House icon Dave Seaman talks Kylie, Cream and coming home to Nation

There aren't many artists who've sound tracked the birth of dance music and are still leading its development more than two decades later. There are even less who have gifted both the club and pop scenes with unforgettable musical moments that get talked about in hushed tones years after their creation. Dave Seaman is one of a select few.

Whether it's one of his spine-tingling Global Underground or Renaissance CDs that's still burning a hole in your stereo years after its purchase, or the perfect pop of Kylie's 'Confide In Me' that he co-wrote, produced and remixed, there are very few with their heart in electronic music who haven't had a Dave Seaman moment.

Fresh from the Miami Music Winter Conference, we caught up with Dave Seaman for a quick chat about his upcoming Classics set at the Cream Reunion on the 31st March in the Annexe at Nation.

You've worked and produced with the likes of Kylie Minogue, The Pet Shop Boys and many other popular acts. How did these collaborations materialise?

The Pet Shop Boys were the first, and it was because our track 'Such A Good Feeling' was one of Chris Lowe's favourite tracks so he asked us if we'd do a couple of remixes for them. Before we knew it we were in Trevor Horn's studio with Neil and Chris co-producing 'Go West' and 'DJ Culture'. It felt like getting dropped in the deep end, but sometimes that's the best way to learn.  The Kylie collaborations also came about through us first doing a remix for her. We did the single version of 'Finer Feelings' when she was still at PWL and so when she moved to De Construction we just asked if we could do some more stuff with her and that's when 'Confide In Me' happened. 

What's the strangest request for a track you've ever been asked to play?

'Have you got anything we can dance to?' is always a classic. As I almost exclusively play music with a 4/4 rhythm, it begs the question, 'how exactly do you dance then?!'

You must have a few stories to tell from your Cream days?

It's a bit like what they say about the 60s, if you remember them, you weren't really there! But I'm afraid the great stories I do remember, I'll be saving for my memoirs. 

Favourite night at Cream and why?

I think it was the second birthday. The one where Kylie played 'Confide In Me' live. The one where John Kelly spilt champagne in Dave Morales' record box. That was a blinding night!

What can we expect from your three hour classics set in the Annexe? Have you had to convert a lot of your record collection digitally?

I have yes. It's a hell of a job. But I'm getting there slowly but surely. I'll be playing stuff mainly from the early years. 

Progressive House almost became a dirty word seven or eight years ago. What do you think caused this and why did everything seem to either veer to a techier or electro sound?

It's all just fashion cycles. At the moment we seem to be heading back to a very housey sound similar to the early acid house era, so it feels like it's come full circle.  Progressive became a dirty word because it lost its mojo and the majority of it became quite boring. Once something becomes very popular, it's the beginning of the end. That's just how things work. Always has been. 

How have your musical tastes changed in that period?

Of course, you have to keep evolving or you just get stuck in a rut and that's no good for anyone. But if you look at the bigger picture, it all comes from the same genre really. It's all electronic house music. The finer nuances wouldn't really be spotted by someone outside the scene. It all just goes "Boom, Tsst, Boom, Tsst" to them.

As well as playing regularly at Cream, you had a residency at Feel in Preston in the late 90s. Do you feel you had more of an affiliation with the Northern crowds?

All my favourites did always seem to be in the North, yes. The further north you went, the crazier the crowds seem to get. Feel was a big favourite, as was The Rhumba Club in Scotland and Lush in  Northern Ireland. Of course there were great clubs in the South too but being a Northerner myself, maybe I just connected more with the northern ones. 

What do you have in store for the remainder of 2012?

I've been in the studio quite a bit early this year so there'll be a few tracks coming out soon. I've done one with Guy Mantzur who's the resident at Tel Aviv's fantastic Cat & Dog Club. It's called 'K9' and will be coming out on Hernan Cattaneo's Sudbeat label. Then there's another collaboration with Funkagenda underway and I'm also doing things with Stelios Vassiloudis and One Million Toys. Also, I'm going to do a mix compilation for Toolroom which should be out in June. 

Fellow headliner on the night, Justin Robertson, seems to think you'd beat him to arm wrestle?

I haven't seen Justin for a while so I'm not sure of the current level of his physical fitness. Therefore, I'll assume the worst, be modest and say he would, while quietly hoping for an 'against all the odds' Rocky style upset!

Catch Dave Seaman at the Cream Reunion on Saturday 31st March. Tickets are available now through Skiddle. 

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