Hi Ian, thanks for taking the time out to do this interview ahead of your set at D-Railed.
Firstly how are you, and what's the latest in the world of Ian M?
I’m fine thanks. Well as you know, it’s always quiet during the months of Jan & Feb. So I’ve been trying to sorting out the record racks & the studio room but came to the conclusion that I need more space. So a bit of a wasted effort really. Beside that, I’ve got one or two projects happening that I’m keeping under wraps until the right time to tell everyone. So watch this space!!

What at first made you decide you wanted to become a DJ, and who/what influenced your style.
I’d gone thru the motions of being in a band, doing a mobile disco then finally deciding I wanted to be a DJ. I used to go clubbing regularly in Nottingham and one particular club which had a wicked sound system had its sound engineer & designer / DJ flew over from the states now & again to tweak the sound system & play at the club. I was amazed while he mixed the tunes seamlessly, I found out later he taught Tony de Vit to mix. So I suppose my biggest influence was obviously Tony de Vit, every week I use to buy his records to play out also I went with him to gigs, and then I had the task of following his set at Trade. That was no mean feat but it taught me a lot. So I was bound to pick up on his style in the end.

How does your music style compare now, to when you started out?
When I first started playing (in a technical/mixing sense), I was a resident for a night run by Tony & Alex (of Subway City / Blue fame). I was playing early Todd Terry & Jason Nevins house tracks. When I first started playing Trade, I was playing what some people might call Hard Trance/Techno tracks from Jam & Spoon, Edge Records & Rabbit City etc. Nowadays, I’m playing what I like to consider being good tracks, be it either Hard House or Techno influenced tracks. It could be bouncy or f...k off hard! Or it could be “Council House”?

Do you remember your first ever gig playing out, who else was on the line-up, and did you ever think you would be as successful as you are?
I can’t really remember my very first one but one of my earliest gigs would have been a weekly resident slot at a local Leicester club. I played for 3 to 4hrs and all for £15 AND I had to sweep up the dancefloor after playing all night. It was bloody slave labour! But it kept you humble & realistic I suppose? And I never thought in a million years I would be what you would call “successful” in this game; it was never in my head.

Leicester has a good history of Hard House, (All the best DJ's come from Leicestershire *wink wink*) it's been somewhat quiet recently.
Does Leicester have a Hard House future?
I didn’t realise Leicester has a Hard House history but I’ve heard there might be one or two good dj’s in Loughborough, but I’ve yet to hear them. He!He! And regarding its future, that’s up to all the clubbers in general. The government is slowly squeezing the life out of club culture with its no-smoking bans and now it’s “everybody drinking too much” policy. Hard House will always have a future; you only have to look at the hardcore scene. One minute, it was dying on its legs, the next it’s revived itself and as massive as before. It just had a bit of a clear out as they say.

Haha!
Your gig biog is immense, including trips to Twilo and Amsterdam, but what has been your favourite gig, and where do look forward to playing the most?
This is a difficult one. I suppose one of my fav gigs would be playing to 250,000+ at the first Love Parade in Leeds. It was really pissing it down but the crowd stayed and went mental. It was unreal. Another fav gig would have been Nagoya in Japan cos the sound system was unbelievable. Then another time, I played at the “Icebox” in Sydney, the place was packed but they still had to turn away 400+ people at the door and this was on a SUNDAY! Of course I always look forward to any gig I play at, wherever it may be especially the forthcoming “D-Railed” because of various reasons which I may tell you about after the gig.

What would you say was your biggest achievement so far, and do you have any more ambitions to cover?
That would be getting a residency at Trade & having to follow Tony de Vit every week! You can’t get any bigger than that?

I know a lot of people like to ask who another DJ's favourite DJ and producer is, so who floats your boat and why?
I’m a big Adam Beyer fan, not only is he a fierce dj, he knows how to make some descent tunes. But by far, my favourite producer would be Jimmy Page (of Led Zeppelin fame), I was so glad when he re-mastered the back catalogue.

....And what's your favourite tune of all time, which you just can't help but play every time you’re on those decks? And what's at the front of your record box at the moment, and what does the D-Railed crowd have in store?
It’s very difficult picking a favourite tune if you’re talking about dance music because there are so many good ones from over the years. I suppose my current big tunes are from Steve Maynard & Tim Stokes – Jumped Up & Ghetto Farmyard, nice production with chunky rollin’ bass lines. Regards the D-Railed crowd, there’ll be some new traxz & some old traxz, all mixed up for some sonic demolition. I hope your sound system is loud enough? Should be fun & mad!

D-Railed will fall on Friday 13th, for the 2nd time running, I'm not superstitious, but will you be dodging black cats and ladders?
It depends if they are in the same pair of tights AT the same time. (Think about it!)

Ian M quick fire:
1st ever set of Decks? Technics 1200Mk2 (Brought one from Tony de Vit & I still have them for sentimental value of course)
Vinyl or CD? Both! Always carry either format as a back up, just in case.
X1 or DJM? DJM-800 by far. Never been a big fan of the Allen & Heath I’m afraid.
Tea or Coffee? Tea methinks!
Eastenders or Corrie? Stop watching the soaps years ago! There’s enough turmoil in the world without having to watch it on TV as well. I’m more into BSG (new version) & Supernatural nowadays. Escapist Telly!

Thank-you very much, it's an absolute privilege and D-Railed is very proud to have you headline our event, have you anything else Ian M to plug, that we should know about? And we'll see you on the 13th
The pleasure is all mine. Look forward to seeing you all on the 13th. Dress to party!

Danny Lee & Team D-Railed

Catch Ian M alongside Daley and many others @ The next D-Railed, Friday 13th March @ Rapture, Loughborough - D-RAILED Proudly Presents.....