Hello Will thanks for taking time out to answer our questions. I think
its fair to say that your label and associated artists have brought a much
needed injection of musicality back to the electronic music scene. Do you
think the uber cool status that minimal has reached has influenced the
broader scene in an entirely positive way or has it stopped people from
dancing, have we lost our soul ?

As scenes reach their peak they inevitably influence other music. The minimal scene at its peak did suck a lot of the music out, much like the prog scene at its peak. When something is stripped back to just drums and effects it's very easy for anyone with a computer to start producing music of that ilk. Which in many ways is good as it encourages people to start making music but at the same times is bad because it doesn't take long for someone to learn how to make drums on a computer so the market gets flooded with sub standard music which then starts turning people off a scene......it takes a lot longer to learn to make music with real hooks and depth. Having said all that the minimal sound makes most sense at 5am in the morning in a club so is ideal for dancing - its just no good whatsoever for anything else!

how do you see the current music scene moving forward?

I think this year will in general get more musical and soulful yet with more futuristic touches - I think the Innervisions label (Ame/Dixon/Henerik Schwarz) has sparked this trend. There's also a lot of really good disco out there at the moment - producers like Prins Thomas, Todd Terje, Maurice Fulton and Joakim just keep getting better and better.

As a label boss you are all to aware of the economics of the music
industry many people say that in this age of digital downloads it is almost
impossible to make money from music, what do you make of that statement?

That's crap to be honest. It's hard to make a lot of money running an independent label as you have certain cash flow restrictions which means marketing is hard but its all down to the quality of A&R. You absolutely must keep in touch with what's happening on the cutting edge whilst keeping in mind what your setting out to do with your label. If you are placing good music at the core of your A&R philosophy then you should always be able to apply something from the cutting edge (remixes from up and coming artists before they get too expensive for example) to what you’re doing as it's always the records with good hooks/music that eventually rise to the top. The rise of downloads just means another platform for people to get music - exactly as when tape's were introduced and then CD's. For me it's added a boost to sales as independent dance music distribution in the US has all but disappeared so kids in the outer reaches of America can go to Beatport and download our latest release without paying a fortune in postage.

Your label boasts some of the most established and respected producers on
the scene, is there any new bloods we should be looking out for?

He’s not really new but Lee Jones from My My is releasing solo material on Simple’s sister label Aus and for me it’s the next level. So much warmth and feeling with grooves that just hook you in.

What advise would you give to budding producers reading this who are
trying to make it in the industry?

You always have to do what you believe in but try and stay in touch with what’s happening in as many musical scenes as possible. Your own sound is vital but by keeping in touch with what’s out there you will subconsciously absorb all the bits that are relevant to you and this will rub off in your music – which in turn enables you to stay fresh and current at all times which means a long career.

Tell us about your new label?

Aus Music is designed to explore the more organic end of dance music. Still house, techno and disco but it doesn’t have to be peak time by any stretch of the imagination although at times may be. I started the label with Fin Greenall who produces on it as Sideshow and is also Fink on Ninja Tune. We both love dub so this is heavy theme that runs through the label. Sideshow (Fink on Ninja Tune), lee Jones (My My), and Motor City Soul are the core artists and we’re up to release number 4. We’ve had remixes from John Tejada, John Dahlback, Prins Thomas and Jesse Rose thus far.

Is it true that John Tejada is retiring from music to design sound
systems for a car company?

I guess this is a rumor that started from the name of his track ‘The End Of It All’ - don’t believe the hype!

You can catch Will Saul at electricsex @ Inigo this Sunday 18/2/07

I'LL BE THERE