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Features
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| 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 |
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Vinylgroover minus The Red Hed — interview for Twisted at The Fridge
Reported by mostwantedkat
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Submitted 29-08-06 13:42
Imagine you’re knee-high to a grasshopper. Your best friend’s mum and dad take you out. Not for the day. For the night. As it turns out, for the night of your life. Your car joins a convoy somewhere along the motorway. Red lights and headlights weave in front and behind you. People hang out of windows yelling to each other and waving luminous glowsticks across their faces. Suddenly everyone peels off and you’re hurtling down a country track towards what looks like a mini town in the middle of nowhere. The bass is booming out across the night sky, there are people running everywhere and dry ice makes the whole thing look like some psychedelic village of the damned throwing a huge party. You’re at your very first rave. And things as you know them will never be the same.
If your name is Vinylgroover, aka Scott Atrill, the above really did happen and his life really did change — for our better! An absolutely prolific producer, his talents shaped the happy hardcore rave scene for years until his attention turned to hard trance and techno. His work as a duo with The Red Hed has been consistently massive over the past five years and he’s released tracks with some of the biggest names in hard dance, including Anne Savage, Rob Tissera and BK.
On September 2nd Vinylgroover plays Twisted at The Fridge alongside the mighty Tidy Boys and resident Trevor McLachlan for one of the most eagerly anticipated nights this year. We delved in our clubbing box, found our glow sticks and caught up with the man himself . . .
]Groover of all things musical
This will be your Twisted debut. Have you ever been to one of their parties before? What have you heard about them?
Unfortunately I haven’t been to a Twisted party before but I’ve been told they are awesome with a quality crowd, production and set up to match. I really can’t wait to play there!
Have you played at The Fridge before?
No, I did make the Hard Dance Awards there though back in February, although I don’t remember too much from that night . . .lol!
Have you got anything in mind as far as your set goes? Anything special lined up in your box?
I will have some special tracks ready to play for sure. I spend a lot of time looking for quality tunes that rock and I always look to push sounds as far as I can.
Are you going to be partying with everyone after your set or have you got to jet off anywhere else?
For sure I will be partying!
Put your hands up if you’re fit!
You’ve played some of the biggest clubs in the world this year so far. You’ve also toured Australia and America. What were the American crowds like to play for?
America is always good to play and they are really up for it, especially all the new tracks I have been playing. It’s very diverse there, SHY FX was on in the same arena after me recently which was very different.
What’s the dance music scene like over there? A lot of people say it’s always years behind UK and Europe — do you think this is true?
Maybe a few years ago I would say this was true, but with the net and access to all the tracks so quickly I think its pretty much the same now. When I did a gig in Chicago this year the guy playing before me had some really fresh and up to date stuff and was really rocking it! Also they have excellent djs now, such as Christopher Lawrence, who are really leading the way over there. I do think the scene is still growing in America for sure, it’s such a massive country but dance music is slowly getting more and more exposure!
Is the UK as forward thinking and as cutting edge as we like to think when it comes to dance music? We do pride ourselves on it.
I think it is, from a personal point of view I love to keep pushing things forward, you can never play the same sound all the time or I think people will lose interest sooner or later. I think the same from a production point of view also, you need to try different things or you may not be as inspired anymore. We have so many quality djs in the UK who constantly push our scene forward and bring it to more and more people.
What attracted you to The Red Hed?
His bright red hair . . . lol! We met years ago when I was working in Fusion Records and playing all the old rave events. He played some tracks to me he had been working on and we decided to go in the studio. I was working with an engineer in Southampton at the time and Jim was based in Portsmouth where I live so it made sense. We got in the studio and clicked and have been working together ever since!
You’ve been producing tracks as a duo for over five years now, which is a significant length of time in the world of hard dance. What is it that’s kept you together?
Just a mutual respect and love of music I think. We have a great time in the studio and still get really excited and optimistic about what we do. We both try to make the tracks we record as great as they can be, even if it means shelving projects for months or even years if they are not working properly. We both love all kinds of music, which I also think is a very important factor as we are constantly bringing new ideas to the table from other genres, it always keeps it fresh and interesting!
You do a lot of production work with Anne Savage. How did that come about?
I had known Anne for some time before we worked together, we spoke a lot about tracks and she was really into what we were doing at the time so it made sense to get in the studio. Anne is brilliant to work with and has great ideas that put her stamp on things as well as the Vinylgroover & The Red Hed sound, it’s a good combination.
You were one of the people chosen to remix K90’s ‘Red Snapper’ for 2006. Considering he never lets anyone remix his tunes, how did you feel to be asked?
It was amazing to remix such a track, personally it’s one of my all time favourites and a pleasure to remix.
How did you approach the remix?
The remix could have gone two ways, either a completely different approach to the track or a fresher sounding version with the Vinylgroover & The Red Hed sound on it! We went for the second of these as I thought the riff is just too good and that people would not like it if we messed around with it too much. Jim agreed on this and we decided to put our sound to it and I think it was definitely the best thing to do! Personally if I was clubbing and I heard a remix and it was all changed I would be a little disappointed as that track was all about the riff and strings!
What do you do when you remix a tune? Is every tune different or do you have a standard approach to the way you work?
Every track is different. If the track’s already a massive tune I think you need to be a little more careful with what you do with it. If people know a track, let’s say for instance by a catchy vocal or a massive riff or even a very specific sound used in the track, they will expect to hear this somewhere as that’s the whole buzz or essence of the tune, so there is a little more pressure on how far you can go with it and how much you can change it I think! But it’s a totally different situation if you get a track that is yet to be released or wasn’t quite as big as it should have been, as the pressure is off you can really go to town with the parts you get sent.
What was your favourite track to remix?
It has to be the mentioned ‘Red Snapper’, it has all the ingredients you need for a great track and is one of my all time favourites!
Which remix do you think you’ve done that is so far away from the original you wouldn’t even recognise it?
That would be the Vinylgroover & The Red Hed remix of ‘Naked In The Rain’ by Skylab 9. It was a cover version of the Blue Pearl classic and we just took one line from the vocal and messed it up throughout the track with a massive distorted synth and a filthy techno groove, ace!
Do you think it’s harder to produce your own track from scratch, or take someone else’s work and make it your own?
I would say your own track is tougher. You want it to be perfect but there are always new sounds, mixing tools and effects that come out now and sometimes you wished you could have used them on a previous track. Sometimes you have to leave things alone; if you have to force it and think too much about it then it’s just not working. It’s better to leave it and come back with new ideas at a later point — you may have a wicked idea and think, oh yeah, that will work really well in that old track.
Do you think that a lot of remixes these days are just plain lazy ways of getting more money out of djs?
Maybe that’s true to a certain degree, it’s difficult to say. I always think when you hear productions you should feel the amount of effort and energy in it, that you listen and think, “Wow, they must have loved writing that and are really into what they are doing at the moment!” These are the people that should be doing the remixes! The problem that record labels are facing though is that they are not making as much money as they used to so they pick djs as they know the name will help sell the record!
You were an absolutely prolific hardcore producer and remixer. Are you tempted to go back now that it seems to be going through something of a renaissance?
No, I achieved as much as I felt I could in that scene and wanted to move on. I am much more inspired by the music I am doing now and feel I can go much further with it both on the djing and production front.
The Twisted massive
What was the first rave you ever went to?
My first big outdoor rave was Vision at Popham Airfield and it was one of the best experiences of my life — it was the moment I realised I wanted to be a dj and have a career in music!
From the hardcore days, who was your favourite dj and why?
It would have to be Carl Cox. He was awesome every time I saw him play and is still as good with what he does today!
Did you do the whole white gloves and big fish little fish cardboard box thing?
I didn’t, although I did have some really dodgy clothes and bomber jackets from around that time!
Everybody used to drive around the motorway until they sent out the location — did you ever get shafted and end up in some random field with a load of people and no sound system?
Twice! One I remember was off the A3 near London, the police wouldn’t let the sound and light guys through and we were just sitting around for hours. The event didn’t happen and we were walking back to the car, it was pitch black and my mate fell down an embankment into a stream, it was hilarious and made up a little for how pissed off we were!
What do you think of the new wave of hardcore?
I don’t hear much to be honest so I can’t really comment. I have seen some ads for an album on TV and it sounded well produced but just not for me anymore!
Are you tempted to go to one of the new raves just to see if the atmosphere is the same?
I have been yes, it’s still a fun atmosphere and hardcore has a great and very passionate crowd, they are always good events.
If you could remix any tune, what would it be?
This changes for me frequently as I love so many tracks new and old. I did hear ‘Model’ yesterday though by Kraftwerk and would love to do that, it’s amazing!
Do you think the boundaries of dance music are still being pushed?
Absolutely, you only need to look at people like Valentino Kanzyani, The Prodigy, Marco V, Tom Neville, Marcel Woods, BK, Sentience, Carl Cox and more to see that it’s an exciting time for the industry! Some of the tracks I am getting are breathtaking, really pushing things, Valentino Kanzyani who I mentioned above has been making some exceptional tracks this year, ‘I Pray’ was massive! Also ‘Red Blue Purple’ from Marco V, quality!
Do you mix with vinyl or CDs? Or mp3s?
I mix with them all, new technology is essential and all formats have their good and bad points!
Are you a vinyl purist or do you get excited about new music technology that comes out?
I love the new technology and if it makes dj sets and production better then bring it on! There are amazing things you can do now with all the new mixers and CDJs, Ableton and all the new studio software, so I think it’s really important that new technology is embraced to move forward!
Okay, some random questions:
Who’s your favourite artist (painting) and why?
Has to be Andy Warhol, genius!
The last book you read and brief description
The last book I read was John Peel (Margrave of the Marshes), the man is a legend and has done so much for music!
What’s your opinion on Tom Cruise and Katy Holmes — does the baby exist?
I think she was artificially inseminated by ET and the baby’s an alien!
Royal family — yes or no?
Not to fussed to be honest
Coronation Street or Eastenders?
Neither, I am a huge fan of Friends though!
If you could invite five people, alive or dead, to dinner, who would it be and why?
It would be Jim Morrison, I loved the Doors when I was growing up and would have plenty to ask him! John Lennon is also a legend and would have to be there, along with Charlie Chaplin who would provide some entertainment, I don’t think there would be any dull conversation! For a bit of female company it would have to be my girlfriend and Kate Moss!
What would you cook?
Probably tacos! Quick and easy.
Favourite drink?
Southern Comfort
Favourite snack?
Bacon fries, when I’m on the road at the weekends I am addicted to them!
Do you have a rider?
No.
What car do you drive?
BMW 3 Series.
Do you have a fat sound system?
Most definitely!
What’s your favourite piece of production hardware or software?
One of the best outboard bits is still the Virus, it has some awesome sounds! Software I would say Kontakt, a top piece of kit.
Do you ever use live instruments in your production?
No, and I’ve never had musicians in to record whichever studio I have been in, although Jim did play a bit of guitar on the ‘Pay Attention’ release we did with Anne Savage. I do some of the vocals though!
Best producer in your opinion?
I love the Prodigy, so Liam Howlett is right up there.
Best remixer?
Norman Cook, his work is amazing and his track record speaks for itself!
Technics 1210s, Stanton Str8-150s or Vestax PDX2000s?
Technics 1210s, no contest.
What’s your most memorable moment as a clubber (not a dj)?
Going to Vision at Popham Airfield with my mate’s Mum and Dad when I wasn’t even old enough to get in. I remember we drove into the valley and it looked like a small town with all the tents and lights, I had never seen anything like it in my life and it’s what inspired me to make my career in music.
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TWISTED
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On:
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Saturday 2nd September 2006
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At:
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The Fridge [map]
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From:
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10.00PM-6AM
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Cost:
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£12 advance MOTD
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Ticket Info:
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Admission Standard £12 / MOTD Web & Credit Card Bookings www.ticketweb.co.uk / 08700 600 100
Info Lines & Tickets London – Never Enough – 078 1368 4399
Camden – Cyberdog – 020 7482 2842
Midlands – Vince – 078 3562 6226
Websites www.mostwantedevents.com www.harderfaster.net
www.dontstayin.com/parties/itwisted For Guest List visit ben-twisted@hotmail.co.uk
vince@elistlondon.com
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More:
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September's show sees us rounds off the Summer in style with a visit from the legendary Tidy Boys and a Twisted debut for scene legend - Vinylgroover.
Vinylgroover is well known as a part of a world renowned production duo with his counterpart The Red Hed and has been a prominent DJ and Producer on the scene for many a year. Featuring on countless compilation albums worldwide, he has had releases on every major label including Riot! and Nukleuz and has just remixed the massive K90 club anthem - Red Snapper.
With upcoming US dates and a scheduled visit to Australia before the end of the year his talents are in demand on a global scale. Having played at virtually every major event in the UK from Goodgreef & Polysexual to Dance Academy, Heat and Frantic this is one man who knows what it takes to please a crowd wherever he goes.
Supporting the Hard Dance legends this month we have a quartet of young DJ/Producers who have been making massive waves on the scene of late.
Up first we have Twisted resident Trevor McLachlan's who's tracks have been receiving rave reviews from all the top players and his first release 'The Voice' received Radio One air play on Dave Pearce's Dance Anthems show. Trev's DJ sets never fail to set the dancefloor alight and he has been our resident now for over the last 12 months - with good reason!
Carl Nicholson, quite possibly one of the most effervescent and energetic performers you will ever see, has had a whole slew of releases over the last 18 months on labels from Tidy to Elasticman and has had his tunes feature on countless compilations.
Chrysus is a relative newcomer to the scene but already he has made a massive impression with studio collaborations with the likes of Technikal and MDA & Spherical and has had releases on the massive European label Detox and the highly impressive Addiction Digital. This will be his first ever production showcase and a chance to air all his new eagerly awaited material for the first time.
Last but not least we have Addiction resident Luke Warner who has made a name for himself on the London scene with his trademark uplifting trance sound. Recent releases include the highly acclaimed 'Solar Flare' which featured in many a DJ's top 10 and has brought smiles to dancefloors across the country.
Hosting the icebox this month is well respected London promotion Baklash. Since the parties inception just over 12 months ago they have been a regular fixture on the London clubbing calendar with weekly Saturday morning parties at the famous 414 in Brixton and have gained a loyal following due to their distinctive attention to detail and high energy music policy. Twisted are delighted to welcome Baklash to the party..
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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.
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