Mixomatosis
Just for the record, why the name 'Mixomatosis'?
It was a combination of my liking for the Radiohead track of the same name (except I've spelt it correctly) & the fact that the day I did my first ever mash-up, my uncle's rabbit was poisoned, & as a result suffered from mixomatosis. Quite a macabre reason, I know, but I think the name works.
What are you up to these days?
Not that much really, mainly just working on new bootlegs & stuff, although I am supposed to be doing some production work for my friend's band in the near-distant future, so I'm looking forward to that. My brief is to "add beats & generally mong up the sound". Fair enough, I'm sure I can do that. I'm also working on some quasi-original stuff, but that's still in a very early stage.
What music are you currently listening to?
At the moment I'm finding out about the whole J-Pop scene, but mainly the more noisy, punk & hip-hop side of it. Some of the artistes I've been checking out are Buffalo Daughter, Dragon Ash (they did the music at the end of the film Battle Royale) & LMF (Ed.note: LMF, or Lazy Mother F**kers, are from Hong Kong), but there's a whole load of other bands I'm on the lookout for.
What, if push comes to shove, is your all-time favourite album?
Very good question. I suppose my favourite album would be the one I listen to the most, & get the most enjoyment out of. With that in mind, I think it's probably the Richard D James Album by Aphex Twin. It's rare that an album can be so diverse & pack so many ideas into such a short space of time (it's running time is only 34 minutes) & do it so perfectly & effortlessly. The only other ones I can think of are Radiohead's OK Computer & DJ Shadow's Endtroducing.
What was the last record you bought? Where did you buy it?
Jump Leads by Fila Brazillia. I bought it in Cash Converters, a secondhand shop with a speciality for ripping people off who are desperate for money. But when you see a Fila Brazillia album for £3, you don't just let someone else buy it, do you?
Which artiste, other than yourself, have you ever wanted to be?
Either Aphex Twin or Ian Curtis, because they are both, in their respective fields, geniuses. Obviously if I were Ian I wouldn't hang myself on the eve of my American tour though.
What's the pros & cons of being featured in Parkspliced?
Pros: Working alongside other great bootleggers. Getting exposure as a producer. I love a challenge, & this was a challenge.
Cons: Being told that one of your songs is a bit crap. But rightly so. My B-side track was rushed, in order to get the album the released, & I knew I could have done a lot better than that. I think my A-side track compensated for it though.
What is the most bizarre & embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
Bizarre: As a child I ate some glue. My reason - I was hungry. Thankfully I've since discovered grapes.
Embarrassing: I honestly can't pinpoint the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to me. That's really irritating, because there's a fairly long list of things I could put here.
The First of Mixomatosis:
First CD you ever bought = The Blobby Song by Mr Blobby. Cut me some slack, I was 5, for God's sake!
First movie you watched that scared the shit outta you = Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Cut me some slack, I was 10, for God's sake.
First book or mag you read that gave you wood = No idea. Probably the lingerie section of clothing catalogue or something pathetic like that.
First concert you watched that pissed you off = It was probably Royksopp at V2002, but that had nothing to do with Royksopp, it was to do with who I was with.
First mash-up you ever heard = Fatboy Slim vs Rolling Stones - "Satisfaction Skank". Still as good today as it ever was.
In your opinion, who is the bootlegger that is still considered the best (for now, that is!)?
2 Many DJs. As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt.2 has been around for at least 3 years now, & yet people still refer to its contents as some of the best examples of mash-ups ever. And they're right.
Any boots you wished you've done but didn't?
Ooh, tough one. Probably McSleazy's "White Line Lunch" (Har Mar Superstar's "Power Lunch" vs Grandmaster Flash "White Lines") from MTV Mash. Two fantastic songs, mixed together brilliantly. What more need be said?
Radiohead - Losing it or breaking new ground? Discuss...
They're definetely not losing it. Hail To The Thief & Com Lag are both great albums, but some of their more recent stuff I find them more challenging to listen to, such as "Pyramid Song", although I've learned to love it. But now they're done with EMI, I'm really looking forward to their new work. From what I gather, they're signing to an indie label & releasing some EPs, as opposed to albums, so I think there's still plenty for them left to do.
Let's play word association. We mention a name & you give us your thoughts...
Bjork = Wonderful musician from Iceland, but sounds part Icelandic & part London-cockney. Not necessarily a bad thing.
Chinatown = Y'know, I've never been to any Chinatown anywhere. I'd quite like to though. I'm going to London next week, there's my opportunity.
Lance Lockarm = He does mash-ups, but I haven't heard any yet.
Slsk = Without this, I'd still be watching Top of the Pops.
Pink Floyd = For God's sake, I still haven't got around to doing a Pink Floyd boot. I will soon though.
Thom Yorke = Amazing vocalist. Not sure about his Blunkett-eye though.
Hot Wheels = ...leading the way!
Exodus = In the beginning, there was the Word, & the Word was God. Or something.
Party Ben = A rather good bootlegger.
Kylie Minogue = Slightly irritating, but immensely bootable.
Which decade do you consider the 'dark ages' of music & why?
This one. Despite all the great music that is being released, the charts are filled with the most appalling music of recent times, & it shows no signs of stopping.
What do you remember about the following years:
1988 = Nothing. I was 1.
1991 = My first day of school. Oh I was sooo cute. Look what happened to that.
1997 = My first ever CD player. It was in the shape of a can of Coca Cola, but much bigger.
1999 = Nothing I want to recall on the Internet. It was harrowing though.
2002 = I finally discovered good music, & threw away the Smurfs Go Pop album. I also did my first ever bootleg.
What's your favourite Saturday night record?
You've Come A Long Way, Baby by Fatboy Slim.
And your Sunday morning one?
Mezzanine by Massive Attack.
Any principles of life you live by?
Be happy, try to make others happy, then when you die, you'll be happy & others will be happy you lived. Poignant enough for you?
What are your plans for the future?
Keep on booting, with plans to work in video too. Finish my video production diploma & hopefully get a job working in television or radio. Then become immensely rich, of course!
What do you think the future for bootlegs / mash-ups / remixes would be like, given that being a home musician is so easy these days?
As far as I'm concerned, the commnuity can only get bigger & bigger as the technology gets easier to use, which it inevitably will, & with the whole scene still very much underground. It's only a matter of time before the whole thing becomes huge. There's already been at least 2, in the form of Sugababes' "Freak Like Me" & George Michael's "Flawless", & I'm sure there will be more to come. Of course, if it gets too big, chances are the whole thing will implode, & left standing will be one tiny, super-dense bootlegger, capable of producing tunes like "Ray Of Gob" using only the power of his mind. And at this point, the folk-music revival will begin, & Iain Anderson will be at number one again. Maybe. I hope not.
You can visit the Hearing Double site & download Mixomatosis' first bootleg collection, Bad Things, here.
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