To mark the release of the Tidy Weekender 14 Live albums, we caught up with all three artists featured on the project.
Here we see the first interview with underground Hard House hero Ben Stevens...

Since we last spoke you’ve been quite busy production wise, want to bring us up to date on what you’re working on?

I’ve been working hard in the studio with Paul Maddox working on some more original tracks & remixes for Fireball. I am also in the middle of doing an electronic music production course in Manchester which is giving me a much better understanding of Cubase & other studio equipment.
I have just completed a remix of Trauma – Black Magic which is the first production I have done completely on my own which gives me an extra special buzz when I play it. Some of the other bit’s I’ve done recently are:
Ben Stevens – Frequency Response (Fireball)
Ben Stevens vs Damage & Narkotique – Better Watch Out (Fireball)
Ben Stevens & Defective Audio – Radio Telescope (Fireball)
Ben Stevens & Base Graffiti – Signal Jam (Fireball)
Mark Kavanagh – Bad Boy (Ben Stevens Remix) (Elasticman Platinum)
The next things to come are:
Adam M & Dave Owens – Tango (Ben Stevens Remix) (Oktane)
Velos – The Joker (Ben Stevens Remix) (Fireball Digital)
I’m also going to be doing a few cheeky bootlegs of some classic dance tracks so keep an ear out for them!

You’ve also been to Australia, how was the trip?

I always love going over to Australia & New Zealand, the crowds are always really receptive to the music & I’ve been at least once a year for quite a while now so its good to meet up with the people I’ve met over there. This time I played at a hardcore event in Auckland & that was a new experience for me, I was a bit worried how my music would go down but they seemed to love it!
I’m looking to go back over again at the end of the year for a tour of New Zealand so I’ll be looking forward to that again now.

I couldn’t have asked for any more with it to be honest, it has been received really well by the customers & our 3rd release has been the best selling yet. It is difficult to keep vinyl going with it but at the moment they are selling enough to warrant me doing it. The digital downloads & cd singles have really taken off though & its good to see that people are now embracing the digital age rather than just sharing all their tunes between each other.
I have also just started Fireball Digital, which as it says on the tin is just featured on the download sites. With the vinyl label I can only put the next release out once I have the money back from the previous releases so it can take at least a month between releases. I am putting 1 release a week out on the digital label so if anyone has a track they would like me to consider for it please send a link to ben@fireball-recordings.co.uk
The forthcoming release schedule for the next few months is:
FBR004
A: Ben Stevens & Defective Audio – Radio Telescope
B: Ben Stevens & Base Graffiti – Signal Jam
FBR005
A: Ben Stevens – Frequency Response
B: Ben Stevens vs Damage & Narkotique – Better Watch Out
FBR006
A: Velos – The Joker (Original Mix)
B1: Velos The Joker (Paul Maddox Remix)
B2: James Devlin – Do Dat Dance
All of our releases are available from the Fireball Online Store before any other shops or download sites have them.
Go to www.fireball-recordings.co.uk for more info.

You’ve been asked to do a remix of Mark Kavanagh's old Tripoli release 'Bad Boy 2000' for Ilogik & Paul Janes's Elasticman Platinum label. Can you tell us any more about that?

Bad Boy was one of my favourite old releases on Tripoli so when Bahram asked me to remix it I jumped at the chance. I’ve been playing out the first version for about a month now so some of you may have heard it & I’m happy with how it’s progressing.
It is certainly one of the hardest tracks I have done over the past year & its got some serious power over a big sound system I am back in the studio at the end of May to finish it off & then it should be hitting the shops sometime after that.

It was great to see you at Prestatyn for Tidy Weekender 14, did you have fun?

I don’t think it’s possible to not have fun at the weekenders, they are the highlights of my year gig wise & I feel very proud to have played at them. It will be a great shame at the next one when the last tune is played but I have faith that the next site will be even better than Prestatyn, roll on 2009 to see what happens!

What has been your favourite weekender so far?

Now this is a very difficult question, if you had asked me a few months ago I would have said that the 4th weekender was as it was the first time I played for Tidy, however now I know that the last one was my favourite. It was an honour to be asked to mix one of the live cd’s this time around & for the first time in about 4 years I was nervous before a gig! I had forgotten what it was like to be shaking & scared, but I think it made me play better than normal & hopefully the cd’s will show this.
I heard both BK & Mark EG play their sets & they were fantastic so the 3 cd’s should make a quality package with something for everyone in there.

How would you describe a Tidy Weekender to anyone thinking of going for the first time?

If you haven’t been to one then where have you been hiding for the past 6 years! I remember going to the first one & thinking this was something very special we had experienced & after that I was hooked! They are a weekend full of your favourite music, best friends & sleepless nights, what else can you ask for!
Everyone loves a good party & I guarantee these are the best in the country.

Your set was recorded and is included on the TW14 album release, you kicked your set off with your mix of Amber D’s Got A Feeling… what are some of the other tracks we should listen out for?

It was a pleasure to remix I’ve Got A Feeling as the original had so many great parts to it & the track just kept changing all the way through it. My mix seems to have been going down well with dj’s across the board which makes me happy. It’s great to hear someone playing one of your tracks that normally wouldn’t touch them with a bargepole!
I tried to get a good mixture of styles that I play onto the album, many people know me for playing really hard last sets but I love all kinds of harder music. The cd starts off with some more tuneful euphoric tracks & then finishes with the thrashers!
Some of my favourites on the album are:
Captain Tinrib – Manta 3 (Omega 3 Remix) (Carbon)
Adam M & Defective Audio – Sweatbox (Flashpoint)
Nik Denton & Ben Stevens – Piano Factor (Toolbox)

Tidy Weekender 14 Live - The Album
Mixed by BK / Mark EG / Ben Stevens
Release Worldwide from Monday April 14th