Novadance.com: Are you the hardest working man in showbusiness? How do you manage to balance being a lawyer, A&R man and DJ all in one?

Jonathan Lisle: It keeps me out of trouble... I think a lot of people have to juggle a few things these days so I'm not alone..I love my music so I donﾒt really see
it as work. Just making the most of opportunities I never thought id be
lucky enough to get.

You began as a bedroom DJ all those many years ago- are you at all
surprised at the standards being set by up and coming bedroom jocks- most
of them are better than the big names!

Yeah there are some great djs out there. I do think some of the top names
are still the best though. People like Burridge, Digweed and Hawtin layer
music better than most. James Zabiela is very good though but I guess he is a 'big
name' now.

Are the days of the ﾣ20,000 a set superstar DJ over- Sasha, Cox etc?

So long as big DJs can fill big clubs they can command big fees.

You played at Bedrock's 6th birthday a few weeks ago- how did it go?

I loved it, Bedrock is always great. I tried some different styles as well
as the usual. I was mixing up techno, drum and bass, Pink Floyd and
classics with the usual breaks and house stuff. I was playing my keyboard
while mixing so it was good fun. The PAs in my room were great and the
other rooms were class too.

What has been the highlight of the year so far? Apart from being asked
to play at Melodica of course...

Being asked to do a mix album for Bedrock was the highlight. I am really
excited about this CD. I am trying a few things which I donﾒt think have
been done before so I hope it works.

Then it was the Easter Special gig at Colours at the Arches in Glasgow.
The crowd were unbelievable.

Listening to your sets, its hard to place your 'sound'- breakbeats mix
with 4/4's, while chunky bass makes way for ambient string solos- how do
you characterise it?

You always sound like a dick if you start describing your own sound so
I'll just stick with good electronic music.

A lot of the tracks on your label could be described as "Northern
Exposure" era Sasha and Digweed- is that intentional?

I wouldnﾒt say that really, maybe one or two of the ten tracks Iﾒve put out
but I think my labelﾒs sound is pretty unique overall.

While we're on the subject of the label- any new artists signed up to
look out for? Or tunes?

Just signed a load of stuff for next year, some names you will know and
some undiscovered talent from the US.

Are you surprised at how atmospheric breaks have 'taken over' in recent
years- everyone from Sasha to Zabiela to Steve Lawler seem to be at it- do you
think its just a 'phase' or the start of a new musical movement?

People have always liked and played good breakbeats, I just think there
is a lot more being made within the progressive sound at the moment.

Also the whole 'three deck' thing is very much flavour of the month-
how does it feel to be a pioneer of sorts in this field?

Ha! Iﾒm certainly not a pioneer of 3 decks... I first saw DJs like Red
Alert using 3 in 1987. Because there are 2 CDJs in most clubs now u can just
be more creative and use 3 or 4 tracks at once, bringing tracks u played
earlier in and out of the mix to give continuity.

Here's an interesting quote from you from a couple of years ago- "Its
horrible mixing with cds! Fiddly as f*ck and I like to see the grooves in
the record....I think the analogue sound is better than digital for my
style of music." Do you still feel this way, with so many high profile DJs
switching to CDJs?

I do think mixing vinyl feels and sounds more natural but acetates are too
expensive so as I mainly want to play new music, I now use mainly CDs.
There are many more creative possibilities. I swore blind I would never
use them for years but yeah I did a huge u turn...

And as a lawyer, how do you feel about the download culture that
accompanies CDs/CD-Rs?

I feel more strongly as a music fan than as a lawyer. Downloads are fine
is people pay for them. There are pros and cons but I know great artists
who cant afford to make music full time anymore so they have had to get
other jobs. The fact that people buy fewer records than they used to is one
of the main reasons for this and the download culture is a big factor in
that. So if an artist is not making music full time we, the fans, get to
hear less music. That worries me.

You've been all around the world, but never played Ireland? You must
have heard of our reputation...can you handle it? It all gets a bit messy
'after hours'...

I have played in Derry a couple of times and I love the vibe in Ireland.
The people are class. Really friendly with a great attitude. I have some
great Irish mates. Iﾒve heard excellent reports about Melodica and its
crowd so I'm really excited.

Melodica has brought over some of the most innovative international
stars, Zabiela, James Holden, Matthew Dekay and others, not to mention
some storming homegrown DJs. What new styles can you bring to the table?

You'll have to come on Saturday night to find out...all depends on what
the crowd are up for on the night.

Finally, some words of encouragement for wannabe bedroom DJs...

Good question mate.

If you have your own style, know your records inside out, are in it purely
because you love your music, expect nothing, think long term, let the
knock backs and let downs make you try harder, keep your word but never
rely on anyone else to keep theirs, treat people like you would want to be
treated, keep your feet on the ground and never stop trying to improve
then chances are you will achieve your dreams...

On a more practical and positive level, they key is to do a demo that
sounds original. Get it all over the Internet. Then do another one,
another one etc. The great thing about the Internet is you donﾒt need to
'know the right people' anymore. Even just a few years ago I was sending
hundreds of CDs out in the post each week and hearing nothing. Now just
post them on the net. You just have to come out with demos that get people
talking. Never assume it cant happen to you.

When you are playing your favourite records to a club full of people who
are getting it the feeling is amazing. The best in the world. To get there
it takes a lot years of playing to empty bars and gigs where people want
you to play something else. Even Digweed had many years of that in the 80s
and look at him now 16 years later. Trust me, it is worth it in the end.
So stick with what you love and donﾒt compromise your passion for anyone.