Ahead of Never Grow Up on the 20th we catch up with
Lofty and Mike Mackeeg from Illicit Audio…to talk about Ibiza ,
Illicit plans for the rest 2009 and beyond … and teenage mutant ninja turtles!

Plus download yourself Lofty’s brand spanking new mix :-)

What made you jump around like a loon when you were a teen ... who
helped forge your mind musically?

L: - To be fair the first time I got into house music was not until I
was at university and a couple of us trekked up to London to come and
see Clockwork Orange at Camden Palace , Mike and I ended up playing for
them a couple of years ago and that was a big thing for me. As for
musical influences, I have always liked music which is good to dance
too, I mean that is one of the main reasons right?? So I was brought up
on Motown, people like Martha and the Vandellas right the way through to
early Michael Jackson (not afraid to admit it ha ha) and then on towards
early rock and even some country in the form of the Eagles.
My iPod for instance is not what a lot of people think it is. There is
some Paul Simon on there, some Dire Straits and of course lots of
quality house and techno.

M: - I was into electronic music at a young age - I remember shunning
pop and rock and from 11 years old I was purchasing 7" acid house
singles and also frequenting my home town's underground record stores to
pick up the latest mixtapes and flyers. I was too young to fully
appreciate the scene at the time which is a shame - looking back on the
acid house movement makes me realise just what everyone went through to
allow us to do what we do now.

Mike, you're just back from Ibiza ....lucky sod! How was it? Any
particular messy stories to tell?

M: Haha, what happens on the island stays on the island. Let's just say it
was a fantastic week thoroughly enjoyed by all.

L: Don't talk to me about Ibiza , next year, yeah!!

Where'dya go, who did you see? And what's Illicit Audios fav Ibiza
night?

M: Well we landed on Friday and went straight to Pacha for Pure Pacha. I
saw Sander Kleinenberg and Basement Jaxx. Then on Saturday I went to Zoo
Project where Jose De Devina was headlining. Sunday was the main event,
Space's opening party. This is probably my
favourite event in any country at any time and is an Illicit Audio
recommended day out! The line up is immense, Steve Lawler, Sasha &
Digweed, Guy Gerber (my personal fav) Carl Cox, Yousef, Dubfire and so
many more. On Wednesday it was back to Pacha for the Subliminal opening party, I'm
not usually a fan of Erick Morillo but it was good to hear lots of
classic Ibiza anthems which is something I'd never done before.

Hear any big tunes over there - tip us off!!

L: Mike was texting me at one point about a tune I picked up a
couple of weeks ago and it always goes off, they saw Basement Jaxx
playing it - it is called Gramophonedzie - Why Don't You and it is
amazing. It is pretty jacking and then it breaks into this 1920s swing
number it's very good, expect it at Never Grow Up.

M: As Lofty says, that Gramaphonedzie record really did go off! Other big
tunes included the new mix of Guy Gerber's stoppage time which has just
come out on Bedrock. Also various tracks from Gui Boratto's new album
"take my breath away" which is a recommended listen.

Cool, Any other holiday or festival plans across the summer for either
of you?

L: Nothing really clubbing related for me, I have a friend's wedding
in Crete which I am really really looking forward too.

M: Nothing over the summer as I've already been to TDK Timewarp in
Germany and Ibiza so the next big outing will probably be I Love Techno
in October. I recommend attending at least one big European festival a
year; they make English festivals look very poor.

So what's new at Illicit Audio Towers ? How is 2009 panning out for you
so far?

L: DJ wise for me it has been pretty good. I have been doing a few
bits and pieces on my own. I'm a regular at Shiva at the Whitehouse,
plus a frequent guest at Get Diverted nights. To be honest, Mike and I
haven't played together for quite a while and I for one am really
looking forward to it.

M: For me it has been a year of planning and studio time so far, I
finished a new track earlier in the year and I'm now about to embark on
a huge new project which will probably take till the rest of the year
before I can even think about having it ready for performance. Alongside
this I will be trying to finish as many original productions as
possible. We've taken a different direction for Illicit Audio for 2009; we are
going to concentrate on just doing DJ gigs for promoters who we feel are
taking the scene in the right direction. Due to other commitments we
won't be putting on our own parties this year.

You have been residing at JUNK club in Southampton for 3 years now, how
has that journey been? Is there another one planned?

Junk holds a special place for us. When we started down there we were
probably the only event playing underground house and techno in
Southampton . Over the years our popularity grew and it felt like we were really doing
something special. Then we were given the opportunities to feature big
name DJs we really respected and that made what we were doing even
better. For those of you who don't know, we finished our residency in
January after 3 glorious years and our legacy lives on through the
amount of similar parties still put on in the city. We had a lot of fun
and it certainly was a journey that we will never forget!
Lofty we caught you in South London mixing for Rob Aldritt from the
Get Diverted team for some classic 80's house and funk… It was great fun! Are you planning
on running this again?

L: Well I was DJing for them for that, when I say them I mean Rob
and Liam (Shiva) it was their brainchild and it is such a good idea.

The two parties I have played at have been going off. I think it's a
good idea during these harder economical times to make sure parties are
affordable and fun, without those two key elements I think a party can
lose something. As for when the next one is, I am sure there will be
something in the pipeline... so watch this space.

What was your first vinyl?

L: Oh dear, do you really want to know? Ok, it was Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles by Partners in Kryhme, and then after that it was PM Dawn
- Set Adrift on Memory Bliss which is slightly better. I seemed to grow
up music wise in the space of 3 weeks; I think they came out pretty
close to each other.

M: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles haha! That is well funny. My first
vinyl was a 7" single of Altern 8's Hypnotic State but my first 12" was
Icon - Desire which I bought from a friend's record store when I was 13
and I didn't even have a turntable to play it on.

Where can we catch you after Never Grow Up?

L: Well at the Get Diverted terrace parties at Dex, more details
will be coming out soon.

M: I'll be at the July Get Diverted terrace party then probably back
in the studio till 2010! Not many gigs for me this year so get me while
you can!

You looking forward to the 20th? Let the good people know what to expect
from you....

L: Yeah of course, the guys at door. / Never Grow Up have always
been behind us and pushing our sound from when they started, so yeah
really looking forward to it. I'll be getting some more quirky house
sounds coming out including that track I mentioned before.

M: We've decided to theme this set as Odd House - we'll be pulling
out all manner of strange records which rarely get a play. I have a lot
of material from artist albums and unsigned stuff. Never Grow Up always
gives us an opportunity to take things to the extreme thanks to their
open minded music policy so to a couple of guys with strange tastes like
us it is music to our ears!

Cheers Guys!!

Here is Lofty’s brand spanking new mix full of eclectic house treats :

Roll on the 20th! // Never Grow Up @ Fluid

door. Website

Lofty New Mix :

Tracklist for mix:

01. Andre Winter - Karma (Ideal Audio)
02. Andre Kronert - Salzwasserliebe (Ostwind Records)
03. Michel Cleis & Salvatore Freda - Sassicaia (cadenza)
04. James Talk - The Beginning (Gorge Remix) (Noir Music)
05. Sebastien Leger - Bambou (Azuli)
06. Simi - Undernaples (SCI+TEC Digital Audio)
07. Chus & Carlos Manaca & Pablo Ceballos - The Strong Rhythm (D-Unity 4 Am Mix) (Magma)
08. Milton Jackson - Never Be Wrong (dark Energy
09. Andre Lodemann - Where Are You Now (Best Works Recordings)
10. David Tort - Acid - Lost In Acid (Ausfahrt Mix) (Strictly Rhythm)
11. L.Kubic - Voyager (Buzzin' Fly Records)
12. Niki B, Christian Effe & DJ Chus - Hossa (Chris Soul Remix) (Netswork Records)
13. Anja Schneider & Lee Van Dowski - La Roulette (Mobilee Records)
14. Spektre - Cheyenne (Uto Karem Remix) (Blufin)
15. Uto Karem - Homebase (Agile Recordings)
16. Paul Ritch - Split The Line (Dubfire's mega remix) (Quartz Rec)