Page 15 - Zone Magazine Issue 012

Digital, CD's, or Vinyl, & why?
I’ve always considered myself a music producer rather than a DJ but my first ever DJ gig was playing at a festival in Australia to 4,000 people off vinyl. I’m old school. A record had personality. You had the sleeve with artwork, credits/ thanks and usually all the details of the release. You could get coloured and picture vinyl too. It was all very tangible and really collectable.
When CDs took over, it became more about the amount of tracks on a CD and you simply burnt off new CDs to play music and wrote the names down. It was far handier cause you could make a track, burn it off and test it in a club later. But this lost the personality that vinyl had. Although, CDs are great for carrying compared to a record box full of vinyl, in fairness made music more disposable. There is no collectability in MP3s. They aren’t even real.
Top ten tracks of all time?
In no order....
Ultravox – Vienna
Hedrock Valley Beats – ‘Radio Beatbox’ The Prodigy – ‘We Are The Ruffest’
The Chemical Bros – ‘Block Rocking Beats’ The Japanese Popstars – ‘Let Go’
Beastie Boys – ‘Sabotage’
Bomb The Bass – ‘Megablast’
Vitalic – ‘Second Lives’
The Klaxons – ‘ Magick (Simian Mobile Disco Mix)’
Sirkus Sirkuz – ‘Ahhhh-Sied Love’
Whats the future for you?
I’ve just put together my first solo album which will come out next year on Whartone Records. Its currently sitting as a one continuous mix of 13 tunes lasting 67 minutes. I’m pretty excited about it and really happy with how it sounds. I’ll be back touring again next year to promote the release too, which I’m excited about. I cant wait to get back out into the clubs.
Whats been your most successful release to date?
Probably my most successful releases I’ve had were as Hedrock Valley Beats. I’d say either ‘Coming Thru (My Stereo)’ or ‘How Do You Feel’ – both of which had great commercial chart success in various parts of the world years ago when music actually sold units. I guess, maybe ‘Let
Go’ in the Japanese Popstars did well in popularity due to FIFA but sales wise things didn’t really move as much.
Any advise for budding stars?
Just keep making music and let people hear it. If you don’t you’ll never know if its actually any good.
The do's & dont's of a touring artist?
Get a good agent that can organise a constructive tour that allows you to logistically move from gig to gig with some rest time. It will keep you sane and you’ll enjoy the experience a lot more. Constantly gigging is hard, especially if one day your playing to 20,000 people then the next night only 6 people turn up to see you play. It happens to everyone and it can be hard to take. So decent rest and a good mindset is very important.
Thoughts on the music business today?
Its a fickle business to be involved in. Things move on and scenes change. Everyone if out to make money from you. But once you know that and you can accept that then you’ll be content.
Illegal downloading and streaming of music for free has made the industry less productive financially and over proliferation of new music has diluted the content too much. If they finally figure out away to help with the illegal downloading then I think artists will again make great music and have longer careers.
What would you be doing if there was no music?
Working in a call center.
Tell us your view on dance music in Ireland.
Ireland has always had a great healthy music scene here. So many great artists like Bicep, Matador, Phil Kieran and Ejeca currently flying the flag for us. Its great to see and long may it continue!
You have played all over the globe, tell us what is your favorite club & country to play & why?
I used to LOVE playing Fabric in London. Its a shame that its gone now but I really REALLY hope the guys get that petition to save Fabric sorted.
My first experience of the club was in Hedrock Valley Beats when I turned down witnessing Soulwaxs first ever UK show to go see the Plump DJs play Fabric instead, with a couple of breakbeat DJs from London. I remember thinking how it was this massive club with an incredible feel. It was my first proper big club experience. I then played there quite a few times in the Japanese Popstars. The shows where always amazing. The soundsystem was incredible and the vibe was always better than most other clubs. It just really had everything.
I have 2 main memories of playing the club. One was at Christmas time we dropped our track ‘Eat Christmas’ which starts off with the Jingle Bells riff which the whole place started singing along to it. The promoter told us head never have expected Jingle Bells to be sung by the crowd in Fabric, especially on the main floor and he laughed as he said, he wasn’t too sure if that was a “good thing” or “bad thing”.
Then another show there when our laptops froze midset and I did this impromptu drum solo for 2 minutes whilst we rebooted everything. The audience didn’t even notice and they exploded when the music kicked back in. Funny looking back but we where bricking it.
Even the guys that ran it where so friendly and professional and they also really made you feel like good mates, or the type of people who appreciated that you had taken the time out of your busy schedule to come and play their club. Absolute stars. Save Fabric.
Ibiza or Miami & why?
Ibiza 100%. Ibiza just has that magic that no where else does. If you have been there you know what I’m talking about!
Connect: https://www.facebook.com/ Sirkussirkuz/
Words By Paul Newhouse
Pics By Declan & Dan Ried
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