Spinning Around
Just back from yet another sell out Southport Weekender, how was it this year, who was rocking it?
“I was only there on the Friday but I enjoyed Jimpster and Grant Nelson’s sets. I would have liked to stay the whole weekend but had another gig in Italy on Saturday. Southport is a wicked event by the way, not just because of the brilliant music but also a real mixture of friendly people from all over the world. Lets not forget the talking rubbish in the chalet afterwards.”
Well a wonderful two decades in the music industry celebrated by the release of ’20 Years of Joey Negro’ out in July. You have released literally hundreds of tracks over the years, does it get easier in time or harder. Is there always that worry you are repeating yourself?
“To a degree, you are repeating yourself. But technology changes all the time, which makes things sound different even if the musical ingredients are similar. You also get inspired by new music and other producers.”
It shows just how much you must have loved music when you were younger, Disco in particular, as you went through some pretty rank jobs to be able to buy the records you loved…
“I guess they weren’t that awful, as I’m someone who can normally have a laugh in most situations. Being an ice cream seller was pretty crap as cleaning the machine was such a long dull daily task. Also the woman who owned the store didn’t like me, there was a complaint about me standing in front of customers with a cone on my nose in my first week which probably didn’t help.”
What was the first record you bought?
“Sweet ‘Hell Raiser’ was the first single and Saturday Night Fever was the first LP.”
You left the south coast and headed up to London to chase your dream. Nightime was spent hanging around places like The Tartan House in Essex where alongside great music, you’d witness stabbings and fights which was par for the course back then. During the day though a job at record store Smithers and Leigh led you to Rough Trade Distribution where you were appointed as their head of the dance music arm, Demix. Those days working at a distributor of vinyl must have been pretty different to todays state of play…?
“Yeah, obviously records sold sooooo much more back then. I was doing a lot of telesales and there was a real shortage of House music, so it was quite easy for a semi decent 12″ to shift 10k. However, it was hard work, I was determined to establish myself and not end up back in Clacton on Sea, but I lacked experience and was probably quite naïve in terms of business. Rough Trade distribution was a stressful time as it went from not enough work for me and having to do very boring jobs like photocopying sales figures to make it a full time position, then all of a sudden it exploded and there was far too much work for one person and I ended up becoming quite ill through over doing it. I was living in a dump of a bedsit in Acton at that time, which probably didn’t help.”
A very famous story concerning how you came about your name by picking the first and last names of two records that were lying by your desk at work. Do you know though whatever happened to Pal Joey and J. Walter Negro?
“Pal Joey is still making records. He had a nice thing out a couple of years back on Vega with a french singer. Not so sure about J Walter, maybe I should look him up on Facebook, we could do a track together as Negro and Negro, its got smash hit written all over it.”
On the alias tip, one of the one’s you used is Doug Willis that I presume you nicked from the character in the TV soap Neighbors, then there was Plastic Ian…
“I’m always thinking of stupid names for acts. The next Better Days (my re-edit label, where I get to use to some these ridiculous monikers) is by Phenominal Handicap Band. Others have been Gay Marvin, DJ Weight Problem, Brad Shitt, The Yorkshire Rapper and many others.”
Outside of your personal life, what has been the greatest moment of your life?
“I’m not really a great moment person, tho I’ve had loads of amazing gigs in exotic places. Also, being on TOTP has got to be up there.”
When did you first begin DJing and how soon after how did the transgression into the studio happen?
“It was the other way round for me really. I’d been collecting records for a long time and dj’ed at the odd party but I only started playing proper gigs once I had released some records. I think it happens that way increasingly often nowadays, having a big record is more important to promoters than being a wicked DJ.”
You are the man who helped Take That cool on the dancefloor with the re-work of ‘Re-light My Fire’, were you happy with the choice of Lulu to sing vocals? Surely you had your eye on vocalists from over the water?
“Yes of course, someone along the lines of Loletta Holloway, Gwen Guthrie would have been my choice. Lulu was brought in because she had the same management as Take That at the time. However, she surprised me and actually did a0 pretty good job. I can’t say when I listen to it now I ever think it would have been much better with someone else doing her part”
You recognised how a loop is one of the keys to making a great record. One of the most famous you spotted was during the opening of the film ‘American Beauty’ that led to your Jakatta anthem ‘American Dream’. Are you constantly on the look out for that next loop, what sort of strange places have you found yourself finding that killer sound in?
“Yes I do, I’ve always got an ear open when I watch a movie/tv show or when I’m in a shop and there is music on. I buy quite a lot of spoken word albums too, it’s where you can find the odd bit of dialogue that can also come in handy. Sampling from some sources can be difficult as the quality just isn’t good enough, tho I hear about people sampling from youtube nowadays.”
So the new album, a triple CD mixed by Grant Nelson and DJ Spinna – what can we expect from it and why didn’t you mix it yourself?
“I wanted a fresh perspective, let someone else pick the tracks and mess around with them. In a way I’m too close to the songs to do it.”
Favourite:
Club in the world – “Zouk”
Vocalist of all time – “Akon”
City in the world – “New York”
Festival – “Southport”
You were one of the first DJ/producers who intertwined Disco into House both behind the decks and in your music. These days, this sound is the sound of the Saturday night dancefloor with the whole disco fused Hed Kandi, Defected, Pacha, Miss Moneyopenny’s and Fierce Angel featuring the music that yourself and the like of Andrew ‘Doc’ Livingstone and the Azuli crew paved the way for all those years ago. What is it about the sound of disco that you love so much and why has it lasted the test of the time?
“I love funky music, the best disco music has not only the funk, but also great sophisticated string and brass arrangements, fantastic musicianship, brilliant songs, beautiful vocals….what’s not to like? I hate it when I read in some book or newspaper article that “disco music is moronic” or whatever. Yeah, of course some of it was, but so is some of all forms of music…including loads of rock (who are normally the type of people who come out with misinformed nonsense).”
What one record would you never sell?
“My autographed pic disc of Village People ‘In The Navy.'”
One of the most in demand remixers we have, resulting in liasons with so many high profile pop acts such as Kelly Rowland, Mariah Carey, Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie – what are your favourite remixes you have conjured up and who have you turned down – and why?
“One I regret turning down was Kylie on her ‘Spinning Around’ single. My management at the time had listened and didn’t like it and I was just very busy at the time and didn’t listen myself – as I think they needed an answer very fast – so they said no. It’s a shame as I think I could have probably done a good job on that one.”
What one artist that has eluded you so far would you like to get in the studio and make sweet music with?
“I’d love to make a track with Earth Wind and Fire that harked back to their great days.”
Back in the late 80s whilst you were working at Rough Trade, the dance music community was one small, but at the same time, one big family. We were all pushing this new sound that the rest of the world were sneering at and we were all bumping into the same faces out and about. Do you mix these days with fellow DJs or producers or are those days long gone and it’s a video in front of the TV with the kids?
“You don’t know a great era was a great era till it’s over. I’d love to go back to the early 90s for a week.”
And finally, what is coming out next studio wise from Joey Negro, Z-Records and your The Sunburst Band…?
“I’ve just finished the first Akabu album, which is by and large a deep electronic house album. Also fresh out of the studio is AC Soul Symphony ‘Still In Love’ plus I’ve just remixed Matt Bianco’s ‘Half A Minute’, which is an all time fave tune of mine. I’m halfway thru a new Sunburst Band CD too.”
’20 Years of Joey Negro’ (mixed by DJ Spinna/Grant Nelson) is out on July 20th on Z-Records…
