But his beginnings were more humble. “Well, in a nutshell it started for me a while ago and then it progressed bit by bit, until I found myself experimenting with sounds and ideas. I ended up putting out this kind of experimental dubstep which led onto the Eclipse album last year and here I am – basically embarking on another tour of Australia.”
No less, for the longest time, he had to struggle not only with the demands of being an electronic musician, but also with the reputation his preferred brand of music carried with it. “Indeed, dub was a dirty word, for a while there – in fact, I agree it was actually a rather grotesque word. In the beginning, it was this tiny community of like-minded DJs and things – the artists were just absorbed by their music and making the best out of it that they could. It got quite big in the UK and then it grew abroad really quickly as well. The internet helped it along too, but I don’t think there was anyone that expected it to come of age so quickly – and then it become associated with all this negativity – it was a real love it or hate it genre of music.”
He didn’t let that get him down though, blazing a trail of glory since hitting the scene sometime around the middle of the last decade. “It has been a bit of a blur the last eight or ten years! Since last year’s album release, I’ve done a remix for Delilah; that was really well received, which was nice. Then there is a free track I’ve done via Facebook called Bring It Down; as well as that, I’ve done a collaboration with The Others for his album and then another single is ready to go with Glen Boden – he is a good friend of mine and getting a few things in motion there has been really good.”
On the topic of the next album, he admits it is on his mind, just not a major priority. “To be honest, my intention was always to do another album. I’ve got bits and pieces coming out as soon as next week and there are a lot of other things going on so I will devote the right amount of time to it so I’d say if it’s something I do end up doing, it will happen next year. I’m definitely considering it. I’ll do a few more singles, maybe build that up into an EP or two and then let that evolve into some sort of an album.
“In terms of the direction of the next EP or album, it’s really hard to say. The music scene in general is really evolving and in a good way I feel. Productions are becoming more diverse and gigs and festivals are really reflecting that. You get all sorts of different genres at parties nowadays. So I would like my own releases to reflect that in some way. I don’t want to stick to a single style because that can be a little boring. I want to keep doing things a little different.”
Finally, I wish him well for his forthcoming tour and remind him of the distance between the south end of Australia and the UK. “Ha, thanks for reminding me,” he says. “It is actually a rather long flight from the UK down there, but I shouldn’t complain. To be fair, it’s actually been a while since I’ve been to Australia. Maybe a year or so ago now, and even though it feels like ages, it hasn’t been that long and in a nutshell: I can’t wait. Every show I played last time was totally amazing. The venues were great, the people were there to have a good time and I really enjoyed it – so I can honestly say Australia doesn’t disappoint. I’ll be completely oblivious to that 24-hour flight until I have to get on the plane!”
By which time it will be too late to pull out.
BY RK
