First of all, would you like to tell to our readers a bit of you musical background and upbringing?
My first taste of underground music was when I was at school and I discovered pirate radios. Some friends were bringing in cassette tapes recorded off the radio and we would listen to them at break times on our Walkmans. It’s all we would talk about. “Have you heard of this new station? You heard this track? You heard this DJ?”. So after discovering these tapes I would tune into the radio at home myself and start recording my own. Soon after this I got a really crappy pair of belt drive decks and started to buy records and learn to mix. I had decided then at school that I wanted to play on one of these pirate radios. That was my goal, I couldn’t see anything past that but I just knew that was all I wanted to do. I was fascinated by it. I loved the music I was hearing, being a young rebellious teen I liked the fact that it was illegal too, and I was just attracted to the whole scene. At that time I was buying a lot of drum &bass and UK garage. I had completely lost interest in school by my final year, I was skipping classes regularly to go off and buy records. Back then I was buying a lot of Bad Company, Full Cycle, Dillinja, Renegade Hardware, V Recordings, Locked On, 24 hour experience.
How was important in terms of career development your decision to move from UK to Berlin, the city you live in at the moment?
For me it’s been very important. I’m totally in love with Berlin. One of the main things it gives me is freedom, and this is very important to have if you are to develop your career. The vibe is so relaxed, compared to London it feels like I’m having a beach holiday. Everywhere is just chilled. I like the fact that everything is close by. I cycle everywhere, It’s really quick for me to get to anywhere I want to go. All these things have really allowed me to focus in on my music. I have more time here to work in the studio. I’m also buying alot more records again too, with so many great record shops here. I will always love London but many factors can make it a stressful city to live in. I’m happy with my new peaceful surroundings and have no plans to move.
Your drum & bass background is reflected in the beats and the atmosphere of some of the tracks of your new album. When did you start to experiment with this kind of mixture of genres and how?
I started making music in 2001 and the first tracks I wrote were all drum & bass. So I guess this was the start. All the music I have written since then has always had an influence from this and it is probably why my tracks sound such a particular way.
More in general can you tell us something about the “making of” the album “Shades Of Black”?
Once I decided to do the album at the beginning of this year I started writing it over the course of around 6 months. I wrote over twenty tracks and I used most of the album tracks from these. There are a couple of tracks that I had saved from last year with the intention of using them for an album but everything else was written solely for “Shades of Black”.
I found very interesting the image that you chose for the cover of the record. An old picture of a young Brigitte Bardot. Why did you choose that particular image, very elegant and sexy?
I just came across this picture in a flea market and instantly loved it. I knew straight away that it would be the cover. Most of the time when I choose my artwork I use them but they just “feel” right. I have to have an instant attraction to them, and this one just grabbed me!
Can you tell us something about your own label Monnom Black? It´s something more than an outlet for your own releases right?
I wanted an outlet to release my own music as well as a platform for other artists. It’s a very important part for me as an artist to have this, because it is essentially my own taste in techno that I’m pushing. The label represents me whether it’s my music or someone else’s. It’s a reflection of the sound I want to push. It’s very satisfying when I release a great record from another artist and I go out to a party somewhere and I hear it being played.
Is there something that you know and especially like about the italian techno scene?
I have played a few times this year in Italy and one thing that I love is the passion of the people and the dancers. This is one thing that stands out instantly. There is always a fantastic atmosphere and energy. And when I come to Italy I love to eat Italian food of course!
Can you tell us something about your plans for the end of 2015 and early 2016?
I have a busy gig schedule up until the end of the year, and the start of the year is already booked up, so im looking forward to being on the road and playing these gigs.
Last question: which are your favourite releases of the year so far? In no particular order or genre:
Source Direct re-issues
Binny – Mispress
Female – Angel Plague
Dax J – Shades of Black
https://youtu.be/s6lG5iJ0uU4
