Kievbass: I’m wondering what kind of music brought you up? How did you start all this?

Neil: I was getting into music around 1989/90 so i was fully immersed into the Madchester UK sound of those times with the Happy Mondays, 808 State, A Guy called Gerald, Stone Roses etc. I went to see the Happy Mondays in concert and there was the Hacienda rave DJs playing bleep and acid house records beforehand. I was converted there and then to the new UK techno sound and never looked back since. It was a journey from that night to discovering what machines made what sounds and then building up a studio and the skills to use it. Its a process which has to keep evolving to stay up with the times and new techniques. You cant ever rest on your laurels.

Kievbass: What about family? Wife, kids? Do you have time for your personal life?

Neil: Yeh i am happily married. Of course i have time for a personal life. Its not all work. I am a keen classic car fan (retro Toyotas) and like swimming,smoking green,contemporary art, mountain biking and hanging out with friends.

Kievbass: What do you think about current situation on electronic scene?

Neil: mmmm some good some very bad, I am really into the UK bass sound with dubstep,grime, bleep etc but i am not really feeling the Minimal sound at all. There are good records out there but so many copycat bad ones with no soul. I wish more producers would at least try and do something different with their output.I dont really get the interest in many of the minimal djs. its all the fucking same. no balls and no bass.!

Kievbass: Do you still communicate with your friends and partners from the past?I mean Tarrida, Schmidt, Steve Glencross, Abe Duque, Adam X, Vogel, Youngmann, Dj Slip, DJ Hell, Jamie Liddell and others?

Neil: yeh sure. some more than others. Tarrida,Schmidt,Vogel,Duque,Youngman,X are all close friends still. I meet Tobias Schmidt once or twice a year to either play as Sugar Experiment Station and to record in the studio. I am kind of on a different track these days with the UK bass dubstep sound but when we get together its a good laugh.

Kievbass: What setup do you use at the moment? In Studio and live-acts…

Neil: I use a Electron Machinedrum, Korg ESX-1, Evolver, DX-200, Apple Powerbook 12″ running Ableton for live. In the studio i have a large collection of original analogue gear. I still love my Roland Tr-808,Jupiter 6, Jupiter 8, Sequential Pro-One, emu Sp-1200. I also use a few nice pieces of outboard gear like Crane Song, DBX and Soundcraft mixing desks.

Kievbass: The last record on Scandinavia was released in 2006… why are there such delays in releasing new records?Who will be the next to hit it and when?

Neil: Scandinavia is my personal release project and label so i don’t put a time restraint on it. Records come out when they come out. From 2006-2007 i was concentrating on Planet Mu and getting the LP out and finished. To be honest its a hard task running a record label these days and you constantly lose money on it. I will probably concentrate on releasing my music on bigger labels from now on but if you look carefully every record still has the Scandinavia logo on it. Id rather wait and put out one really good record than 5 average ones…. There are too many producers who put out shit records that all sound the same…. know what i mean? Just wait a year, charity shops will be full of sound-a-like minimal records.

Kievbass: In what way was your attitude to music changed during your carrier?Did you experience any global changes in your opinions?Were there any difficult moments when you wanted to give up everything and live like all the “normal people”?

Neil: Yeh i have had my ups and downs with it. When you are involved with the music 24/7 it becomes all consuming sometimes. Cant see the wood for the trees kind of thing. I got really sick of it all about 1999-2002. I really hated the hard driving loop techno which was prevalent which just seemed dead to me. I got into breakcore and other more alternative sounds then. During the late nineties i also learned motion graphics and design tools and built up that side of Scandinavia working for MTV and Rockstar Games alongside artist Jeremy Blake. Its hard when you are a producer and artist to go out to a party and just enjoy yourself as a guest. You can never turn off the analysis of the music and how things have been made , what works on the dancefloor and what doesn’t., When i started hearing what the next generation were doing in the UK when i moved back to NY with the blossoming Grime and Dubstep scenes it gave me a new passion to re-discover my bleep rave roots and start making some new shit to blow away all the cobwebs. Right now in 2007 with the success of “Restaurant of Assassins” and my new live shows I am loving it more than ever before. You get out of it what you put into it.

Kievbass: In the modern world it takes minutes for consumer to grab some music from internet, sometimes legally, sometimes not… Don’t you think that music’s loosing its magic and uniqueness because it’s too available?

Neil: Yes and No. You cant stop technology and progress. It is sad that recorded music has lost its value and exclusiveness with its instant availability but good music is good music and it stands the test of time. From my point of view the vinyl release with the artwork is the closest you can get to the original. Its the warmest method of playback and sounds best. To be honest i am not really that bothered if people download my music for free. It just helps to spread my sound and the more people that hear my music the better. I am passionate about my live gigs and you have to be in a club to hear it properly. A recording isn’t the same Im afraid… There is something about hearing the machines cutting through a soundsystem live and direct. Music has become a little too available and de-valued thats for sure…. Bands and artists aren’t allowed to develop now over a few years which is a shame. Its all over and done with too quickly now….

Kievbass: What’s the story about your last album concept… where did it come from?

Neil: The idea was to re-create the feeling of a lot of the records from my early rave days and re-make them with a contemporary feel and structure. I like the dubstep and grime sound but wanted to marry it with a UK rave style. Same goes for the artwork which i made. Its a collage of these bits and pieces i have collected over the years and images which are important to me. The title “Restaurant of Assassins” comes from a painting on a wall in a Paris club, La Java. “Restaurant aux Assassins” was a bohemian meeting place in the 18th Century for people to experiment with new substances, music and party… A meeting place of gangsters and underworld types///// Bit like modern day raves…!

Kievbass: What minimum setup do you need to make a good track?

Neil: A good idea, cup of tea and a smoke afterwards to see if its any good.

Kievbass: Do you notice any newcomers on electronic scene who, in your opinion, could become really successful in the nearest future and become superstars of Jeff Mills, Underworld, Prodigy level?

Neil: Very difficult to answer that question. There are loads of new artists that come through every year but its a war of attrition to see who stay around and can keep coming up with the good year on year….

Kievbass: What was the idea behind creating Scandinavia and have you been successful in pursuing it?

Neil: My own artistic platform which has no boundaries visual or aural and is based on the concept of good clean timeless design. Ice cool. So far so good.

Kievbass: What do you think about so called “lap-top live-acts”?

Neil: Some good . most are rubbish and thin sounding. I hate it when people just play tracks of them and pretend they are doing something.

Kievbass: Does “Minimal” becoming world biggest trend in electronic music seem to you as a confirmation that most of the people just don’t get much and can follow any well-advertised stuff?

Neil: Yeh its mainly shit.

Kievbass: Do you think it’s producers or latest technologies that make the future of electronic music sound?

Neil: Bit of both. Its all about ideas. You can have a couple pieces of equipment but if you know them well and have a great idea it makes all the difference. Some of the best music has been made on very little gear. In some ways all the PC and computers audio programs have made it too easy to make something very average that sounds good enough quality to put out.. I think people should think carefully before releasing something and ask themselves is it different or good enough.

Kievbass: Do you know anything about Ukraine? Anything apart from Shevchenko (soccer player), Orange Revolution or Chernobyl?

Neil: Beautiful girls and proud , strong people. I hear Ukranians love to party and hope to see that soon!

Kievbass: What does the word “rave” mean for you now?

Neil: same as it ever did. People is a dirty box listening to loud repetitive music with flashing lightsand jumping around.

Kievbass: Do you even wear a kilt? ))

Neil: yeh of course. Weddings of friends mainly. I got married in a kilt. I am very proud of being Scottish.

Kievbass: In your opinion, what are the biggest drawbacks of modern electronic music scene? What are the biggest problems?Technical, mental, marketing…

Neil: Too many average records that drag the reputation of the music down. Too many cheesy parties that dont push forward the music.

Kievbass: Drugs and Landstrumm sound… any relation?

Neil: No not really.I like a smoke but thats about it.

Kievbass: Can you recall any of your gigs when your music didn’t affect the audience in expected way?

Neil: Yeh i have had bad gigs for sure. Everyone has. Got cigarette buts thrown at me in a gay club in Cannes but it was shit anyways. Most people who book me know what they are going to get which helps;/

Kievbass: Can you recall that feeling when you first held your own vinyl in your arms?

Neil: Yeh it was an honour and a sweet day. First big goal. Its cool every time you get a record which you have made. I hope there are more to come. I am really proud of the “Restaurant of Assassins” Lp on Planet Mu and urge the readers of this interview to go download it or even buy it!

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