D.A.V.E the Drummer, is without a doubt, one of the most talented techno producers ever to come out of the United Kingdom and one of the pioneering producers pushing acid techno throughout Europe. He has been a regular feature in countries such as: Brazil, Japan, Australia, U.S.A., Belgium and Spain to name but a few and runs his infamous techno label called Hydraulix. With a massive back catalogue of music dating to the early nineties from acid to funky techno makes his DJ and live performances nothing short of spectacular. His back by popular demand for Teknotribes 7th Birthday Bash and ready to deliver his variety of dance floor destruction.

Welcome to Mr Spencer Henry, are you happy to be back in South Africa?
Yes of course.
 
What’s the acid techno scene like in the UK at the moment and how is it perceived by the clubbers?
It's still going, the techno scene in general seems to be coming together as a whole after the big minimal split came along. Chris and the Libs are concentrating on suf and cluster. I'm doing Hydraulix and concentrating on the new Hydraulix 909 label which is digital. The parties are going well, it's small but it's enthusiastic and it just about covers the bills so it's all good.
 
You’ve got quite a few aliases that spring to mind namely Henry Cullen (mutate to survive),  Strobe,  CO-AX and  Secret Hero to name a few. Why do you feel the need to use them?
I've used aliases in the past for different sounding projects to create a distinction between them. These days I stick to Dave the Drummer or Henry Cullen for just about everything Henry Cullen being my more minimal sound and Dave the Drummer for everything else.

You’ve also been in numerous bands. How has your studio evolved over the years? Are you more digital based now?
Yeah the studio is much more digital, it's all about the computer now. I still have a few bits of classic gear kicking about which are more as ornaments now cos I hardly ever use them, but sometimes the old 909 comes out.

You’ve been a very busy man on your Hydraulix and Hydraulix 909 labels over the years and you’ve gone on to release another label with Pattrix called “Mutate to survive records” which is more on the minimal techno side. Did you feel it was necessary to create this label to adapt to the constantly changing techno scene?  Where is it going or is it just to broaden your own horizons to cater for a bigger techno audience?
Well Patttrix is now running the label and I'm helping him out. I ran out of time and felt that we needed a person behind it with more time to push the label. So I do the web stuff and the art, Pattrix A+R's and manages the label and we do the tracks together. It's cool, I love the music and enjoy that kind of style, because I like to listen to electronic music and hard stuff is just not so playable at home. Mutate to survive can be anything at all, it's nice to have some freedom.

Regarding your Hydraulix titled tracks, what type of concept do you try and create behind them?
Dark moody hypnotic, but still fun and exciting. I try to keep things as fresh as I can which is not easy these days

From hosting parties, being in bands, DJing across the globe and having a stellar back catalogue of productions, do you have any other interest in other art mediums such as film production?
I'm studying web design at the moment and getting really into it, but it's hard to find the time. I'm actually writing some guitar based breakbeat music (prodigy style) for a war documentary right now but I have no idea if it will be accepted or not, so we wait....

Some would say that techno has long been influenced by external media, particularly science fiction – do you draw influences from such areas in creating your music, and how do you think the shift in the media towards electronica will affect those already producing it?
I think techno to a certain extent has become stuck, it is now perceived as a style in itself, and too often people think that if a track doesn't have "x" sound in it then it's not techno.
I totally disagree with this because to me techno is a musical concept which is drawn from technology not only in the world of music but in the world in general. So to answer your question, yes I am influenced by the world of media in my music very much, and as media production gets more incredible so will techno music.

Henry you are offering your own techno toolbox  sample cd  up for download which is fantastic. Do you feel that with the technology and software readily available these days, every amateur/semi-professional producing music in their home or bedroom  is expected to deliver commercial quality recordings. Do you think that it’s compromising the musical output as people get lost in the technology? Should labels take more responsibility and be prepared to pay for studio time to make a good recording out of a good piece of music?
I think the sample CD market is interesting because that is what most people are doing with music these days. They are interacting with it and using computers to do so. Music is for enjoyment right? And if you enjoy yourself making music (crap or not) then you've got what you wanted from it right? Well it's right and wrong isn't it? Why, because some people will always be good at making music and some will always be crap. And if there is no way for people who are good at it to be nurtured then the music scene itself will die and there will be nothing left for the guys who were just messing about to mess about with. The software companies will give up, the record shops will close and everything will be "free" on the internet and it will all be crap. Is that what we want? No.

Essentially I believe that if we are all reduced to competing with the entire world on YouTube, Facebook, Myspace or whatever, every time we write a track, it'll be a sad day for music. So the answer is yes, labels should take responsibility to put out good high quality music, from new producers as well as old ones. Also they should pay their artists so they can nurture their talent and make more great music for the world to enjoy. That way it'll give the guys who are messing about something to aspire to. Art is nothing without its aspirations.

The line between DJ sets and the live band is gradually becoming more blurred thanks to DJ’s creating more complex mixes. So for you, just how live is “live”? Would a mere laptop be enough?
As far as I'm concerned a DJ spinning vinyl these days is more "live" than a laptop. Always has been, always will be. Everyone just thinks they can do it all now they've worked out how to install some music software on their wonderful new super expensive ultra thin laptop. It’s like: "Oh wow you managed to press the "install" button and it did it all for you, AMAZING OMFG YOU ARE A GENIUS!!!"
.....know what I mean?

For somebody new to your work, where's the best place for them to get hold of your music and what does your gig guide look like for the next month?
You can get hold of me on http://soundcloud.com/dave-the-drummer to check out my mixes and new tracks. DJ-wise August is fairly quiet. I'm doing exams for web design and lot's of studio things pick up again in Sept. I'm in Paris and at The Waveform Festival in Cambridge amongst others. Also there's a new website on the way soon too
www.davethedrummer.co.uk

You are rocking two sets at Teknotribes 7th Birthday Bash on the 31 July. What can the crowd expect from your sets?
Well the brief as far as I know is for one to be slower techno and the other to be more banging. So that’s what it'll be I guess.
 
Thank you so much for your time Henry, I’m sure the party goers can’t wait to get down to some dirty underground tunage.
Nice one really looking forward to seeing South Africa again, and hanging out at the parties.

Cheers
H