Hey Caroline so how was your weekend?

Hey ;-) I had a really good weekend thanks, it consisted of 3 parties, going in the studio and not a lot of sleep!

It’s been quite a while since you won the Mixmag future hero award and signed to the Nukleuz DJ agency. It’s been a big turn around since 5 years ago, you’ve moved from Hard Dance, Pystrance and now to minimal techno, you’re not the first and I doubt the last to make the move over, why do you think so many DJ’s have progressed with their sound instead of sticking to their original roots?
I’d say for the majority of DJ's who’s sound has progressed it will be ultimately down to getting old and experiencing new things……eeesh…did I just say getting old?
I mean when I was banging out hard house I had no idea what minimal techno even was, I was so involved and into what I was doing back then I had no time to discover new scenes.
I remember the first time my friends took me to DC10 in Ibiza a few years ago, I was completely blown away, the music was another level, and it made such an impact on me. It was effortless fun and I loved the way people from all over the world were drawn into this one party all sharing the same passion.
I have experienced so many new things since my Nukleuz days and I think as you grow up it’s the experiences that shape you as a person, my musical style has evolved with that and developed from what I have learnt.

How can you best describe your current style now and can you see yourself moving away from this again or are you going to stick to where you are?
I feel completely at home with my style, it’s such a different buzz DJing now to what it was say 5 years ago and I love where I am at with it right now.
I play techno, I play psychedelic, I play minimal if it’s good….There are only really 2 types of music and that is good and bad, I definitely play good music ;-)

What do you see as being the most important thing about being a DJ?
I think believing in the music you play is very important as is knowing your music inside out as well as being able to read a crowd. If you really enjoy what you are playing it shows and I think in turn that rubs off on the crowd.

You’ve recently just finished a year long tour of Asia and then before that a tour of Ibiza, What can you tell us about your experiences out there and how do they compare from that of the UK?
There is no where more exciting than China right now, it’s such a fast developing country. I have been there a few times now and each time I go back I can feel and see the changes. The last time I went I was booked to play just 3 gigs over 2 weeks. I ended up missing my flight home, hooking up with a few agencies and staying. I would never have expected to stay there so long but there is something so magical about the country, it absorbs you into its culture.
Every time I am there it feels so special to be there at that particular time, I spent my time living in between shanghai and Yunnan flying in and out of different cities every weekend to DJ. I never even knew half the provinces I visited even existed before I went. It’s definitely a good thing I missed my flight home and decided to stay, I think these things definitely happen for a reason.
The music scene over there is still fresh. Dance music is very much the underground scene… risqué not all that long ago was listening to pop music in teahouses. Now though, they have parties at the great wall of China, on beaches etc etc and in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong especially…international DJ's are flown in many nights of the week and a real raw underground scene is developing. It’s hard to compare to the UK because it is so different but being at the very beginning of an explosion of something that is clearly going to be huge is a really special thing.
I flew from the orient to Barcelona for Sonar after being in the UK only a matter of hours then arrived nice and fresh…or not…in Ibiza where it was manic from the minute the plane touched down….Ibiza has so many amazing parties, I played a few gigs including the Zoo Project at an abandoned zoo, Ketaloco were there this year and absolutely rocked the place, it’s really good to see parties like Ketaloco doing so well over there.

You’re now based in Leeds but how does the current scene differ from that of London?
I get excited about both cities, I think what I love about the London scene is the multicultural vibe, the energy, the underground raves and the squat parties. Leeds has a more intimate vibe, there are some amazing parties going on at the moment…Dirty Disco has become legendary here and they are now doing events in Sheffield and Nottingham too. Very Very Wrong which is originally a London night has now started here again. We also have Polaroid, Technique, Back to Basics and Monocult which is by far one of the best parties in the North and with new nights like Louche the scene is getting stronger and stronger.

You’re playing at the legendary Cross nightclub for London’s busiest Friday night at Twisted Disco are you looking forward to the gig?
I cannot bloody wait…I have played at many venues across London but never at The Cross so I’m really excited to be playing for Twisted Disco there. It’s my birthday as well so bringing a Leeds crew down with me for some offside fun afterwards.

How do you feel about The Cross and the rest of the complex closing at the end of the year?
When I lived in London I went there a lot and I used to love the Cross so it’s really sad, u can’t go wrong with a venue built in a disused railway arch, it has so much character, a really cool location for a special party.

You did release quite a few tracks in the early 000’s on several labels and had tracks featured on some pretty big albums but where are you know with your productions at the moment?
At the moment I am working on a track called ‘Chinese whispers’ with Tom from Speculum and one of my best friends as a collaboration called ‘Zootec’, it’s a techno track with lots of warped Chinese lyrics. I’ll be moving into my new home next week and setting up a mini studio there, really excited about this and getting involved with lots of new projects.

What producers and DJs are doing it for you at the moment?
Stephan Bodzin, he is exceptionally creative, I went to see him play at Moog in Barcelona and he was using lemur multitouch technology...Crazy touch screen mixing. He was wearing white gloves and looked like he was about to operate on someone, he really was something else to watch.
Matt Cooper (Dirty Disco’s resident, he is a genius on the 1000’s and also producing some wicked tracks at the mo.
Spektre and Audiofly are really on fire at the moment too, their style is sensational. I’m also playing music from Anthony Collins, Shlomi Aber, Geddes, Shonky, Oxia and Dusty Kid as well as new producers such as Xpander and Iain Taylor.

And finally what can we expect from Banxy’s set this Friday at The Cross?
Expect a blend of deep, dark, sexy, melodic and mind warping techno music…can’t wait to see you there, Banxy xx