The craft of the DJ, producer and label manager Brisk is one to be marvelled at. Much as he needs no introduction, it would seem almost rude to cut to the chase with an interview without some sort of formal run down of his past achievements. He has after all been shaping a very successful career in both the hardcore and hard dance mediums from an early age and was part of what one would call the original ‘Rat Pack’ of happy hardcore heroes that were prominent in the scene’s popular first uprising in the early 90’s.

Still pushing the envelope three decades later with an ever fresh sense of creativity, an unwavering on stage energy and a romance with his work that has been as strong as it’s ever been, Brisk has travelled worldwide with his art form including most recently, Australia – a place that has become almost like a home from home for him. His Next Generation label, co-owned with the equally as talented and dedicated DJ Ham has become a primary choice in the DJ’s record box and CD wallet alike and if hardcore’s history book were to be written today, it would be altogether fair to assume that my guest would absolutely take a very honoured place within it.

No doubt you’ve already seen him at a big branded event near you recently or perhaps managed to catch his feverishly popular NG Podcast with DJ Fracus and indeed we will see him again soon at the likes of Fusion’s almighty New Years Eve event in association with Ravers Are:, Resonate and Frenzy, which coincidentally is my reason for speaking with him today. Time now for a brief chat with a master at work…

Next Generation shizzle! How are you my friend? We hear you are either still in Australia or just returned. Which is it and how was it?

Very well thanks, I’ve just returned and it was awesome (as Australia always tends to be!)

I’m not a big fan of all this snow and minimal daylight though; coming back from an Australian Summer into the middle of winter has been a shock to the system!

I’ll agree with you there, Australia sounds good about now! How different is life out there and in answering that how different is the rave scene out there? Any similarities or major differences?

The Australian lifestyle is awesome; it’s definitely more laid back over there and of course the warmer climate helps keep everyone happy! Their scene is very similar to ours however; I would say that the European hardcore and hardstyle acts have as strong a following over there as our hardcore guys. That’s not a bad thing as I often get to check out DJ’s I rarely get to listen to including the wealth of home grown Aussie talent.

Moving matters closer to home – your Next Generation Podcast has been doing the business, what was the reasoning behind starting it initially and how did Fracus get involved?

Thanks! We (NG) wanted to have a regular hardcore show but in a format that was convenient to both the listener and also to us as presenters. Podcasts are perfect for everyone in as much as we can record them when it suits our schedule and then people can listen to them when it suits theirs. Both Fracus and I had been involved in various radio shows and we were working in the studio on tracks each week so it made sense for us to test the waters by presenting a show together. Given our shared ‘unique’ sense of humour we decided to tweak the format to inject some humour and the rest is history!

It’s a very funny show, I’m sure I’m not the first to admit. You also have some very interesting sponsors; care to share some with us now for those that aren’t aware of the show yet?

Our mid-show ad breaks feature some of our ‘Sponsors’. These are generally fairly odd products and services that we manage to conjure up for each episode and they provide the basis for our ‘advertisements’. It’s probably best to check them out for yourselves rather than give the game away. I think it’s better to send people in blind for the maximum listening experience!

Download the podcasts here: feeds2.feedburner.com

It’s a very popular show and had a fair amount of downloads since it’s inception, that taken into account, has it now drawn more global widespread attention to your label and some of your current projects, has it proved its worth in not only a promotional tool but also as a very entertaining show?

We’ve had over 40,000 individual downloads across the globe now which is really, really impressive - especially for a show that has been spread by word of mouth. In addition to myself and Fracus’ 30 minute mix, ad breaks and banter we also have a monthly guest and we’ve featured a solid spread of talent across 2009 including Kutski, Gammer, Pilgrim, DJ Ham, Al Storm, Supreme & UFO, Luna C, Darwin and Endymion (from Holland).

We have numerous guests lined up for 2010 including SY, Marc Smith, Kevin Energy, S3RL and Joey Riot & DJ Kurt to name but a few, so in addition to being an informative and humourous show we also showcase many different styles across the hardcore genre too. Make sure you check out the Christmas Special – it’s hilarious!

Coming back to your label, Next Generation – what’s new my friend, as a new year beckons what does it bring for the label, the studio and your partner in crime Ham?

There’s plenty in the pipeline for 2010 including an updated website to start the year, the fourth instalment of our in house compilation, ‘Next Generation: The Collection V4’ and of course a steady stream of releases on both vinyl and MP3 format. We’re currently in the process of putting together the first batch of releases right now so expect these to be announced shortly.

You are of course also fresh off the back of the Hardcore Underground 4 compilation release, which came quite soon after 3. How well in your eyes do you think the fourth instalment has been received, taking things like tough competition and the credit crunch into account?

The general opinion and feedback regarding the HU series is that it really does check all the musical boxes in terms of content. It seems to be the only album out there that spans as many styles and categories as it does within the hardcore scene right now, HU4 has sold out already and I believe a repress is under way so in terms of its popularity, I think that speaks volumes, certainly in a time of recession as you pointed out.

You’re quite the globe trotter, with Australia a recent haunt and the USA, Germany as well as numerous other locations becoming regular visits for you as a DJ, is there anywhere in the world you would like to have played, but haven’t yet?

South Africa, South East Asia, South America are just a few places I’d like to play in with a long list of many more countries to add to that too.

We’ve got you back for some New Year’s Eve main stage business at Fusion, Ravers Are:, Resonate & Frenzy Presents NYE 2009, have you got an especially packed schedule that night and that said, what was your greatest New Year’s Eve memory, in the grand history of your career and do you have any New Year’s resolutions that you may well break by the 7th January?

It’s a busy night for sure. I start in Skegness then I’m hitting Birmingham and finishing up with you guys in Bournemouth. I’m just praying that the weather holds out and we don’t have any more bloody snow! In terms of NYE memories, they’re all pretty cool but I do spend every year on the road so they’re pretty tiring too! I’ve given up making resolutions, that way I don’t let myself or anyone else down by January 7th (laughs)!

See you on the night and I hope you have all had a great Christmas!

We’ll see you New Year’s Eve squire, in the meanwhile enjoy and feel free to leave us with any gig dates, release dates, special occasions, condom adverts and website linky thinga majigs…

djbrisk.co.uk
nextgenerationrecords.co.uk
feeds2.feedburner.com

Thanks to Brisk, the DJ Chunky, Stuart Jackson and all at Fusion. Brisk will be live at Fusion, Ravers Are, Resonate & Frenzy Present NYE 2009, THIS THURSDAY at The Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, BH15 1UG.

The event runs from 20:00pm – 06:00am and starring alongside Brisk will be a cast of international underground stars including Scott Brown, Gammer, Andy Whitby, The Organ Donors, Marc Smith, Activator, Recon, Ultrabeat, Cally Gage, Ramos, Wotsee, Casper, Knight and many more!

Tickets are still available in advance at the bargain price of £20 plus booking fee, they will be more on the door, on the night so don’t delay in securing yours now, they’re selling fast as it’s nearly the big night!

Words: Jon-Brown (twitter.com)
Pictures: Supplied by Brisk, used with permission.
Video: Jay Twist, Extreme Productions UK (youtube.com)