Two throwback posts about Spirit today, his Detroit techno mix and below is an interview we did over AIM in 2003.
–
Last week we managed to catch up with Duncan Busto, aka Spirit, to have a chat about the current state of the drum & bass scene, techno, horror movies, and his label Inneractive music.
Lower Depths: Did you have a ‘musical’ upbringing? What music did you listen to before “dance music” caught your attention?
Spirit: Hmmm, I suppose you could say I grew up in the days of The Specials, The Beat, The Jam, etc. I was the kid in the music class who brought his records along to play when we were allowed to. You don’t really find your feet musically maybe until your late teens, maybe never! When I was about 15 / 16 I really got into the UK industrial/post industrial scene, obvious ones like Cabaret Voltaire, 23 Skidoo, Test Department, Chris and Cosey. Then electro and hip hop came along and was kind of a natural follow on.
How and when did you discover dance music then? What effect did that have on you?
When it was still all drum machines and basic analogue rhythms. It was something newer, funkier, raw and futuristic. I’m an old man you see, hahaha!
We’ll get to that later… What about when acid house and techno came along - did you get into that straight away?
Ha! Not totally… partially. When the early house tunes came over I got into some of it, but was still a hip hop head and listening to funk as well by then but moving to London in 1987 changed it all.
Why did you move to London?
To go to college. And get out of Ipswich on a freebie! I shared a house with two old friends from Ipswich who later formed a techno outfit called Ubik. They ended up recording for Zoom Records, R & S, did some work with A Guy Called Gerald, two talented guys.
What were you doing at College?
I did a chemistry degree. Why, I don’t know, but the warehouse scene saw the end of that!
I’ve read about you flatting with the Ubik guys. Didn’t you used to DJ a bit back then?
Yeah, basic stuff. I became the college in-house DJ for 2 years, taught myself to mix on their cheap LAD decks with a pitch dial about the size of my thumb. We even put a party on with Mr. C and Colin Faver in 1990. By then I was doing the odd house party too and blowing all my spare cash on records.
What was the sort of music getting you going back then?
By then it was all house and techno, but deeper or twisted variations mainly. I remember my stomach turning when everyone went big on the Italian piano house thing in 1989. Funny thing is, back in ‘88/’89, Viv from Ubik was talking about setting up a club purely playing the Detroit sound. It was a bit unfathomable then but look at it now!
A few years ago I heard you doing a guest spot on an online radio show and in the middle of the show you stopped the d&b and out of nowhere played ‘My Machines’ by 69. Can you remember that? Why did you play that?
Haha! Coz it’s one of my all time favourites. I remember being ripped apart mentally when I first heard it. It was so crusty and nasty but mystical at the same time. Like Carl Craig had stuck everything through a distortion pedal. It was the second birth of Detroit, away from the 909. It was a bloody hard record to get hold of for a while too! But my favourite always changes.
It still is hard to find - I’ve seen it go for ridiculous amounts!! Thankfully it’s on the 69 album. Did you ever try to produce any techno in the early 90s?
Nope, sadly enough. I didn’t want to produce anything until I could do it all myself really, so I had to wait till I could afford my own sampler and Atari.
Did you muck about with your flatmate’s productions before then?
Nope, not really. But I did a lot of watching and studying, probably more subconsciously. It meant that when I started I kind of already knew where I was at really. Learning how to use everything was never a problem. But I did do something with Tom Klute back in 1994. He was back in Ipswich. That just fuelled it even more though, I had to get my own gear.
That sounds about right. It’s always that first hurdle that’s the most difficult. What was the track with Klute?
Ha! It never surfaced to say the least, it was fun though. One day I’d like to get back in there with him. It’s so much easier these days though. Now essentially all you need is a decent computer. God knows where I’d be know if I could’ve started earlier. All I had was an Ensoniq EPS 16+ and an Atari, I had to borrow a cheap mixing desk and output expander from Tom to finish the first load of tracks properly.
That’s such a difference to now. There are countless producers who have probably only ever used software. What’s your setup like now? Do you use much software?
Hmm, a fair amount. But it’s still very minimal. Basically an Emu e6400, a Mac, a Yamaha 02R desk, a JV1080, which gets occasional use, the odd software instrument, and three pairs of monitors. Starting as I did taught me to be economical. I had 14 seconds of sample time so I couldn’t deal with much.
THREE?!? Is that to test everything at full volume?
Hahaha! They all have a different feel, a lot gets done on the Absolute 2s but you get a bigger picture from the Tannoy SRM 15’s, haha. You get to feel the bass without losing the accuracy.
Right, what were your first tracks you thought were any good? What made you realise they were any good?
Hmmm, I never liked any of them, hahaha! No, there were some, like ‘mendacity’. Steve (Digital) was around and I was still working at Red Eye then so we could play each other stuff. I mixed down 6 tracks in 2 days and a DAT got passed around to Loxy, Peshay and Bukem. Peshay was then playing a couple and Bukem was playing mendacity down at speed and on his Kiss FM show.
Nice - is that how you hooked up with Digital too - through Red Eye?
Sort of. I already knew him a little from going out in the area but not that well. We started talking properly down at the shop, and I’d also been writing reviews for a couple of years and had got to know Q-Project pretty well.
Aha, hence the CIA tracks. What was your first release? What did it feel like to get your first tracks on vinyl?
The first release was the Fresh ‘86 one, it was cool but strange too.
Why strange?
Having to think about the reaction, instead of just making music for myself like before. But I got used to it pretty quick though. Trying to sell your own record too at the shop, hahaha!
That must have been weird. When and how did you and Digital first decide to start producing together?
We first did something in ‘96 I think it was, a track called ‘uprising’. Fabio was playing it on his Kiss show but the DAT disappeared! It just came out of getting together and seeing what would happen.
Noooooooooooooooooooo, not another lost DAT! Given that Digital had an upbringing that involved a huge diet of reggae do you notice that you’re drawing from different sources of inspiration during your productions?
Definitely, but it’s so wide.. it’s hard to pinpoint
Crazy… I was just about to ask “can you pinpoint what different skills or ideas do you each bring to the studio?” but I’ll skip that…
Hahaha, I suppose what is most obvious is our love of the old breaks sound, and kind of marrying other things with that.
That’s cool. A few d&b producers have made some amazing music when stepping outside of what is the norm to them (e.g. Photek’s ‘mine to give’, Klute’s ‘phone call’, and now Digital’s ‘get away’). Have you ever seriously attempted anything outside of drum & bass? If so what direction what did you try? Did you produce anything worthwhile?
The only time I’ve stepped over was really a 2 1/2 minute piece tagged onto the end of one of the CIA twelves.
Was that a breaks track? Like the Total Science ones?
A kind of dubby techno piece I suppose you could call it, it was called breaks-#-something or other but it was generally a 4/4 drum machine track, very basic.
Ok, its cool that you did something different - do you ever think about producing other types of music?
But one time I’ll be diving into something else. I still love techno and I’m gonna be doing so more stuff with Jennifer Bolton, some of which will go in a different direction. I think it’s been dictated by my productivity. I’m not the quickest sometimes, and I tend to just ditch things if I’m not 100% happy with them, instead of go through with them and try and find a home for them.
That sounds cool. I read that NJC will be helping out - is that right?
Yep, Nathaniel’s doing some as well, and we’ll probably do at least one together, some stuff with Zoe H as well.
Nice… One of my favourite tunes of yours is ‘memories’. How did this tune come about and why did it take so long to surface? Is there any truth in the rumour that no one would take it and that’s why you started your own label? If not what made you decide to start your own label?
Is there any truth? Yep. Hahaha! Well, noone was breaking down my door at least, the odd ‘maybe’, but I was really into it, it was getting played too: Hype on his radio show, even Mickey Finn. Fabio of course and Storm too.
Inneractive is up to its 7th release now - what have you got coming out next? Are there any plans for a solo album from you? How about a Phantom Audio one?
I’m in the middle of what is hopefully inna008, it’s kind of back to the ’solitaire/mayhem’ vibe, if it doesn’t get ditched though, hahaha, a bit more break work, more of a funky rhythm.
Don’t ditch it then!! Hahaha… How about the LPs?
Yeah, probably. It’s just about getting it all sorted and doing it at the right time, there are so many LPs out there now. I’ve had thoughts about a solo one recently, I must be one of the few who haven’t, and I want to explore some mood swings.
Yeah, give it time. There has been a lot of discussion about the current state of d&b, that commerciality and the 2-step have taken over from the ‘underground’ that has always been a hallmark of the d&b scene. How do you view the scene at the moment? Do you have an idea of how it will progress in the future? Or how you would like it to progress?
The d&b scene… Hmm, commerciality has definitely taken over, and it’s bad news I think. Fair enough to people like Twisted, Shy FX, Fresh etc who are at the head of it all but it’s the clone wars that are the problem. Too many people see a bit of cash potential and then give up any creativity in search of it.
Still, it happened with the ‘old skool’ thing too. Final Chapter, Phantom Force, Remote Control, it wasn’t about being old skool. It was about an old skool vibe but up to date music, mixing old and new. Then it became an excuse for other people to sample every old skool riff they could find and kill it.
What’s scary is, in the UK at last, the underground is split apart almost to the point of ineffectiveness, there’s a bit of snobbery there too. It’s like, if something is a stepper with a wobbly b-line, then it can’t be good, which is bullshit. If the mood is right and it’s a good track, that’s all there is too it, just a vibe sometimes.
I played at headz recently, everyone seemed into it and I had a great time but I dropped a Jonny L thing with distortion but also some of the darkest pads I’ve ever heard and is a deep, deep track and everyone kind of stopped. It’s unnecessarliy dismissive, ears should always be open.
Ohhh was that Geronimo?? With the distorted guitar??
Nope. Actually that’s the only track off his LP I’m really into, it’s techno. It was something forthcoming on Punctured Light.
Ok… so who are the d&b artists that you rate highly at the moment? What about other musicians?
Amit, hahaha! There are lots… At last Goldie is back on it, making some killers, A-Sides has just come up with ‘exodus’ which is blinding, I’m always up for a bit of Calibre, the MIST Detroit vibes are amazing… Recently I haven’t bought that much music, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do! Movie soundtracks, probably coz I’m a DVD head and watch loads week in week out at the moment, hahaha!
Yeah Amit is amazing, those dub tracks are soooooooooooooo good. I rented the original Rollerball the other day because the music at the party is so cool.
Yep, that’s here somewhere, maybe I’ll call myself Jonathan E…
It’s a great name, huh! Being a bit older than the average d&b fan do you as a DJ find it increasingly harder to connect with the crowd at a party? Or is it a case of experience being a bonus?
Hmmm, I’m young at heart, hahaha! Not really… I think the crowds I get to play to in general are more open minded. But in general, as I say, people can get an insight into how I play from what I do. I don’t think anyone expects to hear the top 20 and that’s how I like it, it’s how I’ve always been and sometimes to my disadvantage. I remember back in 1990-91 I was playing some of the side tents at some of the big raves but never broke out into the main arenas coz I wasn’t big on the euro-rave sound in general. More into Detroit and Warp still which wasn’t commercially viable then.
Young at heart, eh? When was the last time you danced? Who was DJing and what sort of tracks were they playing?
Actually I had a mini stomp around when Storm played after me at Metalheadz, ahaha, the odd minute or two now and again.
Nice!! Drum & bass is now a global culture, have you been touring much recently?
This year I haven’t been DJing that much, a lot of other stuff has been going on and before that, it was less important for a bit. Now I’m ready to get back fully. I suppose after 15/16 years of it…. but it’s in my blood. I was the ‘what the fuck is he playing?’ guy, but the side tents were called that, coz people were in there to get something different.
What were the sort of tracks that would make people say WTF?
Things like Tronikhouse ‘Savage and Beyond’, even ‘Altered States’ had some people lost and now it’s regarded as an all time classic. I used to play this old track by E-Smoove a lot too ‘Down the Drain’, it was a really basic Chicago track from ‘88.. Then Belgian rave took over all the feeling went out of the music, except for things that broke through it like ‘Energy Flash’ and Fuze’s ‘F.U.’. Still, at the time US techno was all but extinct. It took UR and Plus 8 to stick with it and pull it through.
We’re from New Zealand - have you heard much from any other DJs about the scene here? Digital’s toured a few times now - and seems to have become a local after hooking up with both Subtronix and the Salmonella Dub crew - when are you going to tour here?
When someone book’s me, hahaha! I’ve heard nothing but good, it’ll get sorted sometime I imagine.
Good, except I’ll probably be in Vancouver by the time you’re down here.
Never played in Canada either, hahaha! I made it as far as Liverpool St Station in London then turned back because the venue fell through and there was no way of getting it sorted in time to know if I was flying to Canada for no reason.
Do you and Digital often get booked as Phantom Audio? What are your sets like then? Do you play back to back or prefer to have individual sets?
Not much, in fact hardly ever any more. The last back 2 back we did was probably during the dubzilla album tour. Back 2 back is cool with Steve. I don’t know if it would be with anyone else, I suppose it’s coz we know each other well enough and can continue from where either of us left off on a similar level, but I do enjoy being left to my own devices. I played for nearly 3 hours in Finland a couple of weeks ago and that was blinding… Just going up and down and gradually changing it up over time. I think it’s because I started playing house and it was more about building a mood back then, less impact.
Was it pretty cool touring with Steve for dubzilla?
Yeah, although I only did about 4 dates on the tour, it was the only time I played at movement too, haha!
Cool - I can’t wait to check movement out when I’m over…
Hopefully headz will be back on by then too…
Right, that’s all we had sorted - what’s the time there now? 2am or something??
1:37am, time to watch a movie! Haha!
Hahahaaah - what are you going to watch?
Hmm, it’s gonna be either Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter, House of Frankenstein or something else that’s not too long
I’m guessing from that and your zombie axehead AIM icon that you quite like horror…
I’m quite heavily into horror, hahahaha! The best thing is getting crisp uncut versions finally. Fuck the BBC, we’ll just import it anyway! Ha! I just remembered I haven’t had any dinner!
Woah, at 1am?
Yep, I’m a bit of a night creature at the moment.
All I’ve had is my morning coffee, I need to get moving too.
But even still I completely forgot about eating! Okay, no worries. Cheers for that, I enjoyed it.
Same here… seeya!
(questions by Dave and Steve, interview over AIM by Dave)
Spirit’s top d&b tracks
1. A-Sides - Exodus (Valve)
2. Amit- Gatecrasher (Metalheadz)
3. Unknown - UN002 (U.N.)
4. Calibre - Waiting (Signature)
5. Clipz - Funk Physics (Full Cycle)
Spirit’s all time top tracks
1. Ron Trent - Altered States (Warehouse)
2. 69 - My Machines (Planet E)
3. Goldie - Sinister (Synthetic)
4. Doc Scott - VIP Drumz (Metalheadz)
5. Fix - Flash (KMS)
