A. Skillz is a regular visitor to Casa Bacardi at Electric Picnic, and the English dance producer and DJ makes a welcome return this weekend.
We caught up with him for a chat ahead of his set.
What’s the music that you listened to growing up, that you still listen to today?
So much of the music I was listening when I was a nipper is I still enjoy today. A lot of it came from my dad's collection… The Beatles, ELO, Earth., Wind & Fire, The Beach Boys to name but a few. This was when I was like.. really tiny. I still love it all now! In fact, I’ve sampled all four of those bands in tracks I’ve made, haha.
When did you first realise you wanted a career in music?
I was 5 when I first started playing drums. My whole family were musical. Our lounge was used most of the time as a rehearsal studio, so I was fully immersed in music the whole time. I didn’t really stop to think about if I wanted a career in it; I just enjoyed music and eventually it became what I did.
In three words, describe the minute before you walk on stage.
Excited, anxious, grateful.
How do you wind down after a gig?
My wind down is a cold drink with friends after the gig.
What’s the one song you wish you’d written or recorded first?
‘Groove is in the heart’ by Deee-lite. It’s probably the song that best represnts my whole musical flavour. If only I’d written it, haha!
What’s your favourite venue to perform in?
Hmmm, that’s a tough one. There are so many venues that have different reasons for why they could be crowned my favourite - but as far as clubs go, it doesn’t get much better than Fabric in London. It’s a real shame it might be getting closed forever.
What's on your festival rider?
Usually coconut water and a couple of bananas - but in the case of playing the Casa Barcardí stage at Electric Picnic this weekend, I’m really looking forward to a few mojitos!
Your best and worst gig so far?
Hmmm, worst gig was in Hull. I turned up to the club a day early after a 9 hour drive and had to spend the next 24 hours hanging out in.. well, Hull. Best gig… possibly Rhythm and Vines 2013 in New Zealand bringing in the new year with 25,000 happy Kiwis. That was pretty cool!
Whose career do you envy, and why?
I don’t really envy peoples' careers - I’m really happy for people who are doing, or have done well. I really respect anyone who has been able to make a life for themselves doing exactly what they love to do. I hope I can look back at my life when I’m an old man and say “that was awesome”.
Vinyl or digital downloads?
Both!
Give your thoughts on Spotify in three words.
Convenient music discovery.
You can only have three albums on your phone/in your house at any one time - what three would you pick for today?
Stevie Wonder - 'Songs in the Key of Life'
Tower of Power - 'Urban Renewal'
Public Enemy - 'It takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back'
Favourite city to visit?
New York.
You’ve been given €100,000 to spend, but only 1 hour to spend it. What do you buy?
€100,000 Amazon voucher! Does that count?! That way I can take my time to order endless crap right to my door...
It's been 13 years since 'Tricka Technology' was released, is there another album in the pipeline at any point?
I’ve been enjoying the process of finishing records and releasing them as singles right away, without waiting for the whole album to come together. I get to create journeys of music through the DJ mixes I put out, but it would be fun to do that again in the form of an original album - so I may look to go back down that route again if it feels right. It’s just such a different landscape 13 years on. We were hitting the CD and LP market with the Tricka Technology record… nowdays, people just download the songs they want and leave the rest of the album for dead. Not to say it’s a redundant format, it’s just a little different - particularly in the dance music scene.
What can people expect from your set at Electric Picnic?
Well, if it's anything like my set at last year’s Casa Bacardi, it will be non-stop party bangers mashed up into equal measures of funk/soul/hip-hop/rock/breaks/house/DnB and a few others! Always an amazing atmosphere.
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A.Skillz plays the CASA BACARDÍ stage at Electric Picnic on Sunday 4th September at 6pm. For the latest information on CASA BACARDÍ at Electric Picnic, visit www.facebook.com/Bacardiireland.
