella on the 4th or 5th deck to mess with people so I’ve earned my props. These days I aim to create something unique and spontaneous that even I might not be able to create once taken out of that moment. I mean why limit yourself to 1 format?
What would you be doing if there was no dance music?
I’d probably be a Red Bull X Rider or maybe an actor or the front man of a Thrash Metal Band but probably a drug addict!
You bagged a residency for DJ Mag's 'Dispatches', tell us more about this?
DJ mag used to show me quite a bit of love back in the day! I got a phone call from someone on day to tell me that my Adventures In Acid Mix CD had made it into the “Office Play List” for one issue. I can’t remember who it was but they were like “they never put mix CD's in there man” I think he was more excited than I was. Simon Morrison who writes that column was sent to cover one of my nights and we hit it off and after a fair few further nocturnal rendezvous we had the idea of him coming on tour with me so that we could basically get paid to cause more of the mischief that Manchester was getting tired of. And that was it really.
I had built up my own boutique DJ agency in the early years of my career and so I knew how to organise a string of dates properly and everything always ran like clockwork and of course the music was solid cutting edge new stuff and exciting underground clubs and so DJ Mag gave it the “big blue thumbs up” the rest has been scribed into the pages of DJ mag. Simon actually has a book out called Discombobulated (because it has the word “disco in it”) which is a collection of his experiences while writing the dispatches column. A couple of our Jaunts are covered in there. Taipai and Shanghai I think!
Your not just a DJ or producer, what else do you do in the music scene?
I run a record label, the aforementioned rEJEKT Music which has been running since 2007. I also regularly run label parties / program clubs / festivals around the world. In the past I have been a musical director, A DJ agent, A tour manager, a studio technitian and have taught music production. No rest for the wicked!!
Whats the future for the label?
I’m really excited by what’s coming up on the
label. I’ve pulled back a little on the relentless touring to concentrate on my own productions and the development of the label. I’ve signed loads of EP's from artists who we haven’t worked with before. At the end of September we have an amazing 4 track EP from New Yorker Curses (Safer At Night / Nein) which covers sleazy Tech House, Techno and Nu Disco, all with his heavy analogue drums and throbbing bass. Then we have a 3 tracker from Jammhot (Dirtcrew / Leftroom) which is right on that “Real House Music” tip with plenty of organic feel and analogue warmth.
That will come with remixes from Dudley Strangeways and Neil Diablo and then I have stuff from Francois Dillinger (Techno), Ashley Casselle (Deep House), Al Bradley (Tech House), Arian911 (Minimal House) and Crisjin (Proper Techno). Label regulars Riki Inocente (Deep Soul Infused House) and Nik Feral (Tech House / Techno) are also lining up releases for 2017 as well as a full artist album from Italian artist Frank Sinutre. We’ve also started doing at least 2 label compilations a year now with the next one due for October.
Any advice for up-comming DJ's or producers?
I’d say making music is the best way to get yourself out there. I have no regrets but if I could’ve gone back 10 years and talked to my younger self I would’ve said to spend more time in the studio. Putting on parties is an important way to get experience too but loads of hard work so I wouldn’t advise doing it alone. Most importantly don’t take any notice of what other people are doing. Concentrate on doing your own thing to the best of your ability and stay true to your own convictions and everything else should fall into place. Unless you’ve got fuck all talent of course! Then you’re screwed!
What has been the most successful release on your label to date?
Our first EP was really good but that was at a time when you could still sell 1500 records on an underground release. Probably the Riki Inocente Remix EP's. The original four tracker had three cuts of gritty, soul infused house with a real urban feel with a remix from Jamie Trench and it did really well. I decided that we should do a remix EP so sent the tracks out to perspective remixers and what came back was outstanding. I ended up doing two remixes too alongside another mix from Jamie Trench and then Jem Haynes, Deo & Z-Man and Gurwan.
The whole thing just seemed to snowball and we ended up putting out another 6 mixes over two EP's. Our Strung Out In Reno EP's did really well too with Stacey Pullen licencing two tracks (yes 2) for his Balance 028 Mix comp and Brett Johnson’s remix getting licenced to Vision Of Love 2 alongside tracks from MCDE, Maya Jane Coles, Matthew Herbert, Four Tet and Ripperton.
The Do's & Dont's of a touring DJ in your experiance.
Don’t get too hammered and miss your plane (done that), be friendly, don’t just stay in your hotel room until 10 minutes before your set, I’d say get to the club at least an hour before and soak up the vibe, make sure you have an organised itinerary printed out and not just on your phone. NEVER put your records in the hold! If you play off a laptop or USB stick burn some CDs just incase, if you play on vinyl then take your own slipmats and needles.
Taking your own headphones always helps and take a spare mini jack converter because people are always losing them. I’d also say having sex with the promoters girlfriend is probably a big no no, if you want to get booked again that is (have never done that).
Thoughts on the music industry today?
Music is so throwaway these days. It’s ridiculous! We’re putting a lot of effort into producing limited edition coloured vinyl and trying to make releases more meaningful with T Shirts and Label parties. The way that technology has evolved has meant that there are 100 times more artists and releases than there were 10 years ago. Inevitably this also means that there is a lot more crap out there but it also means that there is more absolute gold too. Back when it cost so much to do a vinyl release, you really had to be sure that it would sell and you would send test pressings to DJ's and record shops to get feedback.
Now that music is so easy to produce and release a lot of the quality control has gone out of the window too. Luckily I’m in a position where I get most of my music sent to me from labels that I have been working with for years but I do still go hunting down new artists and labels!
Strangest night in clubland?
I think when I went to Taipei which is the capital city of Taiwan. It was with DJ Mag and so the promoter keen to show us a good time took us to a KTV bar which is basically a TV Karaoke bar / Brothel! It was really surreal but it’s totally part of their culture so I found myself surrounded by Chinese guys signing Karaoke really badly and prostitutes trying really hard to get picked to come home with me. It freaked me out a bit at first but after a few whiskies I started to have fun with it.
I went home alone but I was making the girls work hard for what they thought was money in the bank. After playing the club that night I hooked up with some guys I knew from when I played at Ministry of Sound there the year before. They took me to an after party half way up a skyscraper where I played for about 5 hours before we spent the rest of the day going to house parties all over the city. We were absolutely smashed falling in and out of taxi’s and different people’s houses but taxis are so cheap that if we got bored or the party ended we just rolled to another place.
The whole time it was absolutely tipping it down. Amazing night. There’s a big community of Canadians over there who love the British and the Taiwanese are really cool and they lap up western culture. Taipai is probably my second or 3rd favourite city in the world. After maybe Beijing or LA.
Last words!
Look after each other! Dig deeper for the real underground shit. Don’t let other people put you down and above all . . Don’t believe the Tripe!!!
Connect:
www.rejekts.co.uk / www.facebook.com/
rejekts / www.soundcloud.com/rejekts
Words By Paul Newhouse Pic By Gemma Parker