01. Perhaps a quick description of how things came for you musically?

I’ve always been crazy about music, I played my mum’s Beatles albums as a kid, and was influenced by the whole punk/post punk thing as a teenager, but found my  interest in jazz kindled by bands like Rip, Rig and Panic as much as the whole jazz-funk scene which was really big in the U.K in the early eighties. So I started collecting jazz records from the age of sixteen. I became aware of the whole jazz -dance scene in London whilst studying for my degree, and was fascinated  by that. Eventually hooked up with Gilles Peterson for the legendary Sunday sessions at Dingwalls which I guess really put me on the map as a d.j. along with  my radio show for Kiss FM which began around the same time. (87 ? I think!)

02. Besides being a highly respected DJ, radio presenter and compiler, you are also known in the music circuit as part of DA LATA with Chris Franck. What is your role in the overall scheme of things?

I’ve worked with Chris Franck since around  91/92 when I first heard a demo of a band he was in called  Batu, We’ve grown together musically over the years, but I’d be the first to admit he’s rthe talented one! I’m neither a musician or a programmer as such ,however I try  to contribute as best as I can through my knowledge and love of music, and my experience as a d.j. which could mean anything from writing lyrics to arranging.

03. Being immersed in such a vibrant music community in London with all types of kindred spirits would definitely facilitate the whole process of creativity and so forth. But at the same time, what are the difficulties that you have in conveying your ideas?

London is the best city on earth musically speaking but there’s also a constant demand for novelty, it’s hard when you represent  quality music from a soulful; perspective and sometimes people just don’t get it ! It’s a constant process of trying to open ears, hearts and minds to the good stuff!

04. With the advent of so many musical technologies, it has greatly enhanced the process of making music. But it has also greatly reduced the lifespan and quality of releases and it is becoming quite apparent that it is more often the case of getting and playing out the latest releases or cd-rs. What is your take on this?

Music has certainly become more ephemeral, and it’s a shame that the i-pod generation is gradually killing off the art of the album, people just burn/download the obvious tracks, so from an artist’s perspective that’s pretty bleak ! And the whole mp3 and cdr thing has completely killed the economics of dance music, it’s  hard even for big names to sell a lot of copies! Even d.j.s aren’t buying records these days! But as far as club music is concerned real quality has real longevity, and it’s not just about racing to play whatever the latest thing is, that’s never been a good way to d.j.!

05. Another question on the technology tip. Feel free to answer in more technical terms if you have to. Collaborations across continents are now possible without being in the same space physically. Has Da Lata engaged before in any such tie-ups with different people from different parts in the world, and if so, how do you guys go about producing such a track?

We like to get close to people! It’s possible to do everything remotely, on-line, but where’s the joy in that. Music is fundamentally about a shared experience, so it’s much better if you can work with people face to face. When  we collaborated with Baba Maal on the Serious album we had to wait a long time for him to be in London and have the time to come into the studio, but it was worth the wait! Convenience isn’t everything.

06. Lastly, any DA LATA production in the pipeline?

I was really pleased with our last proper Da Lata production, which was Ronco Da Cuica which featured on the KJM 10 compilation as well as being chosen by Danny Krivit for his In The House selection on Defected. The whole sound and feel was I believe a big leap forward for us! However the Da Lata project is in limbo at the moment, we don’t have a record deal, and the economics of the situation make it pretty tough to decide which way to go. We will definitely try to do another album soon, and that’s the all I can say! There are a couple of remixes we’ve just completed for Celsio Fonseca and Alphabeat.

September 2005