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Def Mix Ibiza welcomes Lexicon Avenue to Pacha
Lexicon Avenue which comprises of three northern England mates Scott Bradford, Mark Armstrong and Chris Scott have continued to build a solid reputation on the back of high profile production pieces, quality remixes and encapsulating dance floors worldwide with a vibrant house sound.
Especially suited to Ibiza with their driven percussive basslines the trio will soon embark on a trip to the Summer party Island to headline the upcoming Def Mix party at Pacha. RA spoke to Scott Bradford over the weekend to discuss Ibiza, upcoming plans for the year and what is in the production pipeline.
Last time we spoke in June 2003, you sighted Chus and Ceballos, Peace Division and H-foundation as artists you aspired to. Two years on do these guys still rate in your list? What other artists do you think are also setting benchmarks?
SB: I'm still really into all those guys although H Foundation are no longer producing together which is a shame. Other guys I'm really into at the minute are Nic Fanciulli (Skylark / Buick Project), Mark Knight and there's also a lot of great music coming from Italy at the minute from people like Joe T Vanelli, Alex Neri and Ricky Montanari.
Describe the usual studio scenario. The three of you walk in - Who sits where, who takes control of the mothership and who generally is forced to hit the shops for the late night snacks?
SB: Well Chris is the clever studio bod who takes control of the mothership. When we work together myself and Mark tend to have ideas of beats and samples we want to try out then we just see what works from there. Chris will play a few riffs or ideas and we change stuff from there. Sometimes we go in with no idea what we want to do and just see what happens. That tends to be how myself and chris work on our own…Mark likes to know exactly what we are going to be doing normally. We normally take turns hitting the shop for sugary snacks.
Compared to preparing for a European mainland tour or trip to the USA or further abroad, musically, do you prepare any differently for an Ibiza tour?
SB: Not really we just play what we play. I probably take a few more records if we are doing a tour as you never know what you are going to get crowd wise. Generally though we both just play what we play, which is anything from house, tribal stuff, a bit of prog and even some techno.
"Generally though we both just play what we play, which is anything from house, tribal stuff, a bit of prog and even some techno"
Name one track you will each definitely have in your record crate for your Ibiza gig
SB: I will defo be playing a new Little Green Men track myself and Chris have just finished featuring a vocalist called Sandy Mill. I expect mark will play our new mix of Depeche mode's "Behind The Wheel".
The last time Satoshi played at your Shindig night in Newcastle, you ended up having a production session together and coming up with the Fishhead track. Since your playing again with Satoshi at the Saw Recordings/Def Mix party this weekend in Ibiza, should we expect another Fishhead track to appear on the horizon in six months time? Any other tentative plans to get back in the studio with Satoshi?
SB: Myself and Chris have done a few tracks with Satoshi Tomiie now. We actually started another track some time ago which needs to be finished. Its tricky finding a time when we are all free to get together. I'm sure we will work together again though.
Over the years you have had some big remixes including Science Department's "Breathe", Depeche Mode's "Only When I Lose Myself" and more recently Chab's "Closer To Me" and the new Chus & Ceballos remix. Which one of your remixes are you most proud of? Which one did you labour over the most?
SB: I'm really happy with most of our remixes especially Chab and Depeche mode. We did find our mix of Ben Onono's "Badagary Beach" hard work.
What new singles or remixes do you have coming up either as Lexicon Avenue or as part of your various other production teams?
SB: As Lexicon avenue we are just about to start a remix of a vocal track by Spector for our Forensic label. As mentioned earlier myself and Chris have a new Little Green Men track finished with another 3 vocals from Sandy Mill to work on. Myself and Mark have been in the studio with Barry Gilbey from Mara and have a single under the name Bush People coming out on Forensic.
What can the Ibiza crowds expect from each of your individual sets at the Saw Recordings/Def Mix Ibiza gig? How would you describe each of your individual DJ styles?
SB: Well both myself and mark play a similar style which is across the board, I seem to play a bit more housey than Mark at times but it all depends on the vibe of the party.
Your club night Shindig is just about to bid a fond farewell to its 10-year residency at Foundation in Newcastle. Tell us the reason behind the move to the new venue. What was the last record played at Shindig at Foundation?
SB: It's a real shame to be moving from Foundation after all these years but things had got a little stale down there. We had been promised a major refit a few times by the management but each time nothing happened. When the chance of the new venue cropped up earlier this year we jumped at it. Digital really is exactly what we want from a venue, from the layout to the Funktion One sound system that's going in there.
Another reason is that it is owned by my Shindig business partner Rob so if something needs to be done or changed it will be done straight away. I cant wait especially for the 20th of August when Satoshi is back in town (we have adopted him as an honorary Geordie you know) to promote his new album along with Sasha.
I have answered these questions before the final party but I know it's going to be rammed; the q jump list is over 500 people already and the phone has not stopped ringing... I plan to play The Clash "Rock The Kasbah" as the last record which is a bit of an end of night classic at the club.
Shindig will be setting up home at Digital, a 2-floor club space which boasts a Funktion One Sound system. Will there be anything different about the new Shindig night at Digital, musically speaking or otherwise?
The major change will be the second room where we will have guests pretty much every week. We have people like Phil Weeks, Hipp-e, Demi and Heather booked and myself and Mark will also be playing that room sometimes.
That was a major problem with Foundation; the second room was more like a bar. Digital is a great space for around 400 with a Funktion One system as well. We will also have a 4am license every Saturday and a resident VJ in the main room every week.
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Published / Tuesday, 12 July 2005
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