After he rocked you back to back with Marc Smith at the last Freeformation, Darwin’s back to whip us into shape with a massive solo main room set. And this time he’s bringing his cane! With his popular Feed The Pony EP on Kaotik, his name on seven tracks on Bonkers 17 and hugely anticipated forthcoming releases such as Coral Beach an Peak 1.1, Darwin is certainly someone to keep your eye on if you’ve been blind enough to miss him so far.

It's your first main room set at Freeformation Mr Darwin, what choons have you got lined up in store and will Freeformation get something crazy from you?

I have some very tasty numbers coming out to play on that night, you will just have to wait and listen! It's not going to be crazy; it's going to be crazy fun music. It's an anything can happen mix, come on, its freeform music at Freeformation!

It’s been a good year for the studio in the last year. You seem to have a lot of admirers, your music is getting played out and plaudits are everywhere throughout the scene. What has been the highlight of the year for you?

Last year was great with a back to back with Marc Smith at the last Freeformation, that was a wicked way to end the year. This year so far has been even better, with international bookings coming up and getting more hectic in the studio with remixing, engineering & so on. But my highlight of the year so far would have to be the HARDCORE NATION – NEXT GENERATION album! Being asked to mix it with the likes of Joey riot, Kurt, Al Storm, Fracus makes me want to push my music even harder!.

Marc Smith, Sharkey and Kevin Energy amongst others are all bashing your music out in clubs up and down the country at the moment. What records have been in and amongst your sets, and what have been your own personal favourite pieces of production?

Let me see, I would have to say:
Alek Szahala – Alanamra (Arkitech Remix) (Nu Energy)
Marc Smith – Can You Feel It (Notorious vinyl)
Nu Foundation – Want Your Love (RFU)
Fracus & Donna Grassie – See If I Care (RFU)
Darwin – Coral Beach (Kaotik)

My personal favourite pieces of production are:
Darwin - Come On Out – Its what I've been trying to bring back to hardcore, its got 175bpm breakbeats, big room piano breaks and lush vocals without it sounding like drum & bass.

Cube::Hard – Smoke Signals – like Tom does! It’s different & it works!

What artists around the scene inspire you and what other music do you like to listen to? Who do you like to hear when you are out and about in the scene and why?

People like Sharkey, Jon doe, Cube::Hard and Luna C inspire me because they don't follow trends and they just enjoy their music. I listen to all forms of dance music; I produce house, trance and pop music on the side for computer games such as Komami's DDR Super Nova 2. I don't go raving at all unless I'm DJing but if I had to pick a set to listen to it would be CLSM live, I always hear great things about it!

Ten words, ten one word answers, go:

Kick - me
Light - it
Jam - toast
Matt - smells
Shit - poo
Cornflakes – sugar puffs
Ginger – red hair
Choon - tune
Dog - shit
Glow - monkey

Are you going to be mixing any albums in the future? Come on, give Freeformation the gossip.

Well the Hardcore Nation album will be out on CD in the next few months! I’ve also just finished mixing a Japan album & I'm in the process of another at the moment! Plus a possibility of a small artist album later in the year! Very busy! :)

Which artists would you like to work with in the studio and why?

Too many to name them all, but the likes of:
Sharkey – it would be very creative and crazy.
Kevin Energy – because of the drive & power you get in his productions.
CLSM – it would be an open sound very much like myself.
Ham – I’ve just always loved his stuff!
Justin Time / Helix – because he's my all time favourite hardcore producer! And meeting him was fantastic.

What are your top ten records of all times?

I can't answer that! It would take me months to work that out!

What's your most embarrassing moment?

My first DJ booking in 1998! I messed up every mix, even the last one of my set!
I started it at 33 and it was meant to be on 45!

What are you wearing to Freeformation?

I'm just going to bring a cane to whip some ass!

Well you heard it here first, and as a little taster as to what you can expect here's a free full track for you to download:

Contraption - Higher, Forever (D&A Atomic Robokid Remix)