This last year it seems you can't go anywhere without hearing a James Talk track or remix. Zabiela's played them @ Global Gathering, Pete Tong's played them on Radio 1, Digweed's dropped them in Fabric at 5am.what do you think it is that makes your production work such a hit with the big names right now?

I've been very lucky with the support my tracks have recieved this year. I think my records are quite exciting, I always write music with the dancefloor in mind, and try to imagine what kind of sounds in a track would excite me in a club and make me dance.. My tracks are very simple, but have strong ideas, I.E. a big bassline or catchy acid line. Which are very dancefloor friendly ideas. DJs alike respond to this, and essentially play music which works on the dancefloor.

Tell us a little bit about the work you've been doing with Radio 1 legend Pete Tong. How did it come about and what have the two of you been up to?

Totally by chance to be honest, we got chatting over email, I mentioned I had been messing about with a peice of software called Ableton Live, he was very interested in the idea and I offered to come to London and give him a tutorial. At the same time a lot of my tracks had been featuring in his DJ sets, and he had used my track "Love that Acid" on his Mixmag "Future Classics" CD. He telephoned me a few days after I went up to London, asking if I would remix Wally Lopez's forthcoming track with him, so I took my laptop into his studio, and we completed the mix in a few days. We are going to be working on a lot more music in the next year, some original stuff as well, as well as more remixes. We work very well in the studio together, he has a wide knowledge of music and knows exactly what he wants.

Several of your own productions have been signed up to Nic Fanciulli's label, Saved Records. "Love that Acid" was released earlier this year, and I believe that "House Rhythm" and "Get Down" are out soon. What can we expect from these two tracks, can you describe them to us?

Both tracks are as different from each other as they are from "Love That Acid". "House Rhythm" is a drum driven track, build around a big bassline, and rolling percussion. "Get Down" however is a funkier track with pads, and a killer synth stab, which drives the track along, and I suppose you would call it the "Hook" of the track. Its got a cut up little vocal where the name of the track takes its reference from, and an acid line drops midway through the track. Trevor Loveys is in the process of remixing it, and it should be on the shelves for November/December,

Your remix work includes tracks by Danny Howells, Buick Project, Stretch N Vern and recent chart toppers the Gorillaz. How do you go about choosing a track to remix? Are the remixes offered to you or do you think - I want to remix this particular track - and then seek the artists' approval?

Bit of both really in the case of Danny Howells and Stretch & Vern I was offered the remixes from the labels. This proces works by them sending over the original track, and I decided wether I want to remix it or not. Sometimes its difficult to remix a record, if its a simple track with few elements there is'nt much of the record that you can remix, In this case both tracks had lots of melodies and vocals, which makes remixing a lot easier, The Buick Project remix was a little different, I'd had the original track "@ the rave" for months, and I asked the producer of the track Nic, for the parts to mess about with, and I came up with the remix in a few days, and sent it back to him, he was very pleased with the outcome. I'm not sure if it will be released yet, If so it may not be untill 2006. The Gorrilaz Remix I did, is technically not a remix, its more of a re-edit. The original track is so good, I felt it didnt need a remix just more of a club friendly feel. I didn't actually change anything musically or create anything new, i just added a little more pecussion over the top and extended the intro and outro of the track to allow DJ's to mix it. I gave a few cds or it to a few friends, and a huge buzz circled around it very quickly. Pete Tong was the first person to play it on radio 1, then it became Buzz Chart No 1 two weeks later. Annie Mac also played it, I hear there was a big buzz in ibiza around it too. We aproached the Gorillaz record label Parlyphone, to see if they would be interested in releasing the re-edit. But we heard nothing back from them so it will just be a DJ special for a friends of mine.


High Tider's will be aware that you're a talented DJ as well as a producer. You've played on the NYE boat and at the Mono after parties. Which gives you more satisfaction, rocking a party or finishing a wicked new track?

I'd have to say rocking a party. I enjoy writting music too, and its definately the reason why my profile has risen over the last 12 months. But writting music is a very lonely process, locked in a studio for hours, with no instant reward. Where as djing is fun, your in the middle of a big party, entertaining people, its an instant adrenalin rush.

Are you being offered more sets these days as a result of your production work? Tell us about some of your forthcoming gigs.

Yes, im getting offered a lot more DJ sets, no doubt down to my production work, as well as emailing a lot of people telling them about me, and giving out mix cds. In the next 4 months i'm playing Godskitchen in Birmingham, Renaissance @ The Cross in London, Turnmills in London, Moscow, Slovenia, and lots more gigs in sunny Southampton.

If you could choose 2 other DJs to be on the same line up at a gig, who would you choose and why?

First off I'd choose Thomas Grist (Gristy), hes definately one to watch, a rare talent, with superb music tastes and he isnt afraid to experiment. He is an inpiration to me as a DJ, and i'll help him out anyway I can in the future with warm up sets.

Second would be Nic Fanciulli, A great DJ and friend who has been the reason why im doing so well, hes opened a lot of doors for me and given me a lot of chances. The least I can do is give him a booking

We've seen some top names gracing our own floating decks this year. Who in your opinion has played the best set of 2005 @ High Tide?

Well I missed the Lee Burridge & James Zabiela Boat Party as I was DJing elsewhere, but out of the DJ's I've seen proberbly Paul Woolford. I'd never seen him DJ before, but I was very familiar with his productions. He kept the floor rocking for 2 hours and his track selection and mixing was superb.

Will you be coming to the Halloween special? Any clues as to who you will be dressing up as?

Unfortuantely I wont be coming to the Halloween Special boat party this year, as i'll be DJing for Renaissance @ The Cross with Hernan Cattaneo. If I were to go however i'd proberbly dress up as Andy from Little Britain.

Anything else you would like to say before you go?

Gristy does not kiss cats. he does however eat paper.



Interviewed by Cluffy.




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Harold

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