As a graffiti artist in your youth, how come you got into techno rather than making the obvious move into hiphop music?

Where I came from Graffiti didnt mean hiphop. A lot of the writers I wrote with listened to rock and others listened to hiphop. I grew up listening to everything and sort of got more into House music and clubs in the mid 80's.

What affect do you think your time in Europe had on your music?

Not much on my music itself, but it was inspiring to see such a massive scene, compared to the ever shrinking underground back in NY.

Techno seems to be getting progressively minimal - do you think this trend is going to continue?

Minimal isn't anything new. Everything moves in cycles and the newcomers think its groundbreaking.

You've worked with lots of well respected techno labels in the USA and Europe- what differences are there in the label culture on each side of the Atlantic?

In the early days I was always a little frustrated that the US labels didnt care about the presentations. It was always plain white sleeves and cheap one color, type set labels. In europe they were doing nice sleeves and getting creative with the layouts. Most US labels at that time were so cheap about the whole process.

As a label owner yourself, how do you feel about the digital revolution that is changing the way we buy music?

I think its a bit sad but its a reality. As a label you just goto to adapt to that type of market.

What's your process for creating a new tune?

As a DJ, I'm so frustrated that the kind of music I like is so hard to find. So I just make what I would really hope to find in a shop. I make tunes for me to spin and if other people want them, at some point I release them.

Do you still use a lot of musical hardware such as synths or are you mainly computer based nowerdays?

These days, mostly computer based.

What is the one piece of equipment you would want to hold on to, if you had to choose just one?

MPC-3000

Which artists are providing lots of tracks for your DJ sets at the moment?

Joey Beltram.

What are you working on at the moment, muscially?

Been slowly working on an LP on and off for the last two years.

Interview courtesy of The Night Times

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