In 2001, he put Fused & Bruised on the backburner to concentrate on production work for Meat Katie's tech-funk oriented Whole9Yards imprint eventually releasing his debut album as Elite Force "No Turning Back" in 2003 to critical acclaim and is slated for a re-release in 2004 with new sampler 12's.

Elite Force has also teamed up with Meat Katie for a few noteworthy collaborations such as Toba (released on Kingsize) and Juju (on TCR) and remixes for the likes of UNKLE, the Apollo Kids and Forme - the productions oozing with heavy tribal flavours with that familiar tech-funk spicing both are known for. But let's not stop there, solo remixes for artists such as Meat Katie, The Crystal Method, UNKLE and Ajello have cemented his position as one of the most creative breaks remixers around gaining him a nomination for best producer at 2003's International Breakbeat Awards.

When he's not in the studio he's busy DJing, which he started around 1990 playing at various gigs such as huge student nights eventually taking him around the world to places as far as San Francisco, Shanghai and Seville (playing to 8,000 people). He also hosts the Strongarm Sessions webcasts on Breaks FM which receives around 2,000 listens a month.

- There's a misconception that there's more than one person to Elite Force. Is this true or is there only one person in the group?

I've never heard that, although when Elite Force first started back in 96/97 the label I was running (Fused & Bruised) disseminated rumours that Elite Force was a collective rather than just myself. The reason for this? I had a contract with a couple of major labels as Lunatic Calm which didn't allow me to record under different names.

- Where did the name actually come from? Watching too many Saturday morning cartoons?

I can't remember to be honest - nowhere specific. I just though it sounded good.

- Your sound has a distinct tribal house edge which you combine with breaks to form your own hybrid. Is that how you would describe it? From where and who does the influence come from?

I'd describe what I do as tech-funk. I'm a fan of rolling, organic-feeling productions that are laced with a techy vibe & built around a funky bedrock, so tech-funk seems to fit the bill. For the past couple of years there's been a real convergence within a certain style of breaks that's taken the sound further away from the hard & nasty nu-skool, and closer a house mindset, both in arrangements & in choice of sounds. The influence for what I do comes from a huge range of music & it's hard to pin down any one artist - the people I most admire though are the likes of the Chemical Brothers & Underworld, artists who have managed to create exciting, sustainable & quality music across long periods of time.

- You've collaborated with Meat Katie for several tracks like Juju and Toba, is there a notable difference between your sounds?

We also have a new single out featuring Roland Clark on vocals ('The Answer', coming out on Kingsize UK), we've done 4 or 5 remixes together and we're two thirds of the way through a collaborative album that we're gonna try to get out by the end of the year! Mark's got a directness to his sound that I've always admired & a real simple focus for the floor that seems to work very well with my own style of production.

- What other artists have you collaborated with? and who would you like to collaborate with in future projects?

I've just done a remix with Rennie Pilgrem which worked out well - it's appearing on the single I have coming out in June ('Driving Me Crazy') on TCR and we'll be mixing a track from his forthcoming album. There are loads of people other than Meat Katie that I've got scheduled to come into the studio over the next few months, starting with Soul of Man at the end of May and then Lee Coombs, Future Funk Squad, Dylan Rhymes & BLIM. I've also spoken in the past about doing stuff with Crystal Method & Uberzone in the US, but it's always a bit of a mad rush when you're on tour. In terms of wishlists, top of the list would be Angelo Badalamenti (Lynch soundtracks & others....) who used a track of mine on Arlington Road & we nearly got a session together in New York a couple of years back.

- What can you say about the current state of breakbeat and where do you think it is heading?

The scene's really confident & full of itself right now - It's really healthy across the board - there are plenty of aspects that don't interest me at all (the hard, 'blokebeat' end of things for a start), but there are a lot of producers putting out some of their best work yet as well as a few exciting emerging forces, particularly from Oz artists like EK, Infusion & Nubreed. Last year was a real struggle for everyone, saleswise, but the influx of bootlegs opened the market up to a lot of new record-buyers & now you're finding a lot of the househeads getting into what we do, which is only a good thing for the scene.

- You also host a radio show - the Strongarm Sessions on Breaks FM - what impact on the breakbeat scene does the show provide?

I've been doing the Strongarm Sessions for over 2 years now & the listener-base has gone through the roof in that time. The guys behind Breaks FM are very much from the harder, ghetto end of breaks, so I think shows like mine have a real weight of responsibility in making sure that big bassline-breaks aren't the only flava that gets represented. Each show gets archived on my website (www.strongarmsessions.co.uk) & stay up there for a round a month - you'll expect around 3000 listens to each one, so the exposure for upfront trax is excellent.

- Are there any upcoming guests you'd like fill us in on without giving too much away?

On the show? I tend to play my own 2-hour sets each week, except when I'm away (or ocassionally when someone's in town). While I'm on tour I've got guest sets from D Ramirez, Chris Carter, Loes Lee, Fine Cut Bodies, Meat Katie & myself.

- I suppose the one thing that producers would like to know is what tools and software do you use in the studio when creating beats?

G5 with 2 MOTU 2408s running SX2 at the heart of the rig through a 32:8:2 mixer....hardware keys include Andromeda A6, Nord Lead, Access Virus, Novation Supernova, JP-8000 & a variety of softsynths & soft samplers such as Kontakt, Reaktor, Absynth, Arturia Moog etc....been building it all up for a decade or so.

- What has been the most memorable gig you've played?

That's a REALLY hard call - different strokes etc...some of the small gigs have been the most memorable, like the aftershow party at the end of a 5 week tour with Crystal Method - I played for nearly 7 hours to just 20 or 30 people with what I'm sure was no more than around 30 records! Last year there were a couple of great shows - Spundae in LA with Hyper was a blast, each of the Budapest gigs I did, & also the Breaknation 4 show in Seville playing to 8,000 people.

- Best club? and why?

Always have a great time playing to an open-minded, up for it crowd. Eastern Europe seems to have more than its fair share of these at the moment.

- What are your top 5 tunes that you are currently busting out right now?

D Ramirez - Venus & Mars (remix) [CDR]
Elite Force - Peyote Road [CDR]
Meat Katie & Elite Force - The Fabulous Mint 400 [white]
Nathan Fake - Outhouse [Border Community]
Acen - Dirty Raver [TCR]