The Dirty Cowboys is a name familiar to the DSI hordes – the cheeky, fun-loving electro & techno duo have torn up dance floors across the UK & Ibiza over the last few years with his mixed up and mashed up party time sets that guarantee to get the floor rockin'! They have recently taken a bit of a break to concentrate on production, but now they are back bigger, bolder and brasher than ever and ready to smash Contagious right in! I caught up with them for some serious monkey business ahead of the event…..

So guys, how's it going? You've had a little break from the decks to concentrate on production – what motivated that change of direction?

Well to be truthfully honest, as any DJ knows playing every weekend in and out certainly makes you realise what tracks and productions are rocking, and most importantly what are not. We’ve already had a strong production background, and was starting to notice that the current productions are just starting to bore us a little, so I thought the time had come to get back into the production armchair, and throw some gritty beats back on the dance floor…

You guys are of course no stranger to successful production with "You Know The Rules", "4am" and others becoming cult anthems – tell us a bit about what new projects are coming up?

Well where do we start?.... Rodeo Records has been set up to distribute Dirty Electro tracks produced by the highly acclaimed Dirty Cowboys and their associated partners. Each of our releases leans towards the dirty end of the electro genre, aiming for the hands in the air dance reaction, which makes the dance floors explode in musical excitement! Following You know the rules, and 4am came "Hammer Time" our remix of ' MC Hammer Can't Touch This ' is now an electro anthem after begin dropped at Amnesia in Ibiza, and being played by Radio 1’ s Eddie Halliwell and Judge Jules it sure put the track in its place, putting the Dirty Cowboys on the map once again for musical mayhem of an anthem. "Frogtribe" was an exclusive to the dirty duo’s musical mayhem companionship! It is a uniquely driven minimalist filthy bass line house track. With a gorgeous deep groovy bass line, that rolls all the way through. Great for those early morning terrace sets.

“How Long?" was another electro release. It shows pure remixing skill and absolute love for the trade. It takes the 1975 soulful hit by Ace to a new level by remixing it into a wet drippy filthy bass lined electro anthem. And is sure to be drilled all over the floors of dance floor mayhem near you, and big airtime achievement. Just wait till you’ll be singing “How Long”…

Python vs. Alive – This is Grim’s and Rick Maia's latest offering to the new sound of the Dirty Cowboys. It is a Progressive rolling deep sounding tech tune, that has the vocal of beastie boys, and is already causing a massive stir on dance floors and mix tapes everywhere, be warned.
“Watch Yourself” - This is the latest anthem from Porn. It is a hip hop crossover squelchy electro anthem. That has real main room feel, it has the filthiest breakdown this side of the south pole and is sure to please. Will be in your pockets very soon.

Your mixing style is certainly very unique, being a combination of long flowing mixes, aggressive cuts & chops, effects, layering and other CDJ trickery – what inspires you to try out new things and where do your ideas come from?

Boredom, plain and simple! Other DJ’s “nicely” blend tracks together to get a flow going, but that just don’t cut the mustard with us! In our world, it’s all about taking a track and making it more interesting utilising all the latest gizmology on offer. Let’s face it, computers can seamlessly blend tracks for you, so why use a DJ unless they have something more to offer!

Obviously to pull off tricks like you do, there must be some serious kit requirements – what's the one thing you couldn't live without?

Our hands! But seriously, we both like using a Kaos pad... It adds a new dimension to effects with total controllability! Here’s a little secret, I recommend you invest in a baby Kaos pad if you’re up for the challenge?

You guys are of course also known for being party animals to say the least – is there a single memory from the last 12 months or so that stands out? And what party shenanigans can we expect to be seeing over the coming months?

I’m not sure we can talk about most of our antics in public! I have to say, that goat incident was a simple accident! Who knows what’s happening in the future... we love it that way.

Your annual trip to play Ibiza for the summer is the stuff of legend – I've experienced first hand the start-to-finish mayhem that goes with it and would recommend it any time! Are you planning to be back out there this year, and if so where are we going to be seeing you?

We’ll be there, although unlike previous seasons we won’t be living there. This time there are too many UK commitments to allow us to live it up on the white isle. But never fear there are gigs on the books for Kiss Da Funk, and numerous other parties...keep your eyes peeled!

Lastly – everyone has a phrase that they love more than others, what one word is your current favourite and why?

Ha Ha! Together - You Know The Rules
Neil: You Knows It
Grim: Spandex