Interview with James Ellis

This article is about now thats what i call hardhouse @ PLUG in Birmingham (UK), Sat 22 Aug 2009

Starting from the beginning, how did you get into all this Dj stuff and what were your first big breaks?
Like virtually all my peers i fell in love with hard house and trance when i was just old enough to go clubbing, and spent a few years attached to dancefloors like Frantic and Sundissential, poppers in hand, gazing at my idols like Steve Thomas, Tony De Vit, and John 00 Fleming. Chemicals played a very enjoyable part of those years! Inevitably i bought decks whilst at Uni so i could make my own mix tapes - the CD compilations i bought were never quite right and i wanted to do my own mixes. My first gig followed, aged 22, as i stood in for a friend at a small but busy london event and then i just got the bug ever since, after that first set went so well and I enjoyed it so much!My 2 biggest breaks have been my first residency in Cheltenham which was a busy and lively friday night event that quickly imprinted my name on Gloucestershire as THE hard house DJ to see, and a few years on in 2004 - winning the Sundissential DJ comp in B'ham, being announced as new resident and the many doors that that opened for me!

You are known recently for being a bit of a bounce fiend.... has this always been the case? Do you have any other hard dace addictions?
My first records back in 2001 were a mix of tough, tidy trax and nukleuz hard house and hard nrg, as well as the bouncier tripoli and Y2K stuff. I always played a mix of these two styles, though the bounce phased out for a bit replaced by more hard trance and euro stuff. However, my residency at Afters/Blue since 2004 slowly brought it back and i noticed that nothing rocks a midlands crowd like that distinctive hollow bassline!I still love hard trance, and i particularly love tech-trance (the uplifting side of, rather than the techier stuff) so occasionally you will catch me playing a tech-trance set. Breakout is a fantastic Cheltenham based promotion regularly pulling in 500+ clubbers a month for electro, progressive and tech trance sounds. I am proud to be one of their regular bookings. Look out for a forthcoming podcast featuring my recent live Breakout set!

What projects/promoters are you concentrating on at the moment - which clubs can we see you at?
Obviously the labels is my big project. Tom Berry and I are always pushing 3 Phase records, and we have set our sights on bigger and shinier events and venues for next year! Aside from this i am slowly seeing more london gigs thanks to Frantic, and Glow Ball, and i will always be 100% committed to B2T and its army of stomping bounce lovers - they are one of the best crowds ever! I have always been one for making mix CDs and giving them away to the clubbers and fans etc, though i'm focusing more on MP3 downloads - Just finished a new exclusive hard bounce mix for RaveMedics - it can be found here: download.ravemedics.com my recent hard bounce podcast can be found in iTunes, just search for my name in the iTunes store (its free of course!)
What are your favourite and least favourite things about the hard dance scene at the moment?
Least favourite - STILL the politics, which i cannot get away from. There's a few too many DJs and promoters and not enough clubbers. My favourite - the constant supply of quality, well produced hard dance! Without that, we may as well stay at home and listen to girls aloud...

What tracks are doing it for you and which producers are to be found hiding in your CD case?
A few too many to mention, but Tom Berry always delivers super-high energy bounce, no-one can match him for the energy of his productions (its the loops! lol). CL Studios is deservedly doing well, and Kye in particular is making very polished tracks recently. Favourite tracks are some new stuff from Pie & Mashed "Field of Dreams" and "Follow Your Feeling", mine and Riggsys' "Negativa" (out soon!), Tom Berry & Pearce M's "Closer Harmony" and i'm still loving Wayne Johnstone and Technikal 'Look at The Heaven" Awsum is definitely one my favourite labels, so well done to Mr Whitby!

Where did 3 Phase come from and where is it going?
Simply i decided one day that Tom needed an outlet for his talents. I wanted to build a brand that would be strong and distinctive, to match Tom's music. I also wanted an outlet for my own music and co- productions.The future involves widening our music policy a little, with harder edged tracks, and lighter, donkier ones. The label will be touring up north a little and getting involved in the bounce scene up there.

What do you consider sets 3 Phase Records apart from other hard dance Labels?
We choose the releases very carefully to ensure consistency, and tracks are road tested long before the go live. Tom and I are very fussy about what we'll put out on the label, and we often disagree but its usually for the best. Plus, we are doing the hard bounce stuff - its all about the hard bounce!

What can we expect at now that’s what we call hardhouse this Saturday from 3 phase records?
Tom and i will showcase upcoming releases, including as always, unheard brand new material!

Sum up PLUG in digbeth up in 1 word?
Underground!

Finally where can we see you next and any shout outs or thank-yous?
I am taking a much needed holiday next week, but the next gig after Plug is the B2T Birthday at The Rainbow Warehouse on 5th Sept. After that is Breakout at Dakota in Cheltenham on 11th. Then Glowball in London on 26th, with more label tours and Frantic soon after that. Thanks to Tom for bearing with me at the beginning when all this label stuff seemed like too much hard work. Cheers to the Birmingham crowds from Blue and B2T that have consistently championed me and supported me and been super passionate about the music.Thanks to Edd for supporting me a lot over the last year and working away behind the scenes! So, i'll catch you all at the next gig - Check out my facebook page, and the label pages in the meantime. (Email me at james@3phaserecords.com if you want to get in touch)
www.facebook.dj/jamesellis
www.3phaserecords.com
www.groups.to/3phaserecords

Article by hardcore-babe, viewed 220 times

Anyone can add an article to DontStayIn - click here to add your own!