Will there be a Nocturnal Frequencies 4?
There’s not going to be a number 4, I did three and I was quite happy with that. I got in a bit of an argument with the record company over stuff they did to the last album. They mucked around a bit and took a track out without me knowing so we had a big fallout. I hope to start my own series. in the future, similar kind of thing with a different record company. Those albums are so hard to find in record stores and people had a lot of problems getting a hold of them and distribution was really bad so I hope to do something new in the future.

Tonight being your first night in Seoul, what are your thoughts?
I really enjoyed it. I had a good time, but I wish I was a bit more awake because I only flew in a few hours before I played. It’s nice to be a bit more refreshed and alive. But apart from that I had a really good time. The crowd in there was really friendly. One girl was a bit too friendly. At one point they had to take her off the stage. I really enjoyed it.

How would you compare Seoul with Boston, New York City, or Dublin?
Um, I don’t know it’s very difficult to judge a place on the first time you visit. I think you need to go back and sort of go somewhere regularly really. Um, before you really work out the people and before they work you out as well. You have got to get to know each other a little bit. It’s always fun the first time you go anywhere but the best times always come afterwards, like the third time or the fourth time. And you do need to build the places up so it’s quite difficult to compare it to New York because I’ve been there quite a long time. But you know, the buzz you get playing somewhere for the first time was there tonight. The crowd seemed quite open minded and receptive. I feel that it’s the kind of place that if you go back more regularly then you build yourself up to something stronger, you build your name up and people start to realize what kind of music you play and you know, as a DJ you start to realize what your limits are with that crowd, you know how far you can push it in a certain direction.

Do you have any future plans for any Global Underground releases, an actual Global Underground release or maybe something like what Steve Lawler has is doing with the Lights Out series?
I think we are talking to them right now, nothing’s confirmed but there’s a few dj’s talking to them about doing something like the nubreed series but maybe just changing the name of it or just like making it a bit different because that series is really exciting. I think they’ve had a really good collection of albums so far, it’s a very exciting series but the only thing that puts people off is the name, I think we’re just working with them about trying to do something in the future and I’ve got my fingers crossed that we will. So there will definitely be some news on that next year.

Has there been a release date set yet for KinkyObsession?
No, we just got the sample clearance, it samples Obsession by Animotion from the 80’s. We just got permission to use the sample so hopefully that will be quite soon. It will come out on Yoshitoshi. And it will be an official release.

After Twilo shut down New York City suffered a major blow, do you feel that with Arc and all the other new clubs on the rise such as Crobar and Glowbanna, do you feel that New York City is making a comeback or do you feel that it already has?
I feel it’s still there because the people that are in New York, are the people that were into the music, they’re still as passionate as they were about it. They still work up to go out and listen to that kind of music as much as they can but the problems now with the economy a lot of people but working right now so it’s very expensive, and difficult for them to go out regularly. And there’s still a hell of a lot of dj’s going though New York. All the dj’s go through New York and I think it gets to a stage where you see what’s going on, and with a bad economy, the numbers aren’t the same as they were before. It’s definitely a different time to what it was during the Twilo years. But it’s still the same attitude and it’s still got the same New York feel to it.

You were ranked number 12 this year in DJ mag’s Top 100 poll, which was the same position that you held last year, and I feel that you’ve become almost an icon, especially with New York and Boston, you should read the message boards, I mean you’ve become like Sasha times 10 to some of these people. Are you surprised that you didn’t move up at all?
Oh my God (clenching his teeth) I wouldn’t mind Sasha’s money times ten! No, I was surprised I didn’t move down to be honest with you. I think certain things go into it, you know if you release a really big single or big album blah blah blah. I didn’t do any of that this year at all, I didn’t release anything. I didn’t play in England much, so I was really surprised that I stayed where I was, I was really happy how I did, I’m quite relieved. I thought all the other guys like Sander and Steve Lawler would have done much better than me. So I’m really surprised and grateful that I did well, definitely.

A lot of people are kind of disappointed that Dj Tiesto was the top dj. Do you have any comments?
No I think it’s fair actually, it’s a public vote, the public votes for it and every club I’ve been to in the last two years, and you talk to the promoter and he’ll say say ‘Oh he’s been here recently, he’s huge, or he’ll say Tiesto’s absolutely massive. Tiesto is absolutely packing venues around the world, he is huge, he’s got a loyal loyal following, he’s very very good at what he does, um, it’s just different to what I do I think but the people that follow him he always delivers to them, he never lets them down and he works his ass off as well. I think it’s quite fair really. At least he can mix, unlike another number one dj.

What five records would you take with you if you had to choose. Say there was a fire or something?
Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On… um err, the album, Patu Jo Make Me Believe In You, it’s sort of an old track I used on the essential mix. I hate this question, it’s always such a hard one. I’d take Barry White’s greatest hits in case I get a shag (laugh). The Ashley Beedle remix of Always by Bent, it always puts me in a good mood so I’d take that, and um uh and…something by the Beach Boys.

Not much electronic!
Oh right, that’s sort of like a back to mine selection, if I start getting into the electronic I’ve gott to pick out of something like twenty five thousand records, I guess that’s a bit more difficult.

Do you still drop Bent?
Sometimes, special parties, special occasions.

Which club would you choose if you could play just one, including Twilo?
Um, oh I don’t know, I couldn’t choose just one, I think err um……Christ. I don’t know, maybe Twilo or Pacha in Buenos Aires or that outdoor party I did in Macedonia.

What is your stance on the future of electronic music, the new global underground release being almost entirely all breakbeat and also I feel that Techno is rising in the progressive scene, what is your thought on the future, also with the piracy, sales are down.
Yeah, sales are down a little bit, I think partly it has to do with the fact that there hasn’t been much amazing stuff coming out recently, I think that’s what people are realizing, that’s what Global Underground are realizing, people need something different now and then you can’t just keep putting out the same product. You know, there’s like five million mix albums each month, so I think people are taking a step back and being a bit more thoughtful about what they release, trying to put a bit more care and a bit more attention so that they make it a bit different so it stands out. There are so many things coming out recently that it’s no wonder that sales are down. I think they would have gone down even of there wasn’t any piracy, so many compilations each week, so I think at the moment it’s going to be a period of regeneration and a period of change I think it will definitely come through. I think the piracy thing is bothering the record companies a lot, not just dance music but all music. People are trying to find ways to slow it down a bit but I think the only way they can do that is by going back to vinyl! It’s a lot more difficult to rip it into a computer.

I guess Final Scratch doesn’t help too much?
There’s no difference between Final Scratch and using a CD because everyone has a CD burner nowadays, you can download a track and put it on CD and play it in your set, even if you recorded it off the radio you know, you might have some talking at the end but you can still make a re-edit of it or just chop out bits of it, like a version you can play in the club. Anything that makes a sound, I think you can copy it, regardless of where it comes from. People have to start thinking of new ways to make people go out and buy music rather than getting it free.