Published on page 15 in Scene Magazine Issue 937 March 14, 2012

With his trademark blonde locks, Simon Lewicki is a national electronic dance icon. Powering the moniker of Groove Terminator and the other half of dance phenom Tonite Only alongside Sam La More, it is The GT who first propelled Australian EDM into the limelight more than a decade ago. It was the track ‘One More Time (The Sunshine Song)’ that first thrust his name into Australian popular culture, but it has been his tidy mixing, beguiling productions and remixes, incredible energy and charismatic stage presence that has kept him at the top for almost twenty years. Talking to Groove Terminator is the same as watching him perform: driven, energetic and overwhelming. Delving into Simon’s thoughts, he reflects on the 90s to now, what makes a great set, and imparts one of the best tips any DJ wannabe/ can-be should take on board within the ADHD inclined industry of Australian dance music.

What have you been up to lately?

I’ve been back and forth between LA and Sydney – depending upon the shows.

This would give you an excellent perspective on where electronic music stands in Australia then. So what do you think of the Australian dance scene?

Production wise: music – in terms of the EDM output from Australia – we’re just smashing it. We’re absolutely owning it. There’s just so much – it’s the healthiest and most exciting it’s ever been. The recognition everyone is getting world wide in so many different genres is just incredible. It’s really exciting.

So how did it all start with you?

Well, after we invented the wheel …….. I started on a community radio show during high school. I was also making mixtapes for the local clothing emporium in exchange for clothing. One of the guys there was a DJ at one of the clubs. A new club was opening up and he got offered a spot as a resident and he couldn’t do it. He said, “but I know this kid who can” so I was in a club by the age of 17 with my first ever residency – which I managed to hold onto for several months. I was DJing on the radio and DJing in the nightclubs which were two very different things. But then, the whole clubbing thing took of and raves took off, and I was part of that first wave with all that happening; enough to hang around ever since – you can’t get rid of me!

There’s been many changes since you first started. What has been a consistent sound with GT no matter what form you come in – regardless of whether you play on your own, for Ministry of Sound, or with Sam La More; or any of the projects you’ve worked on.

It’s definitely been molded. Back about twelve years ago I was trying to give the Pop Star thing a go – which was an incredibly bad move. I got introduced to things like Sound Garden and Nirvana really late – like I didn’t listen to Nevermind until 2000, because I was too busy giving Deco records and hiphop and everything in between a go. I just had no room for it. And I think since then – that wave of rock from about twelve years ago for me – I’ve always tried to incorporate that rock energy. The energy, but not necessarily the sounds – with varying degrees of success. That’s the great thing Sam and I do together in Tonite Only. It’s generally a successful marriage of pure dancefloor with the attitude from a guitar based band, without the gratuitous guitar samples – though we have had that too; though using them in a new and different way. I’ve never been one to stick to one genre. I’ve never been a breaks DJ, or a drum n bass DJ, or just play high energy. If it’s good, I play it – and that’s been the consistent factor. If it’s a good tune, then I’ll play it. When I first started DJing, it wasn’t just like the Beatport Club Charts Top 20 that you could play all night. I would play New Order or Voodoo Ray, or whatever. These days are a lot more receptive to that now than the wilderness years of the mid 1990s to the early part of the last decade. There were a lot of BPM fashions going on in the nightclubs, and I think people are over that now – thankfully.

You say “if it’s good, I play it”. And you’ve produced quite a few great tracks yourself; so what makes a great track?

It’s got to get an emotion from you – whether it’s good or bad. Something can be really good at making you feel really awful – not that I necessarily want to play that record (but it’s still good by that definition). For me, it’s got to have a certain energy and a certain feeling, depending upon what you want to do.You’ve gotta keep the energy levels high. A lot of the time these days where everyone’s got the same music, it’s about how you put it together. At the end of the day, if it’s got the right attitude and it’s saying the right thing, I’m all for it.

What sort of equipment would we find in your studio these days? What do you like to play with?

These days, studio-wise, I’ve been more studio-less for almost a year now. Basically, I just plug in my laptop to a pair of speakers and that’s my studio these days – which is amazing. Then I borrow a microphone, record some vocals. All of our Tonite Only stuff is done in Protools – that’s that way Sam works.

DJ-wise, since I’ve been in America, I’ve been a Serato convert for six years now. I prefer to control Serato on vinyl, because all the turntables in every nightclubs are breaking from 10 years of speeding laws, but CDJs are good too. I think it’s a great time we’re in now; we have so many different DJs, djing in so many different ways. At the end of the day, it’s about rocking the dancefloor. I’ve always been anti the equipment fascist. It’s about dance. I’ve never been about snobbery. It should be about good music. I come from the era of PLUR – for me, it’s still about that and I’m always about that. Someone can rock a dancefloor on an iPad on an iDJ bloody app, or some crazy thing on Abelton. Or you can get someone like Greg Wilson playing wheel to wheel which pre-dates everyone. It doesn’t matter.

As you’ve mentioned, you’ve been in the industry a while. What have you learned across the last couple of decades?

All I know is, there’s a lot I don’t know. I know, I don’t know a lot!

But that’s music in general though!

Yeh, I know. But I still really get excited when I hear an incredible track, or something totally that’s game changing where you just go ‘holy shit’. I come from the era of DJs, then it became DJ/ Producers, and now we’re in the era of the Producer/ DJ where it’s the producer DJing his music. There are so many amazing producers, where you hear stuff and just go ‘holy shit’ and try and deconstruct it; do some reverse engineering to work out how they got the sound, or the thinking of why they did that. As a DJ, I was lucky to come up towards the end of the era where there was one resident DJ playing 8 – 12 hours for a set. I’ve learned the basic rule of three: play something you love, play something they know and something new. Then be able to work within those and make all sorts of combinations from those. At the end of the day though – and it took me a long time to realize – just play for the girls. Play for the girls and you’ll always have a job.

You’re coming to Brisbane to play at The Exchange on Saturday night. What are your thoughts on Brisbane?

Brisbane was my first interstate gig, and Brisbane has been an incredibly great place to play. Just generally, for as long as I’ve been doing this, Brisbane has been the healthiest out of all the cities in terms of having a really vibrant scene with lots people going out and lots of clubs happening. Considering my home town of Adelaide is about the same sort of population numbers-wise, there are about five times as many people going out clubbing in Brisbane. Different clubs are playing different music. Not everyone is playing the same sort of levels at 12.35 on a Saturday night; they’re all playing different stuff.

When you get to Brisbane, what can we expect to hear from you on the dancefloor?

These days, it’s very very rare for the GT DJ set to come out. I’ve probably done about half a dozen of those for the last year and a half in Australia. There is so much music out there; but I’ll play some exclusive edits, a lot of Tonite Only material and other stuff I’m working on. I’ve got a new Groove Terminator single coming out this year, which I’ve done with Christian Luke and Mr Wilson – and a couple of other things which should be ready by then. I don’t often get the chance to play a lot of this material with the Tonite Only confines, so I’m really excited.

Groove Terminator performs a rare GT set at The Exchange Hotel on Saturday March 24.

Check out where it all started:
Groove Terminator: One More Time (The Sunshine Song) 2000 EMI

There’s something special about Stephen Paul Manderson: he brings his perspective of urban London living and fuses his rhythmic social statements to organic instrumentation and hip hop beats. Professor Green has been around for quite a few years, having been signed to Mike Skinner’s label The Beat to go on and lift his game by supporting Lily Allen on her 2009 concert tour.

His second album At Your Inconvenience is now available on Soundcloud here.

Especially, Read All About It is the standout song, written by Stephen Manderson himself, Tom Barnes, Ben Kohn, Peter Kelleher and Iain James; produced by TMS and iSHi, and released through Virgin. Most of all, it’s the sublime vocals of Emeli Sandé that really makes this song: kudos to whoever chose to bring her onboard!

Check out more of her tunage here and her latest track Next To Me:

resources courtesy of emi music

published in The Fitness First Magazine Australia December 2011
published on inthemix: Fatboy Slim ‘The Original’ March 2012 and
published on Future Entertainment website here March 2012

So named for the 1940s Louisiana blues singer: a “goofy name that suited my goofy personality“, Fatboy Slim was the very first Superstar DJ. He would go on to live the superstar DJ life, end up with a Superstar DJ woman, and spectacularly end up in rehab in a  Superstar DJ way to then accomplish peace in the ultimate Superstar DJ dream. It’s so Superstar, it’s almost like Sting. When we’re surrounded by guys like Skrillex, Swedish House Mafia and all the other newbies of now, it’s easy to forget these guys were first inspired by such personalities as Fatboy Slim. Go back to 1998 and recall, that as Fatboy Slim bombed the world, being a DJ was merely an itch at the back of people’s minds. I certainly won’t forget the uproar of my prediction at time to the professors of the academic world that DJs would be the rockstars of the 21st century. Was I wrong Dr Truman?

This is the article of articles where I had the privilege to go indepth with Quentin Norman Cook: the first Superstar DJ who dared to dream a Superstar DJ dream

1998 was an interesting year for dance music: Ferry Corsten was into hardcore gabber, Armin van Buuren and David Guetta released their first tracks, the Swedish House Mafia were barely an itch in their DJ pants, Skrillex was confined to boarding school, Moby still had yet to “Play” and Aphex Twin was exploring the depths of Jungle music. However, it was Fatboy Slim who was the first and original superstar DJ. Musician, producer, a pioneer of dance music, it was Norman Quentin Cook who led the big beat revolution under the moniker of Fatboy Slim, propelling electronic dance music to the lofty heights of popularity that it enjoys today.  With his 1998 album You’ve Come A Long Way Baby churning out hits “The Rockafellar Skank”, “Praise You” and “Right Here, Right Now” across MTV and radio waves, Fatboy Slim would bridge the gap between the underground and mainstream.

Norman Quentin Cook’s history is immersed in music. Nurtured on his parent’s 60s vinyl collection, he began DJing for parties and weddings to help pay his way through university, completing a Bachelor of Arts in English, politics and sociology at Brighton Polytechnic. He first cut his teeth in the music industry, playing drums and then taking on vocal duties for new wave punk band Disque Attack, forming The Stomping Pondfrogs and finally taking on bass guitar for The Housemartins; the band achieving some success on the charts. This musical experience would serve as a sound foundation for his upcoming career. Hiphop culture was just exploding in the picturesque English beach town of Brighton, and Quentin, then known as DJ Quentox – alongside DJ Baptiste – would hold hip hop jams at youth clubs. These jams were like infant block parties that would sow the seeds for Brighton’s underground music. While he would traipse around the country, touring with bands, it would ultimately be Brighton where Quentin would return to concentrate on playing the turntables. Having formed a friendship with studio engineer Simon Thornton from his band days, projects like Beats International, Freakpower, Pizzaman, The Might Dubkats came and went, until 1996 when the album Better Living Through Chemistry propelled Fatboy Slim into the limelight.

The Fatboy Slim moniker was well and truly destined to stay in the charts after the giant success of second album, Halfway Between the Gutter and The Stars, particularly with hit track “Weapon of Choice”. Featuring Christopher Walken in the now iconic clip, “Weapon Of Choice” would take out six awards at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. Such popularity would see over 250,000 people gravitate to Brighton the following year for the second of Norman’s open air beach gigs. The bedlam meant early closure of the event and traffic jamming the town until the next day. As a consequence, a ban was imposed against Norman from playing in Brighton; though this would eventually be lifted in 2006. The subsequent years saw a slew of choice gigs around the world, including a celebrated performance at Glastonbury; his sets performed before a visual stage of video screens with 3D lighting.

While his career of late has been besieged by health issues providing plenty of fodder to the media, looking back, you can definitely say Fatboy Slim has come a long way baby. In the lead up to his performance sharing the stage with Swedish House Mafia for Future Music Festival 2012,Fatboy Slim chats in-depth with Lady Lex, comparing Twitter and Facebook to crack, his thoughts on today’s music trends and what we can expect to hear from him when he hits the main stage for FMF.

What are you most looking forward to for Future Music Festival?
I’ve always loved touring Australia. Just getting back there and seeing the mental crowds you have there. Doing those festivals are great, because you get to hang out with other acts. It’s quite a nice lineup as well. Normally you go to a festival and you never get to see anyone else’s set. I’m looking forward to hanging out with Swedish House Mafia, Tinie Timpeh and all of the other amazing people who are going to be around. It’s good because it feels like you’re on a big school trip.

What weapons of choice will you bring to the dancefloor?
I’ve got an audio-visual show coming. I’m more of a VJ these days! We write visuals first, and as I play the CDJs, that triggers the visuals. We have sync’d visuals which makes for a tighter show and visually more exciting. I DJ with Serato, CDjs, which will be triggering the visuals; but still mixing with CDJs – so you’ll know I’m doing it live. And the same full on acid house party nonsense really.

Since you last hit Australian shores, it’s been a very difficult couple of years plagued with health issues, controversy, and family problems. No doubt, you’ve been mentally and physically stretched to the limit here. But you’ve come through to the other side and you will be, once more, facing your tour demons. What have you learnt about yourself over these last few years?
I faced my demons; beat them off with a stick. I’m happier, healthier and I’m doing a better job. I’ve been focused on my inner well being. I’ve been on tour for the last two years now, so the demons have been banished.

How is this reflected in your music?
Well I haven’t made much. Last two years, I’ve been steering clear of putting a new record out because that’s when you have to be away for up to 6 months at a time.

Is your new take on healthy living going to help you when you tour Australia?
Yes – Definitely! The late nights and the partying take their toll as well. You can party harder when you’ve had a good night’s sleep!

What kind of health regime will you be following over the next few months to get you through the tour?
Normally I’d play weekends so I’m home during the week. Normally I’d work out four times a week: an hour of circuits. I’m training for the Brighton Half marathon at the moment which I’ll be doing in February.

You competed in the Brighton Marathon last year: how did this experience strengthen your resolve as a fitter healthier person?
It was great to prove I could do it. Most people after the kind of lifestyle I’ve led for most of my life would say there’s no way you could run a marathon. It was maybe one of those middle age thing. I was either going to grow a pony tail or run the marathon. I think I chose the cooler option.

Do you feel as though you have anything to prove this tour?
I’ve always got something to prove – no one does it quite like me. You’ve got your young contenders like SHM – ultimate respect to them – but I plan to give them a run for their money every night.

We’ve got you as one of the greatest DJs to have stormed the planet. And we’ve got the Swedish House Mafia currently storming the planet. How did two such entities come together?
We move in the same circles. We’ve swapped ideas and tunes. There’s very much a fraternity with DJs and trips like this mean the bonds get firmed up. We play together and there’s a mutual respect there. They’ve got that huge big room commercial sound down pat. So I’ll be probably wandering down a nosier, more raucous path.

How did your music start for you?
I was actually a DJ before I was in bands. In those days, being a DJ was a hobby rather than a career. I wanted a career in the music business, so I took up the bass and felt I should play in a pop band. But then when dance music took off, I was finally making music I really love. At the end of the day I feel I am a much better DJ than I am a bass player.

Are there any new artists particularly exciting you at the moment?
I’ve done so many shows with him over the summer. He’s really set the benchmark with visual shows. I’m excited about David Guetta (he’s an old friend of mine) and Swedish House Mafia. I’m excited about them cleaning up in America. Dance music goes underground and then rides a commercial wave. It’s on a bit of a commercial wave right now which opens it all up for the rest of us.

You’re such a lover of layering textures and beats as well as great melodies – vocal or instrumental. So what are your thoughts on the electro and dubstep that’s eaten the world at the moment?
I must confess – I dunno if it’s an age thing – but I can’t get my head around dubstep. I can’t dance to it, and therefore I can’t make it. I don’t play dubstep in my set. Sometimes the electro stuff lacks a bassline. It might be me getting old, but sometimes it just sounds like a load of scrunchy noises without a tune holding it together.

You got away from dance for a bit with the musical ‘Here Lies Love’, working alongside Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, as well as Santigold, Tori Amos, Cyndi Lauper and Sia. What did this experience do for you musically?
It was really nice to flex some different muscles, to do something different. It was great to do it with David Byrne. He invited me along on the journey and it’s not a journey I would have ever taken on my own. To work with vocalists and real songs and lyrics that meant something. It was an interesting diversion. It was nice to do things like that every few years just to keep yourself fresh. But at the end of it, I always come back to doing what I do: the bad-ass straight -ahead dance music.

You’ve worked under so many different pseudonyms and on so many projects: who rules these days?
Fatboy Slim has engulfed all the rest. All the others were faceless – there was no public face to them. As Fatboy Slim, I got outted, so it got hard to hide behind the different aliases anymore. When I’m at home I’m Norman Cook. When I get on the road and put on the Hawaiian shirt on, I turn back into Fatboy. Norman is a good husband and a good dad. And Fatboy, frankly, is an irresponsible party animal.

You’ve seen them all – vinyl, CDJs, laptops. What are your thoughts on technology these days?
It’s now a lot easier and more accessible to everyone. Everyone who’s got a laptop can make their own music and be a DJ. Before, it was only the hardcore vinyl junkies who were collectors and had the records. In one way, everyone can do it; so everyone can do it badly. But by the same token, everyone can do it, so it frees it up for more people around the world to do it, and be exposed the next day on the internet. It’s sped things up a lot.

Any sacrifices along the way in this convenience?
Music has become more disposable. Before, you had to physically buy a record and part with your money and you bought into the mystique of the record and being part of the gang with the band or the artist. Nowadays, kids grow up expecting the music for free – so maybe they don’t treasure it as much as we did. Or maybe I’m just getting old and nostalgic about the old days. The idea of going out and buying a record was exciting. Now, people expect it to be there in their laps. It’s a two edged sword.

With new technology in music, there’s also social media. What’s your take on Twitter and Facebook?
I don’t go to Twitter or Facebook, I tend to use my website. I have a thing on my website “Ask Norm” where everyone sends in questions; like “what was that tune you played then and there”. I enjoy the interaction with the fans. I haven’t sold my soul to Twitter or Facebook yet. It’s a bit like doing crack – once you get in there, there’s not getting back out. So I’m staying on the edges of it.

It’s been years since the world saw a Fatboy Slim track released – is this something that could be on the horizon?
It’s one of those things that you can only do when you’re feeling it. One day, I might wake up with a bee in my bonnet and a record I want to make. In the meantime, I don’t feel I have to force it. I’ve been doing this for a quarter of a century now, and I’ve earned the right that I don’t have to put out a record every two years or every four years. I don’t want to make a record unless it’s something I’m really excited about.

It won’t be long until you’re here! Have you got anything to say to your Australian fans?
I can’t wait to see you darlings!

2011 was a truly special year for me: every DJ I have ever loved and adored, I somehow managed to find my way into their world… how was this so? Roger Sanchez, Desyn Marciello, Jodie Wisternoff, Nick Warren, Gareth Emery, Markus Schulz, Michael Woods, Tommy Trash, Fat Boy Slim, The Stafford Brothers, Dj tyDi, Bliss & Esso, Carl Craig, Scissor Sisters, Sebastien leger, Richard Durand, Roger Shah, J00F, Robert Babicz, Danny Howells, Cosmic Gate and Armand Van Helden. My top albums and track for 2011 is all over the shop – but it represents to me the beautiful year that was. I  look back at the #1 track  and top 10 albums that made 2011.

#1 Track for 2011 : Titanium : David Guetta feat. Sia

Hearing Afrojack drop Sia singing Titanium in the ampitheatre at Stereosonic was a major 2011 musical highlight for me. It wasas if the whole world vibrated on a string, like string theory formed the basis from which all worlds twirled round each other. That moment reverberates in my conscious; I can feel those ebbs even until this day. The festival moment does come. Sometimes, I might to wait until 8pm at night; sometimes it just happens immediately. I’m an old festival hat by now.

But for me, that December 4, hearing Sia trill “you shoot me down, but I won’t fall, I am titanium” across the ampitheatre made me realise Titanium was the track of 2011

But that is only one track.

What about the albums that spawned such tracks that lead to such moments? I look at them here.. for the beautiful year that was 2011

Titanium appears on: Nothing But the Beat, David Guetta

———-oooooo000000000oooooooo————-

2011 Top 10 Albums

#1 Gotye – “Making Mirrors”

It’s Australian, it’s tasteful, and it features Kimbra. It’s such an album for now, with humble retrospection, laments and pleas in a world tolerant of boldness and crudity. This album is bound together by solid production and tight melodies embraced by layers of beautiful textures. I applaud the risks he’s taken.

#2 Busby Marou – “Self Titled”

I think music is coming full circle and bringing back the men who know how to be men. Acoustic and rock are seeping back into music and infiltrating dance music. Not that Busby Marou are any of those genres at all. But they are men – and you can hear that manliness in their music – all aspects of man lies in their album.

#3 Elixir featuring Katie Noonan – “First Seed Ripening”

An elixir is touted as an underlying principle or a remedy. In Australian contemporary music, the musical group Elixir takes the standards of musical improvisation – be it folk, world music or jazz – to fuse with poetry and thus generate medicine for the soul. The angelic vocals of Katie Noonan unites with husband Zac Hurran on soprano and tenor saxophones and jazz guitarist Stephen Magnusson, drawing upon incredible talent to release Elixir’s second album “First Seed Ripening”. While this album continues with Katie’s expected musical whimsicality, her fundamental dogma remains: quality musicianship, inspiring textures and poignant melodies. Inspired by the words of Ipswich poet Thomas Shapcott AO, Katie, Zac and Stephen have taken Shapcott’s abstract and haunting words and set it to the sublime musical setting of First Seed Ripening. While this album may be difficult to tackle at first thanks to evocative avenues of de ja vue and the supernatural, persistence results in the ultimate experience: the soul emerges cleansed, though never quite satisfied; leaving the listener wanting more. You will be gently bewitched. 9/10

#4 Henry Saiz – “Balance 019″

The textures are perfect and exquisitely layered. It’s a tapestry that represents an age of story telling and a millennium of heritage and taste. There is so much perfection in this album, you often ask yourself if you are real, or if the album this world exists in, is real.

#5 Adele  – “21″

There are so many good things about 21: Black Jack, New Yorks’ #1 Restaurant, a natural number in the Fibonacci series, the coming of age to drink, vote and fuck; the soundtrack to Underbelly : Razor. And what a voice for such an album. Adele, the confess-ed progeny of Amy Winehouse (god bless her Soul), the album a lament to a new decade of the 21st century. It inspired unimaginative DJs to release her on dancefloors at 1am with even Mike Posner cashing in on her depress-ed appeal.

#6 James Blake “Self Titled”

What a voice. What a man. He walks around with pendulous balls in his throat, the deepness swinging arrogantly and resolutely in the breeze. These tracks just ram every woman’s ear drums straight to her pudenda.

#7 LMFAO – “Sorry For Party Rocking”

Who knew the brilliance of these guys? When I first saw them supporting will.i.am in 2009, I should have recognised simply by the fro and the big clocks hanging round their necks how special they’d be. Alas – how slow on the uptake I am. And here they are: With “Sexy And I Know It”, “Party Rock Anthem” and “Champagne Showers” (my own personal song of praise). Consider their background: the son and nephew of the one and only Berry Gordy; the man who birthed Motown Record and Jackson 5 (and thus, The Jacksons and Michael Jackson). Berry Gordy took a formula, and made it work. It would be only natural for his seed Skylar and Stefan to also find that magic formula and pound it into the world. You just have to look a bit deeper than usual for the creative genius that exists within.

#8 David Guetta – “Nothing But The Beat”

I had to include this: how could we not look back on 2011 as the year of cheesy dance music thanks to David Guetta. He makes so many underground DJs angry. But bless him; at least he brought dance music into the picture, segregating the great unwashed into three arenas: one for all those fuckwits who just don’t know any better, the other for those who actually might want to dig a bit deeper (and hence look at such heroes like Henry Saiz and so forth) and those who might fall outside the category that bring group #1 together and allows quality to permeate the quantity (Bloody Beetroots enabled me to see Chicane and Laurent Garnier – and I am not complaining, I can tell you). If you can’t bring 9 skilled people into the same room to produce a hit album, there really is something wrong with our record labels.

#9 Roger Sanchez – “Release Yourself 11″

Where would I be to not include this into my top 10. 2011 was the year of my DJs (notice : MY djs). And to behold Roger for his RY2011 (Scene Magazine and inthemix) was the epitome of dance music memories. God bless The S Man.

#10 John 00 Fleming – “Nine Lives”

My article from Future Entertainment is here.

Most significantly, the ’9′ seemed to reverberate for this tour…Count his beats, and you can break it down to 9 beats per bar. I’m not fucking kidding. It freaked me out. I think it freaked him out when I told him too. But take that time to count the beats in his tracks, and hear how the number 9 is so significant to our Jewf. Pity this came in at 10.. but there are only so many #10 albums in the world.

published in The Fitness First Magazine Australia
December 2011
look out for fatboy slim coming up for future music festival march 2012
new mixtape from fatboy slim available here

So named for the 1940s Louisiana blues singer: a “goofy name that suited my goofy personality“, Fatboy Slim was the very first Superstar DJ. He would go on to live the superstar DJ life, end up with a Superstar DJ woman, and spectacularly end up in rehab in a  Superstar DJ way to then accomplish peace in the ultimate Superstar DJ dream. It’s so Superstar, it’s almost like Sting.

This is the first article featuring the first of my many questions to Quentin Norman Cook: the first Superstar DJ who dared to dream a Superstar DJ dream

Fitness First Magazine
Fatboy Slim : Inner Well Being
By Lady Lex

Since you last hit Australian shores, it’s been a very difficult couple of years plagued with health issues, controversy, and family problems. No doubt, you’ve been mentally and physically stretched to the limit here. But you’ve come through to the other side and you will be, once more, facing your tour demons. What have you learnt about yourself over these last few years?

I faced my demons – beat them off with a stick. I’m happier and healthier, and I’m doing a better job. I’ve been focused on my inner well being. I’ve been on tour for the last two years now, so the demons have been banished.

Last year you competed in the Brighton Marathon: how has this experience strengthened your resolve as a fitter, healthier person?

It was great to prove I could do it. Most people – after the kind of lifestyle I’ve led for most of my life – would say there’s no way they could run a marathon. It was maybe one of those middle age things: I was either going to grow a pony tail or run the marathon. I think I chose the cooler option.

You’ll be coming to Australia for the Future Music Festival tour. Is your new take on healthy living going to help you when you tour?

Yes! Definitely! The late nights and the partying take their toll as well. You can party harder when you’ve had a good night’s sleep

What kind of health regime will you be following over the next few months to get you through the tour?

Normally, I play weekends so I’m home during the week. I work out four times a week doing an hour of circuits. I’m training for the Brighton Half Marathon at the moment which I’ll be doing in February.

What are you most looking forward to for Future Music Festival?

I’ve always loved touring Australia. Just getting back there and seeing the mental crowds you have there. Doing those festivals are great, because you get to hang out with other acts. It’s quite a nice lineup as well. Normally you go to a festival and you never get to see anyone else’s set. I’m looking forward to hanging out with Swedish House Mafia, Tinie Timpeh and all of the other amazing people who are going to be around. It’s good ‘cos it feels like you’re on a big school trip.

published on inthemix here
published on page 13 and online with scene magazine
13 December, 2011
image courtesy of Quiet Chaos

The media seem to portray Calvin Harris somewhat as an anti-social geek; perhaps this is so IT nerds can relate to him. Still, having a brain helps, otherwise his twitter account wouldn’t be as amusing as it is. Either way, Adam Richard Wiles knows how to keep the Calvin Harris moniker in lights with a salacious wit that rapines and wrestles egos; while perspectives simultaneously see a petulant whizz kid and a fucking funny adult. Yup, Calvin Harris hovers over that line between genius and lunacy.

Calvin Harris
So Close
By Lady Lex

Calvin Harris is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in dance music today. Responsible for bullet tracks Ready for The Weekend and You Used To Hold Me while working with the biggest pop names on the planet from Rihanna to Dizzee Rascal and Kylie Minongue, Adam Wiles knows how to keep his ‘Calvin Harris’ moniker in lights – and that’s not only due to his notorious wit on Twitter.

NiN + Lisbeth Salander = a sexual coupling of epic angst ridden proportions!

Steig Larssen’s story of Swedish kick-ass 5 foot pierced ninja hacker Lisbeth Salander is being reincarnated in Hollywood by David Fincher. Many expect it to be as awesomely uber as it’s Yellow Bird predecessor. It had better be. At least with Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross onboard, expect plenty of sullen fury as the NiN boys take on soundtrack duties for the film.

You can grab your free 6 track sampler download and pre order the digital download, CD or ultra deluxe vinyl set here

Intrigue worthy of the book is already hyping the upcoming Jan 2 release with a scavenger hunt that leads to authentic items from the film:

http://mouth-taped-shut.com/

http://www.whatishiddeninsnow.com/

http://comesforthinthethaw.com/

Comes Forth In The Thaw features stills from the film and snippets from the soundtrack by Trent and Atticus. The NiN rockers have previously chalked up Golden Globe points with the soundtrack from The Social Network and take credit for the music from Quake.

BTW – Trent is a massive gamer, having first blown plenty of aliens and monsters away with the BFG 9000 in Doom, and running around Hell leaving bloody footprints in his wake (and no doubt hitting space bar anytime a wall was nearby).

Trent’s love for gaming was confirmed with the release of Year Zero in 2007; a concept album that takes on different perspectives critical of the 2007 United Stage Government and how their policies will affect the world 15 years into the future. Year Zero was simultaneously released alongside an alternate reality game. But most spectacularly, Trent was pretty miffed about a few things that year, even going so far as to get his rant on against Universal Australia’s price on the album from his website here

“Last time I was here, I was doing a lot of complaining about the ridiculous prices of CDs down here. And that story got picked up and got carried all around the world and now my record label all around the world hates me, because I yelled at them, I called them out for being greedy fucking assholes. I didn’t get a chance to check, has the price come down at all? I see a no, a no, a no. Has anyone seen the price come down? Okay, well, you know what that means – STEAL IT. Steal away. Steal and steal and steal some more and give it to all your friends and keep on stealin’. Because one way or another these motherfuckers will get it through their head that they’re ripping people off and that that’s not right.”

I can only hope Trent brings as much angst to the soundtrack for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo as he holds in his rocker heart. GWTDT totally deserves his wrath.

Published with future entertainment here
8 December 2011

When an artist reaches twenty years of being in the business, it’s time to look back through the years and reflect. If ever there was a time for Detroit techno champion Carl Craig to ponder twenty years of DJing, producing a cache of quality albums and stamping his improvisation mark onto techno and house, now would be it.

Carl Craig
It’s Only Natural
By Lady Lex

Detroit born and bred, Carl grew up with music loving parents during the 1980s, a time when rap music was expanding and synthesizers and keyboards were becoming more accessible. For every 80s child, electronic equipment was fascinating – and Carl Craig was no exception. As a player of the keys, guitar and bass guitar, there is undoubtedly an alternate universe where Carl sits in the upper echelons of jazz fusion, alongside such greats as Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Joe Zawinul. If Carl had been born ten years earlier, the electronic world would indeed be a different place. But as it was the 1980s and turntables were on the rise, it was only natural for Carl to find his niche behind the decks. The next natural progression would be to utilize his instrumental talents and enhance the techno and house electronic matrix with live instrumentation over his productions. And the next step from there would be to stamp his signature sound of fusing live improvisation with electronic onto a record label.  As a unique electronica label, Planet E Communications takes a highly unique approach, and embraces the soul of jazz fusion with house and techno beats. More than two decades later, Planet E stands out as a distinguished station in Detroit techno, having featured acclaimed artists from Kevin Saunderson to Alton Miller and Moodyman.

In celebration of twenty years in the field, Carl Craig takes the label on an international tour, showcasing artists captured by the essence of Planet E through performance and the release of a new album. And in the lead up to E20 coming down under, Carl Craig reflects on how Planet E came about, and the significance of Planet E in the many worlds of electronica.

Your sound is so unique in that many aspects of 1970s Jazz Fusion feature in your tracks. Where does this love for Jazz Fusion come from?

It comes from listening to the radio in Detroit – because my dad listened to it. And also from the records my dad owned – guys like Vince Delgado or Herbie Hancock. By the time the records got to me they were pretty demolished. But there was definitely a possibility of me looking into jazz. I was also inspired and influenced by guys like Marvin Tribe and Wendell Harrison.

The thing about Jazz Fusion though is the great analogue aspect. Do you miss analogue?

I miss the physicality of it – the duality of each physical item with analogue. Each record had its own soul – and synths and drum machines too!

You’ve written and produced under quite a few pseudonyms: Paperclip People, 69, and Designer Music just to name a few. Innerzone Orchestra also made its own mark by influencing the sound of drum n bass with the 1992 track ‘Bug in The Bassbin’. Why so many aliases? And when does Carl Craig come out?

It depends upon my feelings. It all comes about from me seeking. For 69, it’s a mixture of feeling energetic and high energy, but also in love. Paperclip people are a party. But Carl Craig is always there.

The one thing that unites all of your aliases is your love for lots of complicated textures – particularly live instrumentation – in your tracks. With your talents on keys, guitar and bass, why did you choose the decks?

I was more interested in electronics. In the time I grew up, my favourite music was Art of Noise and Kratwerk – I was definitely interested in the electronic side of things. The time was when scratching, rap music and breakdancing were coming along as well. I was really influenced by turntables and synthesizers. It was a natural progression for me to go along with what was cutting edge and young and interesting. I’d already been playing upright bass, concert bass and guitar, but for what I listened to, I was more into turntables and synths.

You’ve taken the music you love to play, write and produce and put it into a nutshell and called it Planet E Communications. With what has happened over the last twenty years, has Planet E been its own organic beast or has it kept to a plan that you first established?

The thing I’ve taken from jazz is the spirit of improvisation. Some parts of improvisation have to be calculated because you have to know how to play the scales or you have to know the chord progressions to play notes in. But the amount of space you put between notes are completely uncalculated. I go with my spirit that anything can happen at any time. And that’s what how Planet E has developed as well. If we want to put something out, we do. The infrastructure means that it can be an impulsive thing and we can manufacture records very quickly. Yes, it can be a very impulsive thing – but that’s what happens with improvisation.

In celebration of twenty years in the business, you are taking Planet E on the E20 Tour with a ‘Best Of’ album that involves guests from Luciano, Ricardo Villalobos, Dubfire, Loco Dice, Seth Troxler, Psycatron, Radio Slave and many more. Laurent Garnier particularly is like your European equivalent: what’s it like to work with him?

It was really relaxed. Everytime I see him, I learn something new – something new about music, presenting music, about him. It’s that personal thing that happens with me and cohorts.

E20 will be coming down under very soon! When you reach Australia, what can we expect to hear from you?

Good music! I’ll play music from the label. It will be not only interesting and entertaining, but also invigorating.

Goldfrapp will release The Singles, a reflection across their five albums, with two new tunes written especially. Goldfrapp’s compilation walks through Felt Mountain, Black Cherry, smash Supernature, Seventh Tree, and Head First as a reminder of the incredible ambient electronic journey they have traversed since 1999. Former Orbital vox girl Alison Goldfrapp has done it yet again with duo partner, synth lover and music composer, Will Gregory.

Youtube clip for their latest, Yellow Halo found here – and shot on an iphone too!

Tracklist:
Ooh La La
Number 1
Strict Machine (Single Mix)
Lovely Head
Utopia (Genetically Enriched)
A&E
Happiness (Single Version)
Train
Ride A White Horse (Single Version)
Rocket
Believer
Black Cherry
Yellow Halo
Melancholy Sky

all resources courtesy of emi music

Local boys Hey Geronimo can amuse you for two minutes and fifty six seconds with the youtube video clip of their latest track ‘Why Don’t We Do Something?‘

This is a smart sassy and cute collection of montages that puts the awesism* into iphone gaming through the charming replication of gaming faves Angry Birds, Plants vs Zombies, Flight Control, Cut The Rope and Fruit Ninja (but no Cut The Birds – just yet)

They are darlings of Triple J and [v] music with Tony Garrett (any relation to Peter?) on drums and percussion; Greg Chiapello on vocals and bass; Pete Kilroy and Ross Pearson on guitar and vocal duties, Andrew Stone on keys. Formerly of Hey Ho Geronimo infamy, Brisbane blueblood runs through the veins of Geronimo.2, with backgrounds gathered from Blame Ringo, The Boat People and Montpolier. With their brand new clip, the boys have brought back plenty of geeky fun to the local indie pop scene.

Their youtube clip has gained so much fame and fortune, it’s up for likes as ‘Ripe’ clip of the week with [v] music. Vote for them on [v]music’s facebook here

You can a catch Hey Geronimo headlining Cobra Kai’s Christmas Party @ Oh Hello! Thursday 22 December.

Hey Geronimo’s facebook page here

photo credit with free download available from their bandcamp page here

*awesism: so awesome it hurts