So Paul, thanks for joining the DMC world. An astounding career spanning 15 years, what made you take to the decks in the first place?
“I’m just a music lover at heart really. My Dad had (still has) a great record collection. Jazz, Funk, Fusion. Bob James, Tom Scott, Quincy Jones, Earth, Wind & Fire, Blood, Sweat & Tears stuff like that – and I was always fascinated by there was always music around. I started buying records myself from pretty a young age, on 7” mostly. I think my first was “Chiquitita” by Abba. 1978 I think. I still have them all. The rest of them aren’t much better. From just collecting records, I got into doing school discos and birthday parties – stuff like that. Then after school, I began playing at a University night that a mate ran in Putney and then from there into London’s Clubland… and it’s been a long, weird, fantastic, fucked up road ever since he he. I think in a nutshell for myself, DJing is about finding music I love and wanting to play it to other people so they love it too. And that still applies now as much as ever.”
I remember chewing my chops off dancing to you at Amnesia in Ibiza, must have been 1994 maybe? What is your maddest Ibiza memory, where did you like to hang out, what characters were spinning out?
“I remember chewing my chops off while playing at Amnesia too ha ha. Yes it must have been ’93 or ’94. I co-ran a night at Amnesia called ‘Eden’. It was a lot of work but it was fun. Have great memories of playing at 8 in the morning, full sunlight, with the old Amnesia main room sliding roof open, sun belting down on the crowd dancing to Bruce Hornsby and the Range. It was a lot simpler then. A lot less things going on. ‘Manumission’ had yet to be born I think, it was ‘Mad Mondays’ at Privilige. Space was just the ‘Dark Room’ inside, a roofless terrace outside, full Moon Parties – you know. I used to play at Mambo too most nights with Jason Bye, we had some good times in there…”
Then I used to shuffle my trainers down at ‘Cheeky People’ at The Cross in London where you played at for some years, such a shame that place has gone huh?
“It is yeah. I was just saying to someone the other day what a great place it was. I must have played there close on 50 times or something over the years and I can’t recall a bad night. The ‘Cheeky People’ night I was involved with there was pretty special. One of my favourite residencies.”
What tune has not left Mr Jackson’s box this year?
“I still never tire of playing Trentemoller’s mix of ‘What Else Is There?’ by Royskopp… and people never seem to tire of hearing it.”
You are a DJ that so many aspiring DJs look up to…you have played at the likes of Defected tours, The Ministry of Sound, dates for Radio 1 and MTV – what have been the best club’s over the years that stand out?
“Pacha Ibiza is a great club, Yellow in Tokyo (which I think has closed now), Home in Sydney, The Mix in Paris, Zouk in Singapore, Elevate in Noida near Delhi in India,not forgetting London’s finest of course..The End, Turnmills, The Cross and The Ministry is still hard to beat on it’s night…”
What are your current Top 10 Tunes?
“In no particular order (except the one’s they’re in!)
SIS – ‘Nesrib’ – Cecille
A:xus – ‘Suite Disappointment’ (Pete Heller Phela Dub Finale) – Rebirth
Format B – ‘Edding 850’ – Highgrade
Steve Lawler – ‘Kalimba’ (Shed Turtle Shield) – R&S
Hardwell – ‘Enigma’ – Slize
Matt Nordstrom – ‘Lucky Drawls’ – Saved
DJ Tonka – ‘Orca’ – Great Stuff
Koen Groeneveld – ‘Go Around’ – Abzolut
Mastiksoul, Nick & Danny Chatelain – ‘Land Of Spirits’ – Goanche
Booka Shade – ‘Charlotte’ (Mic Newman Remix) – CDR”
You have DJ’d in more than 70 countries over the years, what are the craziest clubbers out there?
“I’ve been really lucky as far as travelling goes, touring with Ministry of Sound and then with Darren Emerson for a good few years. Actually I remember touring Mexico with Darren. We did 5 gigs in 5 nights, flying everyday, playing every night. I remember the crowds down there being pretty insane. In Mexico City I remember Daz being given the biggest sombrero I have ever seen and then wearing it along with a Mexican flag over his shoulders as he played ‘Born Slippy’. I thought there was going to be a riot! I wish I still had the photos I took. He looked like Speedy Gonzales from the cartoon, I thought I was going to wet myself! I always love to play in Ireland too. They’re always so up for it. Never afraid to start the party going instead of waiting for one to happen.”
So you must have talked about it a million times, but talk us through your classic ‘The Push’ tune on Darren Emerson’s Underwater label.
“I was still doing stuff with Mark & Kevin as Kidstuff and I just really fancied doing something on my own, so I booked a few days with the lovely Richard ‘Chard’ Searle, who used to engineer for us. The first day I had a couple of ideas that weren’t really working so I decided to scrap them and started afresh the next day with another idea using a loop I had heard while I was on holiday on a Greek island a few weeks before. I had heard this CD playing in a restaurant and really liked it, the next day I hunted it down and bought it. It was by a Greek artist called Vassilis Saleas. The album was called ‘Orama’ and the opening track ‘Elsewhere’ had a great percussion loop at the beginning. That was the tabla – sounding loop that is the basis for ‘The Push’. I pretty much had it done by the end of that day, spent another day tarting it up and then the next day sent it to Pete Tong who played on his show the end of that same week. If only they all came that easy! Darren called whist it was playing on Radio One and asked what I was doing with it, I said I hadn’t really thought about it so we sorted it out there and then. People constantly mention it or ask me about it, or ask me to play it. I’m really proud of it, and the vocal version we did with Steve Smith. I remember Darren introduced me to Richie Hawtin at the Skol Beats Festival in Sao Paolo and he thanked me for making it and told me make more records. You could’ve buried me there! Should’ve too some would say….”
Who has been the maddest promoter you have ever played for?
“Barry & Barry from The Empire in Middlesborough spring to mind. Anyone that knows them would know why…”
Who would your six dead or alive dinner guests be?
“Jesus Christ, Bill Hicks, Chris Morris, Derren Brown, Karl Pilkington and Robert Newman.”
Your discography is just unbelievable. Let’s start with your remixes, you’ve re-worked the likes of Justin Timberlake, Pink, Jamiroquai, Ultra Naté, N’Dea Davenport, Bob Sinclar, GusGus, Man Parrish, Richard Dinsdale, Faithless and The Japanese Popstars. Did you meet any of these dudes and what do you think is your best remix work you’ve done?
“I’ve met The Japanese Popstars and they are reprobates! he he…With big artists like Justin Timberlake and Pink and the like I just got an acappella and built everything round that from the bottom up. I quite like to work like that. I got to chat a bit to Rollo and Ayala from Faithless and with Man Parrish and GusGus. Sometimes it helps sometimes it doesn’t. It depends on their expectations really. Whether they have a set idea of what the want or are just curious to see what they’ll do. I got a message afterwards from Jamiroquai saying that he liked it which was nice. I think the Justin one is possibly my most accomplished one, commercially. I think it hit the nail on the head. One of my personal favourite was one I did recently for Mark Wilkinson’s Dab Hands project. It wasn’t a ‘house’ remix for a start and I was really pleased with the way it came out. They made it the lead mix in the end.”
Coolest dude you’ve worked with?
“‘Hip Hop Be Bop’ with Man Parrish was one of them actually. Just to get to chat to him was amazing. Other than that I think it’s just nice to be asked.”
Tell us about Kidstuff which you formed with Mark Wilkinson and Kevin ‘K-Boy’ Brooks…Danny Tenaglia was all over you!
“He he…I lie awake at night, in a cold sweat at just the thought of that. Kidstuff came out of me and Wilky wanting to do something together, he met Kevin who had a studio near Old Street so we just all got together from there. It was a lot of fun. In fact fun was the priority really. We even used to crack up just thinking of names for the remixes we did. We named the one we did for Bob Sinclar’s Save Our Soul “Kidstuff Tear Our Souls Apart”. I don’t even think anyone noticed, which kind of made it funnier…”
What is coming up for us in 2009 music wise from yourself?
“I’ve been working on a few new projects actually. An artist album, featuring collaborations with Anni Hogan, Musetta, Just Jack. It’s pretty eclectic. Quite Cinematic in places, I’ve used a lot of spoken word samples that I’ve cut up and interspersed with the music to add a different feel. I’m really pleased with it, and with the responses I’ve had. I’m at the point where I’m going to look for a home for it. Haven’t really sent it to anyone yet. I’m just starting work with a new band called Happy Millionaire which is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. Producing a couple of things. Staying in the background where I’m happiest. I’ve been doing some cut-up montage-type mixes too called “Boat Drinks!” which I’m really excited about. It began with a blog that I occasionally spout on. I’ve been on a bit of a mission to expand people’s musical vocabulary. There is SO much good music out there, new and old, that people just don’t get to hear. The average person sticks to a few genres or a dozen or so artists which is a bit of a shame really. I mix it up with a lot of dialogue from films, comedy sketches and just odds and ends I’ve found. I’m a bit of a Magpie musically. I find odd stuff and put it to use…”
You can download them free from here:
Boat Drinks! – The Mixtape – Volume One.
http://www.seditiondjs.com/mixes/Boat_Drinks_The_Mixtape_Volume_One.mp3
Boat Drinks! – The Mixtape – The Movie Special
http://www.seditiondjs.com/mixes/Boat_Drinks_The_Movie_Special.mp3
The (very) occasional blog is at:
http://boatdrinkswithmaverick.blogspot.com
