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Features Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022!

Interview with Steve Hill Reported by Dickon Laws / Submitted 03-04-02 15:56 Simplify the modern day club and you will in essence have a party. And if one person personifies the party sound then it is Steve Hill. One half of the Producer/Remixer extravaganza Mr Bishi, Steve also works under aliases such as Phlash!, Nylon and Volts Wagon. His enthusiastic and fun loving attitude combined with his uplifting driving sound are well known to clubbers, producers and promoters alike and has equipped him with a reputation of the highest order. The head honcho of Y2K and Tripoli Trax donated time from his Frantic schedule to give us an insight into what makes the man tick: Dickon Laws: Your well-known and loved party friendly sound has made you a firm favourite with the crowds at events across the world. Is this your preferred style or something that is just suited to the times & events you play at? Steve Hill: I'm always up for a party and I'm a firm believer that people go out to have a good time. I was bought up on the uplifting side of things so that's what I enjoy most. I am usually booked to play earlier in the evening which suits that style best. I am pigeon holed for what I play which is fine but I can play dark and I can play as hard as nails! Nadia from Tinrib once nicknamed me Karim after I banged it out when I played last at a Fish party - she didn't know I could play that hard! DL: Your rarely use your full name when releasing tracks on various labels such as Tripoli, Volts Wagon and Y2K. Apart from the obvious different styles that each alias represents is there a particular reason for why you have so many? SH: Different names for different strokes. I like a range of the pumping variety and if it was all done under one name you wouldn't know what you were getting! I've recorded for Tinrib too, which was a great laugh! DL: Out of all the aliases you release under, is there any one in particular that you most enjoy working as and if so why? SH: I enjoy doing them all really...a lot of the time I go in the studio and start a track and it'll develop and you'll go this is the next Mr. Bishi single because of how it sounds...I always enjoy going into the studio because I work with different people and you don't have someone breathing down your neck to come out with something in particular... DL: The releases on Voltswagen are known for their reworking of classics such as Universal Nation’s 'Push' and Faithless 'Insomnia'. It takes a rare talent to be able to do this without deducting from the original track and you seem to be capable of doing this time after time. Do you go about these projects in a particular way or is it just something that develops as the tune starts to take shape? SH: Basically Jon (Langford, of the Knucklehead Variety) and I started doing Volts Wagon’s for ourselves as DJ specials to play at places like Hard House Academy. But people always used to collar us and ask when they were coming out so we put a few out and kept recording them. Basically we do tracks we love in the first place but that never had a mix you could currently play - because they're too slow or they're too trancey - and we re-do them in a Mr. Bishi style. We rebuilt 'Push' from scratch - there are no samples in there from the Original at all. Same with 'Pacific Ocean' etc but there are a few that will never come out like 'Firestarter' and 'Where's Your Head At' because they are sample laden. DL: A large percentage of Producers & DJ’s understandably take what they do very seriously & this is reflected in their demeanour when performing. You seem to be different in your approach with very animated performances, which really involve the crowd (notably at Frantic’s recent Hard House Academy). Is this just a reflection of your mood when playing or something you do to ‘activate’ the crowd? SH: The set times I'm given are usually the slot when the promoter wants it to start rocking in a big way - so I play uplifting stuff to get it there. If it is the warm-up set it's not appropriate so I play slower. I've no idea what I'm going to do on stage - I play to the crowd and feed off them. If a bit of crowd participation is needed to add to the atmosphere I'm game...a bit of showmanship takes confidence so my friend Rolling Rock always gives me a boost! DL: Tripoli Trax and Y2K are two of the most well known and respected of the Hard Dance labels. Being head of A&R puts you in a unique position to control the sound and direction in which the labels move. What do you look for in a potential Track and is there such a thing as an ideal Tripoli release? SH: I've A+R'ed Y2K from the beginning and have taken it in a variety of directions like House, Trance and Hard House and will continue to do so. I took on the job of Tripoli from 80 onwards and I'm keen to break musical boundaries with that too by introducing a host of new production teams and sounds to the label - a quality release is ideal - a mediocre one isn't. DL: Your previous bookings have seen you play at some of the top events and venues in the world. Is there any one particular gig that you remember being particularly special? And is there any place you still aspire to perform at? SH: So many gigs stay in the mind for different reasons. It's not about how many people you play to in my opinion its the energy and atmosphere in the room that sticks in the mind. Everything from Hard House Academy and Timeless to a packed Solid Sunday to playing at Fevah in Wellington are highlights for me recently! DL: The antipodeans population around the world and in particular the London contingency are renown for their work hard play hard attitude and are key ingredients in most successful club events. Being a Kiwi yourself what’s your view on the reason for their prominence & reputation on the London dance floors? SH: Because they party like no other! No attitude - they want to have fun. It is always a pleasure to play to crowds that are up for it! DL: You’ve worked and performed alongside most of most well known names in the industry. As a high profile DJ & Producer yourself who do you personally rate amongst your peers? SH: Gees loads and for different reasons. My fave DJ's are Steve Thomas and Alan Thompson. Others include everyone from Paul Van Dyk to Jeff Mills to Derrick Cater and Ashley Beedle - pioneers in their field. In the Hard House scheme of things there are so many talents if I tried to list the ones I really rated I know I'd accidentally miss one out and get linched! They know the score! DL: You recently mixed an album for a world-renowned record label, which is due to come out later this year. How much control do you have over the content of the album? SH: It is for Universal in Australaisa and it's TV advertised ('Welcome To The Club') so you have control over 75% of what goes on but they ask you to put on a few bigger tracks to help push the sales of the album. As long as it fits the vibe of the mix that's fine but I wouldn't put anything I was totally not into as it has your name on it so it should reflect what you play. An example is the Minimalistix track 'Close Cover' - they wanted me to put that on but it was little too light for me so they said do a remix that you would put on so Jon and I did! DL: You’re in a unique position that few people can claim to emulate. Your head of an extremely successful record label, your remixes & production work are consistently of the highest calibre and your CV of bookings is quite phenomenal. What advise would you give to people trying to break into the scene as producers and DJ’s? SH: I've never really sat back and thought about what I do - there's so much going on! I just do what I do. I do cut a bit of slack for playing the more uplifting side from certain quarters, but as Rachel Auburn says 'It ain't easy being cheesy!'. As long as the clubbers are looked after that's my job done! I think people should do what they do because they love doing it. Don't DJ for the fame. Don't make tunes because it's cool. It can take a long time before you get noticed and people that do it because they genuinely like doing it stick at it - the others get bored because things don't get handed to them on a plate. It's taken me 12 years to do what I am doing now and I'm loving it loving it loving it! Share this :: : : : Follow HarderFaster :: Other Features By Dickon Laws: Extreme Euphoria preview: Interview with Jay Pidgeon Strange things happen when you DOUBLE DROP for the first time - The Innovate Interview! Hard House Academy (HHA): The Preview Inside Frantic: Interview with Will Paterson Interview with the Energy UK Djs The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable. Comments: From: CheekyMarc on 9th Apr 2002 09:13.23 Steve Hill is the main man! Just ask any of the Bournemouth lot.. From: Pickled Pat on 10th Apr 2002 12:47.11 Steve Hill definitely rates in my books!! From: Camden Nurse on 10th Apr 2002 18:58.58 U rock my world! From: Dickon Laws on 12th Apr 2002 12:17.29 Who is this Steve Hill Fella anyway? ;-) and who the fuck wrote such a shocking interview...... From: TheDon on 12th Apr 2002 21:56.21 People, I think we need to start up a patition to get Steve here to release his version (or Mr Bishi anyway) of Minimalistix - Close Cover... release, release, release! From: DJ KeLSTa on 30th Apr 2002 04:44.25 Steve, hope you enjoyed the nutters in Melbourne!! See ya next time ;o)

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