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Features
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| 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! |
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Warming up for the HarderFaster arena @ SW4 with Ian Betts
Reported by HarderFaster
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Submitted 04-08-07 18:46
One of London’s most talented trance DJs, Ian Betts has steadily risen to the top over the last five years. In 2002 he was playing Brixton warehouse raves and parties like becomeone and Knowwhere and running his own promotion — appropriately called Sleepless. Five years on, he’s played at several of the awesome Dance Valley and SW4 festivals, the opening and closing parties for Cream Ibiza, where he’s warmed up for Tiesto, had Marco V, John ‘00’ Fleming and Mauro Picotto all request his skills as a warm up DJ, played at events as far and wide as Australia and South Africa, and become the HeatUK trance resident, which in fact made many of these opportunities possible. With SW4 just around the corner and HarderFaster favourite Bettsy playing in our very own arena, it was time to see what the scene’s most energetic spinner has been up to in the two years since he was last featured...
Hi Ian, thanks so much for taking time out from you ridiculously busy life to have a chat. In the time since I’ve last seen you, you’ve become a husband and more recently a dad. Congratulations on all counts! Your life must’ve changed a lot in the last couple of years… I guess at least being a clubber and then a DJ for so many years prepared you for the long weeks of sleep deprivation! How has your lifestyle had to adjust to the perils of parenthood?
It’s been an amazing few months, a real life changing experience and despite parenthood being very hard work, it is incredibly rewarding. Becoming a father has taken up a lot of my time recently and I’ve taken the tough decision to put a some things on indefinite hold (such as Six:Thirty), but once things start settling down at home I’ll be back in the studio and raring to go again!
You’ve said before on HF that your love of all things clubbing started at the Gallery. It must be quite a homecoming then to be returning to the Gallery and HeatUK arena at SW4 on Saturday 25 August?! Did you ever think for a minute when you were clubbing hard at the Gallery back in the day that you’d be up on the decks one day playing alongside the headliners?
No, not at all! When I first starting going to The Gallery way back in 1995 I didn’t DJ and barely knew the first things about dance music — for me it was all about the atmosphere, music and meeting up with the same people week in week out. It was a very special time back then, I made some lasting friendships on those legendary steps down onto the dancefloor! Once I’d started DJing it was my biggest ambition to play the last set there, which thanks to Gav I have done a couple of times now — to be a part of their big events such as SW4 and New Years Eve means a lot to me.
The first time I ever saw you play was at a Unit warehouse party in Brixton some time in 2002, and I enjoyed your set so much I came to see you play at the first Knowwhere at Heaven a few weeks later. You’re back at Knowwhere @Heaven tomorrow night, and it’s been quite a journey since then! How will your set at KW differ from that back in 2002? Has you sound evolved and change much since that first set at Heaven?
That’s a tough one — I’d like to think it has matured a bit whilst still retaining the energy and passion from back then, although I’m sure if you asked anyone they’d say not much has changed! I’m not much of an ‘educator’ when it comes to DJing — I keep it simple and just try and get the dancefloor jumping. It’s all about smiles and having a good time for me, I love to feed off that kind of energy which is why I play and make the music I do.
Bettsy @ SW4 2005 by Daf
You originally learnt to mix on two hi-fi turntables, making mix tapes for your mates, after being inspired by DJs at the Gallery in the late 90s. Were there any specific DJs and tunes that first got you buying and attempting to mix records? What musical influences did you have growing up? And now?
I’m a lover of all types of music and always have been. I was brought up on out and out rock music, then got into indie in the early 90s before discovering dance music in the mid-late 90s. My musical influences are as varied as Pink Floyd, The Cult, BT, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Status Quo, Paul Oakenfold, Led Zeppelin and Jet.
As a DJ my one biggest influence is Steve Lee. His end of night sets at The Gallery in the mid-late 90s were the stuff of legend and I still get goosebumps if I ever drop one of his signature tracks (Yeke Yeke, Dreams, Kooky Ballerina). I’ve got a whole pile of his sets recorded live from The Gallery and a whole section of my record collection contains tracks he used to play back then.
In November 1999 you started your own promotion, ‘Sleepless’ with some mates and were known for playing the last set. Now you’ve got a baby the name of your party must seem very ironical! Seriously though, would you ever get back into promoting events?
Not in a million years! It’s such hard work for very little reward — you never have time to enjoy the party as you’re always running round trying to sort things out, and people are very quick to complain! I have total admiration for the likes of Damo and Danny and what they achieve with their events, I know just how much goes into putting something like SW4 on.
You used to play guitar and were even compared to Johnny Marr by one Melody Maker reviewer — no small thing, as anyone who knows their indie will realise. Do you ever get tempted to pick the guitar up now? With so much being made by the media of the nu-rave rock dance crossover, is it not tempting to jump on the bandwagon?
Yeah, I still play my guitar regularly — in fact I’ve recently been working on a project with Todd Tobias (Sugartape) and Jon Rundell which the guitar has featured quite heavily in, although it’s nothing like nu-rave! I’m a big fan of blues and rock so I’m often cranking up the amp and pretending to be Peter Green or Eric Clapton! I recently discovered a great piece of software called Guitar Rig which models classic guitar amps through your computer — it’s rekindled my love of guitar playing.
For me what differentiates a great DJ from a good DJ is a perfect combo of tune selection, technical skill and energy behind the decks — and that’s an equation you certainly have! What, in your opinion, makes a great DJ? Who, in your eyes, are the great DJs of 2007?
My number 1 is John Askew — there are several times when I’ve come close to giving up DJing having heard him play, knowing that there is no way I could be that good. His Essential Mix from earlier this year was simply outstanding: he has the uncanny ability to fuse all kinds of tracks together and all of them will be bang on the money.
For me DJing is all about knowing how to get a dancefloor going and judging what will keep a crowd interested. I love the challenge of playing at different kinds of events and building different kinds of sets — it keeps things interesting and really makes you think about what you are playing.
As the HeatUK trance ressie you’ve played the Dutch uberfestival Dance Valley, the HeatUK and Gallery tent at SW4, the main room at Brixton Academy for HeatUK and the Gallery’s NYE, graced the desks at Heat parties at the Cross and Camden Palace and played alongside the likes of Tiesto and Marco V at Amnesia in Ibiza. How did you first meet the Heat guys and what led to your residency? Do you feel it has helped or hindered your career and liver?
Haha! There’s no two ways about it, it has definitely hindered my liver! I first met Damo and Anton at Turnmills in 2003 when I made my Heat debut in T2 — I’d been recommended to Damo by a mate of his who had heard me play at Frantic in Australia. It was the first time they had a dedicated trance room and I remember it being one of the most intense atmospheres I’d experienced as a DJ, the room was heaving and the DJ booth is right in the middle of it all. Damo later told me he had never seen or heard anything like it and offered me a residency a few months later! Being made a Heat resident has opened up so many doors and has enabled me to play some of the biggest and most influential events in the dance music calendar. I’ve played so many memorable events such as The Cross, Evolution @ Koko, New Years Eve’s and Pacha — I cannot begin to value the support Damo and Anton have shown me over the years, I owe them a lot.
With HeatUK's Damian Gelle
In addition to the big festies of DV and SW4 and the gigs outlined above, you’ve toured a number of countries including Australia, Ibiza, South Africa, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. What’s been your favourite gig to date? Is there anywhere you haven’t played yet that you’ve always dreamed about?
Dance Valley is pretty special, the Dutch definitely know how to throw a party! Cream @ Amnesia is also phenomenal, the sound system is a beast. I’ve had some great times DJing in Australia and my recent trip to South Africa was a real highlight of the year. One of most memorable gigs was Evolution @ Koko last year — I played a set of 1998 classics and the atmosphere was electric.
There’s still loads of places I’d love to play — Inside Out, Crasher, Godskitchen, Ministry, Goodgreef — the list could go on!
Production-wise you’ve collaborated with the likes of Brad Thatcher, Nick Rowland, Ollie Leighs and Matt Williams. Who else in the music industry would you like to collaborate with if you had the choice?
I’d love to work with the two Johns, Askew and O’Callaghan — both are inspirational producers in my eyes. Again I could come up with a huge list — Nick Sentience, Simon Patterson, Activa, Adam White, Greg Downey, Alex Morph, Stoneface & Terminal, Sophie Sugar…
You taught yourself production: no mean feat! Did this take long and what software and hardware did you experiment with? What equipment do you prefer to use these days to make a track?
Well I’ve been producing for about four years now and I’m still learning every day! I began on an application called Acid which was a forerunner to FruityLoops, but I now use Logic Pro on a Mac. I tried other sequencers but none of them have come close to Logic, it’s workflow is so simple and the built-in instruments and effects knock the spots off Cubase. I have a predominantly software setup in my studio but I still use hardware in most tracks — I have a JP8080, Supernova, Nord Rack 3 and Virus TI all of which I love playing about with. Whilst software is getting better and better there is still nothing quite like a rack mounted synth, it’s all about the flashing lights and knobs!
Bettsy @ Knowwhere by James Rae
One of your earliest productions, ‘Love Resurrection’, is the Heat anthem for many people. How did this track come about? Does it freak you out that so many people sing along to this track whenever you play it out?
Love Res was the very first track I ever produced and was really only something I did for a bit of fun. I remembered hearing Tall Paul play a version of it once and thought it would make a good project for me to learn about production. I played it out a couple of times and it always got a great reaction — then Steve Hill heard me drop it at Heat one night and he signed it the next day! I love the fact that it gets people singing along — it may be seen as ‘cheesy’ and ‘commercial’ but I don’t care, it’s fun and gets a reaction, that makes me happy.
At one point in 2004, you had a new track ready to release every month for a year. How on earth did you manage such a prolific output? Do you still find it as easy to churn out the tunes?
All I can say is that when the creative juices start flowing it’s very difficult to stop them! I enjoy making music and I produce music I love so on the whole I don’t find it hard to get things going in the studio — what I am really bad at is starting something and never finishing it, I have to make a real effort to put the last finishing touches to a track and they tend to be the most important aspects.
You’ve played a couple of breaks sets in your time. With breaks becoming a more popular genre over the years, is this something you’d consider doing again?
Yeah, for sure — I love breakbeats and I’ve also been getting into what I would call a tougher electro-progressive sound recently, stuff by Brisker & Magitman, Dousk, Jaytech and Rowan Blades. I’d love to get a chance to play this kind of stuff out — in fact I’ve been badgering Damo about it! I played a brief hour or so at Kanya back in June and had a blast.
You were last interviewed on HF in 2005 and in that short space of time the dance scene in London has changed considerably. Having watched many waves and ebbs over the years, what changes would you like to see in the future?
I’d like to see people stepping away from their computer screens and interacting with real people in real clubs. Trance seems to be particularly bad for over-opinionated 16 years olds who have never set foot inside a club critiquing music on-line because they “feel a connection to the emotion in the music” simply because their hormones are raging. It’s called ‘dance’ music for a reason!
You’ve done a number of remixes, including tracks by Kuffdam & Plant (‘Skyline’), Elude (‘Purgatory’), John Askew, John O’Callaghan and Matt Darey. Do you prefer remixing other people’s tracks, where you already have a canvas to work on, or starting something completely new and different?
Both have their challenges and both are equally rewarding when you really nail it. I really enjoy remix work, I love the challenge of moulding someone else’s track into my own sound, taking their original ideas and (hopefully) making it something different and better! Producing original tracks is a much longer process unless you have a sudden inspirational idea. One track can go through several different versions before it sees the light of day — I’ve got a hard disk full of half finished tracks that I hope will be good enough to release one day!
Marco V, John ‘00’ Fleming and Mauro Picotto have personally requested your skills as a warm up DJ. That’s one hell of an honour! What, in your opinion, makes a good warm up set?
I’m a firm believer that the warm up set is the most critical set of any night — it sets the tone for the whole night and will dictate what everyone after you plays. It’s a very basic concept though, and I’m amazed how many DJs simply don’t get it — the clue is in the name; ‘warm up’. It’s all about encouraging people onto the dancefloor whilst gently pacing things so that the DJs after you have somewhere to go with their sets. By the end if his or her set a successful warm-up DJ will have a full responsive dancefloor without having resorted to anthem bashing.
Bettsy @ Knowwhere by MadaO
You run the Six:Thirty record label. What inspired you to start releasing your own tunes and those of others? It’s a challenging time to be a label owner — are you a sadomasochist? Is it really worth all the stress and trouble it’s worth?
I started Six:Thirty because I wanted to have control over the output my own music. I had worked with a couple of labels up to that point and just felt that I could do more to make things work. As soon as I had started things up I was being sent lots of demo tracks, a number of which I thought were seriously good and worthy of releasing. It was a natural progression from there really. Running a label is a lot of hard work and there isn’t nearly as much money in it as everyone thinks.
Six:Thirty now only provides tracks in digital format. Does it sadden you that even your own label can’t keep vinyl going forever? Do you still play vinyl at all and if so, do you buy it over the internet or still go record shopping?
I’m not a vinyl addict so taking the label down the digital route was an easy decision for me to make. I’ve not bought vinyl for a number of years now and I don’t miss it either — my back feels so much better from not lugging a heavy record box everywhere! The one thing I do miss is going record shopping and the buzz of finding a hidden gem in a pile of new records. Record shops were the hub of a unique social scene in many ways, and it is a shame that they are all gradually falling by the wayside.
The internet has radically changed the way music is played, made, distributed and promoted. As a label owner, do you think it is a hindrance or a help?
The internet has made things almost impossible for small independent labels: as soon as a track is released it is shared freely round the world in a matter of hours preventing labels and producers from seeing any reward for the investment in their work. Unfortunately people are all to ready to delude themselves into thinking they are doing nothing wrong by this, and until that mindset changes it will always be the same.
Having achieved so much in a relatively short time, what goals do you have for the future?
It’s funny but becoming a dad has changed things — DJing and producing has become more about enjoying what I do and less worrying about my ‘profile’. I think there is a danger that you can become too wrapped up in making a name for yourself and in doing so loose sight of what is important and why you DJ/produce in the first place.
You’ve been involved in SW4 since the very beginning and your set in the HeatUK tent in 2005 after Astrix goes down as one of my all time top festival moments. What’s your favourite SW4 festival moment?
Playing the last set in the Heat/Gallery tent last year. It started raining just as I came on which meant the place was rammed to bursting point and the atmosphere was unbelievable. SW4 gets bigger and better every year, I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen this year!
This year’s SW4 is going to be the biggest yet. Do you have any idea what you’re going to play yet? And is there anyone else in the line-up you hope to check out on the day?
I’ve got no idea what I’ll be playing, will leave that to the moment I plug in my headphones! I’ll definitely be checking out PVD on the main stage, Matt Hardwick, Plump DJs and Gavyn Mytchel — apart from that I’ll be wandering round the site with may mates talking rubbish no doubt!
www.ianbetts.com
www.myspace.com/ibetts
Photos courtesy Daf, James Rae and MadaO from the HarderFaster archive and Ian Betts. Not to be reproduced without permission.
SW4 - South West Four
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On:
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Saturday 25th August 2007
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At:
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Clapham Common [map]
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From:
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12pm to 9pm
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Cost:
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SOLD OUT
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Website:
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www.southwestfour.com/
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Ticket Info:
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CASH SALES £35 at:
LondonHelp4u - 72 Wells St - W1T 3QF - Oxford Circus Tube
For more info call Maria (Never Enough)
078 13684399/02076199997
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More:
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As one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, South West Four 2007 will blow away everything that it’s ever done before on Bank Holiday Saturday 25th August, as this year’s line-up is by far and wide the greatest collection of globe-trotting DJs we’ve every assembled. Snap up your tickets now, whilst stocks last!!
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Flyer:
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Other Features By HarderFaster:
HarderFaster Awards 2016 - The results are in!
HarderFaster Awards 2014 - The results are in!
Lashes, Dimples and the Brighton Music Conference
HarderFaster Awards 2013 - The results are in!
HarderFaster Awards 2012 - The results are in!
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.
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has had me dancing away to amazing Trance for years 
