ATFC records can be a bit like buses…you wait ages for one to turn up, then half a dozen out-of-control double-deckers swing round the corner and collide into the building next to you all at the same time. Those of you who have been paying attention will have noticed that he’s been a bit quiet on the release front for the last few months, which can only mean one thing… time to take a hefty step back onto the pavement…
Our ears have missed you…where have you been??
Ah bless you. Working and playing hard. Do you think these masterpieces are created overnight?? They take months of honing, sculpting and musical massaging to refine them into the faultless gems that they are. Seriously though, there have been a few tracks in progress which all seem to have taken shape recently and none have been quite ready until now. I've been travelling, DJing, producing, entertaining...the usual stuff. It's been a busy summer all round. I've gained more passport stamps from Asia, America, Canada and Europe since my last release and national stocks of Spanish Vino Rosado have depleted somewhat.
Have you had an inspiring summer?
Ha! I see where this is going! Yes, I live in a beautiful part of the world where the summer months can be somewhat responsible for a slight easing off the throttle studio-wise, but what I lose in studio time I more than make up for in warm feelings to take me though the winter come down.
Tell us a bit about the new track…what’s it all about? Any inside knowledge we should be aware of..?
Well, it's the time old tale of troubled love told as only my co-writer Rae can tell it. Of course we have a previous working relationship but this time we felt it was time to throw another set of vocal chords into the mix and luckily Lisa Shaw loved the track as much as we do. She stepped up to the plate and totally made it her song. I don't do 'troubled love' personally; too old and impatient for that, so I concentrate on the feel-good element of any song I'm involved with.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
A club-footed Columbian guy in El Pueblo.
After a relatively quite spell, release-wise, you’ve now got quite a few out before the end of the year, right?
We actually go beyond that up until about March but yes, before Christmas there's 'Walk Away' with Lisa Shaw, a collaboration with David Penn called 'Sentimiento' and to round things off 'This Is Not A Test' which, ironically, is getting road tested to great effect right now. I loved my few days in Madrid with David. He's a great guy and we get along well and, I think, 'Sentimiento' is what you'd expect to hear when you put the two of us in the studio together. I've also mixed the next Nikki Beach In The House which is released early November I think.
Is it a struggle to keep producing original material, or do you find it easier the more experienced you become?
Yes, with House music you do feel like you're trying to re-invent the wheel sometimes but then something will snap into place and you feel as excited as you did when you made your first record. There's very little that's truly original nowadays but I find keeping one foot in the past and the other edging forward keeps me hobbling on the right track. What I am learning with experience is balance. Not to throw myself for too long into one direction and not be scared of making tracks that aren't meant to tear the roof off. These days I try to shake things up constantly with tracky EP's, quality songs and big room cuts.
From someone who was there the first time around, what do you make of the current trend of backward-looking productions, with old records from MK, Kerri Chandler etc… currently representing the in-vogue sound?
It's great because I don't have to buy them again and I even have the B-sides to play! I've spent the past week recording and archiving old vinyl (something I've done many times before) and it's amazing how I can still find something that catches my ear afresh. There were, of course, other producers who were hot back then so it's nice to dig out something equally as good as 'Burning' or 'Hallelujah' that can surprise people even more. Quality always prevails. These productions and their producers weren't popular by accident first time around and essentially the hooks and musical elements work just as well today as they did 20 years ago. All that sometimes needs a little update is the power and punchiness of the drums. That said the current trend even does away with that need as guys like Jamie Jones, Tensnake and others champion the retro in its entirety.
Which artist above all others has impressed you this year?
What recently made me 'wow' was the announcement of The Swedish House Mafia selling out Madison Square Garden and Milton Keynes Bowl. That's a pretty big deal for any artist, let alone three DJs who not long ago were fairly happy reaching the DJMag Top 100. Whether you're into their music or not it's hard not to be impressed by the machine that achieved that. Musically, however, David Herrero has a good groove as have UK young blood Grant Nalder and Dutch duo Roul & Doors.
Anything else you’d like to tell us about…?
Yes. Did you know the average human adult sheds around 2 tonnes of dead skin a day?
Walk Away is out 19th October - listen & pre-order
