Live and direct with one of the forces behind the new Southport Weekender Album…
Interview : Dan Prince
Photographs by Tony’TK’Smith
Martin welcome to DMCWORLD – a superb Southport Weekender album you have helped to create which we will come to later. First though let’s go back to where it began and a childhood with your sister listening to northern soul and US soul music. Who were some of the artists that you made an impression on you back then?
“Well, I can’t remember everything but I loved ‘Middle Of The Road’, ‘Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep’ – totally awesome for a little guy to listen to. The rest is a blur and we’re not a musical family really, my brother has a good voice, my sister had some tunes I scratched on the stereo. I can’t really remember much more than that, but it’s there so it is an influence.”
I hear you started playing instruments at an early age, six in fact…?
“Yeah, I used to copy the songs off of the TV – Inspector Gadget, Alex F, etc… and I found I could remember the tunes and where to put my fingers, I could make them a bit different and this I guess led to me wanting to create whatever way I could.”
You moved to Derby from your native North East in the 90s, a city that back then played an important part in UK clubbing due to one big night, plus there was all sorts going on in Nottingham and Mansfield. Where were the clubs that you earned your clubbing stripes at?
“I used to play regularly for Progress up here, myself and Rob Webster were the back-room residents for some time, and next door to that I ran my own night mainly playing funk and Jazz. I also played for a long time in the Dial, back then this was a cutting edge bar which had a late license, it was amazing in there, Trip Hop, Hip Hop & House. Great memories.”
It was at this time you spent your working day at a computer games development studio – Core Design no less which was the home of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games. It’s every boy’s dream to work for a games company, is it as much fun as it sounds?
“It is to start off with for sure, after a while things get more stressy and the job becomes very busy as work has to be done yesterday and then it doesn’t and yada yada. The creative process is really interesting and without it I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do what I do as Atjazz. I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity I was given.”
During that time you set up your first home studio…
“Yeah I had very little kit really, an atari ST, a Moog and a few peddles, I used to jam and record to Dat thinking this is how it’s done, I think I was very wrong!! After a while I realised I could sync things together, this is where all of the connections happened for me at once, I started recording songs that were playing through midi and this really opened my eyes, I started to save and collect synths over time, Now I use less & less.”
Who were your early DJ heroes?
“I used to love watching People like Gilles Peterson, Derrick Carter, Fred Everything and people who back then were doing things differently, I had the pleasure of seeing DJ Shadow twice, Attica Blues & DJ Krush. I was in awe!”
What are some of the big tunes you are spinning right now?
“This always changes and these days I play a lot of my own production when I play out so I don’t wanna use this space to blow my own trumpet!”
So the new Southport Weekender Volume 10 swings our way on July 1st, a double release with yourself and Miguel Migs on mixing duties. Talk us through your first ever time at this seminal weekender and who you checked out…
“It was in 2008, I saw a lot of great acts, Halo, Kev Beadle, Karizma, IG Culture, Kaidi Tatham, Kerri Chandler, DJ Spen & Incognito live. It was an incredible experience, cocktails in the afternoon, always a good start to a party.”
You have brought us 18 beautiful tracks, how long did the mix take to create?
“It took a few weeks to pull together, I need to show a wide range so this became a complication in licensing as you can imagine, The mix itself took about a day to record then edit, I took out the bumps as I felt it should be perfect, but with the life of the DJ at heart.”
What were the tunes you just had to include in there?
“Logg – ‘Dancing Into The Stars’ was the main song I wanted to get cleared. The rest were the songs that flowed from the full list of around 30 recordings, I also wanted to get the song no there that I wrote for my late mother and father, it was them that made this happen after all! Haha.”
The last weekender took place a few weeks ago down in Minehead, what were some of the highlights for you this time round?
“Chris Dave and the Drumheads was amazing, the highlight of the weekend for me personally, I was mesmerised! All 4 players we’re so good they ended up playing two songs at the same and and then dropping back into 1 song. It spun my head out. Of course playing at 4am in the Suncebeat dome with Karizma was also a really cool party, we did a lot of improvising with both Ross Hillard on bass & Natasha Watts on vocals, both myself and Karizma were playing with my iPhone and the hot cue buttons on the CDJ’s to make make music out of music, We really work hard at keeping things fresh. It’s nice to hang out at body and soul, it was also a lovely way to spend a sunday afternoon. Top notch all round. I could go on but I would be here for days!”
Who are the producers from around the world you are giving high fives to right now?
“Always Osunlade, Karizma, Louie Vega, DJ Spen and a load of others, Loving Bonobo and a few other slow beat makers. My music tastes are really wide and I love to just listen when I can, It’s hard these days being a Dad, I can’t just bang on the headphones to check something out, It’s all done in the office.”
You have remixed some giants of the music scene – looking back, what re-work are you most proudest of?
“I’m proud to have worked on all of it, It’s a massive part of my career. Working with Leon Ware’s voice, Dwele’s amazing tone & other singers like Clara Hill, Amalia, Robert Owens etc… can be a real challenge to make them fit into different genres. It’s wild, It really does have a positive affect one one’s ability to get music out quickly and to work on the sound constantly. It’s like a big learning curve that happens very quickly. Remixing is something I’ve slowed down on these days as there are 200+ out there from me including dubs and the things. I’m just really happy that people wanted my sound on their work.”
You closed your first label Mantis Recordings in 2009 due to “harsh industry changes” – I take it you are talking about the whole digital change in the scene?
“Yes and also the fall of ‘The Distributor’ we had 3 go down and it was to much to recover fro the last one. The way I see it is Mantis had 13 years of success and I shelved it feeling proud. ARCo. is my baby, with my name on it, and I hope people like the direction of the sounds we release.”
The new label the Atjazz Record Company got off to a flyer with your third long player ‘Full Circle’, what are the plans for the label for 2013?
“As usual, we have a load of new music from new artists as for me I like to see people’s unheard work get out there, we have the Atjazz & Jullian Gomes album coming in August or there abouts and also this will be available on CD worldwide. A few randoms like Brandy’s ‘The Ritual’ from Yellow Productions which I have reworked and a couple of very personal projects from Elise in the form of ‘Poseidon’ and Zaki Ibrahim with Kid Fonque & DJ Whisky ‘BE’ which also feature the only outside remix that myself and Jullian Gomes will make as a duo. An mazing album from south african producer ‘Thee Gobbs’ and a bunch of singles to boot! LOTS!!”
When you were once asked for some advice for aspiring producers, you replied ‘make music that gives you goosebumps’. What was the last record you heard that gave you goosebumps?
“I think it was the secret listening to the new Si Tew album, I think it’s a lot to do with pride on that one as Simon has been by my side for years and to hear him come up with such an amzaing collection of well polished work was touching to say the least. Personally, my remix of Jullian Gomes’s ‘Love Song 28’.”
And finally if you had to choose a tea drinking competition with top slurper Pete Wraight or flying to Australia – which one would you take on…?
“Tea drinking 100%, as you know I really don’t like flying. And what a lovely idea, a Tea drinking competition! I hope it’s based around tea tasting and not just yamming loads of PG Tpis down ones throat!!”
‘Southport Weekender Volume 10’ mixed by Atjazz and Miguel Migs will be released worldwide on July 1st 2013 on Miroma Music UK
