THE FORUM INTERVIEWS… MIXMASTER MORRIS!
July 29th, 2003 by susanna
Continuing our series of ‘The Forum Interviews…’ – where members of the public ask Big Chill artists their own questions via The Forum – we had Mixmaster Morris on the receiving end. The self-dubbed ‘ambient sound diabolist’ has been bringing experimental and underground music to the rest of the world for over a decade and was one of the true originators of the ‘chill out’ scene we know today
[b]Author: rara
Why do you believe more and more people are listening to chilled music these days? Stress or a shift in taste? (Global chillage?!)[/b]
Because life is so hectic and we all need to chill out ….
Because theres so many chillout styles to choose from
Because there is always new and beautiful music coming from
people you never heard of before
Because of the success of the Big Chill
Because most people are bored rigid with banging techno
Because we’re not getting any younger!
Which of your productions are you most proud of and why?
Flying High – because it was my first album … And first success
Lotus Position – a lost track that came out on some compilations
Nepalese Bliss – good track, great remixes
God Bless the Chilled – new mix album 2003
Love Me (future single)
Give us 3 of your favourite tunes (and I’ll give you my address later). Sorry, name 3 of them.
Miles Davis – In a Silent Way
Leon Thomas – The Creator has a Master Plan
[Morris never entered his third - Ed.]
Where is all of this chillout malarkey going? Will there eventually be a chillpunk backlash or are we all just going to slip into blissful hibernation?
Chillpunk …Now there’s an idea. Anyone remember Young Marble Giants? Funnily enough Chris Coco just this second sent me his playlist and guess what? … Young Marble Giants!!
Can I borrow your silver jacket?
The problem with holograms is they tend to wear out quickly. Jackets with sleeves are too hot in a club. Also the sleeve will pickup the plastic bit that sticks out of the cartridge and cause a trainwreck … So nowadays I have a silver leather jacket from a charity shop in Beverly Hills and I cut the sleeves off it for easy movement.
[b]Author: guey
Do you have a wish list of people you’d like to work with or do you prefer to work alone?[/b]
Yes I do but usually I am too shy to ask them The first one that floated into my mind was Elisabeth Fraser so I should put that down.
Also while I’m here (and ‘cos I love a good game of celebrity fish slap), which celeb would you slap and with what fish?
I would slap Tom Middleton next time he plays ‘Club Tropicana’. But only with a sardine – ‘cos we love him really. And what happened to the AMBA album?
[b]Author: Ja Nai
You’ve been a bit quiet of late. Is life starting to catch up with you a bit?[/b]
Yes … Too many emails like this one take up a lot of time. But for the Big Chill I make a bit of extra effort.
Do you have any pictures of you with hair? And can we see?
I have hair (!) But I like it short! 10 Years ago I used to have a Rising High logo on my head. Before that I used to have a long pigtail at the front but it kept on getting in my food … So I cut it off. I also had a double mohican for a while (true).
- Where is ‘ambient’ going?
Back underground! The club I ran in Brixton was called Nubient because the idea was to play classic black music across the board in a chillout context. Nowadays I find myself playing funk, jazz, soul, reggae, hiphop, latin, african, indian, arabic, downtempo, many different styles, and categories are blurred. The chillout meme has certainly permeated the mainstream which opens up more doors to more hybrids and fusions etc. ‘Purist’ zenlike ambient drone music will always be a minority part. One reason being that a little goes a long way. Nonetheless when a new artist makes a real attempt to do it like Marvin Ayres for instance then I say hooray!
- If you could take a record, a book and a video with you onto a desert island, what would you choose?
Actually I used to fantasise about being Robinson Crusoe when I was about 7 years old … I think I’d rather have a kilo of seeds and a box of Ninja skinz.
[b]Author: M
What’s the cheesiest record you’ve got away with playing?[/b]
Cursed be the cheesemongers …. It doesn’t seem difficult to ‘get away’ with cheesy records – any old ’80s hit will do and crowds seem to love it. Some records with a whiff of fromage that I admit to playing…
EZ POSSE Everything starts with an E
DEPECHE MODE Master & Servant
DONALD FAGEN – New Frontier
PETE NAMLOOK I’m a secretary (once!)
MR ROGERS – You Are Special
HUMAN LEAGUE – Love and Dancing dub album
HARRY NILSSON – The Point soundtrack″
[b]Author: Tom Ashton-Booth
Talking of Cheese, Cheese and Pineapple on Sticks, yes or no? If Yes how should they be positioned on the stick, which ones on top?
[/b]
A truly horrible snack … Last seen in the 1980′s surely you are going to the wrong parties my friend.
[b]Author: Carmen Bear
Is it really all a conspiracy?[/b]
I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you afterwards.
Do you ever pop round to Pete Tong’s for tea?
I don’t think he smokes it … For the record I’ve never met Pete Tong. Pete Tong plays ‘commercial’ dance music because it’s his job to do so. He has however helped make stars of Mr Scruff, Tim Love Lee, Ewan Pearson, Lemon Jelly to name but four Big Chill faves. So that’s a good start … Chris Coco & Rob Da Bank are a good addition to the roster at Radio 1. It’s a pity they are on at such odd times. But you can always stream the shows on demand. One World and Gilles P and MaryAnn Hobbs and Annie Nightingale and if you can’t find something good amongst that… Without even mentioning John Peel and Charlie Gillett it makes you want to sing hooray for Auntie Beeb!! Radio 1 is getting better just as commercial radio gets worse and … No friggin adverts!! I recommend a week in Kansas City or some other hole to see how blank the radio dial can be … BBC sure costs a lot of money but they do produce quality… Don’t hate the media – become the media – Coldcut (is that right?)
[b]Author: Mr.Tom
What was the first record you ever bought?
[/b]
First 7:
Kraftwerk – Autobahn. (1973).. From a cut-out bin – it cost 49p and I still have it.
First cassette:
Pink Floyd – A Nice Pair (budget version of 1st two albums)
First Vinyl album:
Henry Cow 1st (!) Good grief!
Which country do you think has the largest ‘chill-out’ scene? Japan, Germany, USA (esp California, New York, Florida), Denmark
Marmite: Love it or hate it?’
OK, if spread thinly enough
[b]Author: laura B
What is the first piece of music that you liked?[/b]
I wasn’t allowed to hear pop music when I was very young. The first records I remember hearing on the radio are from ’69/’70. The one that I remember best was Double Barrell (Dave & Ansell Collins) – definitely the first reggae /ska record I ever heard. The first track I remember taping off the radio was Roxy Music’s first single (‘Virginia Plain’). Also Sparks ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us’ – still one of the strangest pop records of all time.
Are you into other art forms than music ?
The nice thing about a painting is you only need one customer for it for an album you need 50,000 … I’m sure that’s why Captain Beefheart stopped making albums. So yes, I like art, but I don’t go to galleries much. Perhaps that’s why I never eat cheese and pineapple on a stick! One thing I do like is that galleries and museums are becoming party spaces in their own right… A new context for new music.
How would you describe ‘Love’ to Aliens from another planet ?
A sixties band who have returned from the dead.
What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen ?
Sunset over Bolinas beach (Marin County)
Underwater Coral reefs in Thailand
5am in the Daitokuji temple in Kyoto.
What gets you out of bed in the morning ?
Nothing! (I never get to bed before 6am)
Do you have a favorite quote(s) ?
The government has lost faith in the people… Perhaps they should dissolve the people and elect another one (Brecht, 1952)
Great music is made when musicians and engineers play together like children (Holger Czukay)
Music is spiritual. The music business is not. (Van Morrison )
Rhythm is God dehydrated (Tom Ze)
Who do you admire most and why ?
Again the first ones that come into my head:
ROBERT ANTON WILSON
RAYMOND SCOTT
SUN RA
HARRY HOSONO
TERRY RILEY
ALICE COLTRANE
KURT VONNEGUT
Hmmm, they all seem to be writers or musicians. Not any politicians anyway …
Your last record played ?
Played last night in Berlin with 4 Hero … Last record played : Holger Czukay – Cool in the Pool (1979) a Krautock disco classic. It’s nice that early ’80s music is the height of fashion ‘cos this is the period when I started DJ’ing.
Who is your favorite live act of all time ?
Well I can only judge from show I actually attended. Here are some that changed my brain forever:
Sun Ra Arkestra @ the Fridge 1986 and others
Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, The Venue 1980
The Pop Group, ULU 1981 and Alexandra Palace
The Camberwell Now, various 1983-1987
Matthew Herbert, Big Chill 1997
Suicide, Clash tour 1978
Hefner, Dedbeat festival 2000
Prince, Wembley Arena 1986
Fela Kuti, Brixton Academy 1990
Plaid (many times)
The Orb (Glasto 94, Zambia 2000)
4 Hero w. Full Orchestra, Popkomm Koln
Last Poets (Deptford Albany)
Kraftwerk (Brixton 1986)
Cinematic Orchestra (London, NY)″
[b]Author: NickiN
when o when o when are you going to let us hear some more irrisitable force??? We all know you making it ! You cant lie to us anymore 
[/b]
Well – I have recorded a lot of tracks for Ninja Tune the last 3 years. However they haven’t released any of them … I am going back to San Francisco in September – hopefully to finish the next album …
Have you ever perminently blinded any one with your clothes?
No.
[b]Author: Enchanted Gordon
what reactions did you get when you first started playing ambient sets at all those acid house squat parties in the late 80s / early 90s ?[/b]
89-90 There was a general sense of awe and wonderment.
91-94 love & respect from audiences but increasing threats and violence from drug dealers.
95 had to jump out of a window to avoid getting stomped. At this point I gave up playing ambient music in the UK.
Did you imagine you’d still be doing it in 2003?
Yes … But I didn’t expect to be still having to justify what I do 15 years later…
Did you ever succeed in scoring weed on Naxos?
No, but you need to look for an Ozzie in a Bob Marley T shirt…
[b]Author: Carmen Bear
cider or cheese?[/b]
I haven’t touched cider since a bad experience with scrumpy… I like my cheese on the plate, not on the decks.″
[b]Author: matt rose
Is it more subversive than ever to be beatless and quiet?[/b]
Yes …I think the time for the quietest music is sunset and sunrise … Ibiza has certainly spread the idea of a ‘sunset set’ whereas I used to specialise in sunrise tunes… But midnight in a hot busy club is not the time to play something too experimental. Unless you want all the girls in the club giving you some verbal…
[b]Author: the legendary jesse belle
do you miss mixmag ?
[/b]Not if you aim correctly – placed by your toilet bowl it makes a handy drip guard.″
[b]Author: aj
What’s your favourite Canterbury scene band?[/b]
Ha ha – thanks Alan … Soft Machine were of course the Dons. But their sense of humour left when Robert Wyatt did. I also have a soft spot for Hatfield & the North but was never into Caravan etc although they had some great titles like… ‘If I Could Do It All Over Again I’d Do It All Over You’. It’s some of the most English music ever made, whatever that means. Some might definitely call it twee …
[b]Author: Enchanted Gordon
How many other famous people can you think of called Morris?[/b]
Morris Cerullo (evangelist)
Morris Pert (composer, session musician)
William Morris (designer)
Chris Morris (comic genius)
Philip Morris cigarettes
Joe Morris (Jazz guitarist)
er, thats about it …
There is a US airline called Morris Air …
Also a Morris University …
[b]Author: yoyo
Which record that you own best sums you up and why?[/b]
Er perhaps FINK ‘Ever Since I Was A Kid’ says it all. Or Blessed are those who Struggle-Last Poets. Or Shel Silverstein’s immortal ‘The Quest for the Perfect High’
[b]Author: Dearie Dearie Mi
What would your ideal Saturday be spent doing?[/b]
Lying in a hammock.. With someone special.
Is hoovering over-rated?
If you mean granulated money then I would say yes! If you mean the hoover noise on crap techno records then yes again.″
[b]Author: rara
Do you think that ambient as a scene lost its way for a while and ended up producing music best described as formless washes of self indulgent twaddle?[/b]
Yes, and it was called Isolationist music … Because soon the DJ would be the only person left in the room! I would say Wire magazine had a lot to answer for … All kinds of music have a place though … The place for Japanese noisecore is in a cellar in Shinjuku not on a nudist beach in Santa Eulalia.[/b]
Or has there always been quality ambient music out there?
There has indeed but don’t expect to find it without a search! One man’s steaks is another man’s soyaburger.
What do you try and achieve (if anything) when producing your own music/playing a set? How do you like people to feel when tasting your musical erm… Potion?
Warm and fuzzy … Empathogenic … Stimulated rather than sedated awake rather than asleep. Venues don’t like punters sleeping as they don’t spend any money while asleep …
What’s your favourite colour?
Green … Can you guess why?
How do you feel about the way the Big Chill has evolved over the years?
I am happy that they have established a niche … And that they have grown organically, at a sustainable rate … It has now become an English Institution, as much part of the summer as Glastonbury or Wimbledon… They have struck a balance between sponsorship and independence which has allowed them to keep a very high quality lineup rather than the usual some-band-we-just-signed. I miss ON magazine … It’s definitely time for a new title otherwise there’s nowhere to read reviews of chillout records… Apart from a token page in dance magazines. Actually theres a new magazine called SHANGRI LA LA …
[b]Author: Netje Cadetje
What’s the best packet sandwich you’ve ever had and from where did you purchase said packet sandwich? (You don’t have to detail the exact streetname, – postcode and roundabout area whereabouts will do).[/b]
Yeuch, British sandwiches are gross I did have a nice crayfish & rocket one somewhere last year. American sandwiches are much better cos they are made to your own specifications (and 5 times as big!). (US band) Pere Ubu famously had a supplementary rider that specifies in detail the size and thickness of sandwiches.
[b]Author: Dazzling Darren Dring
Is ambient music the primary focus in a room or part of the background (or ‘furniture’ as Satie would have put it)?[/b]
I think it has to work on multiple levels interesting enough to listen to. But with enough space to allow people to communicate without ‘missing’ anything I still believe social interaction is the point of going out …″
[b]Author: Ja Nai
If, as some have suggested, we choose music in order to provide the soundtrack to our lives, then what does do you believe this says about the life, character or consciousness of the ambient music fan?[/b]
That they aren’t dead from the neck up … In other words I think therefore I ambient. I saw a shirt last year that said ‘I’m pink therefore I’m bent’
[b]Author: mullet
When was the last time you cried? And did you feel like a big girl afterwards?[/b]
Three weeks ago …. And yes
[b]Author: Bill
What was it that influenced you to become a DJ?[/b]
Seeing the reggae soundsystems in the ’70s at punk / indie gigs.
Its 2017, you’ve got your record bag and you’re on the way to the festival festival in the International Space Station. What sort of new tunes do you think you’ll be taking with you, and what 10 tunes of the 20th century will you pack as essentials?
2017 Will be a big year for Estonian compufunk … Also everyone in Africa will have computers by then so watch out. I hope we will have discovered extraterrestrial life – perhaps by picking up an intergalactic chillout station.
[b]Author: centre edge
Can genuinely ambient music have regular beats?[/b]
Yes – but I would then categorise it as ambient techno, house, whatever. I would define as ambient record as one played by an ambient dj …
What the favourite indoor and outdoor locations you’ve DJed at?
Outdoor – chillout works best when it’s warm! Beaches are nice but sand and records don’t mix. I like to play in a Xiringuito (beach cafe) eg Lasal in Mataro. Playing at the Cafe Del Mar the first time was fantastic. Pool parties are always popular especially in Ibiza. Kumharas Ibiza is an outdoor club with lots of ambience. Villa Mercedes is another great bar/restaurant with four-poster beds everywhere… Like the club Stemmeheim in Kassel .. For scenery the Mojave desert was pretty amazing. The big TRIPPING ON SUNSHINE parties in Copenhagen in a public park were some of the best ambient events ever staged. I have done many outdoor chills for Love Parade in Berlin. The Solar Eclipse parties in Hungary and Zambia I won’t forget ever. Playing allnight in the Green Field at Glasters was great except that everyone was in mud up to their knees. And of course who can forget Big Chill 1995 in Wales? Which reminds me I’d like to play in Portmerion sometime Summerstage in Central Park NY with Cinematic Orchestra was incredible. The Edge was a huge rave club in Ft Lauderdale now closed. It had a large walled garden where I made a chillout. This was the gig where someone shot the lock off my box with a pistol. Willets in California where I’m headed in September looks good.
Indoors – I like Lux Fragil (Lisbon) – that’s how to design a club! I play a lot in hotels nowadays… The MARLIN in Miami Beach has an opium-den style chillout that is outrageous. The Pyramid in Yamanashi-ken was one of my favorites as was the SONORA party at MARYHILL SCOUT HUT in Glasgow (yes really). Talking of Pyramids, COCORICO in Rimini has to be seen to be believed. I have had some great nights in both the Paradiso and Melkweg. I’m lucky to have played at STUDIO 54 and the Hacienda … I always enjoy The Bomb in Nottingham … And BACK TO BASICS in Leeds. OSCILLATE in Birmingham is a much missed club, and so is CLUB DOG. MEGATRIPOLIS was great in Islington and then at HEAVEN where the Sanctuary became the chillout, full of hammocks. NINJA’s night at the BLUE NOTE was really great…
Why do you think you’re more admired outside the UK than you are in the UK?
I have done far more shows abroad than at home the last decade. Partly because I wanted to see the world a bit … Outside the UK, people like the fact that I try to be original. In the UK I am despised for not being the same as everyone else…
Who is currently making new orginal ambient musica?
ISHQ from Cornwall is a new ambient wunderkind
DJ OLIVE from New York the illbient king
MAKYO from Japan is always worth looking out for
YAMAUCHI from Japan now signed to Third Ear
REI HARAKAMI from Jaan records for Sublime
NEW COMPOSERS from St Petersberg
ULRICH SCHNAUSS everyone’s favorite Berliner
STREAMER from Amsterdam inject a note of humour
MARVIN AYRES new drone composer from UK
BALDUIN from Germany make fucked up beats with tongues in cheeks
NEON HEIGHTS from Nottingham are a bit more Balearic
as are AMILLIONSONS who are gonna be huge soon …
BANZAI REPUBLIC are equally digestible and sure to be big
EWAN PEARSON when he’s not making Goldfrapp hits
MURCOF from Mexico are pretty amazing, as are SIGUR ROS
KOHVI records from Estonia is a very interesting new label …..
And of course lots of people reading this list!
What was the longest set you’ve ever DJed?
I did two 12 hour sets at the last Naxos … I think …It all became a bit fuzzy after about 10 dodgy greek cocktails.
Two room all nighter – name at least six people you’re going to book to DJ and why.
DEGO the man who broke the beats in the first place
RECLOOSE cos I never saw him play (and now he’s gone to NZ)
DOMU cos I’m still smiling over his set at Notting Hill Carnival
KEVIN of DJ FOOD cos he’s a great DJ
DJ CRAZE from Miami 3 times world champion unfuckingbelievable
MR SCRUFF because he can do no wrong
KING BRITT because he’s the King of Philadelphia and a top bloke too
JAZZANOVA as long as they don’t play Justin Timberlake
MATTHEW HERBERT cos he’s always doing something new
DERRICK CARTER cos he can do a good chillout if you ask him nicely
DJ PATHAAN because he’s on it right now at Stoned Asia
KARMINSKY BROTHERS cos they are the original loungecore kings
IAN O’ BRIEN because he’s a genius ….
COLDCUT without whom this country would be a little more boring
DJ KRUSH or DJ SPINNA or MADLIB in the cool hiphop department
DAVID HOLMES for his superlative crate digging
KID KOALA undisputed king of the ambient scratch
KAY NAKAYAMA and POR-ZACK two of Japan’s best DJ’s
DYLAN YANEZ the new school ambient DJ from San Francisco
Is ambient music about changing the environment it’s played in and complimenting it?
No – that sounds like interior decorating …(Joke)
Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
Kaidi Tatham, Jamie Odell, Wechsel Garland, Banzai Republic. There you go, again off the top of my head.
Is ambient music wasted on clubbers?
I think it’s usually the clubbers who are wasted! Club music has become formularised and clubs have all become samey which is why there is a big backlash taking place. People are looking for something different nowadays. Most people see chillout music as pre-club / bar music or as after-club / when-we-get-home-after-a-party music – both of which are fine. But there will always be some kind of chillout at every festival and large party … Which is something. Personally, I think there are many other possible contexts like I-can’t-get-no-sleep music or I’m-in-the-bath music or I’m waiting-in-traffic-music or I’m in the library music or even I’m-in-prison-music.
What sort of spaces and places do you think it would work best in?
Works very well in restaurants, where no-one expects to dance.
How can you tell a crowd is enjoying an ambient set?
If they aren’t they will let you know! The problem comes when 99% of people are enjoying it but there’s one person who is screaming at you and demanding hardhouse or Oasis or the Cheeky Girls … Usually that person is a DJ or journalist … Or the club owner.
And more generally how do you ‘read’ a room if the aim itsn’t just to get people dancing?
Nowadays I try to strike a balance so that you can keep people on the dancefloor happy as well as those sitting down …
Who are you favourite 20th/21st century composers?
Steve Reich, expanded the limits of music like few others
Terry Riley, who was playing all night sleep ins 35 years ago and who I’d like to see in the UK!
Ennio Morricone, another underrated genius even without pictures
John Cage, but I’d rather hear him lecture than listen to the work itself (he appears on my last album somewhere)
Erik Satie although I confess I only know a few pieces …
Xenakis, Greek electronic pioneer
Oliver Messaien – check out the Turangalila Symphony …
Pierre Henry – father of Musique Concrete
Hanns Eisler – wrote hundreds of amazing songs with Bertolt Brecht
as well as the DDR National Anthem … And won an Oscar in 1942
Morton Subotnik – who cites Tom & Jerry as his inspiration
Harry Partch – who invented his own scale and built his own orchestra and inspired the Residents….
Florian Fricke – of Popul Vuh who sadly died last year
Hmm most of these people have done lots of film scores – that’s interesting isn’t it?
What ever happened to the idea of proper chill-out rooms in UK clubs?
Another good question … I think I just answered it above. Things change and move on and you can’t stop that. Enjoy clubs you like now ‘cos next year they might have gone. The rise of hiphop/r&b is displacing chillout from the second room – in which case perhaps you need a room 3 …
[b]Author: horselesspaul
Can you name one thing other than Belgium that is the size of Belgium?[/b]
The country of Lesotho is almost exactly the same size fact fans or U2′s bank vault …
[b]Author: It’sGrimUpNorth
Corrie or ‘stenders?[/b]
Oh God – neither please … I’ve never watched Corrie in my life. Eastenders is so well choreographed it’s technically brilliant. It’s very hard to turn off so the best thing is not to. turn it on in the first place … Life is too short.
[b]Author: The Gaffer
Is it about time you updated your website?[/b]
Err… Yes, most of it is from 94! I can’t believe that site is still up …. Time to get a new one. Meanwhile check out http://junglecats.Org/music.Html
[b]Author: Ern
Say I wanted to make a lush chillout track,what studio equipment would I need? I haven’t got any actual gear for making music I was just wondering what would be an essential set up and should I get some proper training on how to best use it?[/b]
Nothing is essential everything is permitted. If you have a computer you have all the gear you need. Get one good piece of software and learn it in depth. I recommend Ableton Live … Especially for beginners.
[b]Do you think the days before all this forum/internet business were
better or not? Do you think forums can be a distraction?[/b]
Computers in general can take over your life. The internet has changed the world more than Caxton … It is the true many-to-many media we have dreamed of.
What’s the most important thing in your life?
Music
Friends
My computer (sad bastard)
Your remix of Autumn leaves – how did it come to you that track? Was it an impulsive thing? Or a long thought out thing? Do you think you can ever match it? Have you dicovered the best track(s) to mix it with?
It was done very quickly, in a single session. It’s become the best known track I ever remixed – mainly due to the efforts of Fatboy Slim (!). It seems to be on every chillout compilation … Unfortunately as I’m not the artist or composer I don’t get paid!
[b]Author: Ern
Morris, one more thing, us mere mortals have submitted names for the new Big Chill cd. So now tell us what they should have called it.[/b]
Err… how about CALM DOWN MY SELECTOR …
[b]Author: Lovechile
Do you play Japanese noisecore at home?[/b]
NO!! (Argh!!)
Have you / will you ever play(ed) it in a set?
I have a huge collection of Japanese music… And some of it is very extreme … I do play more experimental styles in eg Tokyo or New York because people definitely want to hear alternative things. I like eg Takemura but it is too weird for most people. Also I like Rei Harakami a LOT.
[/b]Author: simon green
Allow me to pigeon hole you as an inspired socialist revolutionary with a creative edge… So … Whatever happend to the politics and radicalism in contemporary down tempo music? (And contemporary club life come to mention it)[/b]
Alive and well at Ninjatune at least! I think that the recent war has had at leat one hugely beneficial effect in that millions of young people especially in Europe have suddenly realised that politics is their business too.
[b]Author: ash
MMM – I miss hearing you heaps – When are you coming to New Zealand? It’s lovely and you can stay on my couch.[/b]
Australia / NZ is one area of the world that I’d love to play!!
[b]Author: A.K.A
Do you know what Casper Pound & Plavka are up to these days?[/b]
Caspar is around somewhere … He was seriously ill for a while but I’m sure he will be back as he is a hardcore legend … Plavka lives in Los Angeles and I saw her last year at a party.
*sad note – Since these questions were asked Caspar Pound has passed away.
Do you have any views on sensitive issues such as asylum seekers & enviromental issues?
Yes … If you’re in need of an asylum the Maudsley hospital is almost next door. My ancestors were Jewish refugees and I guess the founding fathers of the USA were refugees too. Without immigration we would all still be wearing woad The environment… is underneath all that concrete somewhere. I ride a bike and recycle my newspapers… But it’s not much. I think the organic food movement and the fairtrade movement are ideas whose time has come as people realise the central importance of food supply to the health of man and the planet.
[b]Author: The Gwyn
If you had to pin down a single thing that keeps bringing you back to the Big Chill, what would it be?[/b]
It’s the best festival in the UK, as you probably know! If I wasn’t playing I would be a punter! Unfortunately I am going to Amsterdam on the Saturday, so I will miss most of the weekend …
Where will you be going on holiday instead of Naxos this year?
I don’t have holidays – in that I never go anywhere without a record box. I would like to go to more Asian countries as I have only played in Japan and Thailand …
[b]Author: Tom Ashton-Booth
Worcester Sauce, Yes or No?[/b]
Can’t make a bloody mary without one, squire …. You must Try a Bloody Ninja – replace the tabasco with Wasabi …
[b]Author: Fish
Are you at all bitter than you’ve been DJing / writing / producing for many years and yet don’t have quite the same profile as many others who started out after you?[/b]
No … I’m happy that I’ve been able to turn my obsession into a living of sorts for the last 20 years … It would be even better if I had some cash as well … I don’t think artists or musicians make the big money anyway, it’s moguls like Simon Cowell who pocket it all.
[b]Author: Tiger Perry
What was with the silver all in one firesuit at Enchanted Garden last year?[/b]
I got it in the local second hand store … I wore it for an indoor party in NY but it was too hot. If any of the firedancers wants to buy it off me I’ll make them a fair deal …
