Justin Roberston chats to Skiddle ahead of brand new clubnight Blackout

Internationally acclaimed DJ Justin Robertson returns to his hometown this Bank Holiday Sunday for a rare Anything Goes set at brand new club night Blackout.

Skiddle caught up with the man himself for a chat about pseudonyms, the heady hacienda days, and the time Kylie Minogue stood on his foot. 

You’ve had a host of side projects and psyudonyms over the years, including Lionrock, The Prankster and Thee Earls, as well as performing and recording under your own name. What is the idea behind the Deadstock 33s moniker? Who is Stommakingme and what is his involvement?

I guess the sound is really about organic electronics, kinda psychedelic infused live sounding electronic discotechno, ha! Stopmakingme is producer, DJ and remixer Dan Avery, one of the best out there at the moment, we got together after a remix swap, i'm an enormous admirer of his work, he knows how to distill the essence of a track, get it firing in a timeless classic kinda way. We work together very well having a very similar vision, a shared love of the out there and the jacking.

The Deadstock 33s & Stopmakingme by Daniel Avery/Stopmakingme

You’ve remixed for the likes of The Mystery Jets, Radio 4, Bjork, The Whip, Cherry Ghost and Felix Da Housecat. Which remix or remixes are your favourites, and what’s the secret to a good remix? And do you have any in the pipeline?

I've just finished one for Arveene and Misk that I am very happy with! Steve Mason one is a fave due to its elongated, dubby nature. I think a good remix is about putting your own slant on something, taking it somewhere else as a whole different take on the original. It should be about stamping your own identity on a tune.

Who were your favourite DJs and musicians growing up? Any ones that might surprise fans of yours?

I first got into electronic music by hearing Mike Pickering and Jon Da Silva down at the hacienda, they were playing all this far out machine music that was so different from the guitar stuff I had been digging as a kid, it was a real Road to Damascus moment hearing ''The Dance'' by Rhythm is Rhythm at Nude night. I've always had a broad musical outlook, the Balearic spirit! So it was anything from studio one reggae, through proto electronic bands like Chris and Cosey, to wigged out Space rock , bob calvert era Hawkwind and a smattering of Tangerine Dream… I guess that's what informs the deadstock 33s sound the most. Lionrock was much more influenced by my reggae and soul roots.

You were part of the fertile, seminal early 90s dance music scene in Manchester with your club nights Most Excellent and Spice, as well as playing at various other nights. Faces on the scene included Tom and Ed who later went onto form the Chemical Brothers. For younger readers who weren’t there, what was it like, and what was so important about it? Those sounds seem to have re-emerged, particularly at the moment.

It was nuts! A lot of hedonism and a lot of raw creativity, it was like people were seeing the possibilities. With electronic music, producers were moulding different sounds from different areas of music to create something fresh and new, dub, house, disco was the phrase! It's the template for all the sub genres that exist now, they all came from pioneering work of that period. Plus we were out of our minds most of the time.

The life of a DJ can often be hard work, but what’s the most glamorous thing that’s ever happened to you as a DJ or artist?

Kylie Minogue trod on my foot once.

What gigs are you looking forward to in the coming months?

Blackout in Manchester on Sunday! Bestival is always fun, and a wee tour of South America later in the year.

What current music and artists are exciting you, right across the genres?

I'm liking Stopmakingme of course, excited by the new Death in Vegas album, Gonno new track is massive, as is The Shack and new People get Real stuff, most things on My Favourite Robot, the new Horrors record, Cw Stoneking, new Thurston Moore record, new Legowelt album. I love his attitude, top dude. The new Saarid ep, golden bug remixes, Die Vogel, and an old album by Daniel Savio ''dirty bomb'' that still sounds fresh... and a whole lot more!

Thanks Justin, see you on Sunday! 

Interview: Abbas Ali

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