Tranzaction has always been at the very forefront of dance music in the South West of the UK. Hard Dance’s biggest Dj’s and Acts have appeared at Tranzaction Parties, from Yoji Biomehanika to Eddie Halliwell, Andy Whitby, Cally Cage, Lab4, The Tidy Boys it’s a huge list. All of there efforts haven’t gone un-noticed and added tours all over the world have further demonstrated the ethos of “Tranzaction parties rock”.

Last October Tranzaction hosted an arena at the Tidy Weekender: The Weekender Strikes Back. Once again as they prepare to head to Wales for what will be another storming Weekender Line-up, I caught up with Tranzaction’s Head Honcho Chris Johnson aka Avaline and the able team of Residents Charlie G and Tommie Quick to find out what’s been happening in there world, and what they’ve got in the pipeline for Tidy and beyond.

Hi guys, how are things in the Tranzaction stable?

Charlie: All is going well, parties are rockin and full to bursting and plenty or fresh things in the pipeline... Chris is on a mammoth flyer mission as always and Tommie’s dressed as a woman, so pretty normal!

Chris: Hey yes things are great thanks we have not long survived our busiest Christmas and new year season yet, and all events were really busy and have left me very positive about Tranzaction events and the future of dance music in general.

Tommie: Everything is going really well at the moment, we’ve put on some memorable monster parties throughout the South West and with plenty more to come 2008 looks set for more of the same.

Musically Tranzaction provides the best in Hard Dance, Trance, Techno, Electro, House, Breaks, D ‘n’ B and everything in between with your Multi Arena Line up Events, what have you got in store for us this year?

Chris: This year we have loads of great plans, firstly working hard on the Tranzfest Truro and Plymouth events. It is our 7th birthday in March so we will be making a big fuss about that, then there’s the Ibiza parties as well, the main trip this year is leaving on the 18th of June in association with Heat / Radical Escapes / Bionic+Breathe / Concept and many more and after the great successes of the previous trips this one is looking to be the best yet.

Then there are the Tranzaction tours and the Dirty Disco brand electro house nights, bi weekly at Club 2K in Penzance. We are also going to be putting on a weekly nite at Cornwall’s Corn Exchange starting in March with guest ranging from the Tranzaction residents to Dirty Sanchez, Mark EG, N-Dubz and a Tranzaction rocks nite so all in all working hard at keeping things moving and doing the best we can for the south west scene and our clubbers.

Boasting the biggest names at all your events, who is your favourite Tranzaction guest Dj so far to have performed?

Tommie: There have been so many memorable sets it is difficult to pick and choose one or more favourites. I think more recently for me it would have to be Marcel Woods who really produced the goods with two massive chunky electro trance sets for us in January. More regularly, Mark EG never fails to impress with his musical passion, energy and all round “sound guy” factor. We’ve got him back down in March at The Corn Exchange in Camborne, which will be one not to miss!

Chris: This is always a hard question.... for me it was probably Mauro Piccotto back in the day or Eddie Halliwell when he still banged it out at Tranzaction but then there’s the peoples favourite Mark EG who always sets the place on fire on a more diverse note Benni Bennassi was amazing and recently Marcel Woods really did the damage but to be fair if they are booked for Tranzaction then they are always great acts ;-)

Charlie: In January we had Marcel Woods back, which was wicked.. Such a cool powerful sound and refreshing to see him rock a predominantly hard dance following.. shows the open mindedness of the Tranzaction ravers. Mark EG will of course always stand out as a favourite 'performer' the intimacy of L2 totally opens up his show to the extreme. The first time we had Eddie Halliwell was also a memorable one! Ohhh and Tommie Quick dressed as a little school.. That was entertaining (some may say slightly disturbing).

As all three of you have provided the soundtrack to many a Tranzaction event over the years, what would you say is the top 3 Tranzaction anthems?

Charlie: That’s such a tough one, not personal faves but long standing cheer raisers on the TZ dance-floor in no particular order: Don’t you want my loving (Vinylgroover & The Red Head Mix), 4Motion - Over for Me, Tiesto - Traffic. Tommies Digital Deviant 'House of Purple Pain, and Avalines Never Sever are two others that spring to mind although more recent.

Chris: For me, 4-Motion – It’s Over For Me, Avaline – Never Sever, Yoji Biomehanika – Samurai.

Tommie: Uh oh, the dreaded question lol! Music is such a dynamic and fast moving entity it can be difficult to look back over a number of years and pick out THE best tracks from a set period, but I’ll give it a go. The only way I can do this is list the first 3 tracks that come to mind and they are Marcel Woods – Advanced, 4 Motion – Over 4 Me and a cheeky bootleg of House Of Pain – Jump Around ;-)

How did the last Tidy Weekender go for Tranzaction, did you enjoy working with one of the biggest brands in the UK, what was the atmosphere like at the event?

Tommie: What can I say, what a weekend. Having always missed passed weekenders due to DJing commitments I hadn’t experienced the immensity of a weekender before, but had heard many positive reports about it so I had high hopes. Although we weren’t playing until Sunday we got there on Friday and there was a real sense of excitement and anticipation in the air, everyone was friendly and obviously up for a fun filled few days. The Friday and Saturday night events were fantastic and it was good to meet up with a number of familiar faces, both DJs and clubbers alike.

Sunday was our chance to shine and I like to think we did it in style. Our arena was rammed from the off and we kept them right through till the end with a lot of positive comments and feedback afterwards. I left with a massive cheesy smile on my face, although there’s nothing new there really :)

Charlie: It was wicked to debut at the Weekender and even better as part of team Tranzaction, anyone that was there will know how mad it was, although we were in a pretty small curtained off area, within 20minutes it was jam packed, everyone seemed to be bang up for the more hardstyle sound.. it was fast, hard, hot & sweaty, which lets face it are all things we love. The only downside was not pacing my partying antics on the Friday & Saturday, which to be fair was always going to be the case.

Chris: Yes it was fantastic to be fair, our arena filled up instantly as soon as the doors opened, there was a strong support for the Tranzaction brand and the DJs playing there. The whole weekend was an eye opener and the sound systems, décor, the whole experience was amazing. Tidy did a really good job as always. It was also great to catch up with everybody in hard dance over the weekend.

This Tidy Weekender has opted for a blend of old and new talent with some exclusive brand new live acts on top. What are your thoughts on the line-up and is there anybody in particular you will be keen to hear?

Charlie: It’s huge as always, for any hard dance fan you can’t really ask for much more. Ill try and catch as many sets as possible, highlights for me though; Organ Donors on the Friday, Cally, Juice and Shocker in the main arena on the Saturday. Definitely going to be catching Ali Wilson and Mark EG for a techno fix. And perfect for when it all gets a bit too much.. Scratch Perverts and Micky Slim on the Sunday for sure.

Tommie: The great thing about this Tidy Weekender is that the line up has been chosen by the clubbers. Tidy set up a poll allowing everyone to vote for their favorite DJs, at the end of it the numbers were counted and the all the DJs booked, with the exception of a small number who already had other commitments. It’s great to see a large event really giving their audience the chance to get involved.

Personally I’m looking forward to hearing The Organ Donors, Ali Wilson, Mark EGs techno set and the first appearance of the Bootek showcase. If the Bootek label is anything to go by this is going to be one of the highlights of the weekend for me.

Chris: To be honest I’m really excited about the line up in the Queen Vic at Tidy this year, its great fun in there. Also it’s always great walking from arena to arena trying to catch a bit of everyone’s set and fitting in as much as possible in 3 days.

There is without a doubt a massive host of production talent in the Tranzaction stable. Avaline, you achieved “Runner Up' Tune of the Year at the Hard Dance Awards with “Never Sever”, how did this make you feel and what studio work have you done since, is it all straight up hard dance? Who would you say is the biggest influence on your music?

Chris: Never Sever was the first tune I’d done as Avaline with Gaz West and it made me feel great that it was acknowledged by the hard dance world and it was played on the main stage at Escape In The Park, live on Radio One a week or so after it was finished which was exciting. I’ve done quite a lot in the studio since working with Gaz on Don’t Sleep and The Glitch and more recently booted it out with NuSense (aka Steve Knoxx). The biggest influence on the production is, as always, rock / punk, but ideas always come to me at good events when the place is jumping, I don’t think there’s any better way to inspire myself to get back into the studio.

Charlie, you have had multiple releases played on Radio 1 and your tracks continue to be featured on many albums. You collaborated with Vandall last year and produced a killer remix of UNKLE's 'In a State', what else have you got planned, any possible biggies for this year?

Charlie: Since the UNKLE remix, I haven’t been able to spend much time in the studio at all.. that track was probably the biggest thing iv been involved in, and is still massive with everyone from Paul Van Dyk to Scot Project. There’s some discussion about it getting an official release through UNKLE's label, which would be amazing, and the demand for it is so big that we really want that to happen.

Myself and Vandall have just finished our next one which follows in the same vein.. a full on epic tech trance rework of 'Machines' by 'Biffy Clyro', which has just been played 2 weeks in a row on Jules Radio1 show.. so expect to start hearing that soon as there’s a couple of other superstar A listers all over it. Were going to be working on some original collabs too as soon as our work loads both ease off, and i have almost finish my first solo release in a year which looks set to be release on a leading euro label.

Not to forget you Tommie, how has your productions and remixes been going? Is there going to be anymore of them essential bootlegs to surface soon to the dance floors?

Tommie: Absolutely! I think it’s essential to keep a few special tracks aside for an event such as this. I have a number of new bootlegs ready to unleash on the Tidy Massive along with a new remix of a monster classic which should be ready to play test by the Weekender. Watch this space…..

Is there one moment in any of your careers to date that stands out?

Charlie: Playing at Judgement Sundays in Ibiza, although for obvious reason slightly hazy memory. Aside from that there’s so many highlights but I’m a long way off my goals and only early on in my 'career' so need a couple more years to answer that properly.

Chris: Standing on stage during out set at Concept in Northern Ireland on my birthday when everybody in the very busy venue sang happy birthday to me. Also dropping my tune at Judgement Sunday in Ibiza and the whole club singing along and knowing it word for word and of course every time a Tranzaction party peaks, that still gives me goose pimples.

Tommie: There have been plenty of highlights in the past, including the last weekender and I’m sure this one will be embedded in my memory for all time. I’m thinking Tranzaction in Ibiza this year will set a precedent for memorable occasions ;-)

Do you all get to go out clubbing much or is it just strictly to business?

Charlie: Its definitely not strictly business, far from it.. it never has been for me (maybe it should be haha)! We are all proper party heads and every night were involved in is both work and pleasure, and although they say the two shouldn’t mix, i reckon it’s a right good combo. I love it all just as much from a clubbers point of view and always get stuck in..

Tommie: I like to go out clubbing when I can, its always different going to other clubs when you’re not DJing and generally have no responsibility, you can really relax and enjoy it. It’s good to sit back and actually soak up what you try to create yourself on a regular basis; it gives you a fresh set of eyes and a different perspective and helps to keep you inline with what’s happening out there in the scene. I also really enjoy techno and drum and bass so like to check out the specialist nights around where I live.

Chris: To be honest I’ve spent most weekends for the last 10 years or so in clubs so for me when I do get a weekend off and I’m not in the studio or likewise I usually rest my poor little ears and chill out at home.

Tommie, on your last interview I asked you who’s the funniest person in hard dance you’ve meet or worked with so far? Did you have any stories? You mentioned your fellow resident Charlie G for when it comes to getting themselves into trouble; can I force you to spill the beans this time?

Tommie: Unfortunately I’ve signed the Official G Secrets act, however you may want to ask Charlie about the coach in Ireland or the problem at the airport on the way back ;-)

Name one event or club where you would like to host a Tranzaction event in the future?

Charlie: Space in Ibiza, which would be pretty immense. Or, a one off event with Eyecon at The Dance Academy in Plymouth, so many good memories of that place and the south west clubbers would go insane for it.

Chris: Glastonbury or Space in Ibiza.

Tommie: Glastonbury – Tranzaction presents Mud@ction, I think it could be a winner!

Now for some random Questions:

If you were going to be shipwrecked on a desert Island, what is the one thing you couldn’t simply live without?

Tommie: A ship!
Charlie: Ray Meers (I couldn’t survive without that bad boy).
Chris: A fully equipped camper van and a fishing rod.

Who is your favourite Band?

Chris: Still got to be Limp Bizkit or Linkin Park.
Charlie: Chromeo, Bloc Party, Justice.
Tommie: Greenday or Fall Out Boy.

Do you have a favourite book?

Charlie: Just started reading 24 Hour Party people, which will be my first ever book (yes, my mum is proud).
Chris: The Alchemist.
Tommie: The Karma Sutra, even the pictures are entertaining. Remember people you don’t need to read to learn how to breed ;-)

What is your most overused saying?

Chris: I’ll do it tomorrow (like this interview you sent me a week ago) sorry lol!
Charlie: 'Ahhhh go on then' or 'One more wont hurt'.
Tommie: “To be fair” in general conversation or “Providing the soundtrack to your Friday / Saturday night” when on the mic.

Do you have an all time hero?

Tommie: Gordon Ramsey, great food, great attitude! You’ve got to respect him for putting arrogant idiots in their place.
Charlie: Ron Burgunday (Anchorman)
Chris: My mum and dad for putting up with my random sh*t for the last 30 years.

Thanks guy’s for your time and good luck with more Tranz-antics everywhere!

For more info and line-ups at Tranzaction be sure to visit:
http://www.myspace.com/tranzactionevents

Tranzaction DSI Group: http://www.dontstayin.com/parties/tranzaction

Tranzaction Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5553822727

You can find out more on the Tranzaction Dj’s here:

Avaline http://www.myspace.com/avalinetranzaction
Charlie G http://www.myspace.com/djcharlieg
Tommie Quick http://www.myspace.com/djtommiequick
Greg Zizique http://www.myspace.com/djgregzizique
Mark B http://www.myspace.com/markbelton