Page 76 - DemoZone Magazine Summer Issue 2020

What came first, djing or producing?
DJing came first but producing very soon after. I was DJing a lot at house parties before I got into house music. Then I just got addicted to house music, and that’s all I wanted to play. I took out a loan and bought a Vestax mixer and Technics 1210 decks in 1990. I started DJing in clubs in 1991 when I first started running my own club events. My first club night was called ‘Up’, which then became ‘Loosen Up’, we did various venues in London, like the Soho Theatre Club, Cinecitta Discoteca, Prohibition and the Scala. We had lots of top guest DJs who played for us, some of them before they became massive names, like Sasha, Jon Digweed, Darren Emerson and Paul Daley from Leftfield.
I started getting gigs at other clubs at first mostly in London. I was playing at big clubs like the Ministry Of Sound and Club UK in the early and mid nineties, and then other venues around the UK and Ireland. I also started to get international bookings as well, so I DJ’d in Paris and various cities in Germany in the mid-ninties, and later in Russia, Poland, Denmark Ukraine, Kazakhstan and of course Ibiza.
After I left Om Records, I started making tracks for lots of other labels like Whoop Records, Total Music, Strongroom, Distinctive, Limbo and many others, and I also did a lot of remixes for labels like Stress, DMC, AATW, Multiply and others. And I was also releasing tracks on my own record label called Off The Hook Records.
Your club night Tech-Noir has gained a great reputation in the house/tech house scene, what do you think is the secret to its success?
I formed Tech-noir in 2009 with my friend Danny Chase (aka DJ Brody).
Our aim was to produce a new, quality underground house and tech-house night that was not minimal and dark but uplifting. The music policy at Tech-noir is upfront and new school, but the energy comes from the uplifting, friendly and inspiring vibe of the old-school house scene.
Our success has been based around the resident DJs, and we built up a loyal following of up-for-it clubbers who love house and tech-house, and who always create a great atmosphere on the dance floor. We started with monthly parties at a small venue in Hove, and we have retained that small friendly club atmosphere even when we do larger venues. And we’ve had some great guest DJs like Prok & Fitch, Sonny Wharton, Kevin McKay, Hoxton Whores, Seb
Fontaine, Steve Mac, Oliver Lang, Enzo Siffredi, Lizzie Curious, Tim Cullen, Seamus Haji, Jason Chance, Timo Garcia and loads more, so the music is always top quality.
How do you see the future of the events industry evolving in the wake of covid-19?
It’s going to be incredibly difficult for night clubs and DJs and all those in the industry. If a vaccine or effective treatment is discovered soon that will make a massive difference, but if not then it’s probably going to take a long time before we get back to where we were.
I think the wearing of masks could help speed up the opening of night clubs. The government is finally moving towards making masks compulsory in indoor public spaces, if people get used to wearing them then maybe some clubs could re-open, with a limited capacity, with people wearing face masks.
I think there will also be a move towards open-air club parties. And I think there will be a lot of open- air secret and illegal parties towards the end of the summer .
United We Stream is a very good movement of DJs and club promoters trying to raise money for the local night time culture. I’ve recorded a set for United We Stream Brighton. And also the #LetUsDance campaign and #SaveNightLife campaign are doing good work to support the club and DJ industry.
You have recently released your album “Asylum Earth”, what is the back story to the albums creation?
I’ve been making house music for such a long time and because I’m a DJ I
always want to make tracks that I play in my DJ sets. And of course I want other DJs to play my tracks in clubs as well. But the big problem with that is that you are very restricted with the creative process. The tracks you make for clubs have to be a certain tempo, they have to have DJ friendly intros and outros, and you also you are expected to use fashionable sounds, because many DJs want to play tracks that are similar to each other in style. So it’s very creatively restrictive, which is a real shame, because initially the electronic dance music scene was very creative.