Date: 22.09.07
Interviewer: Tom Golden
Hi Strakes, hope you are well? Where are you and what are you currently doing?
"I’m currently on a train coming back from London to Smogland (Middlesbrough) trying to be as discrete as possible and not make noise doing your interview but probably failing miserably. We’ve [team Lost My Dog] been having a meeting with a new music distributor to continue our masterplan of taking over the world with deep house. I’m currently contemplating going to get a cup of tea but I’m always scared of falling over and landing in somebody’s lap so it’s on hold for now."
You currently run Lost My Dog records alongside Pete Dafeet and Nags Modhwalia, how did the label come about and how are things going with it?
"The label is going great right now, I think after a couple of years we’re finally starting to get established as a label people can look to and know (hopefully) that they get real quality music. Bounce Back was a big boost for us recently with phenomenal DJ support, not least at places like Stylus, and was a good reassurance that we’re on the right track. Coming up we’ve got new stuff from Nathan Coles & Dave Coker, Fred Everything, Greenskeepers, Chris Harris & Dom Martin and of course Pete Dafeet. To be honest we don’t really rate Pete’s music but we have to put the odd thing out to keep him happy!
The label came about because the 3 of us got fed up of standing round in a record shop whinging about how there wasn’t enough of the music we liked coming out. So we decided to try and do a little something about it."
You must get loads of tracks submitted to the label, what do you look for in a track to make you think "sh*t, yeah this is good, lets release it"?
"Generally if the demo comes with a crisp £20 then we’re interested... Seriously though, my personal decision making process when listening is “would I buy this if I listened to it in a record shop?” All 3 of us get sent stuff separately; if it passes our personal test then we’ll send it round the other 2 and if everybody likes it then it’s a goer. The communication we receive from the artist is pretty important now as well; if someone can introduce themselves well and show they know a bit about the label then that’s a great start. I used to try and listen to everything but due to the amount we get sent now that’s no longer possible and I sadly have to discard some just on the strength of the letter or email. We get some shockers like “Listen to this – perfect for your label, just like Tocadisco” and “I made this awesome tune, let me know how much you will pay me to release it”."
You went to University in Loughborough, was this where you discovered house music and decided to become a DJ?
"Pretty much yeah. I was already DJing before I went to University but played a whole load of different stuff from big beat like Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim and Bentley Rhythm Ace through to trance (I still have Paul van Dyk “For An Angel”). Once I got to University I started going to Passion to see the Subliminal DJs like Morillo and Harry Choo Choo and then stumbled across The Bomb in Nottingham one night where Stacey Pullen was playing. That night was pretty much the turning point and I knew exactly what music I wanted to play and the type of clubs I wanted to play in."
What have been your most memorable and funny moments DJing?
"Most memorable was playing at The Bomb at the Homegrown party in 2004, simply because it had always been a dream to play there after that night with Stacey Pullen and then countless trips back to see Derrick Carter, Gene Farris, Jay Tripwire, Phil Weeks etc etc. Funny moments are only funny now I look back on them but I once lifted the needle clean off the record that was playing twice in the same set. That was in Manchester actually at Club North. I was mortified at the time but it’s funny now. I’ve done the same thing on a few other occasions as well. It’s becoming a bit of a bad habit."
You’ve played in Manchester on a few occasions and also at Stylus before, how have you found the Rainy City so far?
"I love Manchester, both for DJing and going out. There’s a good strong house scene in the city and the people who are out always seem knowledgeable and responsive to the music."
Kahua Music is the record shop you run in Middlesbrough with Dan Sudron, aside from selling Gabba to local chavs what else can be found in your wax emporium?
"We focus primarily on Scouse House, Psy Trance, Uber Minimal Minimal and a new genre we discovered called “Grime Jazz Techno Soul”. The kids love it! We also peddle a bit of deep, tech, soulful and funky house alongside a wide range of CDs you don’t find so often in HMV or Tesco. We also cover DJ accessories including DJ cartridges, record bags, magazines, replacement sleeves and suchlike."
How do you see the current trend in the scene, in the shift from vinyl to digital formats, and would you ever consider moving to a full digital set up to DJ?
"I think there’s a place for both formats in dance music and at present we’re in quite uncertain times as an industry. Personally I’m a big fan of vinyl but still use CDs as part of my sets, mainly for things I can’t get on vinyl for one reason or another. I can’t see that I’d switch over to playing off a laptop at any point really. I think the digital scene has exploded rapidly and hasn’t yet settled down. Something needs to be done about quality control as it’s all too easy for any Tom, Dick or Harry to whack some below-par music out. Many of the download sites are completely clogged up with poor music and it’s impossible to go through it all.
At Kahua we’ve noticed a number of “digital converts” coming back in and buying vinyl again because they’re fed up of all the rubbish online now and prefer the personal service of someone picking out the best new releases. There’s also an issue with labels and artists not getting the payment they deserve – at present digital prices are pretty much controlled by the selling sites and the labels and artists have little say over how much money they receive. By the time the digi store and any middlemen like distributors take their cut there’s very little left for the labels and artists so something has to change."
Back to what music makes you tick, name me your current favourite house track and non-house (Westlife, Akon, Take That etc) track?
"My favourite current house track is without doubt the remix that Fred Everything has done of Pete Dafeet’s “Lungs”. Non-house track (can I choose a whole album please?) is “School Was My Hustle” by Kidz In The Hall, a hip-hop duo from Chicago."
Lastly, as what can only be described as a painful existence as a Newcastle fan, which one... United or City? You must pick one...
"City, not even a close contest."
Strakes plays at Stylus on Saturday 8th September 2007
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