:: BB INTERVIEWS ::

:: ELITE FORCE ::

Elite Force - Champion of His Own Sound Matt Young has it out with the Elite One In the Breakbeat world, tastes are fickle. Today's flavour of the month rapidly becomes yesterdays old news. To keep ahead in both the production and DJing stakes, a DJ needs to be something special. They need to not only continually push the boundaries of their production, but to deliver a unique sound, whether behind the decks or the computer. Having one of the most listened to breaks radio shows in the world helps as well, as does tearing the living shit out of London's Fabric during the recent Breakspoll Awards and championing your own unique tech-funk style. Ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for Elite Force. Right, first off, how long have you been DJing? To a releasable level, 12 years I guess. How did you first get into dance music? I started DJing around 1990. At the time I was into a bunch of no-wave American guitar music like Sonic Youth and the Swans, but I was also influenced by the crossover potential of bands like Big Black, World Domination Enterprises and Young Gods. These guys really fascinated me, and my way into dance music was kind of through that route. Back then I'd play a properly eclectic mix, but there's no doubting that the likes of Front 242 & Nitzer Ebb sounded properly 'weighty' and came to life on a big sound system. When acid house happened in '89 - '90 and we all started going to free parties, that was what made me start up my own night and it kind of went from there. What made you get into Breaks as a genre? The first DJs that really influenced me were the likes of the Chemical Brothers at the Social, with DJ's like Andy Weatherall and Justin Robertson. I really loved the way they could switch up from one style to the next, keeping a flow but drawing on a real range of music. That eclecticism evolved into more of a musical style. It was like a distillation of that ethos, and ultimately it became 'breaks'. Or at least that's my reading of events - there are plenty that would disagree. The issue I have with it as a 'genre' is that it gets overly formulaic, and for that reason I kind of like the tech-funk 'banner' as it's much more inclusive in terms of what I play.    What's been your biggest musical influence throughout both your DJing and production career? No one thing stands out - it's been a culmination of all of the above and much more. I'm most impressed by the acts that are still around 15 years down the line, still cranking out wicked live shows & album tracks, and basically doing what they want to do after all this time. What's been your favourite production to date? It's a bit of a clichéd answer, but I'm usually most excited by the last thing I did - that's what drives me. Your radio show Strongarm sessions has a massive listener base, not just in the UK but all over the world. What's been your highlight? Once again, I'm pulling out the clichés, but just seeing the response from people grow and grow has been phenomenal and very exciting for a DJ to be getting that much exposure on a fortnightly basis. In the last 18 months breaks has gone from back room to full main room status. How do you feel about this? I don't particularly care to be honest! I mean, it's good to see people's hard work paying off, but just because it's labelled 'breaks' doesn't mean to say I'll blindly support it or play it, or like it. Like most genres, 90% of the music being made at any given time isn't for me.    Which producer has impressed you most recently? Apart from those tried & trusted stalwarts like Meat Katie, Dylan Rhymes, PMT, Dan F, D Ramirez, Christian J and the Mantra Breaks guys, there's been little to get excited about as far as up & coming breaks producers goes for a long time now. However, just recently there have been a few interesting things surfacing from Flack.su and Naga (on Chi) & Metric (Lot 49). The really impressive production work's been happening in the electro-house department for me - Jesse Rose, Dave Taylor, Dirt Crew, Ty Tek, Tiefschwarz, Alex Smoke, DJ Koze, Abe Duque, John Dahlback - the list goes on! What upcoming projects have you got on the go? I've got no fewer than 3 solo singles due out in the first 6 months of the year: 'Pure & Free' on Lot 49, 'Shadowbox/Ghetto Fabulous' on Kingsize, and 'Reclaim the Airwaves' also on Lot 49. Also look out for remixes of 2 seminal classics, PMT's 'Gyromancer' and Grandmaster Flash's 'White Lines'. I'm doing a series of North American shows in May, an Australian tour in April, Glastonbury & other European festivals in June/July and you can catch the bi-weekly 'Strongarm Sessions' on Proton Radio. What about your plans for the next twelve months? I'm planning to get in plenty of gardening and fresh air. Oh and I'm writing an album with Meat Katie to fill in the gaps. :: March 2005 :: Elite Force's Strongarm Sessions webcasts are an opportunity to check out his unique tech-funk manifesto on ProtonRadio.com live every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, 2pm UK time. Stay locked to :: Bijou Breaks :: for the latest on Elite Force. :: BB :: is the exclusive host for his Strongarm Sessions mixes heard bi-weekly on ProtonRadio.com.

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