Hostage

First post of the month, and this month is gonna be a big one for Mr.Jones. We've got some big guests lined up in the shape of Fake Blood and Switch, and more of the same in December. 

Continuing on with my little series of interviews, I had a chat with Scottish DJ and producer Hostage. Just signed to the newly launched Nightshifters label, brainchild of DJ Donna Summer, Alan Hostage has been making some big noise recently by way of remixes of OH SNAP!'s tracks "Bill Cosby Sweater" and "High Top Fade" and also his own productions on "Snake Charmer" and Mr.Jones favorite "Hoot".

Expect to hear a lot more from this man during 2009 and the rest of the gang over on Nightshifters. I posted a little thingie here last month about them so be sure to pop back and check it out if you're a little late on things...

In the meantime, Hostage!!!

Shortie: First off, how are you man?
Hostage: Yeah, all is good here if a tad broken after another stupidly good-fun weekend, so I'm in a bed in a hotel room eating a pizza....
niceness.

S: Nightshifters just launched, exciting times?
H: Yeah, totally excited about Nightshifters, DJ Donna Summer (aka Jason Forrest) is one hard working music loving rave machine of a man, and combined with his vision and the roster of artists I reckon it's going to be a biggie.
We've got remixes of the new Hostage track "Shake it" by AC Slater and the Acid Jacks for the first release, as well as 4 original Hostage tracks...Should all be available to buy very soon.


S: How did it all come about?
H: I've been in contact with DJ Donna Summer for a long time and spent a few days chillin' at his house in Berlin in the summer when I played his amazing rave night "Birthday Party Berlin" - he was keen to get my stuff out there and we get on really well which is important so it's going to be a good fun musical family.

S: Are we going to see a Nightshifters tour anytime soon?
H: Yeah, a Nightshifters tour is defo on the cards.

S: Were you involved in the Scottish DJ scene before you start producing?
H: I've been involved in the Scottish music scene for 10 years under many different guises, however it's Hostage all the way now. But if you look on Discogs you'll see the first Hostage album was released 8 years ago...I have been DJing and Producing for 15 years.

S: Your own tunes like “Hoot” and “Sorry” have a bit of a darker sound to them that your remixes, is that a conscious thing?
H: Yeah, the tunes are sounding darker, I'm feeling a bit darker at the moment, some of the wibbly-wobbly-wonk stuff was starting to sound a bit too much like a day at the funfair so I wanted to make it a bit ruff and darker..

S: Production wise, from where do you draw your influences?
H: Production influences: Scottish Hardcore and Rave from the mid 1990s. The entire spectrum of house and techno from modern deep clicky minimal house stuff to oldschool hoover techno. The Prodigy. Jungle. Dubstep. Altern 8. Hawtin. Bloggyshit....Achh I dunno - I listen to lots of everything.

S: Is there much of a difference between the tracks you make and the tracks you play in a DJ set? If so, Why?
H: I only play mostly my own tracks in my DJ sets.

S: There used to be a bigger link between certain cities and certain sounds, Berlin / Techno, Detroit / House, London / Garage… Not so much anymore, why do you reckon that is?
H: I disagree with you regarding cities having certain sounds.
I think it's still very much that way - from Scouse House to Edinburgh Ravebass.

S: What do you have planned for the future?
H: The future - lots more gigs and a lot more productions: let's just keep working it hard.

Fun Quickfire Qs:

Have you ever been the owner of either a Bill Cosby Sweater or a High Top Fade?
I've had some pretty shitty jumpers in my younger years however a ginger high-top-fade would just be soooo wrong.
Worst tune ever?
The Rednecks - Cotton Eye Joe
Best tune ever?
Randy Crawford - Streetlife (sampled for the breakdown in Gluttony)
Favorite Movie?
Nuts in May or Terminator
Daily websites? 

b3ta. com, erolalkan.co.uk, elbo.ws
What question would you like me to ask you?
What would you like to drink.
Now answer that question
Double Jack Danies with ice.
Random piece of information?
I used to work in a cattle market.

So that's Hostage... Keep an eye out in the usual places for upcoming releases from Nightshifter Records and the man himself.