Interview with Ben Long
- How do you think your set went and did you enjoy yourself at Holodeck?
- I certainly did enjoy myself; it was the 2nd time I've played in that venue (Clwb Ifor Bach) and first time for Holodeck and the party was a lot better than the last time. I did enjoy my set. I was very happy in fact and was disappointed that we didn't record it. Normally promoters record the set without permission, and its sod's law that the one time you do a duff one that'll be the one that's handed around the internet for free. Does that happen much? Every weekend! I'm very vigilant with regards to recording, its better just to ask. If you don't ask then you don't know.
- What do you think of the British scene at the moment?
- Well, I'd call it stable. Its small, but steady; its not quite like it used to be back in the embryonic stages of techno. At the same time we don't do that much work over here, because were mainly abroad, so when we do the odd gig over here in London, or we do dart around somewhere like up to Cardiff, you could say, yeah things are steady. I think the scenes been undernourished for some time, and it has been abused a little bit by a lot of the people involved, especially at the clubbing level. The UK has got an amazing supply of talent when it comes to DJs and producers, and there's some amazing techno being made in this country. Generally techno is still a dirty word, you know its still a very underground source of music. And for that reason its kept at a certain level, there's not mad amounts of clubs going on, there all quite small, and it doesn't get major backing from the media, from the radios etc. You've got Fergie playing a bit of techno, for which were grateful that someone's supporting the scene. But on a national level generally I'd say things could do with improving a bit.
- What has been the highlight of your career?
- The highlight of my career? Well I suppose having a career at all would be the highlight, I mean I've played with a lot of DJs and artists that I've admired. A lot were my heroes I suppose when I was young and coming up in the scene so to speak. There have been a lot of good times. I've been overjoyed to play to 2500 people at the Brixton Academy with Bandulu and the Orb , to play at the Heaven club in London after going out there to acid House nights in the late eighties it was quite an honour to actually go back there and play myself. It was an honour to go on tour to Australia seven times and play in Japan. Its very hard to pinpoint just one thing, I'm proud that I've managed to carve a career out for myself as a DJ in an over competitive market place and being able to maintain that.
- Have there been any low points to your career?
- The numerous times I've turned up to gigs, and for one reason or another been knocked for wages or missed planes. I mean people think its an easy life, the life of riley, you turn up throw a few records on the decks play for a couple of hours, pick up a few hundred quid, and that's all they know because they see you turn up at the club and they see you leave. They don't see you get in the plane, the car, the train, the ship and all the traveling and brain ache that goes with it.
The nocturnal hours are difficult, the not having much of a social life never being at home at the weekend you don't see your family at Christmas, these are some of the lows of having that sort of a life style.
So, there's been a lot of aggravating times, so again it's hard to pinpoint any one low point.
- Do you have a favorite club?
- I've got a few favorite clubs, the Womb club's a great club in Tokyo, the Ambasada Gaviloi was an amazing club in Slovenia where Umek was a resident, and an amazing club in Spain called Florida 135 which is just the nuttiest club the decor inside is all done up like a New York streets and there's three different bars in there and loads of different little rooms, its just an amazing club. So there's three of my favorites.
- What would your ideal night out be away from DJ'ing on a weekend?
- Probably a bite to eat somewhere, some nice food and just somewhere where I've got my mates around me, and I'm not bothered about the music. Most of my mates are not into techno. So if I were to go out on a social with them, I would tend to go where they normally go. So you know as long as I've got my mates around me and my girlfriend and I'm enjoying the Friday night or whatever. But generally come Saturday night I'll either be in the studio making up for lost time or I'll have my feet up watching the box, you know, like a good old fashioned Saturday evening in, which is what I've been doing tonight.
- Do you have any plans for 2005?
- Yeah I've got plans to release some more vinyl make some more records. I've been building the studio for the first 6 months of 2004 and sort of just getting back into the groove doing a bit of production work and my plans is to drop a few bombs in 2005. That's what I want to do basically. And continue on with the Djing and that's it really. I'm also going to do the Potential mix CD I've had about 20 releases with the label now. There'll probably be another Space DJs mix CD as well.
- What was the first record you ever bought?
- We talking 7 inches when I used to get my pocket money off my Old Dear? Yeah whatever it was. Probably Jake The Peg by Rolf Harris.
- Who's your favorite producer?
- Well it's a bit of a tricky question to answer that one! At the moment I like Pharell Williams, who produces hip hop.
- What's you favorite sandwich?
- It would have to be a bit of quality cheese of some description, a pucka bit of sausage, maybe a bit of German pepperoni or a bit of Italian wild boar, which I've got in the fridge at the moment. With a bit of Pesto, Tomato pesto that is! Melted under the old grill, and it comes out a bit like pizza. I have to admit Jamie put me up to that one, it wasn't my creation but its my sandwich of the month.
- Well that's it mate thank you very much Ben.
- No worries all good mate.
