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I
won't bore you with my complete life story - but here is a five minute
breakdown of how it all happend for me..........
How
& when did I get into Music?
Around the early 80's I began to pay a lot of attention to music that
was being played primarily by my mum. These were the sounds of the disco
era. albeit the more commercially successful end of it - Sister Sledge,
Chic, Rose Royce, Earth Wind & Fire and the Sound Of Philly Soul
from people like The Jones Girls, Dexter Wansell & Teddy Pendergrass
all played a heavy part in my musical upbringing.
Classically
trained Pianist?
Not a chance.. I was bought a synth for Christmas one year and just
started tinkering around on it. Showing no real interest in making music
I always thought I would be an actor and was signed up to a child model
agency. Of course nothing happend there and I eventually got involved
in setting up a school band for a laugh really. Yep, it was a real crap
one, but it was good fun. There were 6 of us, 3 girls & 3 guys.
The girls all sang, the boys all played the instruments. It was basically
an electronic band heavily influenced by the early sounds of the Pet
Shop Boys. Anyway - moving on..
When
did I start Djing?
This depends on how you look at it. I played my first paid professional
gig at the age of 15, (a pub in Walthamstow, East London), but actually
started Djing with a couple of old turntables and cassette decks around
the age of 11. I used to do my own "remixes" of the records
I had been buying basically all my life. I used to do Tape Edit mixes,
just pausing the cassette and taping different parts of the track in
different orders and repeating bars here and there and in the most adventurous
ones I would cut in other tracks and some scratching or reverse play
stuff. I even sent one of the mixes I had done, - okay I know this one's
embarrasing, - The Jets' "Crush On You"off to MCA records
. I never heard anything back but years later I would end up doing quite
a bit of remix work for MCA.
How
did I get my first record deal?
I was playing around with a 4-track tape recorder and a cheap Casio
sampler, putting down ideas and stuff. My girlfriend convinced me that
I should send a tape to some record labels. I wasn't convinced but thought
that it couldn't hurt so I sent out 1 tape to Kickin' records in West
London. 2 days laters I was called down to the label for a meeting and
shortly after that I had secured my first record deal. During my time
at Kickin' I also learnt the art of sound engineering which has proved
invaluable throughout my carreer.
So
Nice'n Ripe.. What's the story?
I was partners with a guy called George Power from 1993 to the beggining
of 1996. Nice 'n' Ripe was a label conceived by myself and named by
my girlfriend. I either wrote or produced every track either on my own
or with Simon Firmin & Dave Thackeray up until NNR026. With the
exception of NNR010. The label was supposed to shut down when our partnership
ended at the start of 1996. Any new productions after that date bearing
any of my pseudonyms or band names including GOD, 24 hour experience,
Livin Large, The Rhythm Construction Co. and many more are nothing to
do with Simon, Dave or myself. I won't go into what exactly happend
for legal reasons but I wanted to make it clear once and for all that
I had nothing to do with the releases that unlawfully tried to live
off of my reputation as a producer.
So
Swing City was born!
Swing City is a label from a company called Wyze Productions that I
co-own with my partner Kate Ross. It was launched in 1995 and the first
release was a huge success for a brand new independant label and set
the pace for the following releases. To date Swing City has released
26 records.
What
is my favourite own production & remix?
This is a toughie. I'm not very good at appreciating my own work. But
if I had to pick a favourite in each catergory it would have to be the
following ;
REMIX : Frankie Knuckles feat. Adeva "Walkin'" - VC
PRODUCTION : Grant Nelson "In My Soul" - Nice 'n' Ripe
Why
did I change from Hardcore to Garage?
Granted it was a big change up but it wasn't really a concious decision.
At the time I felt that the Hardcore music I was making wasn't allowing
me to breathe musically. It was very childlike in composition on the
whole and the tempo was way to fast to carry a decent song. It was a
great scene and I'm not knocking it but I had just moved on artistically
and garage seemed like the answer for me.
With
the advent of 2 step which way am I gonna go?
I will continue to make whatever I enjoy making. I love the 2 step vibe
as it is fresh and allows a lot more artistic freedom that the confines
of 4 to the floor house, but saying that I still have a huge passion
for bumpy US Garage flava's. So I'll just carry on making both until
i'm bored.
Let's
clear up the UK US Divide then!
Although I write and produce both UK & US Garage, I only DJ US Garage
- with the exception of the N'n'G 4 Deck sets I play along with Norris
Da Boss Windross where we play UK 2 step.
My
favourite club ever played?
This is probably a toss up between Kauflauten in Zuruch, Switzerland
and The Unit in Sheffield. But my favourite regular club has to be Garage
City in London where the vibe is always wicked.
The
legendary Jack Daniels relationship?
Yes, yes it's true I do like a sip of the old JD although beleive some
of the stories going around about me and you'd think I was an alcoholic.
My European Imposter!
Yes it's true, and to be honest quite flattering. There is some guy
going round Europe DJing under the name Grant Nelson. Cheeky bastard!
Am
I a networking trainspotter?
Not at all. I am the total opposite, I don't know where the bloody samples
come most of the time and I can't get with all that networking vibe.
I just like to go out and enjoy my evening. If I end up chatting to
somebody it's because I want to and not because you could further my
carreer.
Am
I a fashion monger?
That's a joke... I've got to be one of the laziest dressers out there.
As long as it fits, its on and I'm out....
Is the battery story
true? (Interview in Mixmag)
Yes, sadly. But I'm not going to repeat it here.
Am
I Black?
No, it's one of the most common questions I have been asked throughout
my entire career. I've even had people come up to me while Djing and
ask what time Grant Nelson is on as they were convinced I was black.
What
kind of studio set up do I have?
It's Pro-Tools based. Mackie digital mixing desk and lots of synth modules
/ outboard processors.
Is
it true that I no longer make UK Garage music?
For the time being - yes. I have been asked over & over to carry
on making it but as I have said many times in interviews in the past,
if I ever get bored with a particular musical style or I'm just not
feeling it at the time I will stop making it and concentrate on other
things. So that's it, for now I'm happy not to be producing Uk Garage
but in the future who knows.
My
advice for other people trying to make it!
Keep trying, keep nagging and most of all ignore anybody that says you
can't do it.
 mix
tape.
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