Audio Rehab with Mark Radford

Photo: Mark Radford

London, it really takes some beating doesn't it? Boasting one of the healthiest clubbing environs in the world, the capital has always been a prime target of the freshest innovations in dance music, partly because the city is such a melting pot of creative minds, hailling from all for corners of the globe.

Right in the middle of its thriving underground is Audio Rehab, a record label and clubbing brand (above) that since 2010 has enjoyed an ever growing fan base who can't get enough of its jacking, bass heavy sound, complete with nods to classic house, UK garage, minimal techno and bass music, all tended under the watchful eye of its dedicated boss Mark Radford.

With Audio Rehab's imminent return to Ministry Of Sound, a venue that the brand is no stranger to, Mike Warburton caught up with Mark Radford to find out more about the Audio Rehab movement, his roots in drum n bass, and why Londoners do it better.

Hello Mark! Thanks for speaking to us.

Hi Guys. No worries - It’s a pleasure

Audio Rehab is back at Ministry of Sound on Nov 22nd. You must be looking forward to that? You guys have played there a number of times, what is it about Ministry that makes it such an iconic venue?

I can't wait! It’s definitely my favourite venue to play at. I think without a doubt it’s the sound system in the box that makes it such an amazing venue. I remember going there back when I was a kid when it had just opened and even back then it was a mind-blowing experience. The production throughout the whole venue is top level. The lights show in the main box is pretty awesome also!

Can you let us in on what you've got in store for the night? Any tracks that will be making their way into your set?

That’s always a very tough question for me to answer because I get sent so much amazing music every week I can never really plan my sets that far in advance. All I can say, is that it will be packed with brand new exclusive, cutting edge house music. Saying that, I have a few tracks from myself that will be getting dropped.

We know you got into the scene in the days of acid house and the birth of jungle. How strongly did those days affect you, and do you emulate some of that early buzz with the work you do now?

Those early days where what made me fall in love with dance music and I always try to recreate the buzz I used to get when I first went to the big raves back then. I feel the music I have been exposed to throughout my life plays a massive part in the sound I am pushing now, from Acid House, to Jungle, to UK Garage. There are elements of all those genres in what I'm doing.

Compared to those early days, how healthy do you think underground dance music is in the UK?

I think it’s healthier than ever. Back then, it was very very underground and you had to be in the know to find out where the parties were. Now days with social media, the music and parties are so much more accessible to wider audience, which I think is very noticeable in the audience's we are getting at our parties. I personally think it’s amazing right now.

How did you make the transition from drum n bass to what you do now? Was there a 'Road To Damascus' moment where house and I suppose garage music all of a sudden made sense and you just had to get involved?

Drum & bass will always be my first love; its what has set the tone for everything I look for in music now, but in around 1998 I felt a distinct lack of musicality in what was going on, so I went to Ibiza for the first time later that year and the rest is history!

Audio Rehab has had a major part to play in London underground clubbing for the past few years. How did the idea come about and where do you see the label heading in the future?

Audio Rehab was already a club night that was being run by my partner Laurence and his partner at the time at a venue called The House & Terrace (now Studio 338). I had been friends with Laurence since the days of AWOL at the Paradise club in Islington and he was aware of what I was doing musically with my show on Rinse.

They invited myself and a few other DJs that I was working with at the time down to host the terrace for one of their parties and it was a huge success. The guys asked me to become resident DJ for them and over the next few months we pushed the brand with the style of music I was playing and it worked!

We started getting a really good following that were into the sound. This was back at the end of 2010; early 2011 we moved to a smaller venue in Shoreditch called the Camp Basement and had a series of great nights there.

In 2012 we took a break from events, as this is when I decided to launch the label. I was being sent so much amazing music from fresh young producers that it seemed like the right thing to do. With my show on Rinse I have the ideal platform to help push new music and its this that has played a huge part in getting the label to where we are today.

Where I see the label going is worldwide. The talent we have on board is top notch so there is no reason why we cannot conquer the globe!

You’ve been rooted in London for some time now, what is it about the capital’s scene that keeps you coming back for more?

The love from the people in the capital for what I'm doing! I have worked very hard for a long time to get to this point and playing on the underground circuit in London has given me the chance to push a brand new sound that is now blowing up and being taken on board by a much wider audience.

I love the London scene; they get it and I can play exactly what I want and they always come back for more.

Are there any artists on Audio Rehab that you're particularly excited about? And what new material can we look forward to from the label?

I’m excited about every artist we are lucky enough to have in the Audio Rehab family; Carnao Beats, Louie Anderson, Nightshift, Hugo Massien, Adam Cotier, Riaz Dhanani, Rs4... the list goes on! They are all very talented guys that have their own unique style and are all gaining huge followings because of this.

Two of our latest signing's that I’m particularly excited about though are the amazing 17 year old Nathan Dalton (listen to his track 'Not Gonna Love You' above) that is just a raw natural talent, and I predict huge things for this guy plus the seasoned veterans Danny Kane & Marc Spence otherwise know as Jakkin Rabbit. These guys are making some serious music. Underground beats with amazing musicality - watch out for a lot more from them very soon.

How about from yourself?

I’m finally making the time to get in the studio as much as possible myself. I have been so focused as a DJ and building the label that I haven’t had the time needed to get my own productions to the level I'm happy with.

My debut release is out on 3rd November. The track is called 'I Think It's Love' and it features my good friend Thomas Jules (stream a clip of it above). He is lead vocalist for Rudimental and I was lucky enough to grab him for a few days in the summer at my place and we came up with this. I’m more than happy with the outcome.

I have done a lot of remix work in the past but for now I'm focusing on myself and will be putting out a lot more material in the new year.

Last question - and it’s a hypothetical situation. You have the ability to throw the ultimate Audio Rehab party, with guest DJs from any time in history, alive or dead. Where would you have it, who would be on the bill and what track would you play to define the evening?

Wow. That’s a tough one!! It would have to be on a rooftop in the sun somewhere - no fun like fun in the sun! Guest DJ’s would have to be the ones that have influenced me the most in my life time, not necessarily playing house but if its my ideal party then we would cover all of the genres that have influenced me.

The first would have to be DJ Jazzy Jeff. His set Live at Union Square was on repeat for months when I was a kid! Then it would have to be DJ Randal, one on the guys that made me realise it was more about just beat matching two tracks together. This guy made different tracks out of the two tracks he was mixing together! He used to blow me away every time I heard him as a kid.

My last guest would be the Guy who's track I would use to define the night, Derrick May. The tune would have to be 'The Dance'. His music has influenced me from when I was a 15-year-old school kid right up to today. Those early techno basslines changed things forever!

That would be some party! Head here for your Audio Rehab tickets when it lands at Ministry Of Sound on November 22nd.

Mark Radford also heads to Warehouse LDN on November 20th.

Tickets are no longer available for this event