:: INTERVIEWS :: BEN STEVENS
1). Hi Ben, how was your Christmas? What did you get up to?
Christmas was great thanks, it was good to have a relax & catch up with friends & family for a bit. It was also great to play down at Storm on new years eve, it was one of the highlights of the year for me, so good to see a club absolutely rammed & everyone having a great time. All of the other dj’s I’ve spoken to since the event agree as well, so well done Storm!
2). We last spoke in Feb last year, what have you been up to since then?
2007 was a busy year for me with some great gigs in the UK & tours of Canada, Australia & New Zealand which were all fantastic. I’ve recently moved over to Manchester & started up my own label Fireball Recordings. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years but never had the funds to get it off the ground, but moving house gave me a little bit of money to get the first couple of releases pressed up. Our second release Ben Stevens & Bryan Doyle – Chinook is released on Monday 14th Jan with a wicked Marc Johnson Remix.
I’ve also decided to offer printed cd singles to people of each release, these will be available a couple of weeks after the vinyl goes on sale from www.fireball-recordings.co.uk
3). I understand that you've had an influence over Amber D's new track "I Got A Feeling", can you tell me more about that project?
When Sam asked me to do the mix for Tidy I was really happy, the original track is wicked & had lots of elements that I could use for the remix. Amber had got lots of different styles into the track & it works really well, so for my mix I took some of the part I liked the most & then toughened it up as well as adding a big synth riff for the people that like the harder sounds. It has been going down really well when I’ve played it out & I’ve had some great feedback from other dj’s that have played it. Hopefully it will be a good release for Tidy & well received by the clubbers.
4). How important is it for some tracks to have re-mixed versions? Would it be better to wait a few months before issuing a remix to increase the longetivity of a track?
A remix is always a good bonus with a track as they should take the track into a different style, therefore more people have a chance of liking the release. It’s great when you get a track & both mixes are quality, just deciding which one to play can be the difficult part then. I can see what you’re saying about increasing the longevity of the original by releasing a remix later the release date & this can be great. Many older big tracks have had many different remixes released months & even years after the original & this enables new people to the scene to hear the older tracks.
5). Amber D's releases have of course been well received, do you have a particular favorite of hers?
I really like Kiss & Tell that was released on Tidy in 2007 & her remix of Lee Haslam’s ‘Music Is A Drug’ is quality, the original is an all time classic & Amber has beefed it up really well for a harder set.
6). Are there any pop tracks you'd like to give the Ben Stevens treatment to?
I don’t know if there are any that I’d give the hard house treatment, but dare I say it I quite like the Freemasons & there’s loads of stuff that could have a pop house remix
7). What other projects do you have in the pipeline for 2008?
Hopefully at least 12 releases on Fireball, sticking to my 1 a month release schedule might be hard when I’m as disorganized as I am though! Also look out for some Fireball tours coming to your local clubs in the later part of the year. I am also working down at Toolbox Music HQ with Nik Denton & will be distributing many of the leading hard dance labels. I’ve been looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into this for a while now! I’m also going back off to Australia & New Zealand in February & can’t wait to spend 2 weeks in some nice weather.
8). The March Weekender is eagerly anticipated and on this occasion Weekender attendees will help decide who will be playing in Prestatyn. If you were responsible for a line-up in one of the arena's who would you have playing?
It’s always a difficult question this & I don’t envy Kieron when he has to put the lineups together, unfortunately you can never please everyone but for a harder room I would have:
Steve Thomas
Tidy DJ’s
Paul Maddox Live
Justin Bourne
OD404 Live
Ben Stevens
Paul Glazby b2b Andy Farley
Karim
9). Would you care to give us any predictions for the Hard Dance scene for 2008? Any big movers and shakers to look out for?
The people I would be watching out for are Sam Townend & Deano (Tidy Dj’s), Rodi Style & Lucy Fur. They have all been working very hard to get to the positions they are in now & it will be great to have Rodi living in the UK so watch out for more collaborations from us. Ben Stevens & Rodi Style – Chaos Theory will be release on Ben’s Kung Fu Wax label in a few months.
10). What compilation CD are you currently listening to?
I sign up to Fabric’s monthly cd mailout so get the Fabric & live cd’s through the post, so I’ve been listening to the Marcus Intalect one from a few months ago. It’s a really good service & you get the cd’s at a knock down price, although sometimes you do get a dodgy one. They can be great places to get ideas & samples from for tracks as well!
11). Are you watching Big Brother Celebrity Hijack? Who would you like to hijack for "personal pleasure"?
Afraid not I’m not really a fan of Big Brother.
12). Last year I asked you what is the one track guaranteed to get you up on the dance floor when you are out clubbing? You answered The Captain & RR Fierce – Street Tab. Are their any other tracks that would have the same effect?
Another would have to be Paul Glazby & Paul Janes – Get down.
13). What five tracks would you describe as hot at the moment?
1) Ben Stevens - Frequency Response (CDR)
2) Adam M & Dave Owens - Tango (Oktane)
3) Ben Stevens vs Damage & Narkotique - Better Watch Out (Fireball)
4) Amber D - I've Got A Feeling (Ben Stevens Remix) (Tidy)
5) Defective Audio - Loose Chemical (Flashpoint)
14). If I interview you a year from now, what would you hoped to have achieved?
My main aim for this year is to get Fireball off the ground & established as a credible hard dance label, I want it to feature a broad range of tracks so it won’t just have really hard thrashers on there that some people associate me with. I’m trying to support up & coming dj’s & producers on there as well as the main players in the scene.
As far as djing goes, I hope to travel a bit more & see some countries that I haven’t played in yet, I’d love to go back over to Holland again this year as both gigs there last year were awesome.
For more information on Fireball Recordings & to buy the releases please go to:
www.fireball-recordings.co.uk
www.benstevensdsi.com
www.myspace.com/benstevensdj
Thanks Ben!
Amber D - I Got A Feeling (Includes Ben Stevens Remix) Is Released 28th January 2008 on Tidy!
