Tim Deluxe Interview 2003

Tim Delux Interview image

We catch up with clubland's 'Little Ginger Club Kid', Tim Deluxe in Ibiza at one of Pacha's restaurants called Sa Punto, it over-looks one of the islands picturesque bays and beaches. The last time we spoke to him was last year after the release of 'It Just Won't Do' so it seemed appropriate to find out how his year's been and talk about his new album. Tim Deluxe image

How’s your week been?
"I’m good mate, I’ve got a bit of a cold actually, bit of a stinky one, I come from Germany at the weekend and just fell ill that morning when I arrived. I was there just doing a club called Betty Ford Clinic, a party going on down there with Tom Novy and a Dutch girl DJ from Holland. It was cool."

Are the rumours of low numbers true & how did it differ from previous years?
"No not all, people say low numbers but it’s like Pacha’s been packed every night of the week, Space, every time I’ve been to Space you can’t move in there. I don’t know, I think these clubs are institutions and will always be busy. I know there are clubs struggling and stuff that aren’t very busy. Wednesday I was at Eric’s closing party last night and that was mobbed, Friday I hear Tenaglia’s coming, Deep Dish so that’ll be mobbed with Pete Tong, Pacha’s been mobbed all summer. I’m coming back Friday morning."

Any PA’s in Ibiza this year?
"We done a proper full on live show with all the singers from the album and some of the musicians, that all kicked off August 19^th down at Pacha. We’re doing it this Saturday at The End, down in London - the same again."

Do you prefer the live thing to DJing?
"No, at the moment I still really like DJing. The live thing is very satisfying, because it’s taking it to a whole different level. It’s very satisfying to perform your music out and have the people there that have sung on your records, but it’s something I want to develop more and more, it’s definitely the way forward."

Other than Ibiza where's your current favourite location?
"I like Japan, Japan’s wicked, it’s very mad, very futuristic. I’ve only ever done festivals over there, I done Fuji Rock Festival last time I was out there which was amazing, and another one with Kraftwork and Sasha - that was pretty mad as well."

How did the album progress from there and did you have any difficulties in recording it?
"Not really, the only difficulties was trying to get it all done on time, that was about it. It was good vibes - I enjoyed doing it."

What’s your favourite track off the album and why?
"It changes from week to week, well every couple of weeks, first of all it was ‘Choose Something Like A Star’ then it was ‘Mundaya’, then it was 'Battle' just flicking through for different reasons, I think at the moment it's probably the 'Story Of You And Me' I really like."

Where did you take your influences for this album from?
"Pretty much from everything, I’m into all sorts of music. ‘Choose Something Like A Star’ was Inspired by Cold Play, the banghra track was influenced by a lot of hip-hop music even though it doesn’t sound like that, it sounds like more of a Latin record with a banghra thing on top. There was a lot of hip-hop going off last year towards the end of last year with that sort of whole Asian thing, I wanted to try something like that… Then just different vibes really."

Is the sax player in ‘Heavy Weather’ the same dude as ‘We All Love Sax’? any problems combining the live element?
"Yep, Jamie Anderson (but it’s not the producer Jamie Anderson), he’s goes under the name of Dogsax… It started off as very basic/minimal and there was no musicians on it at all. We got more and more musicians in, got keyboards in, got horns in, got the percussions in and it just kept on stacking up and up and up."

Do you get to pick your amazing video’s themes and is that Underwater’s general policy?
"Yes - there’s a bit of continuity going on there! I’ve always had a say on my videos, even with BMG we had the final say, I’m sure there are contracts, or artists that get involved in contracts that are not so flexible. Darren’s pretty understanding."

What's with the sample from ‘What A Life’ and how did that tune happened?
"It was recorded in London but we were going to Amsterdam so that’s why it’s referring to the flights back from Amsterdam. It came about as a backing track I had up and was just gonna use it as a quick little interlude, you know a little groove. My mate came in and said ‘let me do something, let me spit something on it’. ‘Ok that’s cool, that could work, it’s got to be chilled - do it about smoking something like that’. That's how it all started."

What about the ‘Record Shop’ sample?
"That’s my local record store, City Sounds in London, Dave’s a bit of a character. He’s been in the industry a long, long time. Pete Tong still goes there and Ray Keith used to work in there. City Sounds was the DJ’s shop, especially in the late 80’s early 90’s it was a massive cult shop. Dave’s been there for years and years and years, I just thought let’s get him on record, he’s very interesting, he’s like ‘you got this, you got this’, he’s a bit of a lad, but a very good salesman."

The photos on your album sleeve of you, Darren, Erick & Yousef and you dressed as a Scarecrow - what sort of after parties do you guys have after a night out?
"That was pretty hardcore that one, I think it was birthday that one, yeah I was pretty rat-arsed! "That was Yousef that done that to us one year on my birthday, it was the same night, it started off on the sofa’s it went from that to Scarecrow’s and all sorts of shenanigans going off, it was our party on the Wednesday, the night before." that explains it then.

Is the follow up album in the pipeline?
"Not just yet, it probably wouldn’t be for another year or so, get this one out the way, this will probably be a year long campaign, get some of the singles off it, get mixes done and do the live show, things like that. Then probably back in the studios. We’ll see."

If so any collaborations you can shed light on?
"I don’t know... what’s been satisfying about this album, in terms of the bigger picture around the world, all the people on there are pretty much unknown, it’s been nice working with such a talented bunch. It’s just whatever works in the studio really, there’s people like Christopher Martin from Cold Play and stuff like that I’d love to do something with him, but things like that are probably not gonna happen, I mean you never know but it’s just the way it is. I make use of what I have access to and don’t try and build my hopes up. I done that with Double 99, we asked Damon from Blur and stuff like that, you just end up just building your hopes up, they’d sound wicked on it but then a load of people would sound wicked on it. It’s more about the vibes."

Any other projects/remixes you’re working on?
"Nothing at the minute, focusing on the album totally 100%, I might do a mix shortly. I’ve done one for Jon Carter called ‘Go Down’ on Saville Row on his label, on his track, big vocal part on it, I’ve done one for Jon Carter, ‘Go Down’ a big vocal part on it, not really too bothered by remixing to be honest, even last year I only done two remixes last year, and this year’s the same, I’ve only done one so far, I don’t want to do loads of remixes."

Did you play at the Love Parade last year/this year & how was that?
"I done last year’s Love Parade, that was cool it was interesting, I didn’t play a float I done an after party at a club, to be honest I would of preferred to have been on Brighton Beach, it looked like a better vibe down there."

What really happened when you stacked a push bike off stage inside a club?
"It was outdoors, I Was playing at the 10^th Birthday up in Newcastle by the Quayside and Eric was playing, found this bike back stage, though it would be funny to ride passed him, wave at him, went wrong, over the stage, stitches nose, mouth, had to cancel a month’s worth of gigs, was in a pretty bad way. In my drunken state of awareness I declared it to be safe."

Are you booked up for NYE yet?
"Doing Shindig ironically, just me and the residents, that’ll be cool, it’s wicked, I always have a great time up there, one of the best clubs in the country. If you haven’t been there book yourself a visit, very passionate people."

What other gigs can we catch you at this year?
"Doing The End on Saturday, going to America, a lot of international stuff, doing Maison in Bournemouth next month. Maison’s the only English gig in October, tours end of November, start of December, over Christmas doing some stuff in France, Germany and Switzerland, places like that. Then we’re going down to Australia I think in January, then at the end of January off to Japan."

Check out our review of the debut artist album Tim Deluxe "The Little Ginger Club Kid" alternatively check the recent write up on Emerson & Deluxe "Underwater Episode 1". Also last year's interview can be found @ Tim Deluxe 2002, or to read on about how Tim recently stacked a push bike in front of a load of clubbers? Deluxe Bike Crash!.