What did you dream of when you were releasing your first DJ album?
Dream? Well, you want as many people to hear what you do. I really had no idea how it would do or how many people would hear it. I was proud of it.
And what about “Now and Them”? What was your goal this time?
Well this one is much more ambitious.
Ambitious? You think so?
Yes, for me it is. I’ve had a bigger vision with this one than I did with the “Coastal Breaks”.
I was wondering if the nu-skool Adam is ever gonna come back? Did you leave the underground for good?
This is an artist album. It’s different then a DJ album. It’s a different thing!
I am aware of that! But your style has changed thoroughly.
Well, that’s the point! You’re always evolving. Because if you stay with one style...
Ok, but is evolving to a wrong direction a point?
But if you think it’s the wrong direction... I feel it’s the right direction.
For me it is. It’s too mainstream for me. I prefered it the way it was.
Ok, fair enough. But the world’s changed since then. A long time ago. The artist album is totally different headspace to a DJ album. I mean you heard “On tour” right?
Right.
That’s a pretty deep album
Yes it is
Ok, my next DJ album will be deep as well but the artist thing is a different thing. A band is a whole different story. When I DJ it is different to what I do with a band. It’s another level. Creatively you want to express yourself in different ways. For me, lyrics are a really good way of actually saying something. So if you gonna have lyrics you might as well say something you feel passionate about.
That’s what I want to ask you about. We hear the lyrics against consumerism, materialistic possession, constant quests to acquire wealth but on the other hand we see a mainstream album with “made to earn money” written all over it.
I’m not necessarily against. If you have a good album you want to get it out. I can see your point. How do I deal with a fact that I’m releasing a product?
Yes, in a way...
I have no problem with releasing a product. As an artist you want as many people to buy your album as possible, because you want people to hear your music, right?
Right.
It’s not a little boys’ club - “no this is just for me and my friends”. Obviously your irony is involved because of the track “We Want Your Soul”, which is not necessarily anti commercialism. It’s anti fucking force fed bullshit consumerism. There’s plenty of things I want to consume as an individual. I want cloths, I want a fucking Mac computer so I can make music. I want a fucking Ipod so I can listen to music. I’m a consumer! But the point is - if I can buy an organic cotton T-shirt rather than something that has fucked the environment to do it, I will. The point is having ethics with the way you do things. I haven’t signed to Sony. I haven’t seen my track on a McDonald’s TV commercials. We’ve done this independently. It’s been very hard to maintain independence and not do those commercials. I had to risk everything I’ve got to do it. I had to re-mortgage my house, because I wanted to stay independent, because I wanted to stay true to what I’m about. I hear what you’re saying but you have to get real. In a real world we are all commodities. We live in a world where you have to buy things to survive.
I know but I’m talking about the higher level of having and buying. You’re on it, and you’re against...
I’m against unethical bullshit!
I know! I know what you seem to be against...
I’m just telling you what I am against
Ok, so this veil is not just a marketing trick?
This is me. I spent four years of my life sweating to make this album. It’s what I believe in. It’s what I feel. This is me. You might like it, you might hate it. You might like me, you might hate me. That’s all you can do. I can only be me, I can’t try to be somebody else that I’m not. I’m really proud of this record.
The true reason of my irony was to provoke you. I wasn’t sure if Free*land was all honest. If you tried try to cheat me I would tell.
It’s all right. I appreaciate it. It’s good to have this conversation. I think it’s good to get these things out, because some people think - “oh, he’s got tracks with vocals on! He must have sold out”. For example “Supernatural Thing” - a few people said something like that. And actually Ben E. King’s original is one of my favourite tracks of all time. And I think Allison has an incredible voice and I’m really proud of the cover version I’ve done. But the problem is people hate vocals sometimes, because there’s so much bullshit vocals! Do you know what I mean?
You bet I do.
“We Want Your Soul” is a vocal track, but it has something that is fucking real. It’s not “Take me higher”! “Supernatural” is a beautiful lovesong - it’s a fucking song with soul. I fucking love the way she sings that song. Allison is the most incredible person. But the nu-skool breaks mafia are going like “oh, he’s done a vocal, he’s sold out”. I say “OK, I’ve sold out, whatever”. In the real world I’ve made the song that touches people and it touches me. You can only make music for yourself.
Well, you don’t really seem to have much contact with nu-skool breaks DJs like Lee Coombs or Meat Katie.
Not that much.
Quite noticable. I read your recent interview for a Polish website and you had no idea about last year’s breakbeat albums. And I said to myself “he was proclaimed the king of breakbeat and doesn’t have a clue what’s going on now on the scene?”
But the point is - You can believe the hype. You can read the magazine. I don’t read dance music magazines. I listen to my ears. I get sent all of those records and I listen to them. If I like them I keep them and If don’t I give them away. And if I didn’t know those albums that’s probably because I didn’t like them. It’s very easy to believe the hype. To play all the new promos, because they are the new promos. “I’m playing this new TCR record, because nobody else has it”. Oh fuck off! I’m playing a record, ‘cause it’s good, not because nobody else has it. There are some things that get through your ears and some things that don’t. I play breakbeat, because it’s a mixture of all different styles of music. Remember that when I did “Coastal Breaks” there wasn’t a breakbeat scene. I wasn’t listening to other breakbeat artists. I was listening to all sorts of music, putting them together and I made a mix album - that’s still my mentality. Now there is a scene and everyone is “oh I wonder what this...”. I couldn’t give a fuck! Because as soon as you say “this is what the sound is” you stop evolving! I like Lee Coombs’ records. His remix of New Order was just fantastic. I haven’t heard his album though. Has he got an album?
Only the “Perfecto Breaks” but that’s not really an album... (laughs)
Oh yeah - Perfecto! That’s fucking selling out! Don’t give me shit! (laughs) That’s fucking selling out! Putting it for Oakenfold.
Yeah (laughs)
You know what I mean. I have respect for Coombs, he makes good music but the point is I’m not gonna start going on these chat rooms and say “who’s got the new promo...”. This is like - fuck off you geeks! I’m not a geek! Oh I am a geek. I am a fucking geek but in a different way. I spend a lot of time in a fucking studio that makes me a geek. But the point is that I couldn’t give a fuck what everybody thinks is cool this week. I prefer to trust my heart and my ears rather than some magazine that is telling me what is cool. I can read “Jockey Slut” and go “oh right, now 2 Many DJs are really fucking hit”. I buy their album and it’s a piece of fucking shit! And then the greatest thing! When they lie about how fantastic the album is – I thought it was horrible – people fucking love it. That’s my taste. You might think it’s fantastic. Or they might think Tiga is the man this week or some really retro... The Rapture’s album is the best album ever!
Please, no!
Come on man. There’s two good tracks on that album that’s really good – the rest of it is rubbish. And that’s what my heart tells me not what the front cover of the “Face” tells me! I’d rather listen to my instinct. When I play records up there some of them may be 5 or even 10 years old and some of them may be brand new you’ve never fucking heard them before, because they are new Evil 9 records or new Ils records or artist I’ve signed, because I like them. If I start reading about those tracks and buy every new TCR record, every new Lee Coombs record, every new Botchit record I’m gonna play a set that every one else is playing.
That’s the main problem
But tonight – you’re not gonna know most of the records.
I hope so!
You’re not. Because they’re records that Evil 9 have just made or stuff that I’m doing. You might know them because they’re good...
No Nirvana please!
I might tease it in.
Arghh! 30 seconds max!
But this pisses me off! You gotta look from my point of view. I made that record. I never played it in Warsaw!
You should have kept it more secure.
I can’t help it people bootleg my fucking records (laughs). There’s three different bootlegs of that going around.
Three different?
Three different people have pressed vinyl of that track. So anyway the point is that I hear “don’t play Nirvana” like I played it to death but I never played it.
Just because you didn’t play it doesn’t mean it isn’t overplayed.
Yeah, every fucking house DJ in a world has fucking played it and it’s great, because it’s taking breaks to a different audience. All right! You might be fucking sick of it, I can understand it.
I’m puking (laughs)
But that’s a good thing. The fact that it’s taking it outside of the geeks...
Puking? (laughs)
No, that’s not a good thing. You know what I’m saying?
Yeah!
It’s a good track! I’m proud of it. Well, you might have heard it too many times.
I m i g h t. Same with Luke Chable’s “Ride”.
I don’t even know that track.
It was overplayed too.
“Ride”? I don’t know it.
Well, I think we’re running out of time, ‘cause there’s another guy waiting for the interview.
So, have I answered your questions correctly? (laughs)
[Serious tone] I have to say that I am glad and happy...
(laughs)
...that you seem to be honest.
Well, that’s the only thing you can be. My music is me and if you don’t like it, fine, it’s me. What I’m trying to do with the music I write is totally different to what I do as a DJ. But if I did the same thing all the time I would be fucking bored. I’m a human creative being! You know what I mean? You want to express yourself in different ways. You can make an instrumental DJ album but you don’t get any expression. I wanted to write some lyrics, ‘cause I wanted to write something that I feel passionate about. You might not agree with it, you might think I’m a hipocrite, ‘cause “We Want Your Soul” has become a hit record.
I became suspicious because there was nothing on the album I haven’t heard before – that was the main reason. Furthermore, the versatility of the tracks is so wide that I thought the album was prepared to make the largest amount of people content.
If I wanted the largest amount of people I would record a fucking trance album.
You know what I mean?
No, but those are my influences. All those songs are really personal to me. Have you listened to the CD from start to finish?
Well, not exactly. I had to skip “Supernatural” (laughs) See! We’re completely different when it comes to...
But that’s cool! Not everybody’s gonna like what you do. You’re obviously a bit pissed off that I didn’t do another nu-skool breaks album.
No, no, no! I’m not a nu-skool geek but I was really amazed and I love your Essential Mix. I think that’s one of the best things you’ve done.
Thanks, but I did that a long time after I made “Now and Them”. I made that album over the last four years. It took me a long time to make that record. Whereas, I did the Essential last spring. You gotta remember – it’s easy as a DJ to just pick the best records. I can pick the biggest rock track - fucking Rage Against The Machine or whatever. I can pick my favourite tracks right now and take the best. That’s what I’m good at – selecting – I know what’s good and I take it. As a DJ you can create something great, because you’re using everybody’s talent. So it’s not just talent – it’s supertalent! When in album it’s just my skills so it’s a limited amount. Obviously what I do as a producer isn’t as exciting to you as what I do as a DJ, which is fair enough and I appreaciate that. And I’m probably a better DJ than I’m a producer but it’s my first album.
There’s gonna be more?! (laughs)
More shit you’re gonna hate! The point is – all those tracks are personal to me and if you don’t like them, that’s cool. If I was sitting here with Fatboy Slim having sold 20 million albums I would probably accept it. But the reality is I sold more of my mixed albums than I have of my artist album and yet I spent four years of my life rather than one day.
Can you tell me the numbers?
We’ve sold 15 thousand copies of “Now and Them”. That’s not very many records.
No it isn’t...
Because we’re not on Sony. I haven’t put my track on a Nike commercial I was offered. If you’re not sure how much I put into that album, maybe you should listen to it again.
I am pretty fucking sure!
(laughs) That album works on many different levels. I’m really happy with the production. I didn’t want to make ten breakbeat records. That’s fucking boring!
I’m not talking about breakbeat records. I’ll give you a recent example. Nils Noa...
Who?
Nils Noa – he’s done an Essential Mix. He’s from Sweeden, he plays house, tech-house – a bit similar to Zabiela style. He also is a part of a band called Bermuda Triangle. They play electronica with vocals and live instruments. I really like their album “Mooger Fooger” – it’s very moody and smooth. I felt their music was right and I simply didn’t feel that with “Now and Them”, becasue there was too many things in one. The same thing with one of the Tricky’s albums - “Blowback”.
I love that album!
Yeah I like it too but there’s a slight problem. There’s everything in it. Every track is different – there is no mood. There are good tracks there...
One of the things I am personaly proud of is the flow of my album. You obviously didn’t get it (laughs). But the fact that I’ve got such a diversed mix of records keeps you on your toes - it’s a story from beginning to end. All tracks are different.
And the funny thing is that I do like most of them.
You don’t like the flow?
No, let me explain. I started this conversation at the higher level of being against your album – it was just as a pose. I wanted to get it out from you. I’m not really complaining...
But people are! The nu-skool breaks...
Well I don’t like it but I’m not fucking Ku Klux Clan for God’s sake.
(laughs) Yeah, obviously a lot of people talk about it, which is great but the purist say “oh there’s a vocal, vocals are cheesy”.
I love vocals! I used to sing – I had to love them and I still do.
Well I don’t sing, I’m not BT, I’m not gonna sing on my album. Well, actually I shout on “We Want Your Soul”. That’s about as far as it goes.
Yeah?
The chorus is me. Anyway - you got it out of me.
And I love Infusion.
Yeah, they’re fucking fantastic! You’re gonna love – well you might not – the new Evil 9 album. It’s gonna be fucking great.
I’m looking forward to this. Thank you very much.
Nice to meet you. I hope you’re gonna like what I’m playing tonight.
~lmmadic (February 17th, 2004):
ride IS played out, and fucking great interview keep it up
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