A healthy DJ schedule, busy production slate and an eternity of knowledge of the underground scene are what keeps DJ / Producer Brisk in check. Having built a reputation for rocking many a dancefloor globally, his work in the studio, on the Main Stage and even on the radio has allowed him to develop a technical prowess in the studio and crowd pleasing manner on the stage like no other DJ /Producer before him; rocking every arena he touches down in no matter whether it's a local rave with plenty of atmosphere or a massive multi-themed, multi-roomed arena fest where after the best part of three decades in the game - he would understandably feature prominently as part of the main headline.

In advance of this Friday's ExperiMental In Assocation With THC at Crank in Bournemouth, where he features heavily on the line-up - we chat to the man himself about a spectrum of music related topics, including piracy, the development of the scene, his own label Next Generation which he owns with production partner Ham and his early days breakdancing with fellow Hardcore talents UFO and DJ Supreme.

So Brisk, how have you been man? We hear you’ve been travelling quite a bit?

Not too bad here thanks! Lot’s of travel so far this year with visits to the USA, Europe and of course the usual domestic motorway shenanigans!

Hardcore especially in the last two years has had a massive resurgence, both in the underground and moving into the mainstream, as one of the original pioneers of the scene, how has this affected you as an artist?

It’s been a mixed blessing in many ways. The popularity of the music has increased with extra promotion and exposure which in turn has led to a steady flow of DJ sets for most DJ / Producers however, there has been an downward spiral in the sales of vinyl. Digital sales are still very low within Hardcore despite the rise of the digital format. We saw some big losses at the end of 2007 with both Resist Music going under and one of the scenes biggest dance distributors, Amato going the same. Resist cited piracy as he main culprit responsible for their demise. So, while the gigs are going well the guys who purely make music for a living are suffering which is ironic given the huge fanbase Hardcore is currently witnessing.

It’s not totally about Hardcore for you though is it – you’ve also had a significant input into the industry as part of Hard Dance collaboration Stimulant DJ’s? How’s that going?

As a company and as individuals both myself and my business partner (Ham) enjoy a wealth of different musical styles. We set up Stimulant Records in 1999 as we loved the Hard Dance sound and went on to write and remix for Tidy, Nukleuz and a number of respectable labels in that scene. Despite being ‘off the radar’ for the last couple of years we’re currently preparing a number of tracks for release later in the year.

You have quite the Discography though – how many combined productions do you have under your belt now? It’s quite the body of work man – how do you find production now in comparison to your early beginnings?

We have over 400 tracks across Next Generation, Blatant Beats, NGLPS and Stimulant and it represents twelve years of hard work! Production has changed somewhat more notable on the technology side of things. When we first started out you had to have lots of expensive hardware to get the results you need whereas today you can achieve everything and more with a basic and inexpensive set up. It’s a lot more convenient these days and has encouraged more people to get involved as a result which can only be a good thing.

As a live performer too, you must have seen a lot across your time in the scene, how do you find the rave scene now, in contrast to your input into the scene in the early 90’s?

I would say overall there is a lower number of weekly events than in the 1990’s. Bear in mind that back then Hardcore and Drum & Bass could feature on the same dancefloor therefore instantly attracting more people. The music in the Hardcore scene has changed somewhat too. The Main Arena sound at the time of writing is still very vocal and Trance orientated whereas the 90s would feature a wider spread of music on a regular basis. Some promoters manage to break the night up with some harder sets here and there but perhaps not as frequently as was possible back then. I would also say that MC’s play a more pivotal role in today’s scene, attracting ravers in their own right too. Any music scene needs to evolve and as long as the music is banging, the dance floor is packed and the people are loving it then everyone should be happy!

Have you done any breakdancing lately? (UFO & Supreme have been telling us all sorts) – elaborate on your early days of Hip Hop & Electro flavours…

Haha! I no longer get involved is such antics for fear of groin strain or some equally horrible injury! Like UFO & Supreme, I’m of the age where I was lucky enough to be involved in the whole Hip Hop explosion in the mid 80s. We were all part of a big crew back then and used to play the latest beats on ghetto blasters and have a break dance/body popping workout on a piece of lino thrown on the floor where ever we would find ourselves. Breakdancing has evolved tenfold since those days but they were definitely good times!

You must have quite an interesting perspective though being almost split between two key scenes in dance music today – Hardcore and Hard Dance, do you find a lot of differences between the two types of party?

Right now our workload is definitely more Hardcore than Hard Dance so I’m probably not the most qualified person to comment. That said, there really is little difference conceptually between the 2 scenes. The most notable differences in Hard Dance would be the lack of MCs and a tempo divide of about 30-50bpm depending on who is playing. Next Generation have hosted the Hardcore arena at several Tidy Weekenders and we’ve received very positive feedback from clubbers who had yet to experience Hardcore. Many have gone on to check out Hardcore only events and are thoroughly loving it!

You have professionally had an opportunity to see music evolve over almost three decades and watch it go through its many cycles – any predictions for where it’s headed next? Both in Hard Dance and Hardcore or as a general overview of the dance music as it is today?

That’s a tough one to predict as the various styles of dance music cycle in and out of fashion every few years. I notice that UK Garage is enjoying a resurgence with it’s new twist “Bassline House” for example. Dubstep is probably one the latest ‘new’ styles on the block too. I think dance music now has become so segregated that the individual fans will be there to support their favourite sound until they move on to something else or, like many of my friends, disappear into suburbia to raise a family! One thing is for certain though, regardless of genre, unless the frivolous illegal downloading is stamped on by the authorities there will be a large decrease in the number of producers out there. People need to start supporting the artists by actually purchasing the music.

You’ve got an early set this Friday at ExperiMental In Association With THC down on the South Coast at Crank – the South Coast of course being where you are originally from. Do you get much time to get back to down to the coast, whether it be business or pleasure and has the South Coast party scene changed much since you started making some noise in it?

I try to get back as often as possible, I do miss the South Coast and it’s always nice to get back down. Nothing much has changed scene wise, it’s still havin’ it!

Well, we’re looking forward to having you here this weekend, thanks for chatting and before you go - give us the rundown on your label Next Generation Records, what’s it all about and what’s coming up?

Next Generation is probably the one label that most people associate Brisk & Ham with. We set it up in 1996 and are still going strong. Rather than talking loads about what we do it’s probably easier to get over to nextgenerationrecords.co.uk and check it out for yourself. You can read all about us and our artists, check out our music and buy from the mp3 store and if you fancy a chat there are plenty of cool people on our forum too. We often hover around to answer any question people might have too! See you there.

See you at the weekend man and thanks!

Words: Jon-Brown

Brisk will be appearing as part of the main headline at this Friday’s ExperiMental In Assocation With THC along with Re-Con, Squad-E, CLSM, Supreme & Sunset Regime, Chunky Boys and many more at Crank Nightclub, Bournemouth. Full information can be found at the event page here:- ExperiMental In Association With THC Keep up to date with all that Brisk & Ham are doing at nextgenerationrecords.co.uk