Details

Published: 15 August 2004

Skrufff.com Interviews Nag Nag Nag’s Jo Jo De Freq: London’s Number 1 Electro (Clash) DJ

““For the first four or five months the club was consistently quite dead. I used to joke, ‘You know what, one day they’ll be a queue out there’ and we’d all laugh but then after it got full for the first time it was rammed every week.”

As one of the three founding promoter/DJs at London danceteria Nag Nag Nag promoter, 25 year old Canadian DJ JoJo De Freq admits she’s surprised by the astonishing speed of her club’s success. Though not by its actual success.

“I felt there were lots of things lacking in London clubs and we basically wanted to do something to fill those gaps,” says Jo Jo.

“I’ve also always liked electro and suddenly I was hearing all these great electro tunes coming out from the likes of Fischerspooner, Miss Kittin and Felix Da Housecat. It felt like something was happening musically and coupling that with our intense boredom of clubbing, we wanted to mix up the gays, the straights, the art kids, the fashion kids, whoever- the people wanting to go out in a space where they could express themselves however they liked.”

Technically the most capable of her fellow Naggers Jonny Slut and Fil OK, Jo Jo’s youth, gender and penchant for dressing up in supersexy, sometimes bizarre outfits have helped to make her one of London’s most in demand new DJs, recent gigs at Dior’s Paris show preceding Alexander McQueen’s at Harvey Nichols. She’s also set to appear in next month’s Mixmag as one of the mag’s Top 10 new DJs (as the only girl) suggesting her global profile is about to skyrocket. She’s also astute enough to align herself with the artistic and alternative types who remain the bedrock of Nag Nag Nag and, no doubt, her own bright future.

“I’m quite happy to say I’m a part of this electroclash scene emerging but it’s not about being purist,” she says.

“That’s where the ‘clash; comes from, it’s a clash of everything and I definitely have a distinct style.”

Skrufff (Jonty Adderley): What was the original idea for Nag Nag Nag?

JoJo De Freq: “I was really bored of clubbing in London and having been a dance music fan for years it was something that really mattered to me. I felt there were lots of things lacking in clubs and we basically wanted to do something to fill those gaps. The London club scene was dominated by this really serious attitude towards music, almost in the way that progressive rock was in the 70s, with those long, drawn out monotonous songs, with everything sounding the same and no personalities, either with the DJs or the crowd. I’ve also always liked electro and suddenly I was hearing all these great electro tunes coming out from the likes of Fischerspooner, Miss Kittin and Felix Da Housecat. It felt like something was happening musically and really coming together. Coupling that with our intense boredom of clubbing, we wanted to mix up the gays, the straights, the art kids, the fashion kids, whoever- the people wanting to go out in a space where they could express themselves however they liked.”

Skrufff: When did you first come to London?

JoJo De Freq: “Two years ago. I came here originally to check out London because I was also bored with what was happening in Canada. I came here with a 3 month ticket with no real plans to stay but after about two weeks, even though it was a hard place to adjust to, I decided to stay. There’s a certain buzz about this city, there’s so many things that could happen here. But I did give myself  a limit of two years, I thought if nothing’s happening after that I’ll go back.”

Skrufff: Did you start by going to superclubs?

JoJo De Freq: “Yeah, I went to The End a lot, and checked out all the big clubs but was immediately dissatisfied. Before I got here, I’d imagined that the London club scene would be really exciting because you read so much in the media but when I came, yes, I found big-name DJs and big clubs but the vibe was just stale. I also checked out small clubs and anything that was remotely electro or electro-clicky type music. There were a few places for that but they still had those serious DJs concentrating on their 3 minute perfectly beat matched mixes.”

Skrufff:  How did you meet Jonny Slut and Fil OK?

JoJo De Freq: “I met Fil working at a record shop and one night in the pub he was telling me about Atomizer (the band he does with Jonny Slut) and how he liked Peaches and instantly, I said ‘Let’s do something together’. Then he told me about Jonny and I was instantly interested in meeting him. I was already actively looking for people that liked this kind of music and had spoken to other DJs and club promoters but nobody was remotely interested; Nobody that I met, anyway. I met Jonny on New Years Eve and that same night we decided to do Nag Nag Nag and began planning it.”

Skrufff:  What was your impression of Jonny the first time you met him?

JoJo De Freq: “He showed me his old video with Adamski from when they were in a band together and I really liked the personality he showed on stage and the music. I thought ‘This is someone who’s really full on and is not worried about pleasing everybody’. That was exactly the kind of person I was looking for. I also appreciated the fact that he’s gay. I knew that this scene already had a strong gay component and I’d already encountered a lot of brick walls from some of the straight DJs that I knew who were saying ‘That’s faggot music’.”

Skrufff:  What happened next?

JoJo De Freq: “A couple of weeks later we had a meeting, found a venue, agreed the club’s name, printed up some flyers then went to City Rockers and started giving out flyers outside the club. We started around the same time they did, in February.”

Skrufff:  What was the very first night like?

JoJo De Freq: “It was a bit of a nightmare, to be honest, we were in a fairly down at heel basement club where the sewers seemed to be overflowing so every night there’d be a bad smell. At the time we did want somewhere that was a little bit dirty and we couldn’t afford anywhere big so, it was very humble beginnings. There weren’t very many people there, just our friends plus a couple of ‘lookies’, people looking in, because they saw an interesting flyer. We were also working out what each other were like as DJs and what our styles were like. But we had fun, we were playing music to our friends and it was slowly building.”

Skrufff: Was it a steady progression in Nag’s popularity?

JoJo De Freq: “For the first four or five months the club was consistently quite dead. We moved to the Ghetto after five weeks and it was dead there for the first few months which put us under more pressure, because it was a better club, with a proper owner, promoter and sound system but there was still nobody there. But thankfully Simon (Hobart) was really supportive and he was willing to be patient and gave us advice. Then suddenly after 6 months it filled up. I used to joke, ‘You know what, one day they’ll be a queue out there’ and we’d all laugh but then after it got full for the first time it was rammed every week.”

Skrufff: Why do you think the club nowadays attract so many celebs?

JoJo De Freq: “ I think they come because they enjoy it and they like the dressing up factor. We’ve had lots of famous people down but we don’t make a big deal about them and I think that’s why they like it. We don’t give special privileges to people because they’re friends with some designer; we give everyone the same treatment. And everyone there is in some sense just as glammed up or charismatic as any star- there’s lots of artists and creative people there so it’s a comfortable environment.”

Skrufff:  How important do you think mixing is for DJing electro?

JoJo De Freq: “It is very important but only for functional reasons. If you’re on the dance floor and you hear a bad mix it can really ruin the vibe so mixes should be decent technically. But beyond that, trying to do 3 minute layered precision mixes is silly, you’re primary concern is to entertain. As long as you can match a beat for a few bars the main thing about DJing is getting the vibe right and taking people on a ride; for me it’s more about programming.”

Skrufff: Have you been back to Canada recently?

JoJo De Freq: “Not since I started Nag. I see my life as here now, if I go back there some day and get to tell a few tales then that’s fun but I’m looking more towards the future of what’s happening here. I love travelling though and I’m keen to go everywhere, that’s on of the reasons I got into DJing.”

Skrufff: The club’s getting media hyped constantly, and must be in danger of being swamped by fashion victims, how do you guard against it?

JoJo De Freq: “It’s inevitable that the hype will die down though we’ve already had two waves of hype now. The first time we were like ‘this is too good to be true’, and the crowd suddenly changed with more trendy type people coming down and even then we thought this will last a month of six weeks at the most then it will be dead again as it was. But it hasn’t. And now they’re writing articles again and it’s even more packed. I don’t mind either way, we’re just going to concentrate of doing what we started out doing- providing good music, a good vibe, good ideas and a place for people to go and wear their most ridiculous outfits that they can’t wear anywhere else.”

http://www.nagnagnag.info (Click of Jo Jo De Freq for details of her upcoming DJ dates)

Interview by: Skrufff.com

subscribe to skrufff music newsletter at www.skrufff.com

Details

Published: 15 August 2004

Pete Tong On The State of the Clubbing Nation, Ageing DJs, Cocaine & The Future Of Clubbing

“A perfect club for me today would include 25% of people who like electroclash, 25% into French funky daft house, 25% who like adventurous music and the rest being those who would otherwise have gone to see Sasha or Digweed but still want to smile.”

Still smiling after 15 years at the top of the DJ tree, Pete Tong remains dance culture’s most powerful DJ, principally due to his enormously influential weekly Radio 1 show, the Essential Selection. And what’s kept him at the top, whether through his radio show, club DJ sets or record company activities has been his musical taste and enthusiasm for change.

“If you could reduce everything I do down to one sentence, you could say I ‘sieve’ music out for people,” he tells Skrufff’s Jonty Adderley.

That’s what I’ve always done, whether as an A&R, radio presenter or DJ.”

Chatting in the rarified confines of private members club Soho House, he’s reserved though articulate, speaking in great chunks of monologue, about everything to the state of clubland (’ dance music’s not dead, it’s just moved to a different place’) to DJing (‘I’m still a trainspotter underneath it all’)

He’s also here to discuss two forthcoming mix CDs (Fashion TV Presents Pete Tong and his first Essential Selection CD for online marketers TrustthedJ.com), his first foray’s back into the compilation business, since walking away from the Warners/AOL owned FFRR last year despite spending 17 years building the label from scratch.

Skrufff (Jonty Adderley): Both of your upcoming mix CDs are your first compilations since leaving FFRR last year, what approach have you taken with each?

Pete Tong: “Firstly, we’re going through a massively changing time in the music business generally and in the dance business in particular while secondly my life is also going through a period of change, personally. Up until last Autumn I was still involved with a major record company, Warners, then left my association with them and since then have been thinking about what I wanted to do next, or even if I wanted to do anything next, other than what publicly most people know me for, which is the radio show and being a DJ.”

Skrufff: What approach did you take in compiling the CDs?

Pete Tong: “As a DJ doing compilation albums it’s gone full circle from the early 90s days of doing the first Cream album through to a quite long run I had doing them for Ministry. I had phenomenal success with Ministry’s Annual compilations, with Boy George, but at that time everything was novel, we were like kids in a candy store, with everything fresh and honest, without cynicism. Towards to end of the 90s the whole compilation market got bigger and bigger, and became more and more overcrowded, so in my position as ‘Pete Tong the establishment DJ’, I ended up operating in the upper echelons of the market in terms of sales, which meant doing albums that were usually TV advertised and influenced by the level of marketing budgets going into them. There was a constant pressure of trying to walk the tightrope between mass sales and some sort of credibility. The bubble eventually burst a few years ago.”

Skrufff: How do you view those past compilations now?

Pete Tong: “I don’t regret what I’ve done, because I’ve sold lots of records and got paid for them but I think long-term the effect that those CDs had on people’s perception of me as a DJ is that all I do is that (kind of music). It was quite important for me to spend a couple of years afterwards putting out material that wasn’t subject to too many commercial pressures. Now I’m out of all those old compilation deals and the industry is in a terrible mess these two unique opportunities came along at the same time, from Fashion TV and Trustthedj. The Fashion TV one is already available in France, while the Trustthedj one will be shipping off their website shortly and there’s no particular agenda to either of them. Fashion TV are so much NOT part of the dance music establishment yet they have a very interesting network of outlets, they’re one of the biggest cable operators and programme suppliers in the world, from China to India to Europe.

They put together their compilations from Paris clearing the tracks for as many countries as they can, shipping them everywhere, then hammering (promoting) them on their TV shows and playing the CDs at their catwalk shows. It’s completely different to being marketed by Warners or any of the other labels, so it’s still mass marketing, but based on a whole new set of rules. It wasn’t important that the top three hits were on the CD, I’ve always had an interest in fashion, I’ve worked with many designers on their shows before, so I thought ‘Why not?’”

Skrufff: You mentioned that the dance industry is in a ‘terrible mess’, what’s your assessment of its underlying health?

Pete Tong: “Everybody still loves music and partying, dance music’s not dead, it’s just moved to a different place, it’s just in the UK that it’s gone back in the shadows. To me it’s always been about the party. If we keep worrying about the party and the experience of the individual who pays to go there, then that inspires the people who make music to make sure their music is great, and the DJs to insist on still playing great music. Everything comes from how it all started. The forefathers of house music made great records but that wouldn’t have meant shit if the parties they played them at hadn’t been good. They made them because they were inspired by their surroundings. If we can still create parties that good, then everyone will get back on side again.”

Skrufff: Nag, Nag, Nag’s Jonny Slut recently told Skrufff that he’d got turned onto electroclash by hearing you spinning Fischerspooner’s Emerge on your radio show, 18 months ago, do you think in terms of one track like that sparking a new genre?

Pete Tong: “I’m always looking for fresh music and, yeah, I do think like that. The electroclash trend is a very interesting phenomenon and the jury is still out in my opinion, on where it progresses. It’s not quite got there yet but the people involved are so desperate for it to work, as we all are, though the only thing still letting it down is the music, because it’s so hit and miss. You get a record as good as Emerge or some of Felix Da Housecat’s tunes but then you get lots of naff records that are rehashed versions of bad 80s records that weren’t good then, let alone in the year 2,000. But the fact that electroclash has inspired people to dress up, smile and put on make-up again in clubs is incredibly healthy, because that’s a culture, that’s a genuine scene.”

Skrufff: Is Emerge a track you personally still rate?

Pete Tong: “An interesting thing about the Fischerspooner track is that it was Dave Clarke who turned me on to that record and it was really the techno scene who were playing that record as a tongue-in-cheek track, who first got it. And usually they’re the most po-faced of all. Dave though, despite his reputation, has a very dark and twisted sense of humour. That track for me was an instant record to put on the radio and bang (push) it really hard, it’s an important record. Dave also championed the other key (elecrtroclash) record before it, (Kernkraft 400’s) Zombie Nation.”

Skrufff: Where do you expect electroclash to progress?

Pete Tong: “I think what’s going to come out of it is some kind of merger. The people who like electroclash have injected excitement into the club scene again, in the same way that the Gatecrasher kids did with trance. A perfect club for me now would include 25% of people who like electroclash, 25% into French funky daft house, 25% who like adventurous music and the rest being those who would otherwise have gone to see Sasha or Digweed but still want to smile (chuckling). In other words, a bit of everybody, with the crowd also being internationally mixed. The greatest thing about electroclash is its sense of humour and entertainment value, that were the same values I grew up on as a DJ in the 80s. When me and Dave Dorrell were doing the original acid house parties at the Milk Bar we’d be playing the big house records alongside Depeche Mode, INXS and the Rebel MC, clubbing and DJing then was all about fun.”

Skrufff: Did you go through a punk or new romantic phase in your 80s pre-acid house?

Pete Tong: “Not really a punk phase, I was a bit young when punk started, I was going out more when the New Romantic thing hit. Like everybody I loved the Sex Pistols and I loved the Clash but I wasn’t a punk rocker though by the time the New Romantic thing was going on I was already actively DJing in London and lots of the New Romantics were my friends. One of the first bands I ever toured with, for example, was Spandau Ballet. I used to play soul, funk and disco records before they went on stage.”

Skrufff: You’re one of the key pioneers of acid house, is acid house something you still identify with?

Pete Tong: “I do with the acid house spirit, though I’m very conscious of not wanting to be condescending to new generations or boring them silly with dance music’s history. But what the spirit was about was the collectiveness that came from doing something different, together. The great clubs in the country that are surviving or doing well today are still ones which epitomise acid house values. They’re about not selling out, keeping things real and wanting to book the best DJs without getting tied up in ridiculous fees.”

Skrufff: Mixmag recently launched a vicious campaign against ageing DJs, though excluded you from it, what do you make of the campaign?

Pete Tong: “I don’t necessarily agree with it. When the editor Viv (Craske) made that statement I said, ‘So that’s it, it’s over, is it?’ I have a funny relationship with Mixmag, I’m very happy to do the column and I’m probably enjoying it now more than ever but I never really wanted to do it originally. Now I’m with another generation of editorial staff. I can see what they’re trying to say, they’re saying that they can’t continue to sell magazines by celebrating something that’s been going on for an awfully long time. They’ve got to champion evolution as much as anything else, but you can’t champion what isn’t there. It’s a very difficult time for magazines and it’s easy to be negative about what they’re doing. But we don’t want them all to go out of business. The sweeping statement that all old DJs are over though, is obviously f*cking ridiculous.”

Skrufff: Is age an important factor for DJing?

Pete Tong: “That’s obviously something I think about quite a lot (chuckling)… how can I answer that?… What’s important these days, is to ask who’s really into it and who’s not? If you’re genuine about DJing then age isn’t a factor. You’re never going to be the hot new DJ on the block again but if you’re genuine about what you do, then people will still respect you for it. And if the clubs still want to book you and people still want to come and see you then there’s no argument. So, touch wood, people still want to book me and come and see me, and Radio 1 still want to employ me.I couldn’t keep going for this long if I didn’t care about it. I’m still a trainspotter underneath it all and that’s what keeps me going.

The most misunderstood thing about me is the fact that what I really love doing most of all is DJing. All the other stuff I do is a reflection of that. I love doing radio but I never wanted to be a talk show host or do a breakfast show, I just wanted to play music I loved. I wouldn’t enjoy playing music that other people picked at all. If you get to be 40 years old and you’ve been DJing for 20 years but you don’t mean it anymore, or you’re trying to cream it off, then I don’t think people will book you.”

Skrufff: And how do you see the role of new DJs coming up?

Pete Tong: “It’s really important that new DJs come through but you can’t expect a new DJ to turn up and solve everybody’s issues, it’s not going to happen. If you said ‘All the DJs over 35 have to disappear’, sure some great young DJs would emerge but I reckon the scene would be lesser for that. What matters is that the likes of Yousef can come along and force his way in. All the old DJs, whether you love them or hate them, did pay their dues, no-one got put there automatically.”

Skrufff: What do you make of your long term associate Eddie Gordon’s theory that cocaine’s rising popularity has damaged club culture in recent years?

Pete Tong: “(Pausing) Without sounding like a bullshitter or naïve, to determine whether it would or it could, you’d need a measure, wouldn’t you? I’ve heard him say that and there’s no doubt if that everyone was on coke in a club, it wouldn’t make for a good club. I’ve got an instinctive feeling that the core of the scene, where everything new starts, is over cocaine already. You can work out a lot of stuff by examining what happened in America before. America went through the ecstasy storm without anybody outside really realising, during the days of the (Paradise) Garage, then in the 80s went through the cocaine storm which accompanied the complete collapse of the American club industry as we know it. Then it came back up the other side.

Cocaine has probably had a bad effect though I know some party animals for whom it’s no longer part of their life. You need to be so focused right now and the people you’re working for, the club runners, are so different these days. During the mid 90s there were some crazy times but nowadays club promoters are taking much greater risks by putting nights on, nothing’s guaranteed anymore. When I read stories of bar culture in the suburbs, though, and you see how coke is now the average Saturday night for checkout girls then there’s no question that that has a negative effect across the board, it’s a completely different drug to ecstasy.”

Skrufff: I must own up to listening to Terry Wogan in the mornings on Radio 2, do you see a point when you’d ever join Radio 2?

Pete Tong: “I don’t know, … I wouldn’t want to compare myself to John Peel in terms of everything he’s achieved but I think I’m more Peel-esque in terms of the fact that I like new music and I don’t know how new music would fit into their format. The idea of going to Radio 2 and reviving old music doesn’t appeal to me, I’m happier on Radio 1. I’ll probably end up on Radio 5 as a football commentator.”

Fashion TV Presents Pete Tong is out on March 31st, on Fashion TV

Pete Tong’s Trustthedj.com compilation is available from April 10th exclusively via www.trustthedj.com.

Jonty Adderley (Skrufff.com)

Interview by: Skrufff.com

subscribe to skrufff music newsletter at www.skrufff.com

Details

Published: 15 August 2004

W.I.T.- Electroclash’s Real Queen’s Of New York

“It’s true, I’m full time, a full time drag queen. I do have some relatively more sensible high heels but I’m pretty much a high heel girl, through and through.”

Dripping sexuality and a distinctly European style self-deprecating sense of humour, WIT’s Melissa is that rarest of rare people- a super-intelligent platinum blonde bombshell. Chatting down the line from the New York space of Mogul electro chief Larry Tee, she happily admits to wearing stilettos when she washes the dishes, to always look her best.

“We all wear our high heels all the time and we’re all available,” she laughs.

“It’s tough on the road, we’re lonely pop stars, out on the road.”

Whether she’s really a lonely pop star is open to question (not least since their new album is yet to crossover) but Melissa’s already been labelled a dungeon mistress in an S&M parlour (Village Voice) and has seen her face splashed all over billboards in New York. She’s also recently discovered Sex In The City, along with her bandmate Christine.

“I’m ashamed to say I’m a typical woman and I’m really into the show,” she admits. I relate to the different dating scenarios, they pretty much cover every type of date we’ve all been on at some point.”

Skrufff (Jonty Adderley): W.I.T. been going for a year now, how much has your life changed?

W.I.T. (Melissa): “It’s been great fun so far what’s changed is the fact that I’ve had greater access to people who I’ve admired, from going out and doing shows. It’s really nice to meet people whose work I respect, people like Tiga or Arthur Baker,… and look I get to name drop now, too (chuckling).”

Skrufff: What did you do with Arthur Baker specifically?

W.I.T. (Melissa): “He did a remix of our last single Hold Me, Touch Me, we didn’t work with him on it, he went off to his secret lab and did whatever it is he does. But he’s a great guy, he’s one of those no-bullshit traditional men. He’s nice AND a legend.”

Skrufff: Do you see the band as a pop thing?

W.I.T. (Melissa): “No, not really, we’re still underground in our own way though we’ve been pretty lucky to get as much press as we have done, so quickly. We’re stuck to playing at clubs that we like and parties that we believe in, we haven’t done anything mainstream and the album just came out the other week.”

Skrufff: Are there life sized cardboard cut-outs of you in record stores for example?

W.I.T. (Melissa): “No, not yet, though we did have a song on the Ultra 80s electro collection and I wasn’t aware that they were promoting it heavily but when I got back to New York there were all these giant posters of my head, all over the City. That was a little unnerving, I didn’t even know that was happening. You go to get milk in the morning and suddenly there’s your big head on a billboard. It’s business, right? We have a pretty good sense of humour about the whole thing.”

Skrufff: The Village Voice said in December that you once worked as a dungeon mistress in an S&M parlour….

W.I.T. (Melissa): “Yes, you know, I think it’s really funny that anyone writes rumours about us so I’ve decided to neither confirm or deny any of the rumours. If you’d like to make some up, whatever you want, please do. There’s so much speculation about us, we think it’s hilarious. I welcome all gossip.”

Skrufff: What’s been the most bizarre gossip you’ve heard?

W.I.T. (Melissa): “I don’t know. One odd thing I read was that I’m a sister of one of the girls from Chicks On Speed…

Skrufff: Larry told me that..”

W.I.T. (Melissa): “She’s not my sister, but she’s lovely. Are you responsible for spreading that one? I also heard that Christine was my sister and also that Christine and I are a couple.”

Skrufff: Where does your new member Mandy come into the frame?

W.I.T. (Melissa): “Where did we find her? Mandy’s a great girl, I’ve known her from clubs and she was previously doing some costumes for us. We got along so well, she was helping us with our tour outfits. She used to model and was figuring out what she wanted to do after modelling and we invited her on our American tour. She was great, she’s so awesome and we had a great time with her. She’s survived both of those tours so she’s in.”

Skrufff: Almost all your songs are about boyfriends (‘yeah’) are you and Christine both really single?

W.I.T. (Melissa): “Yeah, that’s our official line- we’re all available (chuckling). We all wear our high heels all the time and we’re all available. It’s tough on the road, we’re lonely pop stars, out on the road.”

Skrufff: What qualities do you look for in a boyfriend?

W.I.T. (Melissa): “Just a nice decent guy. I like all those basic values, someone who loves their Mum, I’m not into the bad boy stuff, I don’t really go for that. But it’s pretty tough to find one. I’m looking. I like Prince William, he’s cute.”

Skrufff: Do you find that now your face is all over New York billboard posters you get lots more guys approaching you?

W.I.T. (Melissa): “Are you asking me if my fame is helping me get laid? (Skrufff- yes). I don’t know if I can answer that, I don’t think I can sound good however I answer that question. Er, it’s interesting, and I’m attracting more varied people. It’s broadened my appeal, I guess.”

Skrufff: Looking at Google, Whatever It Takes links to a fundamental Christian webring, have you attracted the attention of any puritanical Christians yet?

W.I.T. (Melissa): “Not yet though I’m looking forward to it; all are welcome in WIT-world. We’ve been blessed so far though I’m sure there’s a tomato with my name on it somewhere ahead. We’ve been really lucky, we’ve not been run out of town yet, I guess it’s something to look forward to.”

Skrufff: Seemingly every girl in London avidly watches Sex In The City, is it a programme you relate to?

W.I.T. (Melissa): “It’s sad to admit it, but Christine and I actually became single around the same time and we were joking one night saying ‘What do single girls do in New York when they stay home?’ and we said ‘they watch Sex in The City’ and we’d never watched it before. So we rented it on video and actually really liked it. I’m ashamed to say I’m a typical woman and I’m really into it. It’s tough dating out there, it’s really tough.”

Skrufff: Which character do you relate to the most?

W.I.T. (Melissa): “You’re hoping I say the slutty one (Samantha). I relate more to the different dating scenarios, they pretty much cover every type of date we’ve all been on at some point.”

WIT’s self titled album is out now on Electro Mogul. They play live in London at The Egg, on Sunday May 25 (Bank holiday weekend).

http://www.electroclash.com

by: Jonty Adderley (Skrufff.com)

subscribe to skrufff music newsletter at www.skrufff.com

Details

Published: 15 August 2004

DJ Alixir from HKClubbing.com Interviews Soul of Man ...

In the late eighties, producers Justin Rushmore and Jem Panufnik began to forge a new breed of funk that has been adamantly influential during the course of a style we know today as breakbeat. A sound first hinted at during the early eighties by fairlight wizards, The Art Of Noise, with tracks like “Close To The Edit” amongst other sampled break/backbeat classics. Originally, Justin and Jem’s Finger Lickin’ label was created as a vessel to launch themselves as upon the dance scene.

Apart from achieving their own recognition, Finger Lickin’ has become a stage for them to be seen as world class leaders amongst the ranks, with global heavyweight acts such as The Plump DJs joining their musical wagon of continual success. Justin and Jem have already unleashed breakbeat classics such as “Killabrew” and “Love and Hate” under the guise of “Soul Of Man”, tracks that have dominated the dancefloor and become firm favourites with DJs and producers alike. HKClubbing.com’s DJ Alixir caught up with the dynamic duo and questioned them on future tours, an expected album release and all things that “break” in the night…..

A: How long have you both been in partnership for producing music? What came first, the DJing or the music?

Jem: Justin and I first met and almost straight away started making music in '96- we started a tiny label as a way of releasing house tracks we were making called "Spirits of Inspiration". The creative relationship worked so well because Justin, a fairly prolific house DJ, wanted a musician/ producer to help put his ideas down, and I needed a much more specific club-angle to the funky grooves I was knocking out and he was able to provide that. The result was me learning about DJing and Justin about production and the mix is not only pretty balanced now, but goes hand in hand.

A: What lead yourselves into the world of Breaks? What inspires your sound?

Jem: We can both identify a point when we thought "wow - we can do that!" when we heard a Freestylers DJ set on the radio about seven years ago now. It seemed to fuse our passion for house with all other things funky and hip-hoppy, at a time when a lot of dance music was sounding very much the same and uninspiring. Justin had also started his record shop, Vinyl Addiction, and could see this underground genre bubbling away first- hand. It was a very exciting time.

A: Q As most of us know, partnerships take a lot of work but when they work, they work well. Has Soul Of Man always been about the both of you? How long have you worked together and do you often work apart from each other?

Jem: As said above, the roles were initially more defined - Justin with his DJ head on would come up with a concept, perhaps even a sample, and I would translate that musically into something we both dug and off it would go. We have both learnt an enormous amount over the years about each other's trade and the roles have blended somewhat now, but it still acts as a constructive factor, and we never proceed with something unless we're both happy. We are lucky to have a good communication and a good understanding of each other. We don't always agree - but that's life!

A: What lies at the bottom of the experience that is Soul Of Man?

Jem: Probably the things I have mentioned - we both have our musical influences - Justin with house, me with funk, and the way we've been learning to apply it to our music - the result is deeply funky hypnotic dancefloor monsters! Djing provides a lot of experience - knowing what you would want to play with behind the decks means getting in the studio and actually making it. There is nothing more of a buzz than witnessing something you've been hammering out in the studio, imagining it on the dancefloor, and then seeing it do it's job!

A: What do you believe that makes your sound so encapsulating and rewarding upon the dance floor?

Jem: The funk! There are an awful lot of breaks producers who seem to forget the general purpose of dance music - to make people dance! If we're not jigging about in the studio it's probably not going to make the crowds move...

A: Is there something formulaic about your sound or do you not tend to follow templates for production?

Jem: There's nothing formulaic - you will notice that not many of our tracks sound that similar, although there is definitely a production sound - inevitable when you do everything in the same studio. Tracks seem to take their own route a lot of the time. What may have been started with a specific concept will invariably take a life of it's own by the end.

A: Best gig ever played so far? Why was it so memorable?

Jem: The one that will probably stay in our memories for ever was the first time we played Field Day at New Years in Sydney in 2002 - it was a huge outdoor breaks-lead event that climaxed with a Finger Lickin' Allstars set at the end in front of 17,000 people - us, Plump DJs, Matt and Aston Freestylers and Krafty Kuts spun back to back in front of a sea of faces - it was an awesome spectacle from our angle! It was one of the happiest and proudest moments in my life - being on the other side of the world, and the people loved the music they were hearing. It will be hard to top that!

A: You've done a lot more remix work than current releases to date, was this intended or have you not had much time for the studio?

Jem: It is hard trying to make time in the studio - Justin deals with the business side of the label and has fingers in other pies too - it's pretty full on! It's ironic since Finger Lickin' was set up really as a vehicle for our own stuff, but it's totally taken over! We are on a mission though- we are aiming to complete an album by July and it is already shaping up pretty nicely.

A: Where are you headed for the summer? Big gigs and festivals abound?

Jem: Loads of big gigs and festivals - we're off to do a tour in Australia in July - setting off the day after Glastonbury which may be tricky (!), Big Chill, Shambahla in Canada, plus Poland, Spain, Finland, Ibiza - it's going to be busy!

A: You've already played acclaimed gigs in Japan and various other locations in Asia and Australia, is there anyone who's supported you in those areas that blew you away?

Jem: What most bowled us over in Japan was the excitement and enthusiasm for the label - needless to say DJs supporting us were also technically brilliant! In Australia the hat goes off to Jesse Kinobi - talented, energetic and a top bloke too.

A: What's up the evolutionary ladder for Soul Of Man, breaks forever or experimental dips into other musical genres?

Jem: It's never been "breaks forever" - there's an undeniably housey side to our sound and we both yearn to knock out some purely house monsters sometime...doing this album too has enabled us to be a bit more indulgent and we've been messing about with much slower tempos and sounds. Making tracks as 12" singles can be limiting in that you are providing music with one function - for DJs to play and people to dance to. An album is something people  have in their homes and cars, and as a result you can take them on a  different sort of journey - you can afford to be more musical and expressive. There is a lot of unchartered waters with our music making - limited only by the time we have to experiment. The mission is to make more time for it, and stretch the boundaries even further.

A: "The Lick" is soon to grace us on the other side of summer, will this release be twinned with a large scale tour of worldly proportions? Perhaps Hong Kong?

Jem: It's not actually going to be called "The Lick" any more! The album was initially going to be a sort of compilation of our remixes and bootlegs and that name suited that well - we're still going to do it, but further down the line. We're now instead producing an actual "artist" album (working title at the moment is "Soul Shaker"). There most definitely will be a tour to support it in October and nothing would make us happier than to come to Hong Kong! The Plumps had a fantastic time there at the beginning of the year and we want to see it for ourselves!
Visit there label website at http://www.fingerlickin.co.uk/ for more information.

Details

Published: 15 August 2004

DJ Alixir from HKClubbing.com Interviews Alex Bau ...

Q: Alex, whether you're performing as a DJ or a live act, what is the  mood you try to set throughout your set? How do you go about achieving this?

Alex: well, first of all I am just djing, because I think that this is for the me personally the most likely way to ensure that the people get entertained. there are much better live acts than I could probably ever be, for example my label partner Sven. what I try to reach with my performance is a massive freaking dancefloor and a unique impression with the audience. they should leave the club in the morning with a happy feeling after getting served different sorts of uncommercial electronic music.

Q: Do you have any current residencies at the moment? Is there a certain venue or country you regularly play?

Alex: I don't have a residency in the basis meaning of the word. there are events that are promoted by a friend of mine in cooperation with me, where I play in average 4 or 5 times a year. I had a weekly resident club from 94 to 98 but I am now more happy with not being bound to the same venue every week.

Q: Do you normally headline every gig you play or do you sometimes guest or act as support?

Alex: both, there are event where I am the headliner, but I also appear on events where more popular names are obviously the main reason for the people to visit the party.

Q: Who gave you your first ever break at a club and how did you achieve it? Was it through a friend or by media means? How long have you been playing for now?

Alex: I started djing in 1992 on semi-professional events, for example school-parties etc. I played different styles, everything from jerry lee lewis or elvis over synthiepop like depeche mode (which I still love very much!) to rage against the machine or ministry, but also still the early techno records (without success at that time - people left the dancefloor...). at that time I never expected that the time would come where I could live from music! I expect this as a real gift!

Q: Can you name a gig in a country other than your own that you've played where a local unknown DJ has really blown you away? Where was it?

Alex: yes, it was an open air event in Yugoslavia last year, where a local dj, very young but extremely talented, really played an incredible set. with two decks he created an atmosphere as playing on three, very dense and fast as well as exact mixing in combination with really good records. unfortunately I don't remember his name...

Q: Setting up a record label can be a huge risk, were you sure that it would keep the rent paid? Have you had many troubled times when you weren't sure whether you were doing the right thing, or did you have friends in other record labels with good advice for you?

Alex: every day I again think about if it still worth to spend so much energy on the whole thing, but then, when listening to a single banging record, I am again totally dedicated to the sound. I expect it as a real privilege to be able to live from my hobby, even if it means less security as sitting in a large company and getting paid regularly. we had some experience with producing and labels before of course, but we wanted to make our own decisions.

Q: How exactly did you come up with the label name Toneman?

Alex: basically I don't know at all, it was sven`s idea. the basic meaning is that it's all about the combination of single tones, and the label is the "person" that transports the philosophy out to the audience. I am not good in explaining, I know...

Q: How long has it taken to achieve your current status? Do you feel that you have been working yourself hard enough? Do you constantly think and feel that there is always more that you could do?

Alex: I would not say that you can call my position "status", I am far away from people like väth or liebing, who have achieved a real status over the years, even if I also work with the sound now for so many years. of course we have left the stage of beginners, but for me success can not be measured by counting the autographs you give through the night. it's more about getting a state of perfection in what you prefer to do, and for this goal you can never work enough, as far as I have experienced.

Q: If you wasn't a DJ and producer, what do you feel that you'd be doing with your life at the present moment?

Alex: maybe due to my studies (business administration...) I would work in a managing position in a company, I don't know. somehow, from a certain point I knew for myself that I will work on techno. as a child I wanted to become a bank-clerk. or maybe I would have become a pilot, I don't know...

Q: What's the best gig you ever played? Can you describe the feeling that you remember from playing it?

Alex: puh, difficult question. there were so many real good ones... it's funny, but the response to my last set last Saturday was tremendous, and when I found myself on the dancefloor together with the people at 3.30 in the morning, seeing them screaming and shouting even when I forgot to mix the next record, this is like being in heaven. I was part of the party, a part of the crowd, having a relation to the audience, this is something you can not explain! also quite good gigs I experienced in eastern Europe, especially Yugoslavia. they all party like hell! and they are just taking care about the music, not so much about the "popstar"-behaviour, some famous dj's unfortunately show up...

Q: Everybody has played a gig where maybe they weren't the right act for the night. Have you ever played a gig where it's all gone wrong from the outset!

Alex: of course I also had... but I deleted it... ;-)

Q: You've had some pretty amazing techno artists producing and releasing through Toneman. Did you personally know any of these before working with them or did you have to approach them with a proposal?

Alex: we already had a good connection to Chris liebing, pascal feos and rush even before we asked them to produce for toneman. over the years we then also established good connections to our new artists like multitude, maxx cavalerra or men of noise. we don't select artists by their names, we select them just on looking on the concept for the release or the question if their sound generally fits on toneman. as a result of trying to be flexible, we have many different acts on the label.

Q: Will Toneman continue to release inspiring techno tracks from the artists you already have onboard or do you occasionally look for new talent?

Alex: both, of course we are always open for new demos, but there are also some real famous candidates, we would like to see on toneman... ;-) it always depends on the records and the selected tracks. basically we want to push young talented acts by getting remixed by "big names" for example. there are many possibilities...

Q: Sven Dedek is co-owner of Toneman and your production partner. How long have you known each other. Would it have been a lot harder to get to where you are now without Sven? How long have you known each other?

Alex: we know each other since 1995, when Sven called me during my weekly radio show on a local station here in south-east Bavaria. we then started more and more common activities and became friends. some people say we behave like a an old couple... funny as we both are not gay!

Q: Propulsion has now been released and you're promoting the album with a coinciding tour. What artists will be featured within the tour? What country will you be mainly playing?

Alex: we had Justin berkovi, ian void, multitude, maxx cavalerra, Christian fischer (men of noise), mike-l and of course ourselves on the tour. we have been playing in Germany (8 out of 15 dates) as well as in Holland, Croatia, Hungary, Austria and Switzerland. brazil had to be cancelled unfortunately!

Q: What's in the future for Toneman? How are you going to achieve it?

Alex: we want to become the biggest label in the world, ;-)... no, basically we just want to promote our definition of pure techno in the usually sense. techno is still music, even if there are too many loopy productions on the market in our eyes. we want to promote techno, that has the potential to satisfy people with different tastes. how to achieve this? always trying to give the best I can... very simple, or?

For more information please visit www.toneman.de

Details

Published: 15 August 2004

DJ Alixir from HKClubbing.com Interviews Simon Eve ...

Q How long have you been involved in the Dance Industry and how/where did the whole Eve trip begin for you?

A I started DJing in 1996 and made my first studio production in 1999. Label wise, I started Recharge with React Music back in 2000 before moving to Eve Records at the start of 2002. I brought the Recharge label over to Eve with me, and I manage it alongside the Recover, Discover and Retek labels here. Strangely enough, despite the name, Eve Records isn't my company - Pablo Gargano and Steven Lo Presti founded the label and continue to run it today.

Q How would you describe your DJ style and what kind of atmosphere do you try to invoke on the dancefloor during one of your sets?

A I'd describe my sound as the harder edge of house and trance - it's got to have energy and, with the house, an element of funk to it. During my sets I ultimately try to generate an energetic response from the dancefloor, and never by just playing obvious tunes.

Q Can you please explain for us where the name "Recoverworld" came from and what it personally means to you?

A OK, this is a bit of a complicated one, so I hope you're all paying attention! The Recover label was founded to 'recover' old releases on Eve Records, and is now our leading label. The Recover label combined with Antiworld promotions gave us the 'Recover' 'World' name.

Q Apart from Recoverworld, have there been any previous regular events you've personally brought into fruition?

A I've been involved with a few London based club nights over the years, including Sherbet and Wildlife at Heaven, but nothing to the extent of our Recoverworld night.

Q Recoverworld started in October 2002 and has been running ever since with several incredibly successful 1400 capacity sell-out events. What series of events led to the birth of the night and your showcasing of the finest talents at Brixton Fridge, London?

A Antiworld were already established as leading underground promoters in London, and with us being a leading London based label and looking to showcase our artists and expand our operations, it seemed like perfect partnership.

Q What do you see Recoverworld evolving into in the future? Are we to expect to see a world tour from your night in the future? Perhaps in Asia?

A Who knows - whatever the people want it to evolve into! We make our parties for party people and followers of the label, so these people obviously influence the style and direction of the night. We've already done tour nights at Dance Academy in Plymouth and Sinergy in Manchester in the UK, although I think a world tour is still some way off!

Q If you were to put the whole "Recoverworld" experience into one word, what would it be?

A Difficult question… I think "Recoverworld" says it all really. It's the world of Recover and everything we do!

Q What came first? The night or the label?

A The label led the way and was launched three years before the club night.

Q What major future releases are we set to see from your label in the future?

A Coming up on Recover we have Neo & Farina present Wav Assassin 'Wav Assassin' and the new K90 single 'Dreamer', while Recharge has a new track from Mark Gray titled 'Why Am I?'

Q The trance sound, do you think you've managed to create a long lasting impression within the industry with your releases so far that will distinctly separate your label from the myriads of others? Are yourself and your artists aiming to shape the future sound of trance?

A With the Recover label I think the fact we've had over 25 releases already must mean we're doing something right, and we certainly seem to have built a loyal fan base over the years, so we're definitely making an impression with some people out there. We always look to push musical boundaries with our releases and events, although "Aiming to shape the future sound of trance" sounds a bit over the top - we're modest people here at Recover!
For more information check out www.recoverworld.com

Details

Published: 15 August 2004

Seb Fontaine: DJs Were Never Pop Stars…Interview by Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)

“There are probably a few DJs who would like to believe they are pop stars, but DJs are just people who watch plastic go round. If you turned us into pop stars we wouldn’t be DJs anymore.

With an upcoming headline slot at Glastonbury Festival and his ultra high profile Radio 1 show, Seb Fontaine is one of the most likely candidates to be routinely dubbed a superstar DJ, though chatting from his West London home, he’s keen to stress his down-to-Earth credentials.

“DJs were born out of warehouses and grotty, seedy little clubs, that’s where we come from and that’s what we do and if you take that element away from us, we won’t be DJs anymore,” he insists.

“It’s nice to be recognised and for people to be into what you do, but certainly egos have become too big in this business.”

In recent months, in fact, Seb’s high status appears to have prompted a vicious campaign of abuse from the overblown egos of certain, presumably jealous, journalists, prompting a curious article by Pete Tong in a recent issue of London’s Standard newspaper

“Type is the home of Seb Fontaine, also a Radio 1 colleague and someone who has overcome his critics in recent months following a spate of attacks from dance magazines keen to have the power to sway public opinion,” Tong wrote in a preview of Seb’s Kings Cross monthly.

“Well it didn’t work, and Seb’s show on Radio 1 is still an integral part of the UK’s radio weekend, and Type is still one of London’s most vibrant clubs.”

Seb, himself, is keen to move on; preferring to discuss his new compilation CD Perfecto presents Seb Fontaine (out now on Paul Oakenfold’s label Perfecto). Designed to reflect the kind of sets he plays these days (‘it would be unfair to the punter, to come up with something completely different and unexpected’), the CD includes tracks from Salt Pervert, Agent Orange and David Guetta mixed together in a style he’s calling ‘electronic house music’.

“It’s tougher that house, it’s not progressive and it’s certainly way ahead of trance,” says Seb.

“It has more energy, it’s more electronic and typifies the new sound coming up. It’s an emerging genre.” It’s also the style of music he’ll be spinning at this year’s Glastonbury Festival as the headline act in the dance tent.

“I loved Glastonbury last year, people were dancing with absolutely no clue of who was playing, just for the sheer pleasure of listening to the music. They were really cool people, really open-minded, who could be hanging at one place for hours. That’s what festivals should be like.”

Skrufff: How was the whole Glastonbury Festival experience last year in general?

Seb Fontaine: “It was absolutely amazing, it was my first time there and it was a real eye opener, definitely one of my best weekends ever. It was what festivals were always promised to me should be like, and it was just amazing. So much so, that I went back to the BBC and I asked to do a four hour special, creating a really good show with lots of things happening including live bands. It’s taken a lot of preparation for this year, but I think it’s going to be really worth it.”

Skrufff: When you were in Glastonbury, did you stay in a luxury campervan or a tent?

Seb Fontaine: “No, it was a caravan. The hardest thing was getting absolutely shit faced (drunk) after work and not realising that I should have put some sign or symbol on the caravan door before hand; there were thousands of identical caravans everywhere. It was like looking for one particular penguin in the Antarctic, they’re all the same. But somehow I managed to find my bearings, eventually… I’ll take my missus (wife) this year, she couldn’t come last year because she was expecting our baby.”

Skrufff: Are you planning to catch Radiohead and Moby?

Seb Fontaine: “Ummm, I’m not sure about Radiohead, I find them a little bit too depressing, I have a love/hate relationship with them, I absolutely love a couple of their tracks, but not enough to go out and buy a whole album. I’ll certainly be seeing lots of other acts though. I remember meeting the Red Hot Chilli Peppers at a festival once, which was a high moment for me of my career. I also like The White Stripes.”

Skrufff: I saw on your website that you were supposed to be playing in Beijing this June, why did you cancel?

Seb Fontaine: “I didn’t do it because of the SARS scare. I had to make a decision and it looked very scary at the time though I think the situation is more under control right now. I’ll be over there again soon, if not by the end of this year then at the beginning of next year.”

Skrufff: What about Australia?

Seb Fontaine: “I was there last year and I’ll probably go back by the end of this year too. I’d love to travel a bit more if it wasn’t for the radio show. You have to make choices in life and I know I really, really enjoy doing radio… much more than sitting on a plane, to be honest. Especially with the way the world is at the moment, where every bloke with a beard is viewed as a threat.”

Skrufff: Perfecto Presents Seb Fontaine has been internationally released simultaneously, how much did you make it with a global, as opposed to just a UK, audience in mind?

Seb Fontaine: “I did it completely with a global audience in mind. It makes sense, since UK CD sales represent such a small slice of the market right now. DJing is an international profession these days and DJs should be thinking internationally, I actually don’t think in UK terms about anything specifically, except perhaps my Radio One show.”

Skrufff: How long did it take you to select the tracks?

Seb Fontaine: “Quite a long time actually, probably two months because I did half of it before Miami, then the other half when I returned to England. Then I went away again and on my return I decided I wanted to change a few things, again… I was tinkering for quite a long time over it.”

Skrufff: How do see the UK club/music scene at the moment?

Seb Fontaine: “I think it’s having an upturn at the moment. Last year it was pretty bad and everyone was panicking because clubs were quiet, but the recession has just affected the big clubs, the smaller ones are healthier than they’ve ever been. In London especially, there are some fantastic nights almost every weekend, from Bugged Out, to Underwater and so on. I really believe that in smaller environments the music works better, the days of the 2,500 people rooms are gone, quite frankly. This is probably a good thing because most artists were making music for large crowds and I don’t think that was ever meant to be.”

Skrufff: How far ahead are you looking at the moment? Is Ibiza dominating your thoughts?

Seb Fontaine: “Not really. Musically there’s something new going on which I’d describe as electronic house music… it’s tougher that house, it’s not progressive and it’s certainly way ahead of trance, it has more energy, it’s more electronic and typifies the new sound coming up. It’s an emerging genre and I don’t think Ibiza really covers it. Ibiza it’s great if you’re an American house DJ or a banging trance DJ, but I think in between, there something missing over there.”

Perfecto presents Seb Fontaine is out now.

http://www.perfectorecords.com 
http://www.clubtype.com (Seb’s London club Type: Erick Morillo headlines July 12)

By: Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)

subscribe to skrufff music newsletter at www.skrufff.com

Details

Published: 15 August 2004

Cream Interviews Paul Van Dyk for Creamfields 2003...

Cream: Where were you born?
PVD: Eisenhüttenstadt, former East Germany

Cream: Age?
PVD: 31

Cream: Where do you live now?
PVD: Berlin, Germany

Cream: Obviously the scene has changed over the last 10 years, in what ways do you see the differences?
PVD: Bigger, better, brighter

Cream: What was your highpoint in the last decade?
PVD: My marriage.

Cream: What was your low point in the last decade?
PVD: Just add all the hours waiting for delayed flights and take them for that point.

Cream: Describe your djing style?
PVD: Deep, clear and intensive electronic dance music

Cream: We hear you’re about to release a new track, tell us about this…?
PVD: It’s “Nothing But You”, featuring Hemstock und Jennings. Just hear into it and you will know everything!! Also watch out for Aalto’s Rush. A really big one I even signed it up for my Vandit label. It is what people call progressive, quality club trance. For me it’s just an amazing musical journey. The song starts – how surprising – with beats and adds all necessary elements to become the theme of the night.

Cream: You are performing in the Cream arena along with the likes of Tiesto, Tall Paul und Eddi Halliwell at this years Creamfields Festival. Are you looking forward to this years event?
PVD: Yes, of course! Like I always look forward to Creamfields Festivals. I’m expecting an open minded, wild crowd and a very good time.

Cream: You’re also playing exclusively for Cream Ibiza every fortnight at Amnesia this summer, and have played for them over the last 4 years. It seems to be a great relationship between you both, with last years Cream Ibiza one of the only success stories last year, what makes the Cream Ibiza experience so special?
PVD: It’s as special as most of the gigs, that I’ve got the opportunity to give. Enthusiastic people, that want to have a great time in a great club on a great island.

Cream: Are you working in the studio at the moment?
PVD: Yes, I am doing. Mainly I’m working on my 4th album called REFLECTIONS, that will be out in late summer.

Cream: What track do you expect to take the roof off at this years Creamfields festival?
PVD: A lot of tracks

Cream: Who will you be checking out at this years festival?
PVD: My Turntables and records.

Cream: Whats your best and worst festival memory?
PVD: Travel in the middle of nowhere with no clue where to go.

Cream: What are your vices?
PVD: I don't have any.

Cream: Who do you see as a rising star in the DJ world at the moment? And why?
PVD: NU NRG from Rome are definitely a rising star. I follow up what they are doing over the last 3 years and each time I hear them they have developed and seem to get better every the time.

Cream: What’s your favourite film?
PVD: Canadian Bacon

Cream: What 3 things could you not live without?
PVD: Air, water, food

Cream: What would your best friend say was your best quality?
PVD: Ask him.

Cream: What was the last book you read?
PVD: War in Iraq - what the Bush administration does not want you to know by Scott Ritter

Cream: What are your favourite record labels?
PVD: I have favourite records

Cream: What was the first & last record you bought?
PVD: First: OMD Organisation Last: a package by massive records of great tunes

Cream: Please finish this sentence…Creamfields is?
PVD: something to look forward for!