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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! |
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Lost Dawn proves ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ with John ‘00’ Fleming
Reported by Craig Gunn
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Submitted 10-06-13 10:39
“A national treasure of trance music” Pete Tong BBC Radio 1 (Essential mix)
John ‘00’ Fleming is a proven musical pioneer whose essence lies in what his fans call the ‘J00F’ sound. He has ten mix compilations, five UK Top 40 singles on such labels as Virgin and EMI and headlined major events like Tomorrowland (Belgium) and the U.S.A Electric Daisy Carnival. He has accrued well over 10,000 appearances at the likes of Gatecrasher, Godskitchen, Ministry of Sound and Global Gathering and his label J00F Recordings and monthly radio shows have helped to promote rising stars in addition to giving over four million subscribed fans the latest in J00F’s inimitable sounds.
When I called John ‘00’ Fleming for this interview I was enjoying some much needed summer sunshine with my bare feet cooled by grass underfoot. John had other ideas.
So I catch you whilst I’m sitting in a very sunny Hyde Park London and you’re buried away in your Brighton studio, not on the beach, and so soon after the release of your last album One Hundred Ten (W-K-O).
Yeah, non-stop working in the studio. Apart from electronica I also do music for film and television; it’s sometimes hard to balance the both. With One Hundred Ten (W-K-O), I felt that somewhere the ethos had got lost in artist albums. Rather than hearing diverse soundscapes where the true musicality of the artists shine through, we have been fed one or two peak tracks, used to keep careers going, rather than have an overall feel. The artist album should be a place you explore, not a marketing tool. This is what I’ve tried to achieve and I am very pleased with the reception so far.
I thought of it as a progressive experience - almost cinematic in scope. There was some real deep rooted orchestration and musicality in it. Was this intentional?
An album is for listening. I want people to press play and not skip through the tracks. It’s difficult to say what genres are on there, trance, psychedelic, ambient – I’m not entirely sure. I could be on a synthesizer for 2-3 days just trying to get different sounds. I listen to a lot of dance music that just feels like lazy producers copying and pasting, where an original idea is repeated over and over until it is exhausted – it’s all just pre-sets. I prefer to create the sounds from scratch. Working in movies and TV I’ve been lucky in that I’ve worked with a lot of orchestral live stuff and I put that into my electronic sounds - and then I like to take the organic live stuff, put cuts, glitches and effects on it to make something else, something you haven’t heard before.
You’ve had a chance to play the album out now on the tour – has it connected well with audiences?
When I started the tour and I first played the tracks it was nice to see people dancing and getting into them straight away, but a few gigs down the line, they are becoming more familiar with people recognising key tracks and going nuts. That’s also down to programming the right tune for the perfect moment and reading the crowd – a skill I think which has been lost with some DJ’s on the scene. When you look at the music industry as a whole - whether its punk bands, or whatever, you have to learn your craft and skill. You relentlessly do the rounds of bars and pubs, getting shattered playing to a room of 50 or 500. You are grafting hard. With the ease of production technology these days DJ’s and producers assume you can make a couple of tracks and it’s all there. It’s lazy; you haven’t learned to read the crowd and it scares me there is a whole generation of DJ’s missing - that’s why a lot of us older guys are still hanging around. So much of it is soulless dance music - it has no value. They are making a track to become famous – that’s their goal - not to experiment or explore. When you look back, the timeless classics have stood the test of time. The last decade we just haven’t had those tunes. Just remixes of classics. Slapping loops together and packaged laden with reverbs doesn’t always sonically fit together. Just keep it simple and start with the groove, it is the heart of the song and doesn’t need overcomplicating.
You must get load of new demos. There must be some musical treasure to be found.
That is what keeps me always hopeful about the whole scene. I’ve signed some artists on J00F, like Cosmithex and others. I feel sorry for producers in this day and age. Torrent and download sites have taken away a vast amount of income from producers and now DJ’s are getting paid more which wasn’t how it used to be. Unfortunately good producers don’t always make good DJ’s; they do it out of necessity to continue production rather than producing for the love of the music and enjoying that side of things. There are a few fairy stories, but many producers still have a daytime job and in their spare time they make music - and sometimes it is just not contributing to the family purse, which is a shame as it forces a lot of good guys out of the industry.
How did your start in your DJ career?
Growing up as a kid my father was a marine design engineer so I was surrounded by technical drawing boards and mechanical solutions for things and for a while I really wanted to design cars. But living in Brighton, the prominent gay scene here embraced underground music. A mate of mine played ‘Hi Energy’ (a derivative of disco) I loved it - and local to me was a market - so in my lunch break at school and any spare time I had I’d go down and pick up these 2nd hand records. It was great owning something you could physically touch. We eventually decided to go check it out for real so ended up going to some gay clubs. There were just as many girls as guys, but everyone was there because they were into the music. I wasn’t dancing much, rather standing by the DJ booth and seeing what happened and what tracks went together. Back then the DJ booth faced the wall so you only saw the DJ at the end of their set when they turned round and waved to the crowd. I was 15 when I first went. I was blown away and fascinated by the whole vibe. I got to know the DJ, he taught me how to mix and put me onto good record shops and that’s how it kicked off.
What was your first night DJing?
I was the geeky kid at school who was generally carrying records around under my arm. Nowadays that would be cool. Back then everyone was playing football or cricket and I was just this weird kid and I was often bullied and picked on. My music teacher took an interest and some point said “do you want to DJ the school disco” so that was my first gig. It went really well and soon I was doing it weekly. Then someone from the club heard this and said John you’re playing better stuff than our weekend residents - so I got booked. I think they got permission from the council but I was like 15 years old playing in this over 18’s club. It was mad even then, I was playing full on underground dance music and no-one else was doing that in Brighton.
Things sound like they were bubbling along nicely and you had a burgeoning DJ career. Then in your mid 20’s, you got diagnosed with cancer. How did this affect you and how has it shaped you today?
You must turn every negative into a positive. Fighting cancer when being told you’ve only a few months to live is tough. I was involved in a big place called ‘Sterns’ (also known as The House On The Hill) which was like the southern version of Manchester’s ‘Hacienda’. It was a massive 3000 person manor house and I was playing all over the place with Carl Cox, Grooverider and others. It was just at the point when dance music was going to explode when I got diagnosed and I missed out on a lot. When raves where going on in the countryside I was battling cancer, so it really held up my career. When I came back from illness the rave scene had collapsed and moved into nightclubs. There was a whole new generation of promoters and I had to start over. It was so frustrating because of the all the work I’d done before and even though I was euphoric about being well again it was really hard. I had to do odds jobs, cleaning cars, whatever it took to get back on track. I worked bloody hard and luckily the rest is history.
You’ve managed to survive that experience in the most epic sense of the term and you’ve kept a healthy lifestyle.
Even though I wasn’t into football as a kid I was into boxing and kickboxing - I did it for when I got bullied so I trained and I enjoy the competitive side if things. I love really hard cardio workouts – even this morning I had a good work out. Because of that I never drink and with the demands of touring schedules I keep myself clean and healthy and that has maintained my energy in performances. I haven’t got drunk still to this day and eat healthy food.
You’ve been in the scene 20+ years, there have been so many cycles and fads in electronic music where at some point you must have though, “forget this I’m going to be an accountant”. But clearly you have such a passion for it.
I absolutely love what I’m doing and I know it’s a cliché but it’s entirely true. I’ve seen this commercial storm come and go. This particular cycle has been very long, but in my experience I know that there is something big and underground just around the corner which re-energises me again and gives me hope. There was a moment when I thought of giving it in when the big clubs started shutting and the corporate machine was destroying my lovely scene and there has been some destructive stuff the public don’t see. Technology has changed it a lot. TV shows like the X-factor are an example of this. People want instant packaged gratification, it’s the ‘click’ generation. I want to watch this person. Bang. It’s there. I want listen to this music. Bang. I got it. I want to write a dance track and be famous. Bang. I can get it. I remember myself, Carl Cox and John Digweed lugging speakers in and out of clubs and setting decks up on barrels and helping each other out. We worked our arses off to make things happen. We had no gigs so we used to make our own gigs. This generation is not doing anything for it. It isn’t going to come to you - you have to go out and grab it. There is a dire shortage of people trying new things.
You sound despairing John.
It’s because I’m passionate and in response to this and because I want to support people that want to get into the business I am curating the UK’s first DJ music conference at the beautiful and amazing Brighton Palace pavilion in 2014.
So like the World Music Conference on Miami’s beaches you’re bringing something like that to Brighton?
This place is where it started for me. Brighton is my home town and I got loads of connections. It will be a weekend of workshops with some major companies involved. It will be an invaluable educational tool for the next generation. I look at other conferences with corporates getting involved just pushing the artists they want to push and no-one is learning. I know there will be thousands of producers out there maybe living a romantic story that they will get famous who are exhausted by the scene. We want to take them to the next level - help them understand to get there. My passion is for the new generation - and not for me personally.
We could argue the UK scene is waning and yet dance remains massive around the globe. What have been your international highs and lows?
I love international gigs because you just don’t know what is going to happen next. Territories follow trends so you go to new places and some old places that just keep coming back. I’ve got a huge following in Argentina, Australia, Canada and Indonesia. However, the one place I still have this strong connection to is home. I remember driving up and down motorways gigging. In London at one point I had six residencies, Friday through to Monday. And I got offered these international gigs but I turned a lot down because I just loved being here in the UK. It saddens me that there are very few nights in the UK now. I know people want it. That’s why I’m doing my own nights in Brighton (J00F Editions) which are going really well. We are rolling J00F across the country, including Manchester and at the Red Room at ‘Passion’ in Coalville. We started small and we keep it relaxed; we have an amazing community that trusts us enough to put on good DJ’s. Nights like this are rare. We are not just about playing obvious tunes, we are creating a test bed and freedom for our DJs to express themselves and people are responding to it and hearing music they haven’t heard before. I don’t get hounded walking around my party and I’m constantly asking people what we could do better – you have to evolve and be dynamic to survive.
What attracted to Lost Dawn and what can we expect on the night from you?
I’m looking forward to this big time. I don’t want to sound like a fusspot but I was really attracted to the multi-faceted format. I’m listening to music all week in preparation for a gig and sometimes I go to a gig and get frustrated where the crowd just demands obvious stuff and I end up cracking into my ‘emergency set’, those ‘go to’ anthems . It’s demoralising and I’m sad for a few days after that because I didn’t get to express myself. My agent and I have made a clever choice with ‘Lost Dawn’ and it’s the whole experience, philosophy, ethos and opportunity to allow me play for 3 hours. This is precious to me and this relaxes me and I know I can do my thing with a likewise crowd. True DJing is a feeling – you’re thinking what the crowd is thinking and that’s what I’m going be doing at ‘Lost Dawn’.
We can’t wait to hear you on the night John and enjoy the mighty new album!
I’ll be down there for sunset. That will be a special moment. My adrenaline will be so pumping - I’m really looking forward to seeing things turn from day to night when we collectively can all rock the party – I can’t wait!
With that John was off, a spot of light lunch, before heading back to the mixing desk. John speaks with authority about a music scene he loves with a sacrificial passion, whilst being critical about some of the commercial aspects of the dance business. He is not someone to rest on his laurels or mince his words and using that passion he hopes to instil some of that instinct into the next generation. He is a rare diamond – and long may pioneers like him continue to do the thing they love.
www.facebook/lostdawn
http://www.john00fleming.com/
http://www.joof.co.uk/
www.lostdawn.co.uk
http://www.assuredartists.co.uk/
Images courtesy of John Fleming. Not to be reproduced without permission.
Lost Dawn presents Carnival
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On:
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Saturday 6th July 2013
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At:
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Brixton Clubhouse [map]
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From:
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14:00 - 04:00
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Cost:
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£12 in advance // £15 on the door
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Website:
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www.lostdawn.co.uk
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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Lost Dawn returns to their 4th year at the Brixton Clubhouse. Forget Glastonbury this year – experience an all-day mini-festival kicking off from 2pm in the heart of South London. With a hand-picked selection of DJ’s, live bands, artists and producers, set first on the sun drenched roof terrace, before we move inside to two further music arenas, join us as we bring the carnival atmosphere to you high above the streets of London town. As always with Lost Dawn we work to bring you an exciting, diverse electronic sound and this event is no different.
John '00' Fleming:
Headlining this event, in his only London date of Summer 2013, we’re proud to present to you the exclusive appearance of scene legend, John ‘00’ Fleming and his One Hundred Ten [W-K-O] album world tour. Over the course of a quarter century, John has done it all, tracks, remixes, Essential mixes, clubs and festivals large and small. He is without a doubt one of the best loved and respected DJs on the planet and we’re stoked to bring him to you for a specially extended set in the main room. Don’t miss your only chance to see him in London.
Kites:
Upstairs, headlining the terrace we bring a band ready to go big this year. Kites have been hotly tipped by Clash Magazine, NME, BBC6 Music, XFM and more as “pioneers of electro-fop-pop”. Having already supported the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Gary Numan, Peter Hook, Erasure and Bloc Party, now it’s the turn of Matthew, Richard, Jasper and Edwin to go large and take their place at the top. And there is no better place to hear their unique sound that on our roof terrace in the sun.
Jurrane:
As the sun sets on our outdoor terrace, we'll move to our indoor headline show. Warming up the dancefloor is legendary trance producer Jurrane – returning for a special one off gig after a break from the scene. The once time partner of Sly One has created trance anthems on labels such as Discover, Conspiracy and Emalodic Records and received big time airplay on Radio One and Kiss FM. There isn't a trance DJ on the planet that he hasn't supported or remixed so this is a special long awaited return gig for this production legend.
Tribal Riot:
Hailing from Leicester come live electronic musicians Tribal Riot, hitting the terrace with their dynamic live show and fiery DJ set. They fuse elements of electro, metal, house and indie live over broken beats. Expect the raw energy stylings and sounds of groups like The Prodigy, Pendulum and Chase and Status blasting out across the rooftops. This is your chance to see the early days of the next big thing, so get your rawk on and get moshing to Harri (Vocals), Scott (Guitar), Rob (Drum Machine, Vocals) and Emilio (Guitar, Keys, Graphics)!
Miss C:
Lost Dawn resident and diva of all things 'house' MISS C will provide the late afternoon shenanigans - big smile - lots of dance grooves in her usual uplifting and full charged style....
Hannah Scott:
Debut live performance on the terrace - beautiful melodies accompanied by a live cello duet
Symbiosis & Gunn:
Closing the outdoor entertainment, we have our original Lost Dawn residents performing a back-to-back special as Symbiosis & Gunn mixing their trademark FX laden sounds, heavy synths and hands-in the air anthems which have kept the Lost Dawn faithful coming back for more and voting for them in their droves in the annual HarderFaster awards this year. Expect party tunes to keep you dancing and wanting more.
Chris Cee:
Having graced the Lost Dawn decks as one half of the BanCee project a few years ago, we’re pleased to announce the return of none other than Chris Cee to the Carnival vibes on July 6th. He’ll bringing a summery slice of Balearic House with the odd cheeky rerub thrown in for good measure, so expect to get your booty shaking!
Neill Moore:
Neill Moore has consistently impressed us with his technical skills and massive smile and we're giving him free reign to put together a set that will leave you gasping for, well, more!
Mirageman:
Opening the terrace we have some eclectic acid funk beats from Astral Circus' very own Murray Furtado
Maverick Movement:
Cool house inspired beats from ex Lost Dawn competition winner David Cardoso and guests.
Mike Chadwick and Bappa DJ:
Our final line-up revelation are firm Brixton favourite's Mike Chadwick and Bappa Dasgupta. They have been hosting their Momentum DJ's parties to sell-out crowds at such venues as the mighty Plan B. Taking a break from their Momentum DJ's monikor we welcome them for a debut back to back appearance at Lost Dawn to spin some deep and tech inspired house grooves in the Gold Room...
Watch out for further line up details in the coming days.
Tickets are available direct from Lost Dawn with no registration required and Early Bird tickets sold out to eager Lost Dawners in record time so don’t delay in getting your ticket.
Tickets in advance are just £12 (plus booking fee) from www.lostdawn.co.uk
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Flyer:
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 - 
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Region:
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London
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Music:
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Trance. Euro Trance. Tech Trance. Psy Trance. House. Deep House. Funky House. Prog House. Vocal House. Electro House. Pop. Electro.
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DJ's:
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Main Dancefloor:
John '00' Fleming (Exclusive extended set One Hundred Ten [W-K-O] album world tour)
Jurrane
Neill Moore
Daytime Roof Terrace:
Adam Symbiosis & Craig Gunn
miss c
Natalie Parker
Mirror City DJ's
Matt Dahl
Rob LoCo & Annalisa
Chris Cee
Mirageman
Daytime Live Room
Kites
Mirror City
Tribal Riot
Fynn Farrell
Hannah Scott
Gold Room:
Maverick Movement (feat David Cardoso and guests)
Mike Chadwick & Bappa DJ (Momentum DJ's)
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Other Features By Craig Gunn:
Glastonbury, The Biggest Show on Earth
I survived Glastonbury 2015
HarderFaster Guide to Glastonbury 2015
The Speed of Sound
THREE ‘BRINGS’ THE CROWD TO LOST DAWN
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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Comments:
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From: bear grrrr on 10th Jun 2013 11:05.37
Great interview Craig. Cant wait for Lost Dawn 
From: Slink. on 10th Jun 2013 12:43.05
Loads of respect for J00F. He knows his stuff and has a passion for music rarely seen. So looking forward to his set.
From: Matt on 19th Jun 2013 20:42.34
One of the finest, really looking forward to the sunset set 
From: Cerberus on 20th Jun 2013 10:24.07
Matt, your a wally
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