Slipmatt

Your first residency was with the Legendary Raindance in the early 90s ... How did you get that amazing opportunity?

Raindance was born in 1989 and was my brother Paul Nelson's invention along with a couple of partners, Ray & Lou. The idea to put on a rave originally came from his little brother (me) being a DJ and playing House music 24-7 as well as running a pirate radio station (Raw FM) in East London with his mates. Ray was approached because he was a London Club promoter, and Lou managed the site at Jenkins Lane. The three of them teamed up to hold the first illegal Raindance in September 1989 which it went on for 24 hours, and I was the obvious choice to be the permanent resident DJ.

When did you start DJing and who was your inspiration?

I started playing records when I was 18 months old on an old mono box record player. I bought my first single from my own pocket money when I was 4yrs old, and the first set I played "out" was at my end of school party when I was 10yrs old. I played all sorts of parties and then clubs as I got older, then as I said already, my first big rave was Raindance in 1989 and carried on as their resident until they stopped in 1994. Since Raindance came back in 1996 I have still played for them regularly over the years. I suppose I was inspired by DJs like Jazzy Jeff and Cash Money but I like to think that I totally did my own thing when it came to rave.

What is the largest party you've played at?

The largest actual rave I played at was Vision in 1992. Other biggies include Fantazia, Helter Skelter, Dreamscape, United Dance, and Slammin' Vinyl etc ...

You've played all over the world. Which are your favourite countries and why?

The UK is obviously my favourite, but Ibiza (Spain) has probably been my all time overseas favourite. I've played there so many times over the past 15 years it's like a second home to me. Other favourites are Australia and Thailand where I have been many times and have built up many friends... the ravers really know how to party over that side of the world!!!

What has been your most memorable event?

One memory that always springs to mind is back in 1992 when I was with Lime and the SL2 crew in Los Angeles playing a couple of gigs, and we had a phone call telling us we were midweek number 1 in the UK pop chart. Unfortunately we were number 2 by the Sunday but we were obviously still over the moon and we stayed at number 2 for 3 weeks and in the top ten for 8 weeks.

You also produce music ... what makes your music different from other producers?

Every producer has their own style. I've always tried to put as much energy in my tracks as possible and keep the arrangement interesting with lots of changes and detail. I learned a lot of my production techniques in the early days from listening to Reggae and Dub... people like Scientist and King Tubby. I was always fascinated by effects unit and making sounds really wide!

The scene has changed a lot since the early days. What' the difference?

The music was a lot rawer when the rave scene first started. Most people making hardcore and rave were beginners... this gave the whole scene a real underground feel. Club wise, everything is so much more organised and official these days which has a lot of advantages. The main gripe I have with big raves now is the sound restriction. It's not the promoters fault. I just can't understand why the authorities keep the limits so low... it's ridiculous if they really think ear drums will get damaged if we turned it up just a little bit!

Old Skool has made a comeback ... What are your thoughts on this?

I remember doing a radio interview in Bristol way back in 1991and the DJ asked if I thought the scene was dying off. Well that was pre '92 which was by far the biggest year for rave! Old Skool rave never goes away and it probably never will ... it just has huge revivals every couple of years. I can't ever see myself DJing in the future without getting asked to play some Old Skool tunes.

Which direction do you see the UK Hardcore scene going?

The UK Hardcore scene has become a lot more commercial over the past 6 or 7 years with big selling TV advertised compilation albums selling hundreds of thousands and Hardcore DJs hitting the mainstream with their music. The scene as I see it is very healthy. It's not as big as it was in the nineties but the people who are in to it are very loyal and travel the length of the country to go to their favourite parties.

You'll be playing for Kinetic next month. What can the Kinetic crew expect to hear from you?

Well I think I'll smash the best of the last few years... but just like the old days at The Leisurebowl...full speed and no time to catch a breath smile

What are your top 5 Old Skool tunes and why?

Far too many to choose from, but here's a few favourites off the top of my head:

•1. SL2 - On A Ragga Tip
(Because it earned me a silver disc)
•2. Prodigy - Out Of Space
(Because it gets such a great response)
•3. Derrick May - Strings of Life
(Because it reminds me of the early illegal raves)
•4. Edge#1 - Compnded
(Because it was just so great back in the day)
•5. Jimmy J & Cru-L-T - Take Me Away (Slipmatt Remix)
(Because it brings back great memories of a great year)

What are the top 5 tunes you're playing at the moment?

Just a few favourites:

•1. SL2 - On A Ragga Tip (TFTSS Remix)
•2. The Flashback Project - Ease The Pressure (Rocket Pimp Remix)
•3. Human Resource - Dominator (Herve Remix)
•4. Slipmatt - Breaking Free (2009 Remix)
•5. Mr Dan & Sparks - Body Slam (Modified Motion Remix)

Cheers for doing this interview Matt and we look forward to seeing you on Friday 23^rd October 2009 @ Home in Kidderminster. Slipmatt also played on the opening night of Club kinetic on Friday 1^st May 1992 @ The Leisurebowl in Longton Stoke-on-Trent