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Disco Boot Camp

In keeping with the general old-school (see last post) and disco feeling on the site this week, here's a mix by I-F from a few years back. While his 'Mixed Up In The Hague' mix is in my top three mix CDs of all time, this one was recorded live at Rotterdam's Bootleg Cafe. Some of the segues aren't super smooth, but it is full of cheeky Italo classics; the way that I-F changes tempo or suddenly cuts to new tunes might rankle with those weaned on a staple of seamless house and techno sets, however, he manages to cover a wide range of sounds over the course of an hour. Unfortunately, there is no tracklisting, but some of the tracks are very well-known. Anyway, make your own minds up -  you can grab it   here and here  -  and I'll make the next part of this set available over the next few days.

His aim is true

Altern 8 have a pretty daft image and they were responsible for a string of gormless rave tracks, but they also have a serious side. Nexus 21, one of Mark Archer and Chris Peat’s side-projects, was responsible for some of my favourite techno and house of the early 90s. Check Archer and Peat’s ‘Together’ track on the ‘Biorhythms 2’ compilation for a blast of post-rave Detroit-inflected spookiness or the chart worrying Inner City-esque  ‘(Still Life) Keeps Moving’ for proof that while they could never be considered innovators, they were nonetheless skilful magpies who gleaned, collated and skilfully manipulated influences from the US. While Altern 8 continue to play revival nights all over the place ostensibly to pay the bills, Archer at least, seems keen to make music inspired by classic sounds. His new EP ‘Ring of Gyges’ – digital only, sort it out! -  sees him revisit the atmospheric techno sound of Nexus 21. ‘The Way’ features vaguely menacing post-hardcore hooks at play over brittle, intricate percussion and ‘Riser’ features an acid line arcing over drifting chords, but ‘Trinity’ is the killer track; using breathy angelic vocal samples that last surfaced during ‘Bytes’-era Black Dog and a resonating Derrick May-style bassline (like ‘The Dance’) amid a cacophony of outer space blips, bleeps and subtle snares, it proves again that there’s still a highly talented interpreter and arranger at work behind the yellow ski mask…

Bloc File: I-F

In the latest Bloc-related interview, I caught up with Viewlexx boss, former CBS founder and one of the world's greatest DJs, I-F, to discuss his new internet radio venture, the inexorable rise of technology and who his favourite Miami Vice character is...

It's been about six months since CBS closed -  do you look back on the time that you ran it with nostalgia?

"No actually not. CBS did its job very well and it was great as long as it lasted, but it wasn't really future proof. It felt not right to change it since it wasn't really designed to be something else as it was.
 And starting something new gives me a lot of energy and brings lots of pleasure too."

It must have been a lot of hard work and maybe you were disappointed that it didn't connect with the amount of people you hoped for, but did you learn a lot from the experience? Did these experiences help when you went to set up Intergalactic FM?

"Disappointed at first because it seems impossible to get people out of the little squares they moved into. But CBS was a good prototype for Intergalactic FM. It didn't cost too much effort to get it running since the know how and the music databases were already available. Also the audience was already there so we didn't have to look for them. Intergalactic FM is breaking all CBS listener records already. We have more monthly visitors as CBS and during the daily non-stops often more listeners as with the CBS Top 100."

 Do you see a parallel between you closing CBS and Clone shutting down -  the label's statement seemed to suggest that the people who run it feel it is time for a change. Is that the way you felt when you closed CBS, that you needed a break?

"Clone made a very wise decision shutting down the Clone label as it is. I have to refer to the squares people are in again because Clone started as an 'electro' label but expanded its horizon and released all kind of styles in the last years. It's better to divide the styles over a few labels. When I shut down CBS I didn't need a break I just felt it was time for a change as explained earlier. I bore myself to death not being able to do this, I live for this."

Do you have people working with you on the new station? How is it different from CBS -  have you more support from friends, colleagues? I see that a lot of labels are partners/supporters… Otherwise, is it the same music styles as CBS – or do you think there is a difference?

"CBS did not really start with an idea behind it other than wanting to play good music on the radio.
 It was more like a hobby project with an ultra basic website. The name CBS was more or less a joke referring to the 'All Seeing Eye' broadcaster but in the end it was impossible to find via search engines and stuff and it was so hard to add community services to the site since it also was never designed for it. I just never thought about a community in the first place but it's a very important thing nowadays,
You can't survive without it. Intergalactic FM has been set up from a very different angle but still with the music as the number one thing. More people are involved with the things they do and that also helps to widen our perimeters. We are able to play a lot more music across the 3 channels, it's amazing how fast the databases for all 3 channels expanded. Intergalactic FM gives me also a lot more freedom the way it has been set up."

 You said in a recent interview that you still believe in the power of internet radio -  what do you think will make it powerful? Mobile devices? Digital audio in car stereos? Do you think part of the 'power' is the ability to discover underground/obscure music through sites like CBS/IFM -  and to connect with like-minded people?

 "Everybody has a computer nowadays and many people work behind their computer. It's the music that keeps you going and there's still plenty of people that like to be surprised. Mobile internet will become as common as GSM soon. And we're also currently developing mobile apps. And yes, the community thing is very important. The only thing we have to look out for is not to become mainstream. The world is not in need of more mainstream."

"The world is not in need of more mainstream"

Do you think that technology is mainly beneficial or not for music? On one hand, the internet means people can discover great music, but it also means that people can illegally download music and producers/artists don't get paid, vinyl sales drop, shops close. Technology also means that more and more people can produce, but there is more and more crap out there….
 
 "You gave the answer there yourself."

 How does this affect you – do you find that it gets harder and harder to run a record label these days? Is it even becoming harder to buy new music on vinyl for your DJing? Do you think you will ever pursue a digital-only approach for your label and DJing -  or will there always be a small following for vinyl?
 
"I went completely digital last year when it comes to Djing. I can be a lot more creative making my own edits and stuff and on top of it you travel light. Since I'm running a radio station I'm not much involved in the record biz anymore. Too much of a hassle to be honest. Playing a track on the radio has much more impact than releasing it on vinyl. I'm sure there always be a vinyl fetish community. Nothing wrong with vinyl as media, although it's obsolete."

 Do you think the past few years have still been good for new electronic music? Have there been a
 lot of great electro/Italo /Chicago-style releases?

"There will be always good music. You just have to dig for it or have an entrance. It's hard when you start getting an interest in music to find it because the good stuff has been covered by tons of crap. Same in the old days, but the difference is in those days a good record ended up more than once in the top 40 and that made an entrance to a certain genre much easier, even without the internet."

Regarding Italo, do you think there is a tendency among newer producers to focus too much on the music of the past and not to push their own style -  is there a fear of messing  with the past? What new school producers are taking chances and developing Italo into something new?

"I can't answer that. If somebody uses melody in his/hers music it's considered italo nowadays and that's nonsense. And I rather hear a bad attempt to make Italo as all those 'somebodies first Von Oswald synthesizer sleepy dub ripoff shit productions' the market seems to be flooded with."

You have been asked this many times before, but why did Italo get so popular in Holland? Is there something about this music that appeals to the Dutch mentality?

"Italo was basically only big here at the West Coast due to the rich pirate radio culture. I have good memories regarding those days and many many sleepless nights scrolling the FM band for 'exotics' and recording them. National Radio in NL has always been very ignorant regarding music with only a few exceptions. They were basically bought by the industry although they never will admit it."

 You said a few months ago that you had built a studio with Gary and were getting ready to start producing again -  have you started working on any music since then?
 
 "No I only started to compose a few musix for IFM jingles."

 There is a collection of Unit Moebius stuff available now -  'The Golden Years'. Was the Unit Moebius time a crazy period in your life? It sounds like you were a huge acid/Chicago freak. Do you think that with age, you have mellowed into a disco freak? Do you think the Unit Moebius stuff has aged well?

 "I have always been a total disco fetishist since long before I got to know Unit Moebius, being involved in mixing for local pirate stations. Most mixes were Italo/Disco/Detroit/Chicago themed since I started buying records on a weekly basis around 1985. Italo was dying and transforming into some kind of trance house or whatever you call it, so I lost my interest. Chicago House and Acid were rapidly becoming my favourites and because of it and its limited availability, I started a record import mailorder service (Hotmix Imports) with a direct pipeline from Chicago. I pulled tons of Italo from there too. This went pretty mad and within two years I opened a record shop in The Hague and also started distributing the imports across the globe. On a sunny afternoon Guy from Unit Moebius/Bunker walked into my shop carrying two Bunker releases asking me if I knew that stuff. I had never heard of it, but it looked as obscure as those crazy imports from Chicago and sounded likewise so from one came another and Hotmix started to distribute Bunker via the channels already available. They also threw acid themed parties in squats those days and got invited to play there and that's how I basically got involved in UM and started touring with them. That acid thing went totally out of control and for a while nobody here in The Hague played or listened to anything else. Still on the radio I played basically what I always played, a mixture of styles with extra added acid of course and that later became my style for the dancefloor. At times electro themed, often heavy on the disco. Disco was my first love and it will be my last I guess."

Do you have any plans to release a third installment of Mixed up in the Hague -  or do you think that there is no reason to release mix CDs anymore because there are so many free mixes on the internet?

"I never really thought about it but people love 'mixtapes'. I heard of a new mixtape label from around here called 'Medellin Mixage'!"

 Apparently, you're a big horror movie fan: would you ever consider composing a soundtrack to a slasher movie?

 "I'm not so into horror movies, more into 'violentas',  cops vs robbers Italian style, women and children first, also French and US gangster cinema from the 70s is something you can wake me up for. But if I was asked to do a soundtrack for a slasher I would do it."

Finally, you know that the theme at the Sunday night at Bloc where you are playing with Alexander Robotnick and Metro Area is 80s Miami? Would you say you are more of a gangster or a cop? Were you a Miami Vice fan -  and if so, did you prefer Tubbs or Crockett?

"Although I was a Miami Vice fan I didn't like C&T too much. The Colombian gangster dudes with their white, spoilered 500 SEL's emptying Uzi's out of the rear window were more my cup of tea. But I'm over that, nowadays I only dream of my own suicide cult..."

Great Scott

Most blogs and websites I visit regularly post podcasts, so I thought I'd get in on the action. Being a lazy person (or maybe I'm just time poor), rather than asking people to do mixes for the site, I decided to post links to sets I stumbled upon on the net and which I rate. I'm going to try to do this every week (depending on whether I find something worth posting). I'm starting off with Patrice Scott, one of my favourite producers of the past few years. You often hear about great producers who can't DJ and vice versa, but it sounds like Patrice is an exception, as this set, which orginally appeared on deepershades.net, has the same mysterious, evocative feeling as his releases on Sistrum. I first heard this mix earlier this week waiting for a bus into work as a snow blizzard started. The visibility was poor, and for a while, as I waited at the bus stop, all I could see were the blurred grey shapes of traffic passing, accompanied by Scott's layered sounds. Like all the best electronic music from Detroit, there is something sad yet austere, steely yet organic about this mix - it tugs at the heart strings but also has an aloofness that makes it even more fascinating. One of the big problems with this music is trying to describe it words -  maybe it's better if you just listen to it. I'll sort out more links to this mix over the next day or so....

edit: here's another link to the mix..

Bloc File: James Ruskin

In the latest Bloc-related interview, UK techno DJ/producer James Ruskin talks openly about the state of techno in 2009, his last, underrated album, 2008's 'The Dash', and the death of his former label co-founder Richard Polson..

You are known as a techno DJ/producer nowadays, but how big was the impact of your electro and hip-hop background - has it influenced your techno production and DJing?

"It was my passport into the scene, so it has had a massive influence into every part of my career really. These styles for me were the catalyst of what I do, and although there may not be a direct point of reference, the ethos behind the music will always be relevent even if it is just the experimental aspect of sound manipulation and the idea of pushing machines beyond their limit and comunicating through these sounds."

 You said recently in another interview that when electro first came out it was a musical revolution. Do you think it's still possible for  a revolution to happen again -  or has the fact that technology can do everything made that unlikely?

"I personally think it is unlikely we will see a revolution on that scale. People generally have become comfortable and used to electronically created sound, even if they don't like it it's not considered unusual and doesn't evoke the same kind of reaction as when the technology was first being used. You only have to look at how much electronic music is used in advertising and on TV programmes to see how accepted it has become to the mainstream. I feel really lucky to have been a part of, and involved in such a immense musical and lifestyle transition and I would love to think there is a generation of kids that will have the same experience, but I can't see that there will be anything with the same impact."

 What's it like being a techno DJ/producer/label owner in 2009 -  is it more challenging and precarious than 10 years ago?

"It's a very different business now that's for sure. When Richard and myself set up Blueprint in 1995, we were part of a relatively small group of labels and producers that were creating that style of music. That changed very, very quickly as the the technology to create the music became much more accessable and the network needed to manufacture and distribute your music became more readily available, so the escalation was pretty rapid. I think it became apparent to a lot of people that wanted to be DJs that the only real route in was to produce your own music and as the scene grew this created a massive leap in the amount of music that was being released."

 You made a name as a producer inspired by Detroit minimalism in the late 1990s -  how do you feel about the minimal that has become popular over the past few years? Do you think it is exciting or  is it merely a watered down, substandard version of techno from the late 1990s?

"There is good and bad in every genre. I would like to think that people coming into contact with that style of music for the first time will maybe do some research and find out about the first wave of minimal techno, they may even discover Robert Hood's 'Minimal Nation' and there can't be a lot better than hearing that for the first time! There seems to be a new wave of releases that have a much more gritty and organic feel to them and that interests me a lot more."

 You seem to have avoided either playing or making that new style of minimal - what do you feel about some of the hard  techno producers from the late 1990s that are now making that kind of  music? Have they just jumped on the bandwagon and do you have less respect for them because of that?

 "I haven't really avoided it - I  just don't play whole sets of that style. There is some really good music out there and I just play what is exciting me and what I believe to be music created for the right reasons. I don't really give it much thought if producers have changed what they do, you can't continue to do the same thing forever anyway you just have to be true to your own plan I suppose."

 Downloading is often blamed as a major reason for the demise of the record industry, but do you think that techno just isn't as popular as it used to be -  have a lot of people simply moved on? Most labels say for example that the shortfall in vinyl sales has not been made up by digital sales -  is this because people are just buying less music or is it due to illegal downloading?

"Well the shortfall in vinyl sales is definitely not offset by downloads but that is an outcome that is unavoidable when you are dealing with this kind of digital format. A download has no physicality to it, there is no imputus for somebody to go and purchase the music when they can get the exact same product from their mates or illegal downloads for nothing. Before the digital revolution, if there was a record you had to have, you went out and tracked it down because it was about owning that piece of vinyl, it was about the artwork, it was about the smell, but the new generation don't have the same point of reference so those days are long gone and you have to move with the times as nostalgia won't get you very far. It's a very difficult situation for the industry and there doesn't seem to be any solution at the moment."

"Before the digital revolution if there was a record you had to have, you went out and tracked it down because it was about owning that piece of vinyl, it was about the artwork, it was about the smell..."

'The Dash' had a lot more diverse sounds than your previous work, dipping into melodic, downtempo electronix, electro and more understated, less harsh techno tracks. Was this a result of you mellowing with age - or was it the realisation of a long-held goal to branch out musically? Did it take a long time to write and record?

"There are a lot of different reasons. The idea behind the album and the way it was recorded was a big departure from anything I had done before and I wanted to create something that could work on different levels and in various enviroments which was always something i wanted to achieve and now I feel a lot more capable of realising my goals when it comes to projects like 'The Dash'."

 'The Dash' also works as an album, a format that techno producers often have problems with. Why do you think that so many techno artists can't seem to keep the quality high across an album format -  is it because they try to be diverse and this backfires on them or because they just repeat the same dance floor sounds and over an album this becomes boring?

'Diversity is important in an album format but you have to be comfortable and honest when you are diversifying. I didn't create any music on 'The Dash' to fill in the gaps between the more accepted techno tracks they are all there for a reason and because i believe and stand by the album as a whole. I think that because there are so many dance floor sounds being created your audience demands more from an album these days."

 I notice that you didn't release any new material in 2007: was this because you took a break after Richard Polson's death? How did his passing affect you? One of my very close relatives died very
 unexpectedly in 2008 and I'm still coming to terms with the shock that he isn't around any more. I miss the small things like his laugh -  is this the way you feel too about Richard?

 "I did take a break from the studio after Richard's death, but I don't think it was a conscious decision - I just had no connection to the studio at that point because I was somewhere else, I was even finding it difficult to go out and DJ so recording definitely wasn't on my agenda. I wasn't until I decided to sit down and record 'The Dash' that I even turned my equipment on and then this project consumed my studio time during 2007. I don't think you ever get over it and, it is always the small things you miss, but the way you think about it and deal with it change with time, we talk about Richard a lot and it is always followed by laughter so now I just focus on the amazing and hilarious journey I had with him."

Did these feelings have an affect on the Dash? Parts of the album are very relective, in places quite melancholy....

"Yes, the album was created for Richard. I don't like to use the word tribute as I don't really know if that is the right way of describing it. It was definitely a process and a focus for me after he passed away and that helped me to deal with things."

One of your other close peers Oliver Ho is now working as Raudive - what do you feel abou the direction that his music is taking -  do you like it?

"Oliver has a great drive and passion with his music and you can hear that, he is actually recording an Oliver Ho 12 for Blueprint which I'm really looking forward too - it's been a long time!"

 I notice that you chart artists like Vex'd - are you a big dubstep fan? Does it feel like dubstep is a musical revolution? Do you like it because it takes some elements from electro and even hip-hop?

"I am a fan yes, the sonic quality of the music really interests me and it has a very edgy feel to it which grabs my attention. I've been playing quite a lot of dubstep in my sets, even if it's just layering it with other stuff. I think it has reference to quite a lot of different styles, but it has been put together in way that sounds really fresh and it works for me on different levels."

As a big vinyl fan, what do you make of the decline in sales -  will vinyl continue to exist, albeit as an increasingly niche product, and will you keep buying it?

"It will definitely become an increasingly niche product, I just hope that someone somewhere will keep a pressing plant alive even when it is no longer viable economically for most labels to manufacture vinyl, which unfortunately I think will end up being the case. I will always continue to buy vinyl as long as it's out there, there is nothing better than coming home opening the shrink wrap on a load of new records!"

 Finally, what are your plans for 2009?

"My main focus at the moment is the O/V/R project I have with Karl O'Connor. We have a load of tracks ready for Blueprint and Sandwell District which we are in the process of finalising for release next month. There is also a James Ruskin 12 to follow on Blueprint and a track for Surface, there are also several remixes due and a 12 for Token Records. I have several live shows booked for this year as well so I'm working on expanding that as I really enjoyed the ones I have done so far."

Linked Up

Just a quick post to say that I'll be updating the out of date links section on the site over the coming weeks. If anyone has any sites, blogs, forums etc that relate to the subject matter, please mail me privately with your suggestions and, provided they're not for teenage skinhead Dutch gabba sites, I'll add them on. I'd like to hear any relevant suggestions because I'm sure there are new resources springing up all the time that I haven't discovered yet. If you have already mailed me privately, there's no need to contact me again -  I'll be linking to you as part of the upgrade...

The slow road

I've been listening to and playing Delano Smith's 'Sunrise' EP on Third Ear for the past month. The four tracks alternate between clubby arrangements and deeper, more reflective pieces, but the common bond is that Smith has put a lot of time, thought and effort into every element on every track. You can hear it in his raw yet rich production style, the way the beats have an extra fuzziness or in the flowing melodies and the warm, layered chords. Even the track with the vocal sample intoning 'Detroit' sounds fresh. It's one of my favourite records of the past few months, but I don't expect to hear another one from Smith for a while  - and that's fine by me. Smith, like many of my favourite producers, follows the slow production road, releasing maybe a record or two (at the most) every year. Portable and Donnacha Costello are two other examples of great producers putting out small volumes of music with high strike rates. However, in Smith's case, the slow road has been particularly slow. It seems he only started producing music when he was in his mid-30s, having spent the best part of two decades as a DJ. I think that there's a lesson in there and it's perhaps one that doesn't fit with the current trend of labels churning out music at an ever-accelerating pace. Smith's approach suggests that you need to have a thorough knowledge of your chosen music before you can go near studio equipment (or software) and that in turn, you need to perfect your music making skills before you can even consider releasing a record. Of course, if everyone followed this school of thought, only a tiny fraction of the music being released now would exist - but would this really be a problem if all the releases were on a par with 'Sunrise'?

Bloc File: Ital Tek

So here's the first Boc interview. Ital Tek, whose real name is Alan Myson, was responsible for one of last year's best debut albums, the intricate break beats, lurching bass and crystalline melodies of 'Cyclical' on the super on-form Planet Mu label. I caught up with him recently and got a chance to discuss Brighton, dubstep and being the only intelligent techno fan in school...

When and why did you start producing -  I'm guessing from your photo (on Discogs) that you're still quite young…

I'm 22. I started producing on a computer about four years ago and before that I had been in a band for a few years. I'd been listening to jungle/electronic music since I was younger but only really wrote guitar music for years. I guess getting into producing was just my way of having control over every aspect of the music. I like just being on my own for hours messing around with sounds.

How did you hook up with Planet Mu? Did you send in a demo or did you know someone in the label?

I got signed to Planet Mu about two years ago. Mike who runs the label heard my stuff through MySpace and gave me a call asking me if I wanted to put out an EP. So I sent him over a load of tunes and we picked the ones that are on the Blood Line 12".

You're based in Brighton – were you influenced by Brighton's techno scene from the 90s, eg the No Future people like Cristian Vogel?

I've lived in Brighton for about four years, so I wasn't aware of any of that going on. I grew up in London and then near Oxford where there was a wicked music scene for bands and live music, but not really any electronic music. I found Brighton to be a really inspiring place when I moved here because there was so much weird experimental  electronic stuff going on in the back rooms of pubs and also a lot of clubs were pushing it. Just the different approach to music the people I met down here had a massive influence on me. It's a shame as a lot of the smaller nights that were up for you just going down with some synths and drum machines and fucking around all night have all disbanded now.

Is Brighton a good place to make music -  removed from London and cheaper to live, easier to get work done?

I really enjoy living here, it's pretty chilled out and it's nice being by the sea, especially in summer. I spend every day messing around with tunes so it's cool not having the bustle of London right outside my door. There's also a good number of nights putting on interesting music. I don't know if it's that much cheaper to live here though, there are certainly cheaper places you could choose to be!

What are the influences on your music - I'd imagine they are quite diverse, given the range of moods on the album? I hear elements of techno, minimal (especially on the glitchy 'White
 Mark') dubstep and even more unusual influences...

I was the only person I knew growing up who listened to stuff like Autechre, µ-Ziq etc. Just on my Walkman walking to and from school listening to Rephlex and Warp stuff mainly and then a bit later Planet Mu artists like (Venetian) Snares. I got so excited about it all and had no idea what it was really or how it was made which was really cool. It's kind of nice listening to music with just complete objectivity like that, absolutely no preconceptions about who the musicians are or what the hell they're doing. It was a bit naive maybe but it's just cos' none of my mates liked it and I only ever wrote music on my guitar at the time.
It made me want to try to write stuff like that and for the first year or so of getting a computer and a sequencer I was probably just copying that style. Just loads of sitting on my fiddling with sounds, trial and error until it started to click and I found that I was making music that I would want to hear myself.  A lot of jungle, garage, techno etc has inspired me aswell over the years and also the textures that people like Trent Reznor and Bjork create.

Your debut album 'Cyclical' veers from the beautiful melodies on tracks like 'Deep Pools' and the title track to the dark, distorted bass of 'Bloodline': was it intentional to represent a range of moods -  is this the kind of person you are, one who has big moodswings?

I don't think it's from having moodswings, more just from being into loads of music and wanting to mash it altogether into what I'm writing. I definitely wanted it to be a varied album, I get really bored listening to just dubstep or any genre of tunes after each other so I imagine everyone else would. I wanted it to be an album that you could listen to on your own at home but could also work in a club.

There is also an Eastern sound on 'Red Sky'; do you like music from other cultures  - does it inspire you?

I think of it more as just different sounds being used to make a piece of music, I havn't specifically gone after any kind of eastern  vibe or whatever, just what I thought was appropriate to make the track the way it is.

Listening to what sound like strings  on 'Still Shores'- was/is Detroit techno a big influence?

It's funny a lot of what sounds like strings on the album isn't. I use a lot of piano and mess it up to make it sound like big layers of strings. In fact I don't think there's any actual strings at all on any of my released tunes! I love techno so it probably has creeped in somewhere. I'm not really very aware of my influences when I write maybe they come through more to the listener.

What do you make of the current state of this music -  is it healthy and who is making the best music?

Without sounding like a kiss-arse I think the last few things that have come out on Planet Mu have been some of the most interesting stuff i've heard in years. The new Neil Landstrumm and Starkey albums are amazing. The new Jamie Vex'd tunes are on another level too.

What do you make of the criticism that dubstep is really  hard to dance to – do you agree with this or do you think it's not true?

I've seen loads of people dancing to it on my travels and going out to clubs. The people who say that probably just listened to it on their computer speakers. I'm not one for the whole "you got to hear it in a club to understand it" thing cos' good music should be good wherever you listen to it. But for the sheer bass weight that you experience on some systems, it's a powerful thing, can't help but make people move.

What are you doing next -  have you more releases lined up? Will you keep releasing on Planet Mu?

I've just finished a new EP that will be out on Planet Mu in the next few months (maybe even by the time this has gone to print) I'm currently working on the follow up album to 'Cyclical'. I'm really pleased with it -  I think it's the best stuff i've done.

Are you playing live at Bloc? If so, what is your live set up like?

Yeah for my live sets it's normally a mash up of loads of my tracks using Ableton, I've got a lot of new stuff that I'm going to be playing. I'm looking forward to testing it out on a festival crowd.

Bloc booking

The Bloc Weekend is happening again this year, and this blog is proud to be involved again as a partner. From this week onwards, expect to see interviews with some of the best artists - unfortunately, Aphex has already said 'no' - performing at the event, and even some audio too. In case you don't already know, the festival is taking place from March 13th to 15th at Butlins Holiday Resort in Minehead, Somerset. Check the festival website  for travel and ticket details and keep your eyes out for the first interview here during the week.

And the winners are...

There are no winners. Here's a  long list of the records that inspired me in 2008. When I compiled my best of lists for various places at the end of last year - Boomkat and RA still have my top tens and twenties readily accessible, but I'm too lazy to link to them now -  I baulked at the prospect of summarising 2008 in the space of ten records. Ask me to condense and reduce words and sentences and I won't bat an eyelid. Doing the same for my favourite music makes me break out in a nervous sweat. I find it really difficult to impose a hierarchical value system on the records I love -  does number one mean that choice is in some way better to number five in a list, or seen in reverse, is five one-fifth as good as number one? Similarly, I have a built-in fear of awards. Does the 'best film' mean that it really is better than one or all of the other nominees? Art and the appreciation of it is such a deeply personal experience that everyone's opinion and taste will vary and every standpoint is valid. It's one of the reasons why I rarely post nowadays on any other site, forum or blog -  there isn't a right view or a winning argument to a discussion, just opinions and tastes. Anyway, I digress. Here's my full list for 2008, none better than the other, all, to my ears at least, deeply rewarding, emotive, rousing, refreshing electronic music. As you can see, it was a great, great year for 'singles' -  when I post my albums list soon, you will see the discrepancy in length. And that shorter list at the bottom? These are the older records that I bought in 2008. Some are recent enough, others over two decades old. 2008 was a year for discovering new and old music alike. After all, if you don't know the past, how can you appreciate the future?

2AM/FM: Electronic Justice (Spectral)

Tadeo: Reflection Nebula (Substance Remix) (Apnea)

Delta Funktionen: Silouhette (Ann Aimee)

Redshape: Blood Into Dust (Styrax Leaves)

Gowentgone: MAM/Ibex (Dettmann/Fengler remixes) (Vidab)

Ben Klock: Klockworks 4 (Klockworks)

Joey Beltram: Shaking The Trees (Harthouse)

Mike Dehnert: Freiraum EP (Fachwerk)

Equalized: 01 (Equalized)

Artist Unknown: 12 (Sandwell District)

Dimi Angelis & Jeroen Search: Configuration (Smallville)

Pom Pom: 33 (Pom Pom)

Jackmaster Corky: Dimension 106 (Creme Jak)

Kink & Neville Watson: Full Flight (Rush Hour)

Delano Smith: Sunrise (Third Ear)

Pikaya: Jive (Meander)

Move D: Heidelberg Gals (Running Back)

Lawrence: Miles (Dial)

Daphne: Daphne 01 (Daphne)

Silent Servant: The Blood of our King (Sandwell District)

Two Armadillos: Hamlin (Dessous)

Lowtec: 6 (Workshop)

Roberto Auser: Flight 101 (Nature)

Quince: Expanding/Contracting (Delsin)

Portable; Knowone Can Take Away (Perlon)

Claro Intelecto: Warehouse Session 5 (Modern Love)

Sten: Squares (Smallville)

Jacek Sienkiewicz: Beacon (Recognition)

Lee Holman: Travelling EP (Mowar)

Cassy: Idle Blues / April (Cassy)

MLZ: Newanaloguecentury (Modern Love)

Patrice Scott: The Evolutions EP (Sistrum)

Kalon: Born Against (Sandwell District)

One Last Riot: Immortality (Paranoid London)

V/A: 030303 (Marguerita Recordings)

V/A: Underground Anthems (Aesthetic Audio)

Claro Intelecto: Rise (Modern Love)

Portable: Emerald Life (Musik Krause)

Donnacha Costello: It Simply Is (Minimise)

Claro Intelecto: When The Time Is Right (Modern Love)

Morphosis: Dark Tales of Phoenecia Part 2 (Morphine Doser)

Migumatix: Trax for your Box (Pasta Musik)

Black Dog: Train by the Autobahn (Robert Hood DJ Remix) (Soma)

The Houze Vectors: We Bring U Muzik (M<O<S)

Gonna: I Don't Need No Competition (Beyond)

Russ Gabriel: Konacno (Pariter)

Sebbo: Watamu Beach (Moritz Van Oswald remix) (Desolat)

Move D & Benjamin Brunn: New Horizon (Smallville)

Lee Jones: Soon (Aus)

Function: Anticipation (Sandwell District)

Tobias: I Can't Fight This Feeling (Wagon Repair)

Corrugated Tunnel: Distant Sounds (Nightvision)

Osborne: Ruling (Spectral)

Newworldaquarium: Affenwelt (NWA)

Donato Dozzy: Time out the Gap (Railyard)

Peter Van Hoesen: Casual Care (Time 2 Express)

Norman Nodge /  Samuli Kemppi: Native Rhythm Electric / Vangel (Ostgut)

Samuli Kemppi: Hyperkaapo (Pakka Levyt)

Redshape: Plonk (Present)

Donnacha Costello: Hello, I Must Be Going (Poker Flat)

Add Noise: 3 (Handwerk)

XDB/Quietpoint: Anilem / High Hope of Salvation (Ballad Inc)

Steinhoff: Tonight Will Be Fine (Smallville)

MLZ: Alice Loop (Modern Love)

Sleeparchive: Hadron (Zzz)

Marcel Dettmann: MDR4 (MDR)

The Jak: Kontrol (Creme Jak)

Peter Van Hoesen: Trusted EP (Time 2 Express)

Yuro & Trago: Primary Roots (Rush Hour)

Aroy Dee: Summer (M<O<S)

Alex Cortex: Skyle EP (Platzhirsch)

Pigon/Dettmann: Kamm /Plain (Beatstreet)

Seldom Felt: 2 (Seldom Felt)

Chaton: +91 Ahead (Plak)

Silent Servant: La Violencia (Sandwell District)

Delta Funktionen: Electromagnetic Radiation (Ann Aimee)

Omar S: Psychotic Photosynthesis (FXHE)

Alex Cortex: Discola (Kahlwild)

Pendle Coven: Exigen (Modern Love)

Peter Van Hoesen: LOC (Lan)

Substance: Relish (Shed remix) (Scion Versions)

Pacou/MLZ: Minus (Remixes) (Cache)

Unknown : 01 (Hate)

Steve Bug: Honeymoon (Russ Gabriel remix) (Raw Essentials)

Redshape: Robot (Music Man)

Substance & Vainqueur: Libration (Scion Versions)

Patrice Scott: Azteck (Yore)

XDB: Espac (Sistrum)

Andy Stott: Bad Landing EP (Modern Love)

STL 02 (Something)

Vinyl Countdown: Machine Head (NTA)

Strike: 154 (Delsin)

Neil Landstrumm: Glamourama (Tresor)

Perbec featuring Soulman: Come With Me (Ifach)

Mike Huckaby: My Life With The Wave (Synth)

Zsa Zsa La Boum: Something Scary (Kaos)

DJ Jus Ed: Minimal Soul (Underground Quality)

Prosumer: The Craze (Playhouse)

Risque 3: Essence of a Dream (Stride)

Steve Poindexter: Computer Madness (Muzique)

Kevin Saunderson: Powerbass (Sonic Groove)

Florence: US Heritage (Eevolute)

Lectric Workers: Robot Is Systematic (Viewlexx)

Mike Perras: Beginning of Life (Bassic)

Black Knight: Moody Balance (Source)

Planetary: A Matter of Sound (Delsin)

M.Pittman: Nyrobi Knight (FXHE)

Armando: Land of Confusion (Warehouse)

Orgue Electronique: The Garden (Creme)

LNR: Work it to the Bone (House Jam)

Patrice Scott: Atmospheric Emotions (Sistrum)

Bobby Konders: The Lost Nu Groove Track (Nu Groove)

Cassy: Nil Desperandum (Perlon)

Aqua Regia: Smile on me, NYC (Irdial)

X2/Saturn V: Primitive Cypher (Relief)

The Sun God: Ancient Echoes (Klang)

Roman IV: Altes Testament (Playhouse)

Keith Worthy: She Loves Me Not (Aesthetic Audio)

MLZ: Dark Days (Modern Love)

Function: Isolation (Sandwell District)