Johnny Arthur, purveyor of deep ‘n’ sleazy tech and electro, is currently kicking da ass of London Town. Taking influences across the board from progressive to techno to electro, and using technology as it should, he loops and twirls his way through his impeccably created, original, unpredictable but eminently danceable sets. Resident at his own party, Chicken Nickers, Johnny Arthur is spreading his individual sound further through releases on David Duriez’s Parisian label, Kill Brique and the respected Whoop! All this and only 23 years of age. He’s played alongside Paul Woolford, Switch, Martin Landsky, Ellen Allien and Alex Smoke (Paul Woolford rating Johnny as one of the “best up and coming DJs he’s heard” ) and been DJ Mag’s Gotta Be Big. Once bitten, never shy, you know you’re in for some "Deep filthy sleazoid acid mindfuckery” (his words) when Johnny’s on the decks.

Nice. So Johnny… Let’s get serious…

If I put you in a room with a tiger and you were only able to come out once you’d made a decision on what sound you played would you be able to do it before you were nothing more than a burped up set of headphones?

Yes – I really like techno.

You’re pretty nifty with technology – cutting and splicing like a finely tuned surgeon. Given the choice, what musical scalpels do you use to create your sets?

In the studio, I use a combination of Cool Edit Pro and Logic. Cool Edit is a straightforward audio editor and sequencer - which is great for doing re-edits really quickly. I then use Logic if I decide I want to add some new sounds or effects to the track. Once all the editing is done, I play it all off of 3 CDJs. I’m also trying to get to grips with the Red Sound Soundbite Micro which lets you mix Ableton with CDs in realtime, so your laptop effectively becomes a fourth deck.

What’s the most ridiculous combination of tracks you’ve ever played out?

Err… I actually spend a fair bit of time making sure the sets I play make some sort of musical sense (It took me two and a half months to get my latest mix CD finished!), so I’m not sure I’ve really got an answer for this one – sorry!

Who or what inspired you to start your musical journey?

I don’t think there was ever a definite starting point to it all – I’ve been pretty obsessed with music in one form or another for as long as I can remember. Although, having said that, the Prodigy did have a massive impact on me while I was growing up.

Your (chicken) nickers must have gotten in a twist when you were signed to Kill Brique and Whoop!

Yeah – both were a really big deal to me for different reasons. The Whoop! signing happened when I was still only 20 - at that time I was chuffed just to be let in to nightclubs, let a lone have my tracks played in them! With Evil Edna, it was more the shock of being asked into the same camp as the likes of Hardfloor and Josh Wink - something I'm still coming to terms with to be honest!

Do you engineer your own tracks?

A bit of both actually. I really enjoy working on my own as it lets me work at my own pace. Having said that, my pace is notoriously slow when it comes to music (two and a half months on a mix CD etc. etc.), so I use an engineer when things need to get done more quickly!

Who would you most like to get down and dirty with on a track?

Stephan Bodzin - to see how the fuck he makes those sounds (and maybe pinch his Moog when he's not looking).

Given that you’re going to be coaxing the Party Proactive dancefloor into a sweat drenched frenzy, what track(s) are going to take us there?

Well I've just found out that my new track, 'Johnny Hates Jazz' is getting signed to My Best Friend (part of Traumschallplatten) - so I'll probably be playing that alongside a few other new ones I've finished recently. I'm also really into the stuff Barem is doing at the moment - so expect some stuff from him and of course one or two bits by Lord Bodzin.

What makes you turn into a sweat-drenched frenzy? And can we watch?

I went to see Richie Hawtin, Mathew Jonson and Sven Vath at Cocoon in Frankfurt a few months ago - that did the trick! And yes, if I head over there again anytime soon, you can watch, (you perverts).

Thank you Johnny Arthur and blessings on your house.

INTERVIEW BY JOANNA MCEWEN

PARTY PROACTIVE PRESENTS THE AWAKENINIG AT TURNMILLS
SATURDAY 24TH MARCH