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Published: 06 August 2004

HKClubbing talks to Robot a local live performance group from Hong Kong spinning and producing electronic tunes fueled by stunning visuals.

1.Please let me know your names and what group or name do you go by?
Robot ‘live’, as in: not DJ-ing this time, all our own tracks. People involved are many and their talents varied. Primarily; Mike the Unstoppable and Jay Pelmet on the music front, with Andy One Sock Full Power on the visuals. Bobby Parsley, Rave Swan, Kumiko, the mechanical cat, and Dazzling Darren in charge of performance (won’t be entirely sure what they have in mind until the day itself!)

2.When can we expect you to perform at the Rockit Festival?
About 9.00pm on Saturday 25th, if we can get everything hooked up in time!

3.What have you recently been up to?
Making music relentlessly, enjoying Hong Kong’s fantastic fabric district, monitoring bits of ourselves fall out or off as we continue to grow older.

4.Have you heard anything about the Hong Kong music scene and do you have any personal opinion about it?
We have heard just about every possible opion (HK is a very opinionated place), mostly negative, but having said that a few people have said that this is the year for music in Hong Kong. We are still suffering the fall out from ‘Rave Parties’ in terms of the dodgy promoters, the dodgy press and the dodgy police, none of whom had a clue what was going on and noticed only the obvious effects of dance music, e.g. drugs and money.

5.How does your performance differ from large events to more small intimate venues?
If we have a large stage area to work with we will make use of decoration, installations, visuals and performance. Often though we are crammed into small DJ booths. We make do. Smaller venues are obviously more intimate and there’s a better chance that the people are there because they genuinely like your music.

6.What other artists are you looking forward to see over the 2 days?
Waxed Apple, Finley Quaye, Audio Traffic, Electric Eel Shock, dunno really, there’s a lot of bands that we haven’t heard of so it will be nice to chill out with a few beers and see where we end up.

7.If you are not from Hong Kong is their anything you hope to check out? If you are from Hong Kong what would you recommend that visitors have to do or see?
We would recommend that all visitors get their arses to Kennedy town for some preserved mushroom and salted fish action. Kennedy town is about as local as one can find this side of the abyss and there’s loads of quirky mad Chinese stuff to check out.

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Published: 06 August 2004

The breakbeat group of Hong Kong has a quick chat before they performed at the Rockit Festival in Victoria Park.

1.Please let me know your names and what group or name do you go by?
ERRATICA- DJs Bodhi [China Stylus] and DAN F  Disuye Records]& Simon Pang [Stattus]

2.When can we expect you to perform at the Rockit Festival?
Sunday

3.What have you recently been up to?
Collectively: Spinning Live for MTV Wakebording Festival in Stanley Individual Projects-;

Bodhi- BeachSuite beach party at Shek O, SUB (HKs only dub night) at Yumla

Simon-Hong Kong Eclectic, flying out Nicolette  to HK/Shanghai, Rude Movements

Dan- Producing misic for Disuye, Bedrock Beats and Kilowatt; setting up Yumla

4.Have you heard anything about the Hong Kong music scene and do you have any personal opinion about it?

Its getting better all the time. An if people are positive and supportive of ALL events/styles, regardless of size/venue, the scene will be as good as it is anywhere in the world.

Local independent artists deserve more coverage in the local media.

5.How does your performance differ from large events to more small intimate venues?
The amount we drink.

6. What other artists are you looking forward to see over the 2 days?
SUV, Marky ,XRS& Stamina, Boombox, Electric Eel Shock, White Label, Robot Live

7.If you are not from Hong Kong is their anything you hope to check out? If you are from Hong Kong what would you recommend that visitors have to do or see?
One for the road from Phil @ Yumla, HK Movies, Lunch on the Peak, Sneaker shopping, Seafood on Lamma, Harbour at night, by ferry or Motorbike from Chai Wan  to Central , Wakeboarding, walking in the mountains, Char Siu Fan at Yung Kee

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Published: 06 August 2004

So you have aspirations to start your own label?  You want to experience the highs and lows of the music industry?  It all sounds pretty straight forward to accomplish on paper, but believe it, next to every other label that exists in the world, you’re going to have to know exactly what you’re doing, why and how you’re going to achieve it.

It’s also going to take guts and determination, and of course, a lot of financial risk taking.  One such label that’s experiencing great success due to a string of releases that have been raved about throughout the techno industry, are New York based Gotham Grooves.  Born out of a frustration towards the lack of quality techno being produced in the US, they have achieved near cult status within their field and have renowned artists such as Bryan Zentz, Valentino Kanzyani, Cristian Varela, Adam Jay, and Tim Xavier on side, both remixing and releasing tracks through Gotham Grooves.  This is not to forget that their in-house artists Alek Biotic and Agent Orange are currently as respected within the techno community as any other artist!  And they definitely deserve to be.  I caught up with D. Greg, label manager extraordinaire during his hectic schedule to get the lowdown on all things Gotham.

A: D Greg, Gotham Grooves, the label, the sound. Just how did New York's primary dance label become to be and how long has Gotham Grooves been in business?

D. Greg:
We started the label back in January of 2001.  Back then, my brother Ara (a.k.a. Agent Orange) and I had become real frustrated with the lack of quality Techno in the States. 

Techno had made such an impact in both of our lives.  Long nights at Twilo listening to greats such as Carl Cox, Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin, etc. were really unforgettable times for us and our friends.  Yet the music was so undiscovered and so underappreciated. We wanted to give something back and wanted to spread the word, especially here in the US, about what we felt was the greatest musical genre of all.

A: What exactly is your role you maintain within the label?

D Greg: I’m the label manager, so I deal with all of the not-so-glamorous “dirty work.” (ha!)  I handle all of the aspects of running the label, from release planning, marketing, promotions, managing the staff, licensing, handling bookings for our artists, etc.

Of course, I don’t do all of this alone.  I have a really great team that supports our efforts and is truly dedicated to our vision. 

When I’m not busy running the label, I DJ under the moniker DEEKRON (which is my first name – hence the “D” in D. Greg).  I haven’t started producing yet, but perhaps in the future, if I ever find the time (ha!). 

A: Just how long have you guys been on the circuit now? Are you quite a large family as a label now?

D Greg:
Like I was saying, we are very fortunate to have a great team driving Gotham Grooves forward.  Our core team is made up of six people:

1) Agent Orange – he’s my partner in crime; co-founder of the label, our main artist, and someone who has exposed so many people to Techno with some of the most brilliant DJ sets you can imagine.

2) Alek Biotic – he’s our other In-House artist; Alek is also a fabulous musician who has scored some nice releases with labels such as Bush, Kazumi, and Bazooka 10.  Alek is a top-notch web guru working in New York, so he also helps us with web and graphic design.

3) Ash – this is our main man for promotions and party support; if someone gets a package from us, it’s probably because Ash sent it to them.  Plus, Ash is a networking machine, which helps with the contacts.

4) Gene – our wordsmith and online marketing hero.  Gene has done a great job in taking over the responsibility for our leading Techno newsletter, Future Frequencies. 

5) Eskay – our sound engineer; a great ear and a true audio technology fanatic; he knows about new studio gear six months before the rest of the world; he recently dropped a minimal Techno EP on Clicktracks which got rave reviews from Richie Hawtin.

6) Me

A: Between everybody involved in Gotham Grooves, you have over 20 years
of exclusive business and musical experience, this must have really
helped the success of your label.

D Greg: Well, Alixir, it did and it didn’t.  I think it definitely got us off to a fast start and we did a lot of things right.  But for all our work and our knowledge, we were unfortunately plagued by persistent distribution problems.  You know how it goes, in music, distribution is everything.  Unfortunately, as a small label, we have had little to no control over that part of the equation.

We’re on our third distributor now, and these guys (Rhythmic) are working really hard to make it happen, despite the hardships the industry is facing.  It hasn’t been easy, but things are finally starting to straighten out, so I think most of our distribution problems are behind us.

A: Where do you see the future for Gotham Grooves? Are you distributing worldwide now?

D Greg:
Yeah, Rhythmic has a tight relationship with Intergroove Germany, who is just fantastic.  Especially for Techno.  Between these two distributors, our releases are really starting to get some good exposure world wide.

A: What's in the essence of a good Gotham Grooves release? Who exactly is spinning your tracks and what feedback do you get on them?

D Greg: Great question!  Our philosophy has always been to provide as much quality music as possible for the Techno fan.  We’ve lined up 6 releases and all of them have had no less than 4 tracks, covering a wide range of styles.  Our overall sound is a groovier, dance floor flavor of Techno.  But we try to incorporate various styles on every record.  You’ll almost always find a harder, peak-hour track, a funkier track, a darker track, etc.

Our music has been played by artists such as Carl Cox, Christian Smith, Danilo Vigorito, Stanny Fransenn, Misstress Barbara, Cristian Varela, Bryan Zentz, Valentino Kanzyani, etc.

A: Any specific DJs that make you feel proud to be playing out Gotham Grooves Tracks?

D Greg: Anytime one of our main influencers (Techno heroes) gives us props, it’s a great feeling.  The person who sits highest on that list would have to be Carl Cox.  He’s really the one that ispired us to start the label and get more great Techno out in the world.

We got a real rush this year, when he played in New York and threw on the white label of our 5th release (Funk Matter EP by Alek Biotic), less that five minutes after I handed to him!  He also licensed a track of ours for an upcoming mixed CD he is doing for FACT: Australia, which was a great accolade.

A: What tracks do you tend to release and why? Do they have to specifically fit the mould of what Gotham Grooves sees as viable for the dance floor? Do you produce or have you been involved in any productions yourself?

D Greg:Yeah, we are pretty selective as to the tracks we release.  The kind of Techno we like most is the kind that gets both your mind and your feet going.  Some would say our sound has a Housier influence.  This might be the product of “growing up” musically in the New York club scene.

We also push to add creativity within the track.  Enough changes and breaks to keep it interesting and be able to play the record for several minutes without putting the dance floor to sleep.  If it’s one loop from start to finish, it’s out.

A: What artists do you currently have signed or releasing through your label? Just how did you come about them and what kind of personal relationship with you maintain with your artists?

D Greg: Our two In-House artists are Agent Orange and Alek Biotic.  We may add a third, but have not quite found the person with the right fit yet.

Outside artists we have worked with include Bryan Zentz, Valentino Kanzyani, Cristian Varela, Adam Jay, and Tim Xavier.  We pretty much have met all these guys just by building relationships throughout the scene and throughout the years.

A: You've obviously put a lot of time, endless effort and money into your business, what future ventures do you have in mind for Gotham Grooves or are you currently happy with the way things are running at the present?

D Greg: Barry, you’re not kidding, bro!  It has been a tremendous amount of time, work and money.  It has been very fulfilling in some aspects, but let me tell you, you still have your bad days.  Primarily, I want the distribution to be in line with our other efforts (marketing, music production, etc).  Once we get on a steady flow of a new release every 6 – 8 weeks I would be happy.  I would also like to increase our licensing activity and to get some more high profile booking for Agent and for Alek.  These guys are very talented and it would be such a crime for Techno fans not to experience a kick-ass Gotham set by them.  But all this will come in time, I am sure.  We just need to hang tough and survive the challenges the industry is facing right now with reduced sales and downloading, etc.  Before it’s all over, Gotham Grooves will leave an influential mark on Techno, that I assure you. 

A: Here's your chance to plug any past, current or future releases. What kind of DJs are you aiming at and please explain what a little Gotham Grooviness will do for their record box!

D Greg:
We have our 5th release due out in stores any minute.  It’s by Alek Biotic and features a slamming remix by Valentino Kanzyani.  Number 6 is due out later this year.  It’s an EP by Adam Jay with a killer remix by Agent Orange (this remix was recently was licensed by Japan’s DJ Mayuri for an upcoming hard Techno compilation!). 

Gotham Grooviness means a dope Techno groove, that makes ‘em jack and makes ‘em move!

A: Thanks for taking the time to talk to HKCLUBBING.COM!

D Greg: It was my pleasure Alixir.  Hope to see you when we make it out to Asia.  I leave your readers with the Gotham Grooves motto that we live by: “ Stay Young. Love Techno.”

Review By: Barry Hinselwood

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Published: 06 August 2004

HKClubbing.com has a quick question and answer session with Quan from Regurgitator who is already in Hong Kong ready for this weekends Rockit Festival.

Q.Please let me know your names and what group or name do you go by?
A.Quan, Ben and Peter. We are called Regurgitator. (Don’t ask me why)

Q.When can we expect you to perform at the Rockit Festival?
A.think we’re playing at 5pm on Sunday???

Q.What have you recently been up to?
A.have been running away from my old life in a blind stupor. Last year I bought a car in Switzerland and drove around Western Europe for 6 months with a giant Japanese stuffed toy as company. I then lived in Sweden for 6 months after meeting the craziest person I have ever met whilst casually wandering along a beach front on a Greek island. The last 6 months were spent in London where I have been demo-ing an R&B album and a new Regurgitator record and periodically cleaning up Harold the cat’s disemboweled pigeon victims.   

Q.Have you heard anything about the Hong Kong music scene and do you have any personal opinion about it?
A.I’ve heard nothing.

Q.How does your performance differ from large events to more small intimate venues?
A.It doesn’t. We’re always less than professional. Probably the smaller the crowd the better we entertain. Ironic isn’t it.

Q.What other artists are you looking forward to see over the 2 days?
A.Um… it all looks cool. I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Q.If you are not from Hong Kong is their anything you hope to check out? If you are from Hong Kong what would you recommend that visitors have to do or see?

A.I’m moving here man. It f**king rox!

Check out Regurgitator at this weekends Rockit Festival in Victoria Park.
www.rockit-hk.com

Interview By: Nick W

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Published: 06 August 2004

Blue were in Hong Kong last month on a short promotional visit. HKClubbing.com was able to get to talk to the guys and chat about driving, women and a whole lot more!

Alyson – A: Lee Ryan – L: Simon Webb – S:

A: Welcome to Hong Kong once again! Especially Lee, first time here!
L: Is it my first time here?
S: Is it?
L: But I was in this picture with ya!
A: Nooo! This is not Hong Kong!
S: Oh right, yeah yeah yeah~
L: Why is it my first time here??
(Others): Last time you had a go-cart accident…
(All): Oh yeah… yeah yeah! Haha...
L: Yeah, I remember that… It was a bad accident… I wanted to come away, but I wasn’t allowed, coz if I got that wound infected, then I would have got… not saying this country is dirty, but I’m saying being on a plane and stuff like that, germs and…
S: We just wanted him to be at home instead of getting infected!
A: Sure…
L: So… I’m back though!
A: How d’ya like it so far?
L: I’m loving it, man! I keep on saying I’d love to go up to the mountains, I really wanna go up to the mountains, I’d love to do that!
S: Are there poison snakes and stuff like that?
L: There’s monkeys and stuff! Cats and everything!
S: Can you just walk up there freely?
L: If you see a black gorilla? Run!
S: Really? You can just go up there and walk?
A: Yeah!
L: Free-land, ain’t it? Yeah! I’m just saying, if you see a silver back gorilla…
S: Man, I’m just saying, I’m asking! I’m never gonna go up there!
L: Why not?
S: Not if I’m a guy!
L: Yeah, but what’s a guy gonna do?
S: Make sure that I don’t bump into no… grey back gorilla!
L: Silver back man!
S: Silver one! That’s what I’ve said!
L: Silver back! But then what you have to do, it’s silver than it’s gold, then it’s platinum!
S: You know what I’m saying? That we went PLATINUM!
(All: Laugh!)

Lee and Si speaking on rumours:

L: That’s all lies! I’ve got more respect for myself, and I’ve got respect for women and ladies, than to turn around to a woman and tell her to “F” off… I’m more of a gentleman than that. I open doors for women when they walk in, I stand up when a woman enters the table, you know? I don’t let woman pay for anything… so… I wouldn’t disrespect myself like that… They said that to make me look bad…
S: You know, it’s “pick-on-Lee” time!
L: Yeah!
S: I was there, we was all there!
(Others: How about the “making-out-in-the-loo”?)
S: I was there too!
L: Uh?
(All: Laugh)
L: Did I have sex with a woman in the loo? I never had sex with a woman in a toilet! You know what? For me? I’ll tell you this right now, Simon can speak up for me, Johnny (Manager of Blue) can speak up for me, if I get caught in doing something, I’m the first to go (Hand-raising), alright! If I do something wrong, I’m not gonna turn around and let someone else take the blame for it. If I do something right, I’m not the sort of person to brag about it… I’ll ask for someone’s opinion, ‘guess what I did’! Or ‘I did this thing or whatever like that’… At the same time, I wouldn’t shag anyone in a toilet either!
S: Where there’s a lot of people… that I’m gonna say something! That’s a bit silly! Haha!
L: If I wanna go and have sex with a girl, I’ll take her up to my room, but if I do have sex with a girl, that’s big news as well! But… what am I suppose to do? I enjoy women… I enjoy… haha… I’m a young bloke! At the same time, I DIDN’T have sex in a toilet with a young girl.

A: So do you guys have more responsibilities on the writing process for this new album?
S: Yeah, we’ve co-written all of it.
A: Really?
S: Yeah, we co-wrote the first one… half of it, 6/12… second one, 12/15… this one, we’ve co-written all of it. So it’s not like, we’re progressing outta this, it just happened this way… We’re proud of ourselves as well!
L: Someone said to me the other day, “Oh it’s CO-WRITTEN’…you’ve written all the album, but it’s all CO-WRITTEN…” and I went, “Well… none of are producers…” But we actually do sit there and write our own songs. We all sit there and write a whole song and then take it to someone else, but the way… sort of… the writing process goes… even if sometimes someone don’t write something on it, you still give them a credit, as respect. A lot of the time, you might have written the whole song, but the producer might say, “Look, I need…” everyone’s gonna get paid. Which is fair! It’s nothing bad, it’s just the way this business goes, and the song-writing process goes. You can’t be tight and “that’s-all-mine”… and that’s gonna be…
S: There’s no love! There’s no “One-Love”!
L: “One-Love” man!
S: Yeah! “One-Love”! Quote me, quote me!

Speaking on what kinda girl do they like…

S: Half oriental! My weakness is women… when I go to Japan, I’m like “Uh!” when I come to Hong Kong, I’m like “Uh!” I change my mind everyday! “Uh!”
L: I think a mix… someone who’s not from my own race… I never wanna be with someone who’s English… I wanna be with someone who’s… maybe oriental… or…
S: Or not!
L: Yeah! I wanna meet the girl in my dreams, but I gotta fall asleep every night to meet her, man!

A: I’ve wanting get a tattoo as well… but I’m just too scared of the pain…
L: They hurt man!
S: They really hurt man!
L: But I like them… coz they stay with ya!
S: Don’t do this to yourself… Coz once you start ,you can’t stop, just like you can’t pop! And I never flop! And now I’m gonna shut up!! Next question please!

Good singer, bad driver?

L: Actually I was quite a good driver, wasn’t I?
S: He was a good driver… it’s just the route and stuff… he’s been punished… that he’s sorry about…
L: I was a good driver though!
S: He was alright… he’s alright… yeah…
L: I WAS a driver man!
S: Yeah! I was about to say that man!
(Manager of Blue):Don’t go back to go-cart…
L: Haha… I would never go back to go-cart again! But I’ll get a real car!!

Interview by Alyson
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