When Anthony Pappa uprooted from Australia in the mid-nineties to pursue a DJ career in the UK scene, the list of people betting on his failure might well have outnumbered his vinyl collection. Seven years on and Pappa is firmly on the 'A-List' having established himself as a class international act, both as a DJ and producer. The only Australian DJ in the Top 100 DJ mag rankings in 2001 and hotly tipped to ascend the rankings in this year's poll, his DJing and production are respected and envied by many in the Australian and international dance music community. Aside from his seamless mixing skills (worthy of discussion at even Dave Seaman's dinner table) as one half of Pappa & Gilbey, his definitive dark and twisted tracks heard on the Choo Choo imprint ('Interference/Twisted', 'Skin Deep') were making waves long before that style became the latest musical trend. More recently, Pappa & Gilbey remixes of Morel's 'Funny Car' and DJ Remy's 'Butterfly' have illustrated the evolution of a more energetic progressive sound. Whether it's explaining the technical nuances of his revered mixing-in-key skills, candidly admitting to tales of throwing up at an airport check-in counter or flying his dad around the globe to attend his gigs, Anthony Pappa doesn't wield the know-all, been-there-done-it attitude you might expect. Instead, you're more likely to find the softly spoken Pappa politely inquiring about how his attendance figures compare to those of his peers. One of the hardest working DJs in the business RA caught up with Anthony Pappa somewhere, we think, between his 150th and 200th gig of the year, in Tokyo after a recent headlining performance at Renaissance.

Your set seemed a lot harder and more progressive trance oriented than your previous gig here, certainly more energetic and uplifting than your Resolution CD released earlier this year.

The end of the set was definitely progressive trance but the first couple of hours I thought I quite played funky and housey. I also played some tech-house, a few breaks and a few techno tracks towards the end, just quite hypnotic stuff. The Resolution CD mostly contained tracks from October 2001. The music moves so quickly that of course I’m playing the sounds that are current and fresh now as opposed to last year. I’ve always been into those different styles of music; it’s just getting the chance to have a set where you can work it all in and a crowd that are receptive enough to let you go for it.

You're often described as one of the hardest working DJs. Last year you played around 200 gigs. How's this year looking?

Possibly a little less but almost the same, I think. This week I'm playing four gigs so if that’s anything to go by then I’m on par with last year. Sometimes it tires me out but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love my job. Not every week is that crazy but a lot of them are, because I am quite mad.

So, you must have had some memorable gigs so far this year. Anything you can elaborate on?

I had a girl run into the booth pull up her top and say “Can I take a picture with you?” in Australia this year. Apart from that, nothing really out of the ordinary!

Your mixing-in-key skills are talked about and respected a lot by other DJs. Can you give us a quick ‘Mixing-In-Key for Dummies’ tutorial?

When DJs mix two records together the first thing they try to achieve is matching the beats. Mixing-in-key is the next level of mixing after that. It's about introducing the sounds and musical elements of one record with another record. Every song has a key. My whole collection of 20000 records is filed in key. You can detect the key from the baseline of the keyboards even if there are a lot of musical elements. If the keys aren’t right, the music won’t connect and harmonize. So mixing-in-key is not only about mixing the beats but also about layering sounds from both records to make a better, smoother mix.

Some DJs concentrate on keeping the dancefloor, others prefer to take on the role of an educator. Then there are those who are more ‘the entertainer’. There are hundreds or thousands of good DJs out there but only a handful of truly great ones. What do you think makes a great DJ?

I think the most important thing is getting on well with the crowd simply by making eye contact and connecting with them as a person. When I first started I thought you had to be the best technically. I still think technical skills are important. I really hate DJs that are working but are crap. Personally, I think it’s very important that a DJ does their job well. I consider that to be playing good music and educating the crowd as well as having the skill that we’ve talked about before to back it up.

Collaborating with Barry Gilbey as Pappa & Gilbey you’ve gained a lot of recognition for your production work on Choo Choo Records. These days it seems like everyone is using software like Logic or Cubase or Buzz to make tracks. What do you guys use? What future releases or remixes can we expect?

We both use Logic. I always start tracks at home myself on my computer. Then I’ll go up to Sheffield to Barry’s studio and we’ll finish the tracks because he has more keyboards and synths and stuff. First of all I usually get a groove going before taking it to the studio and developing it more. I work on a lot of the drums and do a lot of sampling, basically just try and get a chunky groove together. Then we’ll add some new sounds and make an even bigger block before we think about arranging it.

This year we’ve done a couple of remixes - one on Yoshitoshi and DJ Remy’s ‘Butterfly’ plus a track which was on the Resolution CD. But that’s all we’ve really done so far this year.

Your music, both production and DJing, is quite inspirational to others. What kind of music inspires you?

I really like Sasha’s album. A lot of people are like “It’s not what I expected” but you’ve got to appreciate it for what it is, which is a really good piece of music. I also like William Orbit and U2. I listen to lots of different stuff but unfortunately most of my time is spent listening to my mail and I don’t mean putting my bills on the decks! I also love listening to chill-out albums when you’re driving home after you’ve played out and your head is caved in!

We talked to Dave Seaman recently and he expressed a lot of interest in promoting Australian artists like Highland and Infusion. In the future, if or when you return to Australia, do you think you might be interested in doing something similar?

Possibly in the future but right now I’m enjoying traveling and playing around the world. Nick Warren and I have talked about starting a label together though.

Last time you brought your dad along to your Tokyo gig at Womb. Given the generation gap what does your dad think about clubbing and DJing? You have built a reputation as a bit of a partygoer - does this mean you’re on your best behaviour when your he’s around?

Actually that was the first gig that my dad had ever seen. He’d never been to a club before; that was the first time and he loved it. He’ll also be coming to my gig in Manila and the last time I played in Melbourne he was there until six in the morning. You know, I just do my thing regardless. My dad comes to see what I do and I’m there to do my job. So I just do what I have to do to make the night go off.

Lastly, New Year’s Eve is fast approaching. Are you booked to play anywhere yet?

I’m thinking of going to Australia. I’ve had a good offer in Mexico but I’d like to go home for Christmas. I’ve just bought an apartment, which I wouldn’t mind staying in for a few weeks. Maybe I’ll go home for Christmas or New Year. Whether I go to Australia for Christmas and go somewhere else for New Year’s I don’t know yet, my options are open. I’ve been asked to play in Cancuna at a beach party to 8000 people, which would be cool, but I’m also thinking about Australia cos that’s what I’d like to do.