One of the most prolific producers of the twenty first century live and direct
Norn Iron techno don first came to prominence when unleashing goliath techno via aptly named titles such as ‘Vital’ and ‘The Bomb’ way back in 2001, pulsating grooves that caught the attention of several of the heavyweights of the era such as Dave Clarke, Jeff Mills and Laurent Garnier. He’s remained considerably on point ever since, exploring live music through his Alloy Mental projects and helming his own PKR imprint whilst collaborating with the likes of Funk D’Void and Green Velevet. On top of that he knows a thing or two about a DJ booth too. This Easter he heads to Liverpool for 303, a previous happy hunting ground for him when the legendary Bugged Out helped develop him as a star 15 years ago (Bugged Out brethren Dave Clarke joins him on the night). Jimmy Coultas caught up with him ahead of the show…
Hi Phil, thanks for speaking to us. Your recent productions have seen the light of day on stellar imprints Cocoon and Turbo, what other labels can we see you working with in 2016. And will your own imprint PKR have much planned?
Next up is the Turbo release which is out 25th March, and I have a track coming on ULTRAMAJIC (Jimmy Edgar’s label) soon too. There’s some other news that I can’t talk about right now but it’s quite exciting for me!
The Turbo release sees you pushing a breakbeat sound on ‘Debris’. It’s seen a slight resurgence in recent times, with Paul Woolford ravier tracks under both that guise and Special Request. What influenced you to take that approach with the release?
I start making the music and things just slot into place, sometimes a sample just pushes you in that direction and you just go with it. My first releases were classed as “breakbeat “going back as far as 2000. It’s just something that happened on this release and might not happen again for another few years, you can’t really plan the way it goes.
What other musical projects can you tell us about at the minute then? Will we be seeing a return to any of the more band led stuff such as Alloy Mental or La Carousel?
I’m not sure I ever want to get a full band out on the road again, might just keep it to a one man show in future. I’m always planning new projects and plan to start working on a new Le Carousel LP very soon – I don’t like to get stuck making one kind of music. There is something else to come this year, but it will all become clear soon enough.
You grew up in the Belfast scene, including a residency at seminal club Shine. The city has been good at producing talents rooted in techno, from David Holmes to Bicep and including yourself and the Shine crew. What is it about the city that helps create this
David Holmes played a huge part in how Belfast became a techno city. He brought it here and it’s since become an integral aspect of the fabric of it. I really do feel it’s just a follow on from the punk rock culture. It runs through the veins of Belfast and always will.
Do you think there’s a connection with other Celtic cities doing the same? Glasgow can boast the same pedigree, likewise Liverpool and Manchester.
I can definitely see a big comparison to Glasgow any time I’ve been that feels really strong, maybe it’s the miserable weather! Then followed by Liverpool and Manchester to some extent, there’s some truth in that for sure.
You’ll be playing for 303 in Liverpool over Easter. How much fun do you have in the city when you play there? You used to appear at Bugged Out quite a bit at the start of your career…
Yeah I haven’t been in ages to be honest so I’m seriously looking forward to this one. Weirdly playing with Dave Clarke as well.
Where else can we expect to find you playing in the upcoming months?
I’m doing a small tour of U.S. and Australia in the coming months as well as other European dates.
And finally you’ve got to cover your complete musical passions as best as you can with three albums. What would you pick and why do they represent you?
Three bands that changed my life and an album by each. My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Loveless’, Joy Division ‘Closer’ and finally Kraftwerk’s ‘Computerwelt’.
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Phil Kieran joins Dave Clarke, Speedy J and Mr C this Easter Sunday for 303 Liverpool, tickets here http://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Liverpool/Constellations/303-Presents-Dave-Clarke-Speedy-J-Phil-Kieran-amp-Mr-C/12615917/
