Hot Air Podcast Series

Greg Wilson goes deep with Mike Boorman on the relationship between creativity and political unrest. Could these be good times for creative scenes? Or is the marketplace too fragmented and too disaffected to be truly innovative? Using musical history and philosophy from the likes of Alan Moore and John Higgs, Greg sets about answering these questions, and while he’s at it, gives a whistle-stop tour of his psychedelic musical collective, Super Weird Substance.

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Hot Air: Greg Wilson & Mike Boorman discuss our creative future

To listen to the records that Stu Robinson has put out under his ASOK moniker you’d think that he’s been producing for years. Deep, rolling techno and house music that has such a distinctive feel that you can pick his tracks out a mile off. In actual fact he only got into production relatively recently but that’s only half the story. With a deep love of electronic music that goes back to his school days in the early 90s he has lived and breathed this scene for over two decades. I caught up with Stu over Skype to dig into his story and we really do go deep. We chatted for ages covering his first forays into the northern hard core and jungle scene, how he balances being a dad and a touring DJ right up to his new label venture, Four Triangles. It was a real pleasure to chat to someone with such unending enthusiasm for electronic music in all its forms. Well maybe except for trance that is.

Hot Air Episode: #15 ASOK talks to Joe Europe

Many artists talk a good talk about being forward thinking, constantly evolving and pushing their personal boundaries, but few follow through on this like Armon Bazile. As Aybee, Bazile has put out record after record of deep, innovative house music that draws in influences from across the musical spectrum but that’s only part of the picture. He’s released under countless other monikers, held down one of the best labels in the business for over 15 years, and has managed to cross the divide to become an accomplished filmmaker as well. Having just teamed up for an excellent jazz funk excursion with legendary musician Lars Bartkhun I caught up for a chat with Aybee and we took in a fair bit of territory. We covered his chequered musical past, his creative process and how he’s translated his talents into filmmaking. Now Armon had a heavy cold when we were recording this, so extra props to him for soldiering through and still managing to come across eloquent, insightful and humorous in spite of all the coughing and sneezing.

Hot Air Episode: #16 Aybee talks to Joe Europe

An enlightening discussion with Chris Coco about the finite detail of sunset DJing, coinciding with the release of Chris’ new album My Favourite Place (Before Sunset). Who knew just how many permutations there are?!? Proximity to the equator, cloud cover, time of year… it all counts!
Chris' new album is available here: https://chriscoco.bandcamp.com/album/my-favourite-place-before-sunset

Hot Air: Chris Coco & Mike Boorman discuss the art of sunset DJing

Chrissy is a true veteran of the dance music scene, with a career that spans decades, genres and continents. Hailing from deep in the American mid-west, he came up through the rave scene, first gaining international recognition via his Murderbot moniker pushing his own take on Jungle but, over the years he has never stood still. After moving to Chicago 10 years ago he’s continued on his journey of hard work and constant self-renewal, ending up as a resident at the legendary Smart Bar, and running  the excellent Night Owl Diner imprint alongside Alex Burkat. I caught up with Chrissy as he passed through London on a recent tour and we had a long, and in-depth chat about the journey that’s brought him to where he is today. Instantly warm, funny and with deep knowledge of music, this was one of my favourite conversations to date and my mind was slightly blown to discover that Kansas City isn’t actually in Kansas.

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Hot Air Episode: #18 Chrissy Talks to Joe Europe

You will probably know Nabihah Iqbal by the name Throwing Shade. Under this name she’s released a string of really amazing EPs that blend dream pop, RnB and house music and you can tell her tracks a mile off. But recently she’s decided to shed that moniker and produce under her given name, a move that’s coinciding with the release of her excellent album The Weighing of the Heart which has just dropped on Ninja Tune. The album sees her moving into new sonic territory, bringing in a focus on guitars, vocals and there is a great influence from 80s indie and kraut rock, and it sounds fantastic. I met up with Nabihah in her west London studio and we had a great conversation ranging from digging deep into her process of writing the album, the perceptions of women in the music industry all the way to the discussing the weird world of Mongolian Throat singing. Now, the album is out already and you should definitely check it, but we go pretty deep on the track Zone 1 to 6000 so you might want to take a listen to that one in particular so you can see what we’re talking about.

Hot Air Episode: #19 Nabihah Iqbal talks to Joe Europe

Violet hails from Lisbon and has been releasing music for a few years now but really came to prominence in 2015 when she put out a cover of the classic Underground Resistance track Transitions but reinterpreted with all female vocalists for International Women’s Day. Now this track really struck a chord with people and since then she’s enlisted the talents of lots more women to reimagine a string of other dance classics from Egyptian Lover to Joe Smooth. But her talents don’t just end at reworking old masterpieces. She has a string of excellent releases in her own right, runs the Lisbon based Radio Quantica and has recently started her own imprint Naïve which has her personality stamped all over it. We caught up with Violet for a broad ranging chat, taking in a whole host of topics from the intricate planning of her DJ sets, ways to fight imposter syndrome and we even end with a quote from the mighty Kanye West.

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Hot Air Episode: #20 Violet talks to Joe Europe

The man behind the legendary We Love at Space in Ibiza gives his view on the current state of DJ booking and programming of nights. He also reflects on his glory years at Space, and then how he struggled to come to terms with his exit from the venue.

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Mark Broadbent & Mike Boorman discuss the lost art of programming lineups

Franklin De Costa has flown mainly under the radar for a long time now, but he’s long been a favourite of electronic music fans who love to delve a little deeper. Hailing from Berlin, he’s been releasing music under a variety of monikers for well over a decade and he’s always charted his own course. Alongside his production work, Franklin also promotes the Mothers Finest night where he’s been able to continue to push the weirder, more non-conformist corners of techno and bass music. With the likes of Hodge as a resident and acts such as DJ Bone, Laurel Halo, and Machine Woman amongst his bookings you can see that they like to follow the path less trodden.
 
With a new Mudkid album coming soon, and the 5th Birthday celebrations for Mothers Finest fast approaching, I caught up with Franklin over skype on a chilly Sunday afternoon. We had a broad ranging chat covering berlin winters, his creative process and how social media is changing the way the electronic music scene exists, for better and for worse.

Hot Air Episode: #22 Franklin De Costa talks to Joe Europe

DJ Pippi and Mike Boorman look back at 1980s Ibiza. Pippi became resident at Pacha in 1984, having first visited the island in 1978 to see Bob Marley’s legendary gig at the Plaza De Toros.

Pippi says he was the first DJ on the island to play house music, but is often missed out of the story. A full three years before Danny Rampling, Paul Oakenfold and Nicky Holloway came to Ibiza for their infamous lads’ holiday, Pippi was mixing the latest dance music in Pacha.

But Pippi has no axe to grind about the retelling of history. He was delighted to reminisce about some of the legendary Ibiza venues from the 70s and 80s, and he spoke with great enthusiasm about how the island changed once it was ‘discovered’ by British DJ culture.

Tracklist:
1. DJ Pippi - Dangerous

Hot Air: DJ Pippi & Mike Boorman on 1980s Ibiza

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Hot Air podcast. This time around we have a conversation with a very special DJ who, over the years, has had a huge impact on not only the Drum & Bass scene, with which they are mainly connected, but on electronic music as a whole. But, as well as this, our guest today played a big part in my own journey and was hugely influential on me as I was first getting into dance music many years ago, so this is a very special one for me on a personal level too.  
 
Jayne Conneely, better known as DJ Storm, was one half of the iconic duo Kemistry and Storm who were at the forefront of the scene that became known as Drum & Bass. As we will hear they met at college in the small provincial town where they grew up but the friendship they built went on to become a working partnership that would see them co-found the seminal label Metalheadz with Goldie and become two of the most prominent DJs in the scene. When Kemi sadly passed away after a car accident in 1999, Jayne had to rebuild her career after losing her closest friend. After lots of blood sweat and tears, DJ Storm is going from strength to strength, once again is topping bills all over the world.
 
After all her years in the game I was struck with the level of love and enthusiasm Jayne still has for this music. She was instantly warm and friendly, and had so many stories about her journey from her early days in Kettering, through to moving to London, playing pirate radio, the birth of Metalheadz and loads more. I just want to thank our friends at Rye Wax in Peckham, who kindly gave us a space to record, so shouts to you guys for that.

Hot Air Episode: #24 Dj Storm talks to Joe Europe

Hello and welcome to another episode of the hot air podcast for the Ransom Note. This time around we bring you a conversation from the exceptionally talented DJ and Producer Marcos Cabral. Marcos is probably best known for his many excellent releases with Ron Morelli’s L.I.E.S. records, but that’s only part of his story. His discography is deep and varied, with releases going back to 2003, and he’s been a key player in the rave scene in his native New York for even longer. This episode is short but sweet, and we cover some pretty varied territory including his early days as a teen disco DJ in a holiday resort, to running raves in his loft apartment in upstate New York, and the highs and lows of balancing a day job with a career in music. Marcos has just dropped a new record on Dimensions, which really showcases the breadth of his production style, so make sure you check that out.

Hot Air Episode: #25 Marcos Cabral to Joe Europe

Jason Alexander, better known as Warlock, has had a love affair with dance music going back to his time growing up in the small town of Stafford in the late 80s.

When he moved back to his native London to study, he quickly immersed himself in rave culture, starting his own DIY pirate radio station. From there he progressed to more established stations and before long he was a regular fixture at raves and clubs up and down the country. While he started out in the breakbeat-hardcore scene, Jason’s restless search for new music saw him often switching genres, taking in Jungle, gabber and techno in a process that saw him continually reinventing his sound, while many around him stayed entrenched in one particular scene. I caught up with Warlock in his south London studio to drink coffee and delve into his long and varied history at the forefront of the music he loves. Jayson was instantly warm and friendly, and I was struck by just how many great stories he has about his time in the game, in particular his story about Arthur, the lock picking hermit who rented them a room in his council flat to run a pirate station.

Hot Air Episode: #26 Warlock to Joe Europe

Hello and welcome to another edition of the Hot Air podcast for the Ransom Note. This time around we bring you a conversation with a DJ who definitely likes to write her own rulebook. Elena Colombi came to the UK from Italy back in 2007 and quickly immersed herself in the capital’s nightlife. Before long she was promoting regular parties and eventually ended up with a residency on NTS which is where you can hear her every month, keeping Monday’s weird. Her eclectic DJ style perfectly reflects her personality, staunchly independent and always seeking out new experiences.
 
Ahead of her upcoming appearance at Field Maneuvers, I caught up with Elena on a hot June evening at her apartment in North London. Now, I’ve met a lot of people over the years in this business for interviews and I have to say that at times it can be a little bit awkward. But as soon as I walked through Elena’s front door she was just the most relaxed and welcoming person to talk to, and the conversation flowed right from the start. We covered quite a bit of territory, we traced her musical journey from her early days throwing parties in Milan, and also it was great to get her insights into the scene we have here from someone with a slightly different perspective. She was in the middle of packing up her flat to move out of London, and I started off by asking why was now was the time for her to be looking for new horizons.

Hot Air Episode: #27 Elena Colombi Talks To Joe Europe

Hello and welcome to another edition of the Hot Air podcast. This time around we bring you a conversation with Danny Berman, better known as Red Rack’Em. Danny’s been in this game for over a decade now, steadily plying his trade tracing the lines between house music and broken beats. But a couple of years back he had a huge hit with his track Wonky Bassline Disco Banger, which became the unexpected smash of the year, and was the biggest selling dance vinyl of 2016. Now, while he was already earning his living off DJing, that record sent him on a trajectory that saw him playing all over the world doing three shows a weekend, and spending his life hopping from one flight to another. In this conversation we took an in depth look at the ins and outs of the higher echelons of the music scene, and I loved how open and honest Danny was about the way this made him see the world, and the effects this had on his mental health and wellbeing. Having just moved back to the UK after an 8 year stint in Berlin, it was great to chat with Danny tracing his musical and emotional journey, and to hear his enduring enthusiasm for music still shining through.

Hot Air Episode: #28 Red Rack'Em Talks To Joe Europe

Fatboy Slim discusses the mental and creative challenges he has faced in his career. In a frank exchange with Mike Boorman he opens up about his alcoholism and gives his views on whether the industry could have done more to help him and others in his situation.

He also rationalises his creative journey. At what point did he stop trying to change the world through music? Is it enough for him to simply offer escapism? 

The interview offers a great insight into Norman Cook the man: his insecurities, his personal development and his undying love for public performance.

Hot Air: Fatboy Slim & Mike Boorman discuss alcoholism & mental health

Nick Warren’s other obsession in life is fishing. When he’s not travelling the world DJing he likes nothing more than to spend his days on a river bank chasing salmon. He fishes all over the world, and even instructs his agent to build his DJ gigs around some of his fishing trips!

Nick and Mike discuss the art of fly fishing and why it is the ultimate antidote to the chaos of an international DJ lifestyle. They also discuss the environmental issues that Nick has seen through a life in fishing. Are fishing quotas doing more harm than good? Has global warming threatened the future of Atlantic Salmon? Do politicians even care?

Hot Air: Nick Warren & Mike Boorman discuss fly fishing and the state of the world's oceans

Hello and welcome to another edition of the Hot Air podcast for the Ransom Note. This time around I spoke to a DJ who has dedicated his life to music since the early 80s. John Scheffer is a quiet and unassuming guy from The Hague, and you probably more likely to know him by his long term moniker Intergalactic Gary.

From his early days buying glam rock records back in the late 70s, John has immersed himself in collecting music, and began DJing in clubs in Holland in the 80s. But, he’s never been one to jump on the latest trends, and he’s always very much followed his own path. After he hooked up with I-F in the 90s and begun putting out twisted electro records as Parallax Corporation, Scheffer’s DJ career slowly began to blossom, and these days he’s travelling the world bringing his unique blend of warped disco and techno to dancefloors on a regular basis. With John coming to London to play Hypnodrive at Rye Wax on the 28th September, I caught up with him to chart his long and varied career. It was great to pick his brain about the early days of disco and Italo in the Netherlands, and he has a great story about how acid house finally took hold after a somewhat uncertain start.

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Hot Air Episode: #31 Intergalactic Gary Talks To Joe Europe

Welcome to the Hot Air Podcast for the Ransom Note. This time around I caught up with an artist who I’ve been following for some time now, but every time I hear some new output there’s always something there that’s fresh and surprising. Brian De Souza, better known as Auntie Flo, hails from Glasgow, and the city’s rich electronic music history is deeply engrained in his psyche. Originally embarking on a path rooted in house and techno, Brian quickly expanded his musical horizons to incorporate sounds and textures from all corners of the globe, pushing this broader pallet in his productions, and also via his long running club night Highlife. With a new album having just dropped on Brownswood, I stopped by his north London flat for broad ranging chat in his kitchen over a nice cup of coffee. We delved deep into his formative years growing up in Glasgow and talked about the process of putting the album together, but we started off with some surprising alternative meanings for his artist name. 

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Hot Air Episode: #32 Auntie Flo Talks To Joe Europe

It seems like every week there is a new revelation of misogyny or sexual assault in the electronic music scene. Whether that’s a well-known DJ abusing their position of power, or a trendy techno label boss espousing awful opinions on women, and this is an issue that’s effected pretty much all elements of our scene right from the beginning. So, for this episode of the Hot Air podcast, we spoke to Rachael Williams and Chloe Harris, two amazing women at the coal face in the electronic music, to find out about their experiences. This will be the first in a series of podcasts looking at how we break this culture and move forward to a better environment in dance music.


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Track credit – Chloe Harris, Makmba

Hot Air Episode: #33 Breaking The Culture

Ransom Note is an online music, arts and culture magazine. We provide a home for readers and writers with boundless enthusiasm, esoteric knowledge, fierce opinions and impeccable taste.

With our core team immersed in all aspects of dance music, we publish news, articles, and interviews covering the greatest in innovative, underground culture from across the globe. We offer regular, exclusive music and mixtapes from our favourite artists, and publish features shining a light on everything from the freshest new artists to the untold tales from rave history.

Alongside this we offer musings on film, books, life, and art, generating some context and controversy as an antidote to the reheated PR that clogs up the internet. Our office is fuelled by Tunnock’s Bars, cat memes, hangovers and a ridiculous, never ending love for our culture.

We're always interested in getting new writers on board – feel free to get in touch if you’ve got a story to tell.

With love until the grave.