Dj Luck and Mc Neat, London, England - The Official Interview

Name: DJ LUCK(JOEL SAMUELS)- MC NEAT(MICHAEL ROSE)
Age: ???
Sex: MALE/MALE!!
Born: LONDON England
Location: London, England

1.For the not so clued up person in regards to the world of Soulful House and Garage, UK Underground music could you tell us how you got started in this game?

LUCK- I started DJ'ing from about 11 years old.
NEAT- I started MC'ing at school from 11.

1a. Who or what had the greatest influence on what you listen to today?

1(a) Was through listen to your parents (Did they have an artists or performer that they constantly kept going on about that influenced you).

LUCK my MUM was my biggest influence.

1(b) Was through listening at a early age to the Radio to a particular sound or artist 1(c) Was through going to the church (being part of a choir?)

NEAT - Probably from going to Church

2. Who was your first musical hero? Was it Artists from the.. Soul area Hiphop scene Rock/Heavy Metal scene Motown, The Sound of Philadelphia or Stax Records artists Jazz artists Or just any particular artist?

LUCK - Various artists but probably Bob Marley.
Neat - Big Daddy Kane and Bubbler Ranks

3. You are a DJ/Producers now. However, what was the first club that you played that allow you to gain vital experience to that is invaluable now! Is it still there now; and have you gone back to play there from time to time? What was the first Club that you ran completely.

BOTH- It was called "Belugas" (in London) and it's not there anymore.

4. I posed this question to quite a few Dj's across the world and now I'm going to pose it to you. Have been given the chance to play on those famous/infamous Pirate Radio Show's within your area of the world; any of them at all? Would or will you play on them if the answer is no? In short what do you think of the Pirate radio set-up within the London area? As you actually there it would make interesting reading. Do there serve a purpose, or have they out stayed their welcome? Is there such a set up where you are based now. What are the penalties for getting caught running such a station in your area of the world.

BOTH - We started off on the pirates and it has a very important role to play in breaking music and Pirates are still as valid now as they ever were.

5.On being a DJ. What would you considered to being the music that you like playing the best. USA Garage, Deep House, Disco House, Jazz House or 2-STEP Garage, Soul, Rnb or Funk! Or all mentioned?

BOTH - We like all music but obviously lean towards 2 Step/Garage/ Soul and Jungle.

6. Are you a resident DJ some where, or do you work Freelance?

BOTH - We play all over

7. Have you travelled abroad to work? ?(Only write down if its applies) Where did you play..what country? Was it a success?? What is your favourite country to DJ in, and the favourite club

BOTH - We are constantly travelling in the past few months we've played MIAMI, IBIZA, AYIA NAPA, RHODES, CORFU, TENERIFE, MAJORCA. At the moment our favourite is THE ABYSS in AYIA NAPA

8. What are your thoughts on the music such as 2-Step Garage music that is busting out of London? The music has bulldozed its way into the Garage world. Its the newest hybrid of the music within the scene. Some people hate it. Some people love it. What are your views on the scene and the music culture. Is it just a fad?

BOTH- The scene stays fresh by constantly evolving so we really like a lot of it.

8A. Moving into depth within the Scene(2-Step Garage music) there is a divide and there can be no hiding under the Carpet of this. "Breakbeat Garage" is the term being used to describle the latest fusion within the Uk with regards to 2-Step Garage music. Are you a fan of this newiest Hybrid within 2-Step Garage music? Is this style the way forward of 2-Step Garage music as a whole do you think?.

BOTH - We don't get involved in any divide. Everyone has different tastes and the various forms or styles that garage is moving in to is all good and keeps the scene healthy.

9. There seems to be a love for GARAGE at the moment that resembles the early days of Hiphop music within the USA. Labels are being sought after, the pirates are canning the music. Underground clubs via word of mouth are becoming " Sought after places to visit". Is the bubble going to burst soon though do you think? Can Garage (especially UK Garage remain Underground for long?) Will the majors move in, in a big way to take their share of the profits? What are your thoughts?

BOTH- As with all forms of music the more popular it becomes the less.underground. it appears to be but there are still underground raves that we play every week and no amount of money from record labels will change this. Having records like Pied Piper or Oxide Neutrino/So solid Crew/Mis-Teeq/Ms Dynamite etc. crossing over is all good for the scene as a whole.

10. The track called "Just a little bit of luck", was the one that changed your lives? How did the track come about. Who wrote the lyrics. What came first, was it the lyrics or the tune? It became an anthem for the scene when it was ffirst released, and record shops couldn't get enough records to sell to the public at first. Were you scared of the success so early on in oyur careers?

BOTH- The track was originally created as an intro tune to Luck's DJ set and it just developed from there. The lyrics were built round the basic track and when it became so big it was a bit of a surprise. We weren't scared of the success as we didn't know what it was going to be like.

11. Your second release saw you completing a cover of the classic Stevie Wonder tune called "Master Blaster" within a 2-Step Garage style? Why choose a Steve Wonder tune as a cover for your second hit. Are you both massive Stevie Wonder fans? Is JJ still a member of the band...??

BOTH- All three of us liked Stevie Wonder but JJ is a massive fan and that's how we came to do the track. Yes JJ will be working with us on a couple of tracks on the new album but he was never actually a part of the group as such so it's not as if we stopped working with him . JJ has got lots of his own songs which are brilliant.

12. Yor third chart success was another cover called "Ain't no stopping us", which was another cover that I can't remember who did the original at this present moment in time. Are you lover of this particular type of music that was made in the 1980's?

BOTH- Not particularly we just liked this track and decided to release it because it was huge when we played it out.

13. Changing the subject entirely. Kiss 100 Fm Radio station (London) has come in for a lot of stick a couple of years ago for moving away from its dance music ethos in favour of a more commercial and pop orientated sound, which has infuriated a large amount Londoners. What are your thoughts of this..

BOTH- Kiss has a lot of specialist evening and weekend programming which covers most aspects of popular dance music and for our show we get total free choice over what we play so Kiss are actually broadcasting a lot of specialist records you won't hear elsewhere.

14. BBC Radio 1 seems to be championing the cause of dance music. But is this fools gold? Is this only a case of dance music being fashionable so the the BBC are panicking and getting pressurised in putting on these soul, drum and bass and garage shows in fear of getting left behind?

BOTH- Radio One are very good at breaking specialist dance music to a much wider audience and they do a good job of covering a cross section of dance styles which they play at peak times. This is obviously essential in areas where the only other stations are Old Gold or Top 40 format. It's not a case of dance being fashionable it's more a case of this being the most popular type of music and Radio One are reflecting this, the main guy who's in charge of the music playlist actually has a background in dance so he really knows his stuff anyway. The Dreem Teem show is also an example of how good a National station can be in spreading the music across the country, we love the show and always listen to it.

15. Whenever I am in London, I tend to think to myself I wish Girls Fm (Pirate Station -from 1996) were still about. They played all forms of House and Garage music, which I thought was great. Do you think that the London pirates should be taking more chances then just playing one style of Garage music. Would you like to see a Girls Fm styled pirate station on the London airwaves again?

BOTH- There is actually a good spread of sounds across the pirates

16.If it were possible would you prefer the playing of the long, long sets that are given to American DJ's such as Danny Tenglia of what Uk/ European DJ's can only dream of at places like the "Tunnel" in New York, etc, etc. Then the customary 1 or 2 hours that is given out to most European DJ's?. What is the state of play where you play. How many Hours per set do they give you?

BOTH -It really depends on where we are playing but we tend to do between an hour to two but if we did a sixteen hour set like Tenaglia, Neat would lose his voice or fall asleep!

17.Dubbed the New Ibiza by music critics and fashion experts alike. Do you fear for the islands (Ayia Napia, Cyprus) beauty? Do you think that the island will attract all the wrong types of people? Watching the film called the "Beach" starring Leonardo Da Capiro. We all saw what could happen if rules are bent and relax to accommodate wealthy holiday makers. Do you think that Ayia Napia, as a holiday resort could be spoilt.? What are your views as a Brit (Uk)?

BOTH- No the vibes this year have been really good and most of the tourists stay around such a small area that there would be very little chance of the rest of Cyprus being affected.

18. The programme called "Ayia Napia -Fantasy Island" shown on Channel 4 (UK television documentary) shown towards the ending of 1999, was a huge success on British Television. Have you seen the show at all? Have you been see the year 2000 version of Ayia Napa -Fantasy island lately. If so what did you think. There was a few complaints here in England, via the Cypriot community that found the show distasteful. If you have been given a video copy of the show, and did manage to watch it. What were your views?

BOTH- From the bits we have seen it was fairly light hearted fun and we'd be surprised if it upset anyone. Most of the locals we know in Cyprus are pleased with the extra business that the tourists bring in and it helps the economy . Like most TV shows no-one should take it too seriously it's made for entertainment not for a portrait of what Cyprus is really about.

19.Do you still do your own stint of record shopping or hunting? Or do you leave it up to being supplied by labels, etc to keep you up to date? When you play out?(If you play out) A lot of DJ's nowadays survive by living of what given to them by Record labels of all shapes and sizes. What about you. Does this apply to you?

LUCK- Obviously with the KISS show I get sent a lot of records and Jo Underwood at Rush Release who handles our promotion gets me quite a lot of stuff but I still check out the stores for whats going on.

20. As labels go..Have you a favourite. One that you always stop by as you flick through the piles of Records in your specialist record shop?

LUCK . I like to check out EVERYTHING

21. Record mixing. Your technique when playing out. Do you use a style of blending when you playing out; or are you a person who like to jump straight in and out of a track without warning!!! What styles do you like to use?

LUCK- Come and check out one of our gigs and you decide!

22. Are you running a label of anykind? And if so, who have you got signed to the label? Any important Releases that we should keep a look out for?

BOTH- We.ve got our own label called LUSH MUSIC which we are currently signing up new tracks for and already we have four tracks getting ready for release.

23. You have a new single coming out called, "I'm all about you", which many die hards 2-Step Garage fans within the 2-Step Community breathed a huge sigh of relief about. Many fans within the 2-Step Community did not like the single called "Piano Loco", even though you had a huge chart hit with it. What gave you the ideas to added a Latin Feel to a 2-Step Garage track in the first place ("Piano Loco").

BOTH- It was just an idea we came up with, everyone loved it, it's still a huge record when we play in the clubs and we really enjoy performing it. We just like the idea of constantly doing different tracks to keep everything fresh.

24. Mc Neat this is for you. At present 2-Step Garage Mc's are being singled out within the 2-Step Garage music scene. Many are saying that the Garage Mc is stifling the music. I have witnessed myself 6 to 7 Mc's fighting for the mic at Garage raves when the music is in full flow so that they can be heard and noticed over the other Mc's that have had there turn at the microphone. I love the live element that the modern day Uk Garage Mc gives to a event. But have Mc's gone over board? Many see themselves more important the dj who playing the tunes. What are your views on this...

NEAT- I do my thing and let everyone else get on with what they do. I work with a lot of different MC.s like CKP, Blakey, Unknown, DT, etc. and they all have their own style and it.s all good!

25. The Uk/2-Step Garage sound is differnately influenced a new generation of Garage listeners from around the world. We are hear of dj/producers within countries such as Germany, Holland, Australia, Canada, Sweden, The Czech Republic and the Usa now making 2-Step Garage tracks. And we are soon going to be buying 2-Step Garage tracks these from aboard in the Uk. Is this a good thing that the music is now coming from all different parts of the globe.

BOTH- Of course because it keeps building interest in the music on a much bigger scale.

26.Another major topic within the music of 2-Step Garage music is the mentioning of "Breakbeat Garage".. Its a term used to describle the more ragga, breakbeak approach that many of the younger 2-Step Garage fan likes. Your seminal first single called "Just a little bit of luck" once again proved Englands love of Breakbeat and Ragga music within 2-Step. Are you more a fan of this Darker Breakbeat/Ragga approach in creating 2-Step garage rather than the more melodic and Soulful approach attempted by artists such as K-Warren, Ed Case or the Artful Dodger...???

BOTH We love it all - we've no real preference, it.s all good!

27. Changing the subject again...Who do you rate as one to look out for in the future (DJ Wise?) Who should we keep an eye out for! From your own country? DJ/ music artist/s producer and from what you have heard or seen from abroad? DJ/ music artist/s producer.

No comment we don't want anyone slagging us off for not mentioning them!

28. What do you see the future for Soulful House and Garage music,and 2-Step Garage music in this country? Is it at a healthy state. Will it continue to attract even more people to it? I've noticed that there are more and more parties and events that are being staged the London with regards to the more traditional "4 to the Floor Usa Soulful House and Garage music sound" in London. Is this a bad thing for 2-Step Garage in general? Is there a revolution happening against 2-Step Garage, or is this is wishful thinking!!

BOTH- We think that the scene is very healthy at the moment and there's no reason to assume it won't continue to grow in popularity there's no revolution against 2 step things are just evolving. Different slants are developing like R&B/Reggae slanted which is really good.

29. Have you got any advice for any aspiring record label producer, DJ or club owner within the world of House and Garage. Any rules that he should adhere to!

BOTH- There are no rules just keep it original and fresh and if you.re offered any sort of a deal get it checked by a good lawyer!