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Interviews
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Interviews with artists, DJ's, promotors.
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Catching up with... CDjay
Author: Triquatra |
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We caught up with the head honcho at Hardcore Underground, CDJay, who was kind enough to let us delve briefly in to his world:
Thankyou for talking to us CDJay, we'll start off nice and easy!
[b]1.Can you remember the first piece of hardcore music you ever heard? And what you thought of it at the time[/b]
I'll struggle to pin down the first hardcore track I heard, but the tipping point for me was borrowing a CD called "Hit The Decks 3" from
my local library. It's a megamix series, of early oldskool hardcore from '92. I always liked the energy and contrast between rough and
uplifting and being a megamix it kept moving along at a pace that was easier to get into than perhaps a typical 12" track might have been
to my ears at the time.
[b]2.You've been around alot longer than just Hardcore Underground haven't you! Could you tell us a little about RFU Recordingz? Was that your
first taste of the music business?[/b]
RFU Recordingz was set up early in the last decade, with no real masterplan evident. I'd been going out since the mid '90s and got to know
quite a lot of people in the scene, I really loved the track featured on RFU001AA so starting a label seemed as good a way to get it
released "properly" as any. It was started with one of my friends, Ben Waine, and from the get-go we were keen to bridge the mainstream
sound with the more eclectic elements. I really wanted to do unmixed CDs, which we did in fact do with "An Introduction To Climactic
Moments" (RFUCD001) which was cool. After a while it essentially snowballed, and I started working with DJ Darwin, Ruffage, Chwhynny
amongst others. Chwhynny is now my girlfriend so rest assured I'm doing my bit to keep the professional working standards of our scene in
the gutter )
[b]3.Both RFU and Hardcore Underground have featured a host of up and coming talent, with all this music around you, have you ever thought of
taking to the studio yourself?[/b]
I used to mess around with trackers a lot in the late '90s, but even back then I noticed I was more interested in arrangement than writing.
The more motivated people I came across the more compelled I felt to errrm... help channel their efforts. The last track I "worked" on in a
studio setting was "Sensory Vision Part 2" with CLSM on which I have a credit for throwing stuff in a skip. My energies seem better spent
on an organisational role. )
[b]4.We've looked all over! Why is Hardcore Underground 2 so tricky to get hold of?[/b]
We lost control of the project, and have no idea how many copies were manufactured or sold. The communication with the company in charge of
the project deteriorated to the point that we were getting potential release date information from Woolworths! It was a supremely dark
time, but as so often is the case it forced us to light the way to a... well, slightly less dark place. Mood-lit, even.
[b]5. It's been a while since we've seen a vinyl release do you think vinyl's had its day?[/b]
For UK Hardcore it's been over for a while, I've never been a champion of vinyl although I'll defend people's right to have music on
whatever medium they like. It just became less and less cost effective, and with all the major DJs having used CDJs for many years and each
successive generation moving towards digital delivery it was inevitable. The UK Hardcore vinyl market survived the total collapse of a
string of distributors (each one costing a fortune in stock lost and monies owed) although the last one just petered out as sales
diminished to the point it became untenable to justify releasing on that medium with any frequency.
[b]6.Hardcore Underground has been running since 2006, in that time can you think of one totally awesome moment that has stood out from all
the rest? [/b]
Harder than it sounds, actually! Up and down doesn't even wipe the surface, never mind scratch it. Still, seeing HU1 in HMV (having
personally assembled and shrinkwrapped each copy with Fracus and Gary Vibealite) was fairly mindblowing. I'm still supremely proud of HU3,
as it was the first one that Fracus and I really did the project management of entirely ourselves. Whenever the mounting horrors seem too
crushing I step back and look at a list I have of all the DJs who have mixed HU albums to date. It's fairly mindblowing what we've
achieved, and still suprises me.
[b]7.You're stranded on a desert island with only an mp3 player and a selection of 10 tracks that by some freak accident, happen to be among
your favourites, what are they?[/b]
I used to be good at this game, hmmm. I'll miss a load out but if feeling spontaneous and UK hardcore led:
Luna-C - Piano Obsession
Dune - Can't Stop Raving
Bang! - Break of Dawn (Brisk Mix)
Sharkey - Forever Flying
Force & Styles feat. Jenna - Field Of Dreams
Chwhynny & Darwin - Nothing There
Scooter - Coldwater Canyon
Acen - Trip 2 The Moon
CLSM feat. Stephan Booth - Free Your Mind
Fracus & Darwin - Music Blocks
[b]8.Fracus and Darwin have their second artist album coming out soon, when do you think we'll get to hear some clips and is there a preferred
place to preorder?[/b]
Clips will go up soon, and ideally I'd like UK-based people to run to retail locations on release as it justifies us putting them there )
[b]9.We heard there was a Hardcore Underground event coming up, in London, is this true?[/b]
Yep! Probably best to attend, it has a big advantage over our previous location insofar as we have two rooms which enables us to be a lot
more interesting. The only way we'll get to make good on that promise is if lots of people turn up and make it be amazing. Over to y'all,
then...
[b]10.Can we press you for some juicy gossip from Hardcore Underground, what are you hiding?[/b]
We're always punching above our weight, but this year should prove our most interesting yet. We've got a string of artist albums lined up,
and we've started to prep HU6.
I say it every time I get a chance, but it's always been true and it is moreso now than ever before. We can't do it without people buying,
listening to, and shouting about it. As long as there are people doing that, we'll keep doing this. Massive, massive thanks to everyone who
has supported us over the past 6 years. We've got a lot to learn, and we usually do it in the most traumatic fashion possible, but that's
the best way to really learn anything. We're just getting started!
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A big thankyou to CDjay for taking some time out to answer a few questions for us!
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Added: 2012/05/10 Hits: 2420
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