English 
polski Could you tell us about your introduction to techno?
- When I was a teenager in the early 90s I used to listen to Hot 97, a radio station here in New York. At the time they were a freestyle and dance station, back when dance music was a lot more popular inside the US. I knew I liked electronic dance music, growing up to the sounds of The Art of Noise and even Tangerine Dream, but in 1991 I was standing outside my bedroom and the radio was on, and they played a song by a group called Quadrophonia. It was the very first time I heard techno – and a ravey sound it was! As silly as this music sounds today, to the ears of a 16 year old, it was something to behold. I instantly knew that whatever this sound was, it was for me! I worked in a record store by my house in the town I grew up in at the time, and they began to stock rave compilations, such as “The Best of Techno” series on Profile, as well as all of the Moonshine catalog, starting with “Techno Truth.” Two years later I started to buy vinyl, saved up for a Technics 1200, bought a cheap DJ mixer, and taught myself how to mix with my one turntable and a portable CD player. A year later I had enough money to buy a second 1200, and by then I was headed to college where I started an underground radio show where I would hone my mixing skills further.
You have been a producer for many years. How has your sound evolved in that time? And what has shaped that evolution?
- My early productions had a very hard and distorted sound, mostly due to my taste, the music coming out during those years, and the fantastic distortion that my Allen & Heath mixer provided. But over time, things got more digital – DJs moved from Vinyl to CD to laptop, music production moved from physical gear to computer production, and the music started to change. As a result, my influences changed and my sound moved away from the crazy distorted sound. I also grew up a little bit! I’m not such a huge fan of the very hard techno sound anymore, although I do still like to bang it from time to time. It depends on the situation, of course! These days my productions are more tech-house oriented, with some old school house influences thrown in.
- What are the pros and cons of being famous?
What a funny question. I don’t consider myself famous at all, nor do I wish to be!
Do you plan your sets before you play at a party?
- I don’t. I have an idea of what kind of set I’ll want to play, what tracks I plan to play, and perhaps what part of the set they’ll go in, but that’s as far as I go with regards to planning. For me it’s all about context – reading the crowd, assessing the situation, being honest with myself during the set, knowing whether or not something is working, and taking it from there. I guess it does take a certain level of experience to be confident enough to walk into a situation and not have everything totally planned out, but if I knew exactly what I was going to do and when, I would be bored. Everyone is partying to my music, and while I’m working and completely focused, I’m having a party in my mind right along with them.
What is the most irritating thing at parties?
- I would say people who are too much of a mess to handle themselves, and who act too aggressively when they don’t have their own shit together. A related thing would be people who are working for the party – promoters, DJs, managers, venue staff – anyone who should be acting professionally, but are not sober enough to handle themselves when others are relying on them.
What do you think about our present electronic scene? Where is it going?
- It’s certainly not as big as it used to be. The European techno boom from the early 2000s has clearly subsided, but what’s still left is a solid underground scene full of people who love the music. Party people come and go, the young mature and move on, but there will always be those who live for the music and the underground. During my recent travels I have come across more people who fit this description. While the world still faces economic crisis, it comforts me to know that the scene is still there, alive and well, and will get even stronger as we move forward.
Who is your favourite European DJ/producer?
- That’s an easy one. Right now it’s A.Paul from Naked Lunch in Portugal. His techno productions are absolutely on point. My sets over the past couple of years are filled with his productions. He knows exactly what he’s doing in the studio and has excellent taste, and is a nice guy to boot. I was part of his NLD100 celebration and did a remix for him which came out on his label back in December.
What kind of set can we expect at Extract 2010? It is your UK debut, isn’t it?
- Aside from a silly outlaw party I played in London in 1997, yes, this is my UK debut! I can’t believe it, but it’s true. You can expect a standard bangin’ party style techno set from me. Check my recent videos on YouTube to hear what my sets have been sounding like lately.
What’s your ideal day off?
- Winning a million dollar poker tournament in Vegas!
by_deedee
[for bibz.me / April 2o1o]
This post is also available in: Polish
