Adamski waltzes into the future

Rave pixie Adamski is back with a new sound and a new club-night – which he has dubbed Neo-Waltz. His new sound is electronic dance music in ¾ time – a time signature that has re-energised him over the past couple of years, he tells DJ Mag, 22 years after his seminal rave track 'Killer' topped the charts all around the world.

Adamski's new music sounds like a mash of dancehall, digidub, UK funky, electronica and breakbeat – all in ¾ time, as opposed to dance music's standard 4/4. “The ¾ thing just seems to be like this other sort of mood, a parallel universe of music,” he says. “There’s something about that time signature that whoever’s used it – a lot of major bands like the Beach Boys, the Stones, The Clash, Led Zeppelin and The Stranglers have all got a ¾ track — it’s when they go a bit left of centre and odd.”

Adamski shot to prominence in 1990 when his rave anthem 'Killer' — featuring singer Seal — shot to the top of the charts all around the world. From the epicentre of the rave scene, he found the transition to becoming a pop star somewhat strange and over the past two decades has played down his pop star status to immerse himself in underground sounds. Now, after spending some time living in Berlin and Italy, he's back in the UK – and has the idea of wanting to get couples dancing together in clubs once again. Himself too...

“I’ve been 25 years in the clubs, and it takes a super-hot amazing thing to get these old bones onto the dancefloor,” he says. “The thing about waltz is that it gets me in spite of myself. I find myself spinning round, which is quite a pleasant sensation.”

Adamski reveals that he's had some waltzing lessons himself, and has been researching the history of the waltz to back up his new project. “I wanted to make sure that the tunes that I’m making are waltzable,” he says, “and the sensation of waltzing around this pink dance studio with a waltz teacher reminded me of sniffing glue when I was 13. I had the same sort of head rush, which is quite good really. I’d encourage teenagers to do waltzing rather than sniffing solvents!”

Adamski has recently signed his Neo-Waltz project to influential independent label Wall Of Sound, and has the first of his Neo-Waltz nights in London this weekend. “We're going to party like it's 1799!” he laughs.

After that, next week, he's doing the music for Vivienne Westwood’s couture show in Vienna at the National Art History Museum of Vienna. “I'm taking the waltz back to Vienna, bringing it back home,” he smirks.

The first of Adamski's monthly Neo-Waltz nights is at Chats Palace, London E9 on Saturday 6^thOctober. The night also features live performances from singer/model Viktoria Modesta and soul singer David McAlmont. Read the story behind Adamski's 1990 game changer 'Killer' in the November issue of DJ Mag.