Dj HARVEY

A Brit abroad who gets the yanks feathers ruffled and those trendy Tokyo kids screaming for more. From acid rock to disco obscurities, the feller plays em all. We caught up with him on a Californian beach, charging waves and dropping bombs.....

Hey Harvey, things seem to suit you well over there, caught some pics of you spinning at Candelah’s in San Diego and damn! Where did that body come from?

Yes things do suit me very well in California, Hawaii and NYC where I divide up my time. The body in fact comes from expensive, somewhat illegal steroids and regular visits to Gold’s Gym inbetween charging very heavy waves. I have a regular circuit of parties I spin at; Candelahs in San Diego, Smart Beat Oasis in Oakland, R X Gallery in San Francisco, Moonshadows in Malibu (funny that. I once played at Malibu’s in Bracknell -Ed) and other odds n’ sods including the Spider Bar in Hollywood and New York’s Deep Space. The crowd there have been schooled to perfection by Francois and its a real pleasure to spin there.

Those old Black Cock tunes are going for big bucks at the mo. Any chance of getting it going again?

There’s an outside chance of a re-issue box or maybe even a cd but Black Cock remains flacid at the moment. Map of Africa is my new band project with DJ Thomas - ex Wicked are Weapons. We’ve been working on an album (pretty much completed) which is being recorded and produced in his Woodstock studio. We should have something for your ears sooner than later. It’s not a change of direction, just another creative avenue. I’ve played in and out of various bands for most of my life - you could say this reflects my home listening.

Tell us about the club in Hawaii...

Yes we have recently opened up thirtyninehotel (www.thirtyninehotel.com) a community- based multimedia space that features artists and contemporary dance parties. We plan to have the planets best NYE party there this year. The soundsystem is work in progress, if any studymasters out there have any juicy bits to donate to a good cause we are always on the search. I recently discovered a Richard Long system that a friend has elements of which I must have.

Do you remember the old days at Moist/MoS fondly?

All those days were really, really good fun but not as good fun as these days...“it’s always better than it used to be”, I’m lucky I keep it movin. Moist ran for a fair while and was an alternative to a few of the so-called trend setting nights of the time. It was Heidi and myselfs brainchild. I think that night was definitely responsible for showing (London) DJs and crowds that DJs could play for a longtime and create a mood, make a journey and keep things exciting. Larry Levan, FK, Kenny Carpenter, Daryl Pandy, Terry Hunter all performed there as well as UK guys that Heidi wanted to elevate such as Trevor Jackson, the Idjuts, Gerry Rooney, Fraser Cooke and Ashley Beadle.

Any crazy nights stand out?

Group sex on the dance floor of the Zap Club, Ibiza, Larry Levan at Moist, the reflection of Miss Nude Australia’s punani reflecting on the bald patch of Gary Saltzman’s (Todd Terry’s manager) head as she danced naked on the ministry booth to one of my sets.

You once told me you could turn up on a Saturday night at the Ministry with just a plastic carrier bag full of records...

That comes from something I believe in which is I see some DJs with far too many boxes and they are only spinning for one or two hours. I’m usually spinning much longer and only have one box - thats because i have the upmost confidence in the records and the groundwork I’ve put in beforehand. When I DJ you get me and records from my mind, each one so carefully considerd at the point it makes it into my bag thats it’s the absolute right one for the job. You know one hour of music if you play the record through can be as little as two, three, maybe four records - if they are the right ones they will be enough.

Have you any ambitions left DJ-wise?

To learn to mix, havin lost the skill a few years back during a severe case of the Mancuso’s.

Finally what happened to your legendary record collection? Did you fly it out to the states or is there a cave of wonders somewhere in England?

There is a cave of treasures somewhere but I made my brother memorise a location then swear a samurai blood oath to protect it forever.