Riot! Bank Holiday Preview #2: Interview with D.A.V.E The Drummer
Reported by Olly Perris
/
Submitted 13-08-04 18:07
D.A.V.E The Drummer and his techno productions arguably pioneered the invasion of the London techno sound into the UK hard dance sound. Along with his groundbreaking production "Hydraulix 9 (The Revolution Will Not Be Televised)" D.A.V.E has also produced with Andy Farley ("M.B.S"), Paul Glazby ("Lost Energy") and is scheduled to work with BK very soon. As D.A.V.E prepares to play a one-off special Final Scratch set at Riot! this month, I have managed to catch up with him to ask him about DJ'ing, MP3 downloading, and of course, One Night In Hackney!
Olly: Recently, whether intentionally or unintentionally, you have become one of the most talked about producers on the hard dance circuit, with your Hydraulix 9 track being perhaps the tune which converted many to the London techno sound. Initially, how did you react to this?
DTD: I was pretty surprised, although actually it took a while before that tune was really "discovered" and the "hard dance" name was invented. It was more of a gradual thing really.
Olly: The techno sound, particularly in London, is closely associated with the free party culture represented by the likes of Chris Liberator. How do you feel the typical squat party compares with the likes of a superclub dancefloor? Which do you personally prefer?
DTD: I don't really know, having never been to a superclub I'm a bit lost on that one! I guess I like clubs for cleanliness, comfort, sound, lighting etc. Squat parties are full of my mates and it's a social, plus it's a bit more experimental with the music, and they go on forever!
Olly: As the London techno scene is extremely close, how has the scene reacted to the invasion from the hard house scene?
DTD: OK, but I'm already getting a bit sick of the clone tracks. I get sent a lot of stuff and at first it was like "hmm interesting" and now it's a bit "...ooh, it's this one again"!. It'll get rinsed like hard house did and everyone'll get sick of it and move on. Sorry to sound negative but didn't that happen before??
I think people need to not just embrace that sound but really try to take it somewhere and not play so safe all the time. A dangerous answer, but it needs to be said, especially now..
Olly: Your productions feature in abundance on new labels which seem to start every week. Obviously this requires a lot of funding. Has this come from the interest shown by the hard dance scene? Has the techno scene greatly benefitted commercially from the hard dance scene?
DTD: Actually if you mean " are we selling more records??" then no we aren't, because there's a lot of it about ( re: above answer) I started my label Apex with a bank loan, and another bootleg label which thankfully is doing pretty well.
Olly: How did the fall of Infectious Distribution last year affect the techno scene, and you personally? Has the recent demise of Alphamagic Distribution hit the London techno scene in any way?
DTD: Infectious ALMOST did all the labels in, but we just kept going more by being mates than having great business prowess. Also, once you set a ball in motion for 8 years it's hard to stop it. Alphamagic fortunately hasn't affected me but it will have affected others, I can only sympathise.
Olly: You have worked and released tracks with hard house superstars BK, Andy Farley and Paul Glazby, including a particular track with Andy called "M.B.S" which did incredibly well across the scene. Is working with hard dance producers that much different to working with techno ones?
DTD: Nah not really, Andy is a really nice guy and he loves the music, Paul and BK are great too, in fact everyone so far that I've met has been really nice , so OK I'm not a mad cheesy hard house fan but there's plenty more parallels to draw than that and i'm quite prepared to try something new. I think it's good to try to keep things healthy.
Olly: Out of all the London techno producers, you have worked closely with Chris Liberator, Guy McCaffer and Ant on numerous occasions. How do you feel each sound is different across each collaboration?
DTD: Well we all have our own trademarks I guess , Chris and I have done the most together and you can really hear each of us in our tracks these days. (Especially "One Night In Hackney"!)
Olly: Onto DJ'ing now. You once famously stated that you were upset with the state of the hard dance scene because although the hard dance scene was beginning to incorporate productions from the likes of Ant, Geezer, yourself etc, the producers behind them were not getting the chance to play at hard house nights. With Geezer's live PA last year at Riot! and now your upcoming set, how do you feel about this now?
DTD: About bloody time too! Hehe, and yeah i think we should play more because basically we're professional djs who can do it anywhere and have done for years, and we're making the music to prove it. The hard house clubbers may not know who we are but it wouldn't take long for them to accept us and for us to get used to them. I have absolutely no problem with playing anywhere to anyone, I'm not a snob about music
Olly: Your set at Riot! on the 29th August will be entirely performed using the Final Scratch system. Why have you chosen to do this?
DTD: I'm doing it like that so it'll add a little interest for the crowd,
and it'll be very strong in personality in the same way a live P.A. can be.
Olly: You are now associated with MP3 downloading website Trackitdown.Net, where users can pick up a lot of the Hydraulix back catalogue and your new material. What is your opinion on sites like these?
DTD: It has to be done, if I could stop mp3 downloads and convince everyone to buy records from an independent record shop i would ( in fact i do try see the website www.davethedrummer.net) But simple truth is that mp3s are here to stay so better get on the case and work out where I fit in.
Olly: What effects have you felt personally, as a label owner, from the increase in illegal MP3 downloading? Does it affect the techno scene as much as any other?
DTD: It angers me but i do offer bits myself. I just hate that attitude that someone's just got themselves a good deal, like yeah right and what'll happen when the last distributor goes bust and there's no more records at all???
Olly: Back to DJ'ing briefly. Explain in no more than 10 words why the average hard dance punter should come to see you play.
DTD: Because I'll make you dance (In a hard way!).
Olly: You are also well known internationally, recently playing the 10th anniversary of Earthcore in Australia, a giant 3 day festival. What was this event like to play?
DTD: Big, hot, dusty, and one of my decks broke! Great fun!!!
Olly: You also play frequently in South America. How does the London sound go down out there? Is there a big scene for the tougher UK techno there?
DTD: Just got back from Venezuala actually, and they are just getting it all going again after the recent political prblems. They like it hard, and they like it techno! They were loving raw , hydraulix , apex , subsonix , glitch , suf , all good stuff there.
Olly: Finally, what can we expect to see from Dave The Drummer in the future? Any specific projects that you are excited about?
DTD: * More dangerous bootlegs
* A video for One Night In Hackney ( with lip sync haha)
* A better live show with visuals
* Plenty of new tracks with 303's
* One with BK and one with Andy Farley
* A general effort to NOT conform and just knock out the same old thing. Hopefully it'll all be worth it and when i'm living out my last days on my farm in Scotland, I'll be able to gather my grandchildren around the big open fire with my photo album and say things like " this is me in brasil etc etc etc ......"" Hehehehe!
This Event Will Sell Out - Please Arrive Early To Avoid Dissapointment
Paying Guestlist; £7 Before 6pm
E.mail Guestlist@riotinlondon.com Before 26th August
Tax; £7 Members / £9 Non On The Door
Destination; The End, West Central St, London, W1
Time; 1500hrs - Late
More:
The stuff legends are made of! Our august bank holiday sunday special is the biggest event of the year for the riot! crew. for the last four years we have brought together a collection of the most up for it party people who have travelled from all over the uk and beyond to raise the roof at our mothership venue the end.
This year we have gone even further to create the most exciting line-up ever at Riot!, with no less than six amazing artists making their debut appearance - this is the next level and we can't wait to see your reaction!
See you on the dancefloor, Ed Real & BK
Flyer:
-
Region:
London
Music:
Hard Trance. Funky House. Hard House. Funky Techno. Breaks.
Bar Riot!;
Leeroy Thornhill Ex Of The Prodigy!
Matt Williams (ignition Dj's)
Cheshire Catz (turnmills)
Urban Life (east London's Best Kept Secret!)
Piqué (peach Funky)
From: Latex_Zebraon 16th Aug 2004 11:06.41 D.A.V.E The Drummer = Legend.
From: MilkNBeansShaunon 16th Aug 2004 11:34.54 Legend! I did wonder when we'd see an interview with him- it's about time! The one reason I'm going to Riot..oh and maybe to see Leeroy too.
From: Matt Smallwoodon 16th Aug 2004 19:18.41 Legend indeed!! Can't wait to hear him smash up the sound system at The End!! GTFRI!
From: Flipon 16th Aug 2004 21:31.54 Excellent interview Olly Henry, you are a don!
From: DMXon 17th Aug 2004 07:14.00 DTD is an amazing producer and DJ. Light years ahead of any of the hard house guys.
From: slackyon 18th Aug 2004 13:10.22 Wicked interview - nice one Olly. Dave The Drummer is one of the best producers out there!
Dave - any chance you can try and blag Liam Howletts number from Leeroy @ Riot and sort out writting a track together???? That'd be fucking awesome!
From: Stakkeron 18th Aug 2004 23:56.36 Good interview, and well dodged all the questions suggesting HD has any bearing on the lifeforce of the Techno scene.
From: El Capitano Peteon 20th Aug 2004 00:29.57 It's Not Intelligent...and it's not from Detroit....
But.....it's F**king 'avin It!
From: Zoidon 25th Aug 2004 13:44.44 DAVE the drummer, is the best producer out there, his music is excellent, every relaese is totally varied and although he produces techno, some of his tracks have bags more musical energy in them than most Hard House tunes...as for his Djing skills, well he gives off a special vibe, constantly working the beats, cutting it up with the cross fader, using the fxs to the highest quailty, ....this guy is a fucking music machine, he kicks some serious ass...for all you out there who havent experienced a DAVE the drummer set....you are missing out BIG TIME!!!!
From: MilkNBeansShaunon 26th Aug 2004 12:57.04 A bold statement but I'd have to agree - how the guy knocks out so many tunes with so much quality and variation is beyond me...genius! I'm suprised he's not an even bigger name than he is - he doesn't get booked to play in the 'bigger' techno clubs in the uk, which is an outrage! He is da man!
From: shelleyon 5th Sep 2004 13:53.40 Add your comments here !dave the drummer is the nuts i had a totally wicked time at riot. now im gonna stalk him for the rest of my days!
All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by
their respective companies. All other content is (c) 2001-2025 HarderFaster.
![[HarderFaster] - Work Hard, Play Harder!](/images/mainbanner_top1.gif)
is he as Techno as Fergie?
@ drm
