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Features Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters!

More than hardcore: an interview with MC, producer & DJ Sharkey Reported by spacekitten / Submitted 11-11-04 15:21 Sharkey, Sharkz, the Sharkzter… the name is synonymous with raving and the man himself famed for his mad antics on the mic. He’s won pretty much every award and accolade in the MC arena and achieved such iconic and legendary status that people come up to him proudly bearing their Sharkey tattoos and telling him they’ve named their pets after him. While he still loves a party, he much prefers to be called Jon and relishes the opportunity to just chill and be ‘normal’ which includes reading, gardening, cooking (he’s a former chef), listening to non-dance music and “doing the weekly shop”. He also spends more time behind the decks and in the studio, producing some of the most exciting and diverse music around. His passion for music started at a young age with training in classical piano, and was followed by performances at school assembly playing keyboard. Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, Erasure and other electronic and synth artists of the 80s all helped mold his style but he’d as soon listen to Coldplay or classical music. Sharkey first hit the hardcore scene as an MC at 16 blagging his way into the early parties and raves, from the south-west in Devon where he grew up, to the midlands and then down to the south coast where he caught the eye of DJ Druid. It was there he bagged his first residency in 1994 at Rhythm Station in Aldershot, a mecca of hardcore in its day. After that, the only way was up. As well as blasting onto the scene as an MC, in the ensuing years Jon also turned his hand, very successfully, to DJing and production. His first track ‘Toy Town’, a happy hardcore number with DJ Hixxy, is almost as well-known as he is, and his work on the Bonkers series is legendary. Along with Kevin Energy he was instrumental in creating and developing the trancecore/freeform sound and is considered one of the most forward-thinking artists on the scene. He’s played most of the major UK events as well as many of the smaller ones; if it’s a hardcore party, its likely Sharkey’s name has appeared on the flier at some point. He was also the first hardcore producer and DJ to perform in the main arena at Glastonbury in 1999. However, Sharkey is also a consummate and versatile performer and producer when it comes to hard trance and techno, and the recent trend towards crossover of hardcore and hard dance often sees him arriving at gigs with multiple record bags to cover a myriad of styles and tempos. His second solo album will be released early next year, giving him the opportunity to experiment with styles other than hardcore, try new ideas, and “keep things fresh”. Despite the success he remains unpretentious and utterly approachable. He loves meeting the ravers and finding out what they thought of his set, and devotes hours to nurturing up and coming talent so he can put something back into the scene which has given him so much. Maintaining a schedule he describes as “brutal”, with gigs all over the country and around the world, a new five album deal with React for Bonkers and another three album artist deal, he still manages to cook a fantastic dinner and give me an interview. A very, very long interview. How did you get involved in dance music? I’ve been lucky enough to be here since day one, since the really early music. I first heard dance music at school; I was listening to Frankie Bones, The Dominator and The Prodigy. I was running around the forest looking for glowbugs, doing boxes and circles and thinking I was really cool…. I was a bit of a reprobate but I was just having fun! I was MCing from the age of 16, and moving around all over the place – I did a lot of the early parties for DJs like Pilgrim, Quest, and Worm, parties like Pandemonium and Utopia. Then I nudged my way into the south coast and got my first residency at Rhythm Station with DJ Druid. Back then rave was just rave, there was none of this segmentation of today… no-one had a f*cking clue then, there was no real sense of genre, it was all in one room really and only now you look back and say that was hard trance or drum n bass, but back then there were no boundaries. The DJ/producer combination is one we’re familiar with but as a DJ, producer and MC you’re unique…. Have you managed to achieve a balance between the three that you’re happy with? Sometimes. Sometimes one’s good and the others aren’t so good but it all balances out in the end. I’ve had a really heavy DJ schedule in the last few months, the (Nu Energy live show) PA’s got successful, so as well as DJ Sharkey and the odd MC booking and the upturn in hardcore, the diary’s just gone crazy. I’ve had about 25 – 30 bookings in the last couple of months so last month I had two weekends off and it was so nice just to be normal and do normal things! At the moment production is really big for me. I didn’t have a studio for a while but now I’ve got my new room set up and I’ll probably come out with about 15 tunes in a really short space of time. Then I’ll get bored of being locked up at home in the studio. People think it’s an exciting life, but Monday to Friday it’s at home working and then Friday to Saturday it’s on the road; there’s no time to stop and think… I’ve achieved all my goals with MCing so I only do it for fun now, and there are only a few places I’ll let them put me on the flier to do it. But I still love it, cos it’s my chance to party and let my hair down! You’ve worked with Kevin Energy since 1996 and are heavily involved with the Nu Energy Collective, both as a sound engineer and with the live shows. How did that all come about? I’d heard of Kev, then we bumped into each other at Hastings Pier in 1996 and I helped him get a set at Tassmania when someone didn’t turn up. I was a resident there with Druid at the time, and we just hooked up. I put him in the studio with Druid, exposed him to a completely different type of music… He developed his trance and found the freedom to express himself. Kevin Energy agrees, saying Jon gave him the inspiration that has geared his production and driven him to new heights: “When I was lost in a world of cheese at a young age Jon recognized the deeper influence in my music and took me to clubs all around the UK where DJ's were very unique and did their own thing. Production wise he took me under his wing and let me harness the flow of my music and production.” Mentoring of up and coming production talent is very important to you; K-Complex and AMS are two of those you’ve worked with who’ve really come into their own of late. Who else have you taken under your wing that we should be looking out for? Pete (K Complex) and Allen (AMS) came along over a period of about four years between them and it just went off. Their commitment’s amazing, they’re great writers and engineers, and it has repaid bundles. It’s a great team - we work with each other at a level that’s difficult to find. In hardcore there’s Alex Stormtrooper, a wicked engineer, cool as f*ck. There’s also a new guy, Rick. I don’t know yet what name he will work under, but he’s going to be ready soon and will probably have a track on the next Bonkers album. It’s the best thing in the world to know you’ve helped someone and to be able to put something back. I’ve taken a lot and it’s been the stuff dreams are made of. I’m the kid from ragtag land made good, and giving it to someone who wants it as much as me is a great feeling, the best thing I’ve ever done. Are you a hard taskmaster? Yes, definitely! I’m hard to please but that’s what makes the people I work with better, going over it again and again and again. It’s mainly attitude that wins it into my room, it takes the serious ones to keep coming back. And every now and again an Allen or a Kev or a Pete will turn up and you give them a bit of direction to help them become independent, cos it’s not for me, it’s for them. I do benefit in the long term, though, because I get armfuls of music delivered to me and I have loads of music at my disposal for the weekends! What do you need to be successful in production? Patience, the ability to keep going and going, the will to succeed; it takes a certain character with steely resilience. Obviously you need talent and an ear for music too, but basically, if you haven’t got patience you’re f*cked. It’s not a cheap hobby, either. I always warn people against going off and spending money until you know it’s what you want to do. It’s good to try and see a lot of rooms, you learn what you like and don’t like and then you build your own (studio). Who influenced and helped you in the early days? People like Mattie Schwartz, Austin Reynolds, Helix…. .I didn’t own any equipment back then so I had to go to other people’s studios. I learned from some sh*t hot engineers like Jon Doe, Ham and Marc Smith and I’ve learned something from all of them. You started producing in 1995: have you had any training in production/engineering or are you self-taught? You can never be completely self-taught, though you can push yourself to be better. I really had to learn off others… learning off these guys was amazing. Mattie Schwartz sat me down and took me through it everything. Working with Ham and Jon Doe has always been great, they make me work hard and push myself to do things better and better. Jon Doe, the man behind CLSM and the incredibly popular track ‘John Peel (Is Not Enough)’, says Sharkey is one of the most passionate people he knows in the music industry. “(his passion) fires him into some of the wildest music ever invented which has always leaned towards an intelligent vibe. Our joint track 'Wicked MC' had his lyrics and also his music, whereas my input was more of an engineering role. His keyboard skills are far greater than mine as he knows names of chords and can play them! According to Kevin Energy, Jon has a mind for perfection: “he will mould what ever creative task he is involved in meticulously and sometimes painstakingly slowly until he's satisfied it's as good as it can ever get!" How has your production style changed over the years? I didn’t grow up with computers at school but now the first thing I show someone who comes to me to learn is how to build a PC, it’s essential. I’m now more digital and DSP, and I’m using that technology as well as analogue; I like the ease of digital and the sound of analogue. What are you looking for when you work on a track – what sort of unique edge, or touch, that will make it a success out on the dance floor and is there a special ‘Sharkey’ signature? There’s definitely a touch of the 80s, dark, deep, random, anything goes… I like three records in one and I love contrast: dark and light one minute, euphoric and angry the next. It’s where freeform started. Who have you worked with, who’s been in your studio? Oh God, who hasn’t been in my studios!? MZone, Ham, Devastate, Robbie Long, Kev, Jon Doe, Cally and Juice, AMS, K-Complex….. OK, perhaps it’s easier to ask who else you’d like to work with… I’d like to work with Paul Glazby, just to do something fun; I really enjoyed his set in Oz. Chris Liberator, I’ve had some moments with him… And Liam Howlett, one of my favourite artists! What are some of the other collaborations and projects you’re working on? I’m working on a single with Jon Doe; a remix with Kev of Breeze and Style’s ‘Chemical Love’; a remix of a Gammer and Dougal track, as well as some freeform and hardcore remixes, and I’m also going to have a blast at some Dynamix remixes. I’m also working on 400% Nu Energy and I’ve got my second solo album coming up; it’s something personal where I can express myself and do some funky crazy sh*t – I’ll be doing a mix to go with it as well. There’s also a Nu Energy Collective live album that has just been signed to Resist. It will be recorded in March next year and released around May hopefully. The tracks will all be written by Collective members specially for the show and the CD so it will truly be a 100% Nu Energy Collective live album. You’ve conquered your fear of flying and played extensively overseas: what countries have you played in and what have those experiences been like? Australia is the big A-plus definitely! Japan’s quite mental, you come back feeling like a JOE 90 puppet. I love Canada cos it’s a pretty place but Australia’s cool. The Enchanted Festival (in Adelaide) in 2002 was wicked: they’d never had MCs - they said ‘we hate MCs’ - but we had 9000 people hopping on one leg, it was unreal… St Paul’s (a venue in Adelaide) on the last tour was one of those outrageous surreal moments. People swinging from the rafters, proper robotic armies, with the sun coming up through the windows, it’s the stuff dreams are made of. Americans are more into their happy thing, Australia varies from city to city; they’re into their freeform in Adelaide, hard house in Brisbane, more drum n bass in Perth, the happy thing in Sydney and twisted trance in Cairns… You and Kev are frequent visitors to Australia, however you’ll be taking the live show out there for the first time later this month. How do you think it will go down overseas? They’re gonna love it, they’re already excited! Every morning I wake up to loads of emails from Australia saying they can’t wait for us to get out there. In Adelaide particularly they’ll go mad for it, it’s like the mini home of freeform out there! You’re an integral part of the Nu Energy Collective live show; it’s taken London completely by storm over the past 12 months or so, packing out rooms wherever you play – you’re obviously doing something right! Each show is unique! We’re musically diverse; we’ve got loads of quality material to choose from – from trance to hardcore, even super kik-drum – so we’re adaptable to any event we’re playing. And we’re different to everyone else… we’re the only ones with a green man who leaps around the stage and peels off his skin! The show is very streamlined; you all know what you have to do on stage and you obviously work well as a team. What preparation is involved and how do you prepare personally? We’ve all got our own things to do and we know exactly what we have to do before we get there as well as when we’re on stage – that’s part of the strength of the Collective. It’s a show of unity and it helps that we’re all friends too. I’ve always been very off-the-cuff with MCing, I like to read the crowd and adapt on the night. With the Collective shows, though, I do tend to think a bit more about what I’m doing and saying than when I’m at raves… Let’s move on to the subject of hardcore. It seems to be a lot more diverse now, do you think it’s more accessible these days and can it really offer ‘something for everyone’? Yeah, it can. There is something there for everyone but people have got to realise it is, and has always been, music for the younger generation. It will always suffer in some people’s eyes, but it’s all about choice and there’s plenty for people to choose from these days! Anything goes and that’s what I like. It’s a different scene now to what it was, the kids have different aspirations and we have to deliver the many styles they want today. There are elements of hardcore that will work in the charts – like Breeze and Styles - and best of luck to them, wicked. There’s a big crossover now, especially with the Nu Energy Collective, which is bringing freeform and other elements of hardcore into the hard dance arena. I play hard trance to freeform and I’m always onto our boys to really mix it up and ramp it up… I like to keep it fresh and to evolve it, and to keep everyone on their toes. As for diversity, there’s seven or eight different styles of hardcore on the Bonkers albums and I had one album with 23 different artists! Many people associate raving and hardcore with whistles, horns and cheesy vocals – what are your thoughts on that and what is the real ‘essence’ of hardcore to you? Rhythm Station was my cheesy moment and I love it! But everyone’s hardcore is their own hardcore. People are going to cuss it – there’ll always be people who don’t like MCs and that’s their choice, I don’t want to force people to like it! Hardcore is about a lot more than the MCs though; it’s about the music, the breaks, the DJs, the show, the lights, the dancers… The whole rave thing is a lifestyle and the more people cuss it the more people will carry on with it. Rave is suburban music, it’s hectic and young and full on. Everyone’s a little more relaxed and anti-establishment; it’s a bit modern day punk really. You’ve won MC of the Year a number of times and are widely acknowledged as one of the best around. What’s your take on MCing? When I’m on the mic I’m a completely different person, it’s my chance to rave and express myself. I’m not interrupting the music, I’m introducing and accompanying it. It’s a zone you get into and it’s hard to get out of it when you’re in the thick of it. It’s not just the performance, it’s the movement – when everything lifts – that’s the rush! There’s nothing like it because you can see the reactions of people and react off that. That’s the bite, when you’re just communicating with people, looking everyone in the eye. I can only talk for myself but as long as I can be there and not annoy people too much then I’m doing my job properly. Australia is one of the best places for MCing because they just listen and enjoy it. Logic’s good too, cos its an older crowd and they tend to let me get on with it. And I look forward to the PAs cos I can relax and enjoy myself! How do you feel about being such an icon in the hardcore scene? I hate it! I’m just Jon! My mates laugh at me, they think it’s funny. People think ‘Sharkey’s mad, he’s full on’ but it’s a hell of a front. I spent my whole teenage life trying to be Sharkey and I’ve spent my whole adult life trying to be Jon. I’ve had people come up to me and they’ve had one of my Sharkey cartoons tattooed on them and I’m like: ”you’re f*cking mad, mate!” Cats and goldfish named after you, it’s mad! The whole thing started at Aldershot Rhythm Station. I was the local boy done good but I’m no legend. I’m a party head and it just happens that I can express myself. I love being the underdog but in the rave scene the attention is brutal. I go to work on a weekend but when I come home I’m just Jon and I’m lucky to have found friends who still see me as Jon… Everyone expects me to be crazy wrecked Sharkey but I’m older now and I just can’t do it anymore. Though I tend to do it a bit in Australia where I get more space to party and that’s when the crazy Sharkey can come out! Parties like Atomic Energy, Frantic and Tasty have hosted both hardcore and hard dance rooms; do you see this as the way forward in ‘educating’ people about different styles of music and introducing more people to hardcore? I think they work really well. There’s room swapping and people might find something new they’ll really get into. The people who heard the Nu Energy PA (at Franctic meets Hardcore Heaven) might have been shocked at what they heard because we were a lot more hardcore-generated than what they would hear normally. I was more MC-oriented because I had tons of ravers in front of me, whereas in Logic and Frantic etc generally I’m just hosting. That was my worry… but I think it worked. People tend to think of you purely as hardcore, but you do work across other genres such as hard trance, techno, old skool and breakbeat. Do you mix hardcore and hard dance in your sets? A lot of people are aware that I play acid techno, hard techno and hard trance in other rooms… I’ve tried to do some different things with effects but I’d like to know if it’s any good because to find that freedom to create away from the raves would be great. You’re well known for your work on Bonkers which is the biggest selling hardcore compilation - one of the albums sold 45,000 units in just three weeks. Why has it been so successful? It represents all the best bits of the scene from the happy to the hard to the breaks - all the many styles of hardcore, from artists all over the world. It’s always upfront and represents what’s going on. People laughed at Bonkers Number 1 but they should look at all the gold records on my wall! How do you select the tunes for each album? I always chase the regular players to see what they’re up to and then there’s the new artists. I don’t care where I get the material from but I get really p*ssed off if I miss a good artist! Bonkers represents the best of freeform in its entirety… and to me freeform means playing anything… I touch four or five different areas in one mix. I don’t settle for anything but the best… Mark (Ashley) came back to me time and again with tunes and I’d say: “No, it’s not quite right” then he had his tune Atomic Orbital on the last Bonkers album. Gammer’s been a good performer on this one, also AMS, Devastate and Robbie Long – everyone has their moment! Jon Doe calls Sharkey a long-time ambassador for hardcore: “His tracklistings always cover a wide selection of tunes and most importantly artists which shows a lot of integrity when he could just license all of his own tunes and go on holiday with the cash!” Have you achieved your personal goals or is there still plenty you want to do? There’s loads in life I want to do. I’ve been really lucky with hardcore. It goes up and down, but I always get loads of work, so I’ve been really lucky. But I want to do some different music, produce different styles – ballad and pop work, guitar, bands… I’ve always wanted to write music for films, and write scapes… The next three years I’ve got projects to deliver: I’ve just signed another five album Bonkers deal and a three album artist deal…but it will happen for sure. Now I’ve got everything where I need it, so watch out, the Sharkzter’s on the loose! Sharkey launches his own website soon, but for now you can find more information at www.nuenergy.co.uk Bonkers 13 was released on 25th October and is a four CD set with mixes from Sharkey, Hixxy, Scott Brown and Dougal. It features material from Kevin Energy, AMS, K-Complex, CLSM, Robbie Long, Brisk, Ham, Scott Brown and many others. Photos supplied by Nu Energy Collective. Share this :: : : : Follow HarderFaster :: Other Features By spacekitten: Dirty vibes for filthy minds As Above, So Below: it all comes together at Atomic Energy’s 6th Birthday True to Type: an interview with that bangin' duo Type 1 DJs... Welcome to the zoo: interview with the Zoology crew Logic's 5th Birthday: interview with Nadya Logic The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable. Comments: From: Danny Gilligan on 11th Nov 2004 15:33.05 Inspiring stuff From: Daf on 11th Nov 2004 15:37.21 SSSHHHAAARRRKKKEEEEYYYYYYY!!!!! From: benz on 11th Nov 2004 15:50.35 excellent interview i strongly recommend checking out his disc on the new Bonkers 13 - very diverse, very, very good! From: Daf on 11th Nov 2004 16:46.07 Oops. .... Hello Jon... From: acid les on 11th Nov 2004 16:54.18 a very interesting read. Jon is so diverse in his music abilities and well deserved of all recognition he gets as producer/dj/mc extrordinaire etc etc. Nice interview spacekitten. From: camdengurner on 11th Nov 2004 17:39.10 best mc around-love it!!!! From: *cheeky chick* on 11th Nov 2004 20:25.22 wicked interview hun keep up the good work Jon and have a great time in oz,knock em dead really looking forward to the Nu Energy Collective live album From: Flip on 11th Nov 2004 21:40.44 Awesome interview Sharkey's a legend! From: Monkey Monkeyson on 12th Nov 2004 07:27.46 bk - revolution From: Camden Nurse on 12th Nov 2004 09:59.10 Nice work - always an inspiration. N.B. Say to Chris - Hazel / Acid / Pete's House / locked in room! From: nige_n on 12th Nov 2004 11:14.57 My favourite all time DJ, MC and PRODUCER. Every set is just a pleasure to listen to and he is one of the nicest blokes on the planet. A true legend of the hardcore scene. From: minimoo on 12th Nov 2004 22:28.49 You all know nothing!!!!!!!!! Jon, from way back then you always wanted to show them what you had....... LOOK AT YOU NOW BABY!!!! Love you babe, YOU ARE A TRUE LEGEND Love you From: Mat Lock on 15th Nov 2004 13:09.49 woohoo great review there. I remember the Aldershot days !! Might have been cheesey back then but hell when you're 16/17 years old it was the best days of my life !! "Oh My God, They've Fried Their Eggs and Bacon" Classic line from Sharkey on a Druid tape from back then. mwhahaha From: G-whizz on 15th Nov 2004 13:34.29 Phat interview nice one Karen & of course Jon From: minimoo on 15th Nov 2004 22:20.05 Humpty Dumpty had a big E Sat on the wall and took it with glee Humpty Dumpty F**ked his brains And never could get it together again From: Mat Lock on 16th Nov 2004 14:11.11 minimoo did u ever go to Alderhsot ??? From: *Vixstar* on 18th Nov 2004 02:24.32 I used to go to Rhythm Station back in '95, '96...bloody fantastic. Oh, and of course Sharkey was too From: Nadya Logic on 19th Nov 2004 16:16.54 what a fantastic interview...keep up the good work. xx From: minimoo on 24th Nov 2004 21:38.42 Did i go to Rhythm Station Aldershot!!!! I was part of the furniture and Jons original posse, we were the Rhythm Station Went from the end of 92 til end of 94!!!!

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