In a scene where the word “legend” is banded about with reckless abandon, it’s easy to forget that there are those artists among the many who’ve really been there, done that and got the T-shirt. Two such men are the mighty pairing of Billy “Daniel” Bunter and Slipmatt – a duo of likely lads who were tearing up the rave scene’s dancefloors way before some of todays ravers were even born!
Constantly innovating and pushing the music forwards, but never losing sight of their collective pasts, they have consistently broken down genre barriers and developed new sounds, in between running hectic international gig schedules and studio sessions! The latest instalment in their continual onslaught of tunes comes in the form of the latest Helter Skelter vs Raindance album. I took a bit of time to catch up with the boys and see what they’ve been up to and where they see things headed!

First up guys, thanks for taking the time to do this interview – I know you’re both manic at the moment with loads of different projects on the go. Tell us a bit about some of your current highlights?
Bunter Current highlight’s, there’s loads at the moment. 1st and foremost though has to be the success of our new company www.canyoufeelitmedia.com it’s been an exciting 1st 18 months and we have covered lots of ground. Personally as an artist/DJ it’s the new Helter Skelter vs Raindance album, there’s was sooo much amazing Hardcore out that it was a joy to put together. The launch of my house act with Sparky called The Full Time Superstars in which our debut single ‘Waiting for the night’ went top 5 in the world wide club chart and our current remix of SL2 – On a Ragga Tip becoming a summer anthem. I’m also overwhelmed with the feed back the new mixes of Body Slam are getting. There have been countless amounts of great gigs over recent month’s, that my whole dj career is still a huge highlight for me.
Slipmatt Same as Bunter with our music company. We are at the point where all of our effort and hard work is about to take effect. We have lots of exciting music about to be released and we’re already getting great chart positions. The album is obviously the biggest highlight for me at the moment. We both worked hard to make this the best in the series so far, and for me personally I think we have achieved that with all the great music we have managed to pull in. I am re-launching SL2 this summer with remixes of On A Ragga Tip, and the summer season is always a yearly highlight for me with various trips to the Balearic Islands and most of the main European holiday resorts. I still enjoy my Djing as much as I did 20 years ago!

Helter Skelter and Raindance are both acknowledged as some of the most important and influential brands in the UK rave scene over a long, long time – how did you two come to be involved with them, and just how long ago was it?!?!
Bunter My 1st set for Raindance was in 1993 at Bagleys in Kings Cross. I can remember playing after Rozalla and before Matt! Helter Skelter was 1995 just after my 1st release Let it lift you with JDS and Gem, I remember playing it my 1st tune!
Slipmatt I could say that I was one of the founders of Raindance. It was started by my brother way back in September 1989, and the only reason he thought of putting a rave together was because of my Djing and interest in music production. He sold Raindance on at the end of 1992 but I have always continued to be one of their regular DJs. Helter Skelter was also born in 1989. I think I first played for them in 1990 and have always been one of their residents. Both brands have been a massive part of my DJ career.

With 2 massive brands with real longevity pushing out this new album, there’s a serious nod to some of the glory days of UK rave culture, as well as some exciting new tracks – just how important do you think it is to remember the early days as well as mix it up with the newer artists?
Bunter For this album we have chosen a handful of classic tracks and remixed them in a fresh 2009 hardcore style. It was essential for us on this project to capture every thing that we feel is fresh and exciting abut Hardcore music now, and with hardcore having such a long span from the early 90’s, it captures every thing that is great about Hardcore past, present, future, all with that fresh twist of two double o nine! This album is 110% Hardcore baby!!!
Slipmatt We have remixed some of the biggest dance tunes of the moment, as well as some of the biggest rave tunes of all time. In my view, we have also managed to pull in some of the best brand new tracks that we have ever found which really capture the current vibe of the mighty hardcore scene right now.

We’re contstantly seeing new genres, sub genres and mashup genres being born at the moment – how do you see this comparing to the early “anything goes” attitude in dance music production?
Bunter You know what, even in the early day’s we had ton’s of genres, the only difference was it was all played under 1 roof – Acid House, Balearic Beats, Chicago House, Detroit House, Garage, Hip House, Belgium New Beat’s, Italian House … get the picture? I think music is even more exciting now then it was then for different reasons … If you have an open mind, any thing still goes!!!
Slipmatt I love all sorts of genres of music and I enjoy playing all sorts in my sets. It has been harder to play different styles in the same arena at times as the years go on. I suppose as a DJ it depends how you tackle the situation. I still manage to play lots of different styles in most of my sets which for me is my favourite way to play.

Both of you are known for crossing the genres and not being tied to one sound – how important do you think it is as a DJ to keep this open approach, and what do you feel it brings?
Bunter For me it’s essential, I’m a music lover, and I have the platform to be able to push and support music I believe in. I couldn’t imagine only doing one thing. There is so much amazing music to be felt out there. The sound’s coming out from 1 Extra. The Hardcore being played on the dance floors of HTID, the nod to the past at Raindance. The sheer volume of the car stereo when Kool FM’s on. Checking out the Dub Step arena at Moondance. The nostalgia of Happy Hardcore in the air now Pleasure dome has returned. Hearing emotive soul stirring vocals and putting them in to a house tune. Making Hip Hop with my son. How fresh modern pop music sound’s when my daughter plays me the latest songs being played on the radio …. How the hell could I say I only like one style of music with all these fantastic sounds surrounding me???
Slipmatt I love music, it’s a big part of my life and always has been since I was in nappies. Over the years I have been in to Pop, Soul, Reggae, Dub, Punk, Ska, and obviously the whole House / Rave thing... My DJ career has covered House, Hardcore, Jungle, Trance, Funky House etc etc etc, and playing all these different genres has definitely been a major influence on my career. For me, i love to be known as a DJ, and not just a Hardcore DJ or just an Old Skool DJ. For me it is essential to play different styles to keep on the cutting edge of the dance scene.

On the subject of genres, what’s the best sub genre name you’ve heard recently???
Bunter “Drumz” We was with our mates from Kool FM last week, and some of the younger generation are now calling Drum & Bass “Drumz”
Slipmatt “Ravebreaks” It was invented by myself and has cause all sorts of controversy within pockets of the rave scene...lol

In terms of this album, there must have been a huge workload putting it all together – talk us through just what was involved for you?
Bunter I’m stressed just thinking about! To put it as simple as possible 1, Make sure were on top of all the latest music and artists coming through (Loved 80 tracks, had to narrow it down to 44) 2, Make sure everyone is delivering finished mixes by deadline (Only 40% of tracks were delivered on time) 3, Get all contracts and paper work sorted (No worries here, Sonya’s on it) 4, Mix the album in a 3 day studio session (Lot’s of booze being drunk / Not all tracks delivered on time / Ministry on us to have it completed / Artists getting the hump when their tracks don’t reach the finished track list). 5, Make sure all the credit’s are right on the album (Trust me artist’s get the hump when space’s or hyphens are missing, this isn’t my problem to have but I always like to have a final look to make sure everything is spot on). 6, Track list get’s leaked to the internet (People either love us or hate us). 8, Ministry do what they do best, promote the fuck out of the album and make people aware that the boy’s are back in town (Get countless amounts of people saying they’ve seen us on The Simpsons). 8, 100 000 cd’s get shipped to the stores (Fingers crossed they all sell).
Slipmatt As above... lots and lots of hours listening, emailing tracks, licensing, arguing with publishers and record companies, then a massive coffee and booze fuelled studio session that goes on for days... But I still love it...every time!

I know it’s a tough question, but is there one tune on the album that stands out for you?
Bunter Little Miss Detonate – Who’s Fucked Now? One of the best records I’ve ever signed – Love it!!!!
Slipmatt Little Miss Detonate... definitely, but if I have to pick a different one then it will be “Brisk & Stormtrooper – Rudeboy Sound”

With the album coming out in such a blaze of activity, can we expect to see an album tour, and if so, can you tell us any dates and events yet?
Bunter normally what we do with a tour, is tag the album to all existing gig’s that we have between us, So any where over the coming months that were performing at Raindance, Total Eclipse, Rebeat, Digital Generation, Hyperbolic, Bounce 2 This etc will all encompass a tour.

Slipmatt We tend to promote the album at as many DJ dates that we can, so check out facebook.dj for gig details, or www.canyoufeelitmedia.com for and special tour events.

Helter Skelter Vs Raindance - Hardcore 2009 - Mixed by Billy Daniel Bunter & Slipmatt OUT 29th June – ministryofsound.com