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 As one of the best-known DJs on the still thriving worldwide underground techno scene, Chris Liberator might be expected to have to have picked up a few conceits though chatting to Skrufff today he’s mortified when asked if his ego has ever slipped out of control.
“I sincerely hope not,” he snorts, “I try not to think about such things, it embarrasses me, and I don't like egotistical people so would despise myself utterly if someone told me that's how I was acting.
“I'm proud of our scene, and the music we've all made, and I hope to always do my best for people when DJing, but at the end of the day DJs just play records. DJs with big egos are wankers, and you can quote me on that,” he laughs. Spinning this weekend at Party ProActive’s 4th birthday celebrations at London Bridge warehouse venue SE One, he’s remains a firm believer in rave culture’s continuing power (‘it changes people and people are society,’ he points out) and equally enthused about the power of a party, “We are still doing Nuclear Free Zone at 414 in Brixton (over 15 years now) and I swear we still have nights that kick off as good as any we did back in the day,” he enthuses, “I’ve also played at some excellent nights in London recently and heard about others that have been good, and that is all that really matters.” Travelling relentlessly throughout his almost two decades behind the decks he’s helped export the underground (acid) techno sound and free party lifestyle from its Hackney warehouse/ traveller base to the rest of the world, finding like minded people from Brazil to Birmingham. Moving (and DJing) more often than not in the margins of societies, he’s also encountered more than a few scary situations along the way such as in Caracas, where four people were shot dead on the dance floor in a machine gun massacre last November. “I was in Venezuela with Henry (D.A.V.E.) when that happened. We were playing a festival that night in Maracaibo, and had played a party in Caracas the night before,” says Chris. “It was very upsetting but could have been avoided. The same crew had a shooting at another event and failed to put metal detection devices with the security personnel at the door, a thing anyone in their right mind would do in a city like Caracas. As somebody said in the comments following the shooting, for the price of a few tickets they could have bought hand held metal detectors and the whole tragedy could have been avoided,” says Chris. “And yes, it did happen to me a few years back in a Caracas party where the promoter failed to implement strong enough security measures and someone got shot in front of me on the dance floor,” he continues, “It was very scary, and traumatic as you can imagine.” “Now we only do events with a handful of people we trust to run things with the necessary safety and security measures in place. Obviously, it’s not the partygoers; it’s always drug/gang feuds which they try and settle at public events,” he adds. Closer to home, he’s looking forward to Party ProActive this weekend, not least because he and long term Stay Up Forever compadreDAVE the Drummer will be performing “One Night In Hackney’ live for the first time.
Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): Starting with Party Proactive event: how much will you approach the set differently from a Hackney warehouse party? Chris Liberator: “Well, it's a mixed night of music with more clubbers so I’ll probably play a slightly more uplifting less dirty set.” Skrufff:: How much does playing in London differ from elsewhere? Chris Liberator: “It depends on the party; a lot of people travel from other places to London anyway. Henerally if it's a 100% London crowd they know the newer stuff a bit better, are generally less excitable (a lot of places out of London just don't get to hear the music that often so really go mental). That's not to say the London crowds are not up for it, cos’ it's usually one of my fave places to play. It's my home crowd and I feel a little more relaxed playing in front of them, though like I said, playing to a squat crowd is different to a club crowd. Both are good.” Skrufff:: What kind of preparations do you typically take? Do you usually know your first track: or have a beginning, middle/ end pattern to your sets? Chris Liberator: “Sets are organic, growing things, constantly changing and mutating as new records come in and others go out. Sometimes if it's somewhere like Barcelona where they prefer more old-school acid techno there will be a slight shift towards more of an acid set, or if it's a London squat or underground event, it may be more techy and upfront. There's usually a core set of records that are in some kind of order usually based around speed and style, a few different start points/starting records and various ways the set can progress. It’s very unusual if any two sets are identical, but likely that some parts will be similar over the course of a few weeks.” Skrufff:: What’s your assessment of London’s club scene right now? (compared to say 5 years ago- or 10 years ago?) Chris Liberator: “Not so many good squat parties, but the club scene seems pretty healthy. Probably not as much going on, but more people dedicated to the scene, less chancers. Of course it's different to a few years back as things are always changing...is it as good, well, that of course is subjective.” Skrufff:: ‘One Night in Hackney’ seems quite an angry track, poking fun at the Shoreditch/ Hoxton triangle, what is it about that scene that particularly winds you up? Chris Liberator: “Well, that's actually the remix we're talking about here...the original is all pretty much just good fun, on the remix we just wanted to update the story a bit. I wouldn't say it's angry, just a bit of a dig at 'flavour-of-the -moment' DJs and clubs who are more about fashion and attitude than music and partying. Each to their own. Techno is very demeaned and ghetto-ised at the moment; it's hardly the most talked about thing right now but we're all proud of it, and the Hackney remix is just a bit of a way of saying 'f**k you' to its detractors.” Skrufff: London gets ever more expensive everywhere: what impact is that having on the party scene: do you see a point when most people will be forced overseas? Chris Liberator: “Well hopefully that won't happen, but it is depressingly expensive. To run a night in London is ridiculously hard financially. As for London in general, it's getting increasingly more difficult to live here unless you are part of a small group of people who have the income to afford it. They control the rents, seem to have control over the very fabric of the city, its architecture, its agendas, but it's not a city for people like us to live in any more. That's what I love about the squat party ethic, it's about reclaiming parts of the city that we should be able to use, but have become beyond our grasp.” Skrufff: What impact is London’s escalating gun and gang culture having on the scene: how much is security at parties a bigger issue these days? Chris Liberator: “Well, in Brixton at certain clubs the djs have to supply their details to the police. This is because of security concerns over events that may attract gun/gang culture. Of course that has nothing to do with 90% of London's club scene and is a flagrant breach of civil rights and I strongly disagree with it. The police are collecting as much information as they can about citizens for their ever-increasing databases, and the gang and gun thing (a problem admittedly but not in our scene) is another excuse (like the 'threat' of terrorism) to impact on our freedoms once again.” Skrufff: East Anglia is currently experiencing a fresh rave war with authorities are seizing more cars, more systems and talking about harsher laws again: yet people are still partying: what do you make of the current situation? Chris Liberator: “Well, it's the same old cycle; they ease off and then start to apply pressure again. They never stopped really; other areas have had constant police pressure, the Bristol/Wales scene for example. If people want to party, they will.” Skrufff: Looking back, what’s been the best period of the party scene for you?
Chris Liberator: “I really liked the time around London Acid City and the Immersion parties in the mid to late nineties, but I have fond memories of it all.” Skrufff: Do you believe in supernatural forces (ever seen a ghost?) Chris Liberator: “No, I don't disbelieve either, though I’m not really that bothered. Anything supernatural is just a natural thing we don't understand yet. I still don't understand how a telephone works (the principle, yes), but the reality of speaking to someone in real time on the other side of the world is far more supernatural than a ghost. When we understand what happens when we die, the purpose of our existence then all supernatural phenomenon, metaphysics and religion will be fully explained (and most debunked). Until then.” Chris Liberator, D.A.V.E the Drummer, Ed Real, The Ting and Jonty Skrufff spin at Party Proactive on Saturday March 8 at SE One.
Article by Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com) Subscribe to Skrufff music newsletter at www.Skrufff.com |
