A recent article noted your increasing use of programs such as Ableton Live- is this a regular part of a Slacker performance these days?

Yes. I am still djing as usual, but Iﾒve also started doing a laptop live show, which uses Ableton software, a controller and some scratching with the CDJ. It involves mixing up a whole heap of old and new Slacker tracks ﾖitﾒs a lot of fun.     

You were raised as a scratch DJ during the 80ﾒs, working (I presume) predominantly   with vinyl. How well do you think CDJ technology has caught up with vinyl? Do you see vinyl becoming obsolete in a few years time?

I started using the CDJs lately ﾖ I resisted for as long as possible ﾖ but now I have embraced them fully. I have to say I love using them. Vinyl feels and looks so sexy, but you canﾒt halt the march of time. And the CDJs offer a lot more functionality than turntables. Iﾒm afraid I believe this time around that vinyl really is on its way out as the DJs main format... Though it will hold on in some quarters for a while yet.   

Of course, with the advent of CD technology, the internet has become the source for budding artists to get their sounds around the globe instantly. What do you think of the huge growth in underground artists, while at the same time   some of the major labels are struggling? And is downloading culture killing off record labels? Anyone can pop onto a p2p network and probably find a few of your tunes pretty swiftlyﾅ

The music business, particularly the underground dance scene, is in transition. Making music does not bring the same financial rewards it used to, but that hasnﾒt stopped the passion of young music makers. Indeed the advent of technology has increased the speed with which people can produce and distribute their tracks... Which is all positive stuff. But these artists will eventually have to find other jobs if they donﾒt get paid. This is where illegal file sharing comes in. Too many punters are getting something for nothing these days. If they are offered music for a fair price and at reasonable quality, I think they will be happier to pay for it rather than steal it...then I believe the business side of things might become healthier. Having said that, the dance scene got used to an unrealistically high living standard in the late 90s, and the bust was inevitable. Those that have hung on during the difficult times are due some rewards now!
  

Back to the music. Your faultless manipulation of certain elements of tracks has attracted a slew of stars over the years seeking remixes. Any celebrity gossip   attached to any of these remixes? Does Moby polish his head, for exampleﾅ? And what ever happened to Betty Boo?

No comment mostly, but Betty Boo - you didnﾒt know? She is a big songwriter these days: she wrote the first Pop Stars single for HereﾒSay, ﾓpure and Simpleﾔ. That would have netted her a few bob!  

My favourite remix of recent years is probably your re-edit of ﾓSmack My Bitch   Upﾔ. Any remixes you are particularly proud of over the years? Were any of   them much bigger than you originally anticipated?

I also liked that Prodigy remix. Because it never came out it has remained kinda exclusive, and therefore stayed in many djsﾒ boxes (ie Sashaﾒs, Seamanﾒs) since 1998. My remix of Colein, ﾓBetter Daysﾔ still gives me goosebumps. I think itﾒs the vocal breakdown that does it for me.

You are one of few DJs who have been described in the past as ﾓunpidgeonholeableﾔ. Do you still consider yourself a progressive house DJ? How would you best   describe your sound?

I love the term Kelvin Andrews uses, ﾑmachine funkﾒ, but because I use samples and samplers rather than drum machines and synths, perhaps ﾑOrganic Funkﾒ is better.

What do you think was the defining moment in your musical career to date? Apart   from being asked to play for Collective Music, of courseﾅ?

Discovering house music in Brighton, and all the loved-up madness that went with it. Before that I was caught up in London hip-hop, which was quite moody and negative, and I didnﾒt feel it was taking me anywhere. 

Sasha and Zabiela have turned to breaks; Danny Howells is playing I Love Techno, while Digweed has recently been ﾑbanging it outﾒ. Has the progressive house scene ﾑdiedﾒ or is it just sleeping?

Itﾒs just progressing! We all hate the phrase progressive house, because once a term like that is set in concrete and linked so specifically to an era it can only become one thing:  stale and uncool... But as everyone who used to play, listen to or support ﾑprogressive houseﾒ knows, there is some amazing music coming from the producers and clubs involved. And since dance music always goes in cycles, itﾒs only a matter of time before the old die-hards, with a new banner, are being feted once again.    

Howﾒs the label going? Any forthcoming artists or releases to look out for?

We are actively seeking new talent for the roster... But it has to be special: thereﾒs a lot of new music out there, but a lot of it is pants. My new single ﾓBest Boyfriendﾔ is out on November 29th, and the folow up ﾓLately/Goddam Noizeﾔ will be out early in the new year.  

Will you be working with former production cohort Simon Rodgers on anything in the future?

Simon did a remix of the single ﾓbest Boyfriendﾔ under his Steiger guise, which is great... And I am working with a bunch of other people right now. Gaetan Schurrer (of The Weird Continental Types) is in my studio a lot, and I am just finishing a collaboration with James Holden.    

Earlier   Slacker and Head Honcho releases always seemed very menacing, with eerie, drugged out synths and deep rolling grooves. Your last release was slightly cheerier (if only slightly). Do you think youﾒve changed direction, or are you just keener on experimenting a bit?

I just write what comes to me, usually based around the sample that is flavour of the month. My stuff is always funky (I would like to think) but I go two ways ﾖa bit psycho-active, thoughtful, a little dark: then again a little humour is always welcome, so I can be light-hearted too.     

You have an Irish mother, and you were raised on a steady diet of Irish folk and trad. Any chance of a dark, twisted mix of ﾓDirty Old Townﾔ?

I was thinking more along the lines of a techo version of ﾓLonesome Boatmanﾔ or an ambient re-working of one of my favourites ﾓSilver I The Stubble(Dublin City Ramblers)ﾔ!

This is your first appearance in Dublin in about five years, and certainly your first since the label really took off. Any abiding memories of your last visit?

Surely itﾒs less than 5 years?! I had some great gigs at the Temple back in the day. One mad gig with John Ceccini on a bank holiday, with an after-party which included everyone donning wigs and high heels if I remember correctly.    

Youﾒre playing at Collective Music, but who would be in your ultimate collective musical ﾑsupergroupﾒ? Any room for Shane McGowan?

Hmmm, he could come as long as it follows that long overdue visit to the dentist. Maybe we could get Bono jamming with Dave Arthur and the Fureys? Sinead OﾒConnor could come in towards the end and perform the mass if sheﾒs feeling sociable on the day!