http://hotdamnmusik.blogspot.com/2009/08/stopmakingme-interview-with-hot-damn.html
Stopmakingme
- aka Dan Avery - is part of the new school of London DJs. Studiously
avoiding the club bangers, he instead chooses to trawl through the
archives to play an eclectic selection of everything from electroclash
to techno and 80s pop. Already regular at Fabric and increasingly in
demand to play parties across the UK, the future is bright for the
young man from Bournemouth. He took some time out from a busy summer
schedule to chat to Hot Damn...How long have you been DJing and how did you get into it?
It’s
coming up to the five year mark, the time has flown. There was a really
great night in Bournemouth called Project Mayhem, run by this guy Matt
who also worked in an ace little independent record shop in the town
centre. Every week he would put up his DJ charts in the shop and it was
a genuinely exciting period for me. It followed that ‘Trash’ ethic of
an indie club playing all different kinds of music from all eras yet it
still making sense. Watching Richard Fearless drop My Bloody Valentine
in the club was a pretty life defining moment. One day, I went into the
shop and Matt had written a sign asking for a Project Mayhem warm up
DJ. The thought of DJing had never even crossed my mind before but the
desire to start, at that very moment, was unbelievably strong.
Bournemouth is a tough nut to crack but I’m incredibly proud of what we
managed to do with the night – indie kids going crazy to Kylie Minogue
records (in a non ironic way) was a beautiful sight. A couple of years
later, the Lock Tavern opened a pub in Bournemouth and asked us to get
involved. I eventually ended up booking the whole venue as a job and
moved up to work for the company as soon as I finished university. At
the same point I first met the Filthy Dukes and we got on straight
away. I always really looked up to both the Kill Em All and Adventures
In The Beetroot Field nights so was pretty blown away when I found
myself heavily involved in both.
Have you got any plans to produce your own material?
Yes!
It's happening right now - I'm working with a couple of producers. All
I can say is that I’m really keen to make club music that feels as
exciting and as FUN as a lot of the stuff that emerged at the beginning
of the decade. That's not to say I want to make novelty records, just
electronic music that makes girls dance too. There definitely won’t be
any atmospheric minimal or thoughtful deep house - that's not what I
want to achieve.
Craziest thing you’ve seen at one of your gigs?
The
entire room turning into a giant samba circle upstairs at the Lock
Tavern was a funny sight. It’s a really cool place to play in general
as everyone always turns up thinking they want a quiet night out but
ends up really going for it.
Who’s this Singleton character you've worked with?
Mr.
Simon Singleton – a very talented friend of mine. He once put work out
under the Baseball Furies guise. He’s just started producing stuff
under his own name and has some really amazing stuff up his sleeve so
definitely a name to watch. Great DJ too.
Fave venue to DJ at?
Well,
I feel extremely fortunate to be able to play at Fabric numerous times
a year. I never in a million years dreamed I would be a resident DJ at
the best club in the world. I’ve also got to mention Bugged Out as
their parties are always something else. I still get incredibly nervous
before I play at either of those but I have the time of my life once I
start playing.
Are you working on any remixes at the moment?
I'm concentrating on original stuff right now but there will be more remixes soon. There is some exciting stuff being lined up.
Describe your musical taste in three words...
When Doves Cry
Top 6 tunes of the moment?
- Mugwump - Die Nacht Ist Kuhl
- Kyle Geiger - Ode To The Elders (Perc Remix)
- Amanda Blank - Something Bigger, Something Better
- Parra Soundsystem - Shirtin'
- Dorothy's Fortress - Tube Thumper
- Riton & Primary 1 - Who's There? (In Flagranti Remix)