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WE CATCH UP WITH HOT SINCE 82

In the past 12 months, Hot Since 82 has taken his productions to another level

His Green Velvet, Rudimental and Shadow Child reworks have become anthems in their own right and he was recently awarded Essential New Tune on BBC Radio 1 by Pete Tong. He’s just released the first instalment of Moda Black’s ‘Little Black Book’ project — all this, as well as being inducted into the Essential Mix hall of fame. DJ Mag wanted to know what makes this man so HOT!

How did you get involved with the ‘Little Black Book’ project?
“I was the first person to release a track on Moda Black, so I guess Jay and Andy felt it right that I was the first person to be handed the reins to produce, curate and complete the first instalment of this new compilation project. The guys have been putting out some great music on Moda Black via the comps and the label, and this is a cool idea for an artist-led project without the pressure of it actually being a debut album. In fact I’m interested to see who will do the second ‘Little Black Book’.”

It’s quite an ambitious music project...
“Indeed! I’ve not worked on a project this big before, it took the best part of seven months. I have to admit the deadline did get pushed back a couple of times, it’s a massive thing to take on board, especially as I wanted to include so much exclusive new material. It was very important that the listener goes on a bit of a musical journey, like one of my sets. That’s why I mixed it live and kept the energy and vibe that can sometimes get lost in the studio.”

Talking about ambitious, you’ve worked with one of the scene’s legendary artists, Green Velvet...
“Yeah, that was amazing. Yousef sent me the track and I jumped at the chance to remix it. It’s crazy to see how well it’s done. Caj (Green Velvet) is a real legend in the game, so to work with him and see the remix become an Ibiza anthem is just incredible. I played in Chicago (his home town) recently and he got on the mix to perform it live, it was a crazy moment!”

Your Essential Mix has been received with great acclaim...
“Yes, that was a real landmark for me. I’ve been listening to Pete Tong and the Essential Mix since I was knee-high, so being asked to join the Essential Mix hall of fame was a great moment. I spent quite a bit of time thinking about how to go about it, and then just jumped in the deep end and mixed it live!”

When it comes to kit, what are you using at the moment?
“I am currently using Logic X on a new iMac retina i7, coupled up to two Terabyte hardrives, the amazing Universal Audio Apollo soundcard, and a few synths: Dave Smith Tetra, Moog Slim Fatty, Arturia Analog Factory Experience, Mackie 824 monitors and loads of soft synths — Arturia’s Legacy Collection and the new Native Instruments’ Komplete Ultimate are two of my favourites. “When I DJ it all depends, as I tend to use a collection of anything, depends how I’m feeling and what club I’m playing... USBs, CDJs, 1210s, 12”s, laptop, Traktor controller, doesn’t matter to me.”

Your sound seems to have evolved over the years...
“I’ve been producing for the best part of 10 years, so I guess my production and sound has evolved a lot over the years. There’s always something to learn when you’re in the studio, the main thing is just to make what you enjoy. If you don’t enjoy it then you shouldn’t be doing it.”