Sound Revolt: You said exactly the same thing in 2001.
Paolo Mojo: Well, I hadn’t got to this year then! In 2001 I had things like Bedroom Bedlam, Bedrock, Homelands; Music is Freedom, that kind of stuff. And that was great from the DJ point of view but it doesn’t really break you into a bigger circle. What I didn’t have at the time was the production career to build on. So I couldn’t get beyond a certain level with it. When 2003 came around I was getting quite frustrated because I didn’t feel I was progressing. I spent a lot of time with a guy called Simon Rogers, who’s a very good friend of mine. He basically showed me - without showing me anything, because I was just watching him – how to make my own music. I didn’t feel daunted by it anymore that was the key. Then I just went away and I said to myself that this year, in 2004, I want to release some records, I want to get them out on good labels, I want Radio One to play my tunes, I want to get Essential Mix etc, etc.

Sound Revolt: How did you manage to do Essential Mix for example?
Paolo Mojo: I just said I wanted to do this! I think the first thing that was important; I got some records that worked. It’s not the one of my favourites, but Pete Tong loved the BT thing for example. He started playing it all over the place. So I got him thinking about it. And then the guys at Radio One became aware of me. I sent them my new CD, they liked it and then I said “could I do an Essential Mix this year?”. And the guy Huw the producer of the show said “That’s a great idea, let’s give him one”. So if you have respect for yourself and for other people, if you treat people in a way you would want be treated, you won’t go far wrong, and you can achieve quite a lot I think.

Sound Revolt: And this way we come to a point that everybody’s talking good about you, including DJs, journalists, clubbers...
Paolo Mojo: Yes... I just got started to produce records and its hopefully getting better and better. I just got more and more DJs who are now playing my music, which is great.

Sound Revolt: But in you old official biography you had some quotes from famous DJs and now they changed to journalists.
Paolo Mojo: Well, the press is getting interested. IDJ nominated me as a star for 2004, DJ Mag just nominated me for 2005, which although doesn’t mean a great deal in itself, it’s very nice. So people notice... If somebody suggests something to somebody, for example if Sasha says to you something like “oh, maybe you should check this guy out”, you will probably do it. That’s what happens. People just listen and it’s like a little chain reaction.

Sound Revolt: But you didn’t actually answer. Is the journalists’ opinion more important?
Paolo Mojo: It’s good if you get a journalist saying something nice about you. And I suppose it’s good to keep stuff like the biog fresh because it means that things are happening around you.

Sound Revolt: We’re asking all those questions because you don’t actually play music which is easy for a non-practised listener. The first hour of your Essential Mix is pretty tough, I’d say. How did you manage to convince people to your sound?
Paolo Mojo: The Essential Mix doesn’t necessarily represent what I do on the dancefloor. I wanted to do something which sounds fresh even when you get back to it maybe a year later. If I’d put the top twenty remixes of the month in July and August 2004, it might sound cool, but you would probably not listen to it six months later and think it was so cool. All those tracks would sound stuck in that time. I may be wrong but I think you may listen to it now and still enjoy it.

Sound Revolt: Right. What can you tell us about the Heretic album? Cass said that it has been shelved for a while. Why?
Paolo Mojo: Eternal question... Cass is being involved in: a – getting married, b – renovating his house. But we are now working on it definitely, for an early summer 2005 release.

Sound Revolt: This was supposed to be the next question; I mean what happened to Cass that he disappeared from the scene. But you already answered.
Paolo Mojo: I think you’ll see Cass come back with a bang in 2005.

Sound Revolt: I look forward to it. I still remember his Essential Mix he has done with Slide.
Paolo Mojo: Oh yeah, the crazy one.

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