- I'm very glad to introduce DJ Gaffer to the Strictly NuSkool Blog fans.
First of all let's take things back in time.. Try to remember these days and tell me please how did all start with your passion to the oldskool music.
I think my story is probably the same as a lot of people who are the same age. I grew up in the eighties listening to hip hop, then moved onto acid house and to oldskool hardcore from there.
I was too young to go on the acid house events of 88/89 but by the early nineties I was out once or twice a week and hooked on the whole scene.
Where I grew up I was lucky enough to have a tube station at the top of my road and my mates and I would regularly jump on a train and disappear for the weekend. I mainly went to London events at that time because there was always something happening, so most of my nights out were at places like The Rocket, Astoria, Labyrinth, Roller Express, Camden Palace etc etc.
The whole rave scene had a big effect on me back then as a teenager and although I don't listen to it as much as I used to, I will always have a big affection for oldskool music.
- Tell me something that you will never forget from that time.. Could be a party or any kind of incident that you would like to share with us, just to travel back with you..
Oh man my memory of those days is so hazy now, haha!! I mainly just remember having a great time rather than anything specific, but one event that does stick out from a few years later was Tribal Gathering '95. I remember me and my mate travelling down to Victoria on the tube, then jumping on a coach before being dropped off in Oxfordshire somewhere without a clue where we had to go next. So we just kind of wandered around for what seemed like hours walking through various fields in the middle of nowhere (what I would have given for a mobile phone with gps or a sat nav back then!).
Eventually we could hear the faint sound of rumbling basslines so we followed those until we finally walked over a hill and saw everything in the distance, I'll never forget that feeling when first we saw it all it was such a buzz after thinking we would never find our way there.
We had a top night there too, there was a real mixture of people who were there for all different styles of dance music from drum & bass to techno to house and trance, but the vibe was so good and I spoke to so many different people that night. Getting home the next day took ages as well but it was a bank holiday weekend, so I dragged my mate back out that evening to back to '89 at the Astoria. I remember him falling asleep in the club with his head on some poor girls shoulder, the lightweight!
- Oldskool part is still running.. Let us know your essential TOP 5 oldskool tunes and few words for each one..
Blimey these questions are hard! I'll probably forget something and if you asked me again next week I'll probably be a different 5 tunes but here goes:
1 NEBULA II - ATHEAMA - surely the greatest oldskool track ever, nuff said!
2. HYPER ON EXPERIENCE - THUNDER GRIP - from the deaf in the family ep which is one of the most treasured bits of vinyl. The originals Lord of The Null -Lines Mix on there is criminally under-rated and underplayed but Thundergrip is my favourite
3. INTERFACE - THE TOYTOWN EP - ok so this is a whole ep with 5 tracks and I'm cheating but non of them have track names so I'm chucking them all in there! Another great bit of wax which you can pick up for just a couple of quid these days. I was chuffed to bits when Interface came out of retirement a few years ago and did a track for Paranoid Recordings :D
4. Babylon Timewarp - Durban Poison - whenever I hear this track it reminds me of Elevation back in 1992 with one of my mates who's sadly no longer with us. Happy days!
5. Insomnia - Nostalgic - heard for the first time in ages the other day, never fails to put a smile on my face. Proper summertime vibes!
- What's your opinion about the NuSkool scene on the nu-rave sounds, how do you see the future of it and which artists are currently drawing your attention?
I think there are a lot of talented artists out there right now and its also good to see some of the older ones coming back into it too. It's a bit of niche market but as long as people keep pushing the sounds and making fresh material, I think there will always be an interest in it. As for specific artists off the top of my head I've really enjoyed the stuff that Dodders has done for us lately although to be fair everything that goes onto our albums I'm a big fan of, it wouldn't be on there otherwise!
- So.. What's the next step coming from DJ Gaffer and Paranoid Recordings?
From me personally I'll still be doing my regular shows on Renegade Radio at 10pm on the second Saturday of each month, showcasting the latest upfront hardcore/jungle breaks tunes along with some classic oldskool. Plus I'll still be doing the odd guest show here and there on various other radio station. For Paranoid Recordings we will keep pushing on with the free releases and are currently working on getting Paranoid Recordings Volume 9 finished, which hopefully wont be too long now.
- Is there anything you want to say about your Guest Mix on Strictly NuSkool Blog?
All tracks are either coming very soon or are already released on Paranoid Recordings label, all the tracks featured are either available from the website for free right now or will be made available for free in the near future, so check www.paranoidrecordings.com for more details!
- I'd like to thank you for your answers and wish you to be strong and keep on your class releases with Paranoid Recordings!
Is there anything else you would like to mention, or give shout out and thank for?
Yeah big thanks to my partner in crime Steve aka RenegadeGenius. Most people don't realise how much effort he puts behind the scenes, not just with our label but the whole scene over probably the last decade or so. Also all the artists and DJ's that have featured on our releases to date as without them and their talent there would be no Paranoid Recordings, to Dan, Livvy and all the Renegade Radio crew, DJ Pete & the nu-rave family, Kidson & Dazz F, Eddie Voyager, Glowkid, Tariq and all the DJ's who have been giving us airplay and pushing the sounds, my wife and kids and anyone else I may have forgotten (it's not personal my memory is just utterly crap these days but I still love you just as much!)
DJ GAFFER Guest Mix for the Strlctly NuSkool Blog
Catch up DJ Gaffer live @ Renegade Radio 107.2FM (www.renegaderadio.co.uk)
Every second Saturday of each month at 10pm
