Dave Clake

Sick among the Pure - interview

Rave, and finally by the mid 90s, moved to a brand of straight Techno. Clarkes knowledge of cutting-edge music remains honed and tight. If you want a good reference point for underground British Dance music, then have a listen to what Dave has to say. The irrepressible Dave Clarke follows his 2003 Devils Advocate album with a brand new, 2-disc compilation of his series, World Service. If I dont do this, says Clarke of his music and DJing, I cant even judge myself as a human being  its in my blood and bones.



SickAmongthePure: People have been waiting around for the past four years for the next installment of the World Service series, and now it's finally out. Would you tell us how you pick the tracks for the series? How involved is the label in that process of putting up
or Dave Clarke, Techno and Electro isnt just dance music, its a way of life. Dave Clarke is without a doubt one of the most respected Techno and Electro DJ mixers and producers. Clarke began his music career as a Hip-hop DJ in the mid-80s, then shifted to Acid-house, later
a mixed session CD, or do they have any say at all?

Dave Clarke: The whole point of getting an artist/DJ to do a mix compilation is to have their input taken seriously. When a compilation starts going to a committee then it's not something I want to get involved in. The only limitation that was presented to me was not to exceed 50 tracks for 2 CDs. The label's whole purpose is to act as a conduit and try and make the whole process as transparent as possible and not bog the artist down in paperwork. Very occasionally, a track can be hard to license due to manager or label control, but that can usually be resolved by artist to artist contact.


SATP: When putting out a new album, is it important to you to deliver a message to the listener, something that people can interpret on their own? Or is it just all about having fun?

DC: I would say its mostly about enjoying yourself and presenting something that is very you and yet different than other mix LPs.


SATP: You are constantly referred to musically as being very dark and challenging. You have influences that go back to Punk with bands like The Damned, Devo, T-Rex, The Ruts and The Stranglers. What other music has influenced you? How about New Wave, Darkwave, EBM, Electro and Industrial?

DC: Die Warzau were an influence, as was the whole Electro movement from the late 70s onwards. I have so very many influences that I tend to group a lot together to inspire something new. I am listening to Mercury Rev as we speak. I never want to be limited to one or two genres for inspiration; my iPod has Punk to Funk to Rock to Electronica to Hip-hop  I could never just have an iPod filled with Electro and take that with me on the road.


SATP: With such a diverse array of musical influences, have you ever considered partaking in another project with a completely different style. Say, solely Punk-based, for example?

DC: I would love to at some point, for sure.


SATP: You find England a rotten place, musically. In your own words, you call the music and the industry shit. Are you only referring to Pop and Dance music, or are you also referring to Indie and Rock? What prompted that? Do you play any British artists on your set?

DC: Hmmm, I wouldnt say England is a rotten place, musically. Against all the odds there is still some incredible music coming out of the UK, from Techno to Pop, but there is certainly a decline in how that is serviced. Radio stations, both private and public, have so marginalised good music that the public think that the music they play is the only music that is out there. The Pop music industry is terrible now  no one is interested in TOTP because the music is generally dire. Very little comes out that is clever or wry; it really is just manufactured. People like Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello wouldn't stand a chance if they were new now, and that is really very sad. I will continue to support artists that make good music and that still includes British ones, but the whole radio industry needs to be overhauled to once again influence musical culture. It has just spiraled into characterless broadcasting. France, Belgium, and Holland are so much better in this field, especially in public (not privately owned) radio broadcasting. I mean, Techno has never been represented on public radio in the UK consistently. I seem to remember Pete Tong being quoted as saying there was no place for a Techno show on the radio (despite a huge following), but
Photography by Julie Scudder
dave clarke :: live at the world service 2 launch party



there was for Drum n Bass (and of course there should be for Drum n Bass, but Techno has been around for longer and even influenced Drum n Bass). I found it so easy to get a weekly Techno show broadcast in Belgium, Portugal, and even Istanbul. I had the first terrestrial and web-broadcast Techno radio show, but could I get a foothold for that music on the UK airwaves? No. That makes me sad. But anyway, good things came out of that as I gave up my show to concentrate on making music.


SATP: You have been there, Dave, playing Electro way before anyone else and there seems to be hype about Electro now all over Europe. Where do you think Electro music is heading? Is it as good as it used to be several years ago? Where do you see the future of dance music in general? Do you think people will squeeze Electro to the max and then what comes next?

DC: I cannot predict, but I can follow passionately music I care about. Electro still does it for me, and it is different to the past generation in many ways.


SATP: You play a lot of 80s Electro and Synth/New Wave in your sets. You are
constantly keeping the music alive, reviving it on each and every set. Do you find 80s music timeless? What do you think is so unique about this music that still burns up dance floors on your sets all over the globe?

DC: I find good music is timeless; it doesn't have to come from the 80s to qualify. It means more to me as I grew up in the 80s, but some 60s music still blows me away, as does some music released across the past few months across various genres.


SATP: You are a fan of covers and remakes, are you not?

DC: Not really. I like the juxtaposition sometimes, like Nouvelle Vague with a cliché French innocence covering Punk/New Wave classics, or Ciccone Youth.


SATP: So what are you looking for in a track? Is it specifically music that will have a good groove for the dance floor?

DC: Something that taps into darker energy; that has depth and powerful production. The music I listen to always has to have some sort of depth that makes you want to play it again and again.


SATP: It seems you have a big problem and concern with the music people listen to these days. You dont want your albums to be presented in stores next to what you call opium music. What is the problem for you with todays music? Do you feel the music that people are listening to doesnt give them a chance to explore themselves?

DC: Dance music in itself is such a wide genre that I really cannot see what I have in common 90% of the artists. The way the UK commercial Dance music industry has mostly been run is just to capitalise only on money, not creation, and that makes me sad. I have been lucky enough to have people want to interview me, yet the majority of interesting questions come from European journalists outside of the UK. How am I supposed to answer questions that arent presented to me, if its just a rehash of an earlier interesting question? How am I supposed to convey anything? So many people are to blame, but it still challenges me to carry on.


SATP: It seems that so many people are in the industry today not for the right reasons. Weve lost a lot of the passion in music and people who produce today are not necessarily there because the music is all they care about. What is there to do about that?

DC: I dont believe we have a lost a lot of passion in music as a whole, its just the public are less aware of it. This is for many reasons: commercial record companies would generally prefer someone without passion as passion cant be controlled, we have lost a lot of smaller labels who understood passion, etc. I believe when the business model for selling music has reestablished itself, we will have cult portals that will have the same impassioned followers like Stiff Records/UR have. I really am not too worried about the future as I see a rebalance is very possible.


SATP: You have always been rebellious, even in your youth. In the music industry, youre kind of an outsider  you tend to do things in your own way and you have very strong opinions about all sorts of things, and you state them loudly. Do you feel this unique attitude of yours has helped you to achieve your goals?

DC: Maybe I am a Sith! [laughs] I do what I do. Ill let others judge.


SATP: Lets say an amateur DJ or producer approached you. What would you say to them  what advice can you give them?

DC: Unfortunately, I would say make a great record, because that seems to be the most likely way to cross over, even though the two talents are so different. Other than that, I would suggest carving a niche for yourself in the biggest, nearest town and build up confidence before try to break out of that scene.


check out the interview on Sick Among the Pure website: http://www.sickamongthepure.com/files/2005/07/08_clarke/clarke.html

Return to press