DJ Spen Interview: At least people are dancing again

2022NQ may have just about recovered from a bank holiday weekend unusually replete with roaring sunshine, but they’re all ready to do it again this weekend with DJ Spen flying over from Baltimore on Saturday to play at the club all night long.

As one of the Basement Boys Spen was rightly heralded as a DJ of genuine eclectic flair, capable of drifting between chunky tech flavoured grooves and the deeper and more soulful side of the music. On top of this he also had a hand in writing ‘Girl you know it’s true’, made famous by discredited mimers Milli Vanilli. We caught up with Spen to discuss the merits of longer sets, the explosion of dance music in the US and how realistic the Wire is as a reflection of his hometown.

Hi DJ Spen. For those of our readers who might not know of you, can you describe your musical style?

Energetic! I like various styles of music so I tend to play loads of what I am feeling. If its deep and I like it, I'll play it. If it’s uplifting and I like it, I'll play it. I am not really a genre specific jock.

So you’re due to play the UK soon in London, Newcastle and Manchester. What is your relationship with the nation and those cities like?

I love England! I love the people too. As far as it goes being an audience, the UK is very clued up on what's hot at all times. To be honest it's becoming a second home to me.

The Manchester date sees you reuniting with the Slammin Boys to play all night long. Do you prefer these sets where you get the opportunity to go through your complete musical personality?

Yeah. It's good to get a chance to flex your musical knowledge muscles every now and again.

How was growing up in Baltimore as a grounding for music, with it being in the shadow of other cities musically in the states?

It was a great experience for me. Yes, we were in the shadows of New York and Philadelphia, but we were so close to them geographically that we didn't really miss all that much. We kind of took what was going on in those cities and created our own styles.

 We’ve got to ask as well, are you a fan of the Wire and is it a reflection of the city?

Have never really been a fan of the show, but it is somewhat a reflection of parts of Baltimore. I guess because I am from there I've seen it all before.

Back to the US, the nation is experiencing a renaissance of sorts in terms of the popularity of electronic music. Although it’s for the most part a world away from what you represent, do you think that overall this is a positive development or do you feel that it is at odds with the history of the genre?

I believe it's kinda positive. At least people are dancing again instead of just bopping their heads to some dreadfully slow r&b/hop hop foolishness. 

Having been part of the Basement boys previously, how does working solo compare to the collaborative benefits of being part of a team? Do you miss that side of things sometimes?

I still collaborate quite heavily with a few people like Gary Hudgins (keyboards), Irvin madden (Guitars), and Thommy Davis my partner in Quantize recordings. So I really never work alone. I do miss working like we used to, but you gotta change or die as they say.

And finally what can we expect in terms of productions from you in the future?

I’m doing a remix of Shaun Escoffery ‘Days like this’ track, and a mix compilation of Quantize future classics from Tony Humphries and myself. New tunes from Tracy Hamlin, Marc Evans and Sheila Ford, and an LP from my man N'Dinga GABA. So quite a few things on the horizon!

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