HHA Preview with the Hardest of the Hard - The Prophet
Reported by benz
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Submitted 18-02-05 16:44
For me, the name "The Prophet" will always be synoymous in my head with the dirtier, more underground, dark and nasty end of the hard house spectrum. More specifically, the two times I have seen this guy play I have been nothing short of scared sh*tless by his uncompromising selection of twisted tunes. The Prophet is no run-of-the-mill hard house DJ. The tracks he plays border on the extreme, taking the genre of hard house to its darkest and most sinister limits. He pushes the sound to the edge of decency, and never lets up the pace for one second. Basically, if it's hard, fast, and dark you are looking for - he's your man.
Most people will have first started hearing mention of The Prophet when he was booked for a series of gigs for Frantic and its associated afterparty, Hardware. It was there at the bizarrely located Office Bar that I first witnessed this demon behind the decks. It was about 8am, and he was churning out mind-bending slices of relentless hard house such as Paul Maddox's gut-wrenching mix of Defective Audio's "Intoxicating" and Ian M's punishing "Crazy Pills", all seeminglessly mixed together by this intriguing looking guy who was brandishing a worryingly calm and collected look on his face. "Is he oblivious to the madness that is going on around him?", I wondered. It was an impressive performance for such a time of day, and although I couldn't really hack such thumping material at that point (either mentally or physically!), I made a mental note to keep an eye on his progress.
Further bookings for Frantic, and other promotions such as Oblivion and Skwosh!, helped to etch his name onto the collective mind of the hard house scene. He continues to regularly pound the living daylights out of dancefloors across the capital and fans of his uber-hard style are increasing in number constantly. February 26th sees him playing in the Bring Back The Bounce room at Hard House Academy, which is sure to be one of the most exciting and energetic sets of the night. We pulled him aside for a few minutes to try and get inside his psyche, and figure out why it is that he loves the dark stuff so much. Turns out he's also a very nice guy too!
Where are you from and how did you get into the hard dance scene?
I was born in the West Indies but grew up in and around Greenwich. Just as what we now call Old School Garage was getting started, I was enjoying the grooves of such artists as Masters at Work. Being a DJ is something I always thought and probably dreamed of doing. Nothing I was pursuing. I have always loved music. All of it. Enough to give it the respect of keeping from the more operational sides of it. I got into Garage…..I know…..This gave me a lot of chances to observe DJs at work. Two in particular. One Master and one novice. I was well into Garage until one day I heard a Hard House tune played by a friend of mine (the novice). It jumped to my feet to see what it was. A Tony De Vit tune I love and still play today, where I can. It was an instant obsession.
I had a party at my house one weekend and after everyone but a few of us were gone, I had my first go, badgered by my friends. It was Nine Ways and another tune. The mix was dreadful. They left a while later, leaving the rig set up in my front room. I pulled out some tunes that I knew and I was away. I made my first tape that day and taught myself from then on.
Before seeing you play at Frantic’s afterparty Hardware last year, I had never heard of you. Were you playing out much before that period in time or was this a turning point in your DJ career?
I started playing at parties and small promotions and up to three of four years before Hardware.
Your main style of music is dark, hard, filthy, twisted, nasty hard house – what is it that attracts you to this sounds?
When I first started going out to Hard House in clubs I loved the energy and the rush the music gave you. It is the purist dialect of the universal language we all understand on the Dance floor. I think it was from then on I wanted to take these sensations to their limit with the driving, nosebleeding, bloodthirsty rhythms of REAL HARD HOUSE.
What other styles do you play?
I play. Old School, Drum & Bass, Cheesy House, Funky House, Trance, Hard Trance, Hardcore. To play out I would stick with Trance, Hard Trance.
What music do you listen to help retain your sanity, after a long weekend of pounding hard house for instance?
More Hard House. Audio Bulleys. Basement Jaxx. Coldplay. More Hard House.
Some classic Trance ultimately wins!
Have you stepped into the world of production yet? Anything lined up?
I am absolutely dying to. My head’s full of ideas. Daily. And they don’t fade away. I can always remember them. I have Logic Platinum, Cubase and Reason. I’ve got a bit to learn yet. Production is my next goal. I look at it just the same way I looked at those decks on that first day. You’ll be hearing something from me very soon and some collaborations.
February 26th sees you playing in the Bring Back The Bounce room at Hard House Academy. When was the last time you played a bounce set? And what kind of bounce will you be playing? Crazy, fun stuff or darker, driving stuff?
Last Bouncy set was at Skwosh! I really enjoyed it. I’ll be playing a mixture of it all. I luurrrrrrrrrrrve the Bounce.
Have you been to Hard House Academy before? If so, how would you describe it to someone who’s never been? And if not, what have you heard about it?
Hard House Academy is one of my favourite ever events and a bit of tradition. I am ashamed to say that I have actually missed one or two.
All I’ll say to someone who hasn’t been: All your senses are going to be used and abused. Everyone’s first HHA is a turning point for them. It’s a MAJOR event. You’ll love it.!
I saw you play at a certain Brixton venue last year at 5am, at which point there were many dodgy types falling over the stairs and being generally rather twisted. Do you find that your dark and dirty sound often leads you to DJing in rather illicit, “underground” venues?
It does from time to time. I love the underground. All us DJs aspire to the bright lights, big stages and all the praise. I want all that too, but I love the dark cloudy rooms and that sound right in your face. Call me crazy, but I’ve gotta say, The George is one of my all time favourite places to play. Realise that the underground is where our roots lie and it’s constant. Whatever’s happening on the surface of the scene, it’s always there, oblivious.
What are your views on the bounce revival? Flash-in-the-pan throwaway business or much needed injection of fun and humour back into hard dance?
It is definitely needed. It will stand out from the rest of Hard Dance and encourage a lot of new interest and new blood. It is an acquired taste though. I am watching this one with interest. It’s gonna need a lot of new talent, especially on the production side. I intend to be in the thick of it.
What would be your dream gig? Venue, time of set, sound system etc…
That’s a real tough one. Camden Palace/Ko Ko’s as it’s now called, is one of my all time favourite venues. I think the sound is excellent and indigenous to that building. I’ve been to a lot bigger and glossier clubs, but they just haven’t got that atmosphere. A 2 am slot there would be bliss. Every week. On a Saturday Night.
To really dream I would say Amnesia, Hard House all night, extra long slot starting at 1.30am
Do you go to hard dance clubs much when you are not DJing? Or do you tend to avoid them?
I’ve grown quite attached to the people out there. Especially the ones I know. I’ll probably only ever see most of them out. I try to get out there as much as I can. I’m a busy boy though, and it doesn’t leave me many opportunities. That’s why I’ve changed a lot and now have more time to pursue the musical side of my life, both the social creative aspects.
Which other DJs on the scene do you admire? And who are your all time favourite DJs in general?
Paul Glazby, Kevin Energy, Ian M. The Nu Energy Collective is out of this world. I know them well and they’re excellent musicians.
My favourite DJ is Tony De Vit. I know his work and have heard him play. Nuff said.
Why are you called The Prophet?
My friends at the time helped me with that one. I have a knack it seems for just saying what’s going to happen. Life is a series of logical eventualities. Not hard to work out if you’re tuned in. The sentence most associated with me at the time was, “I told you so.” Deeper roots lie in influences on my outlook on life and the way the world is. It’s unusual, but I think that your DJ name should be your name or something has a lot to do with both your nature as a person and your demeanour as a DJ.
Read the dictionary definition:
prophet
• noun • 1 an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God. 2 a person who predicts the future. 3 a person who advocates a new belief or theory 4 a badass dj
Where can we catch you playing over the next few months? And what has been your most enjoyable gig recently?
Keep a lookout. It won’t be hard to spot me. I’ll be making a real impact both on the dance floor and on Vinyl this year. It is all that matters to me now.
Hard House Academy LIVE
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On:
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Saturday 26th February 2005
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At:
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Brixton Academy [map]
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From:
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20:00 - 06:00
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Cost:
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Limited Early Bird Tickets £13+BF
Saver Tickets £16+BF
Standard Tickets £19+BF
More On the Door
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Website:
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www.franticuk.com
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Ticket Info:
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Ticketweb 08700 600 100 / www.ticketweb.co.uk
NeverEnough 07813 684 399 / neverenoughmaria@hotmail.com
Frantic HQ 07949 618 035 / amanda@franticuk.com
ClubTickets 0870 246 1840 / www.clubtickets.co.uk
E-list 079092 809 077 / www.e-listlondon.com
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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After a lengthy 5 months of hibernation, HHA is back to keep you warm for the tail-end of winter! It’s all about the Live PAs, with performances from the big 3 in the main arean – Lab 4, K90, and Nuw Idol – as well as the devastating talents of the Organ Donors in the foyer! A very special appearance from Mr. HHA himself, Steve Hill, will be another main room highlight, as will the on-stage breakdancing and capoeira! A special tiered stage will also be installed for the live acts, so expect the on-stage antics of this HHA to be like never before.
The Foyer plays host to ‘I Love The Hoover!’, with the best of hard-edged DJs such as D.A.V.E. The Drummer, Karim, Justin Bourne, and Ed Real showing why the filthy foyer sessions are so damn good.
The Corridor will once again rock to the sounds of sexy and dirty house music all night long thanks to those funky brothers at 4Clubbers, Thirsty DJs and Groove Factory, and The Balcony Bar sees the country’s leading bouncy hard house promoters, Bring Back The Bounce, take over for some unparalleled madness! A very special mystery guest will be supported by Rachel Auburn, Strange Dave, Kernzey & Klemenza, Red & Blue and others to ensure that we’re all dancing like chickens for the duration!
What else? Well Brixton Academy doesn’t have any sound or light equipment in it…which means that we have to install Funktion One throughout the venue, the massive spiky inflatables in the main room, the immense lighting rig, the projecter screens for live VJing… it’s quite a job and takes 2 days to get it all set up!
HHA is such a world-renowned event that we get clubbers from all corners of the world – including 300 Dutch nutters who come over especially for the event! This event will be filmed for the forthcoming Frantic DVD, to be released this summer, featuring footage of our key events, and interviews with clubbers and DJs. Come and be a part of hard dance history and find out why HHA was voted as The Number 1 Hard Dance Club in the country by the readers of Mixmag.
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