"Music, fun and a decent cup of tea": Mr Scruff speaks to Skiddle

In a nutshell, how did it all begin?
It started probably about 1984. I heard these electro mix compilations that were round in the early 80’s and it intrigued me hearing these tracks without a gap, so I thought I would give it a go myself using my hi-fi system at home. A friend borrowed a few electro records off his uncle and I’d go round to his house and listen to them and then after that it was listening to a lot of radio. A lot of local radio really like Radio Lancashire, Piccadilly Manchester and lots of really good local DJs like Steve Barker on Radio Lancs, Greg Wilson, Stu Allen. So basically it was me experimenting with mixing and learning all about the music I'm into now through really good informative radios that played old and new. A bit like being an obsessive fan.

Ninja Tunes celebrated its 20th Anniversary recently. How have you found it, being on that label?
The main thing is they let me do my thing. I know a lot of artists that go from one label to another releasing different things whereas for me I thought ‘I'm signed to Ninja now and they know what they’re doing’. They have a lot of varied artists who are gems in their own right. For me it’s about being comfortable, and we have a very easy friendly relationship. It’s easier to be creative when your relaxed and generally its good to work with people you like.

What is it that inspires you to create a record and what’s the process you go through?
It depends really. I might hear a bit of a record I want to sample or some drums, or maybe I’ll even start humming a bass-line. It's generally hearing something, being excited about it and wanting to make it into a tune. Sometimes I might be just wandering around absent-mindedly and suddenly an idea will pop into my head and I take it from there. There is no set process as such… Generally just starting with a foundation then throwing more things into the conversation and then building up on it. I like freewheeling as opposed to structure. I like a relaxed environment and having fun.  For me the music needs to sound like I'm having fun while I'm making it.

I suppose with your music the beauty of it is that there are a lot of surprises and no one knows what to expect upon first listen…
Yeah, I mean I'm sure there are a lot more exciting experimental producers out there that are far more interesting than myself but I definitely do my bit. Because so many different types of music inspire me, I get excited about being able to pass on music that I'm excited about. I try and include other people’s music in my own. A lot of people stick to a particular genre and a lot of the genres have their own rules whether they’re written or not. I like to blur those boundaries.

An eclectic mix of musicians influences you, but are there any artists who you can pick out as your favourites?
Yeah, quite a lot of obvious big names really. The one that have inspired me have been the ones that have consistently inspired people and brought out a lot of records. James Brown, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Leroy Burgess, the list goes on and on really.

Have you come across anything new and exciting recently that you want to share with Skiddle readers?
There is a chap from Preston actually called Cottam. He’s released some techno stuff under another name as well but he’s really good. He’s probably had around three or four records out on his own label as well as others. I'd describe him as quite slow, heavy house. It’s like listening to techno on the wrong speed that is quite murky and moody – I really like his stuff.  Gregory Porter is a great artist. He’s only has a couple of albums out. He’s a soul/jazz singer and I always find his stuff really inspiring and everyone I play his music to seems to buzz off it. When I play his stuff people always ask me about him.

There is so much music out there at the moment, and so many ways and means to listen - and it does appear harder to come across ‘hidden gems’ because listeners are bombarded with so much. Since music has become more accessible, do you think this has had a positive or negative effect on finding new talent?
It’s a mixture. There is a lot more music about and people can publicise themselves. You do get people pushing a lot of music that’s not ready to be heard and I think they should do a bit more market research more close to home before they start doing that, however sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised. There seems to be people ‘spamming’ unnecessarily though. Technology means there is more out there and people are fighting harder to get heard. Now it’s pretty much free to promote music people are less sophisticated with their approach. They think it's fine to use things like Soundcloud and share it with 20,000 people, but then the listeners don’t give it a chance as straight away you just think its another load of random spam - like receiving junk mail at home. I’d work hard to build up a reputation so people approach you.

I think I'm just a bit old school. I'd rather go to the record shop or be sent a piece of vinyl or CD. These days most people send you an MPS and you have to download it, then you get in touch if you like it and ask for a WAV, they take two weeks sending that, then you burn it onto a CD and end up with loads of CDs with writing scrawled all over them - then, because I prefer vinyl, I end up going out a few weeks later and just purchasing it that way if I like it that much! I still like having music as a physical object. I much prefer a record with a picture sleeve. Also, as you get on a bit, there is less appeal wanting music before it’s released. If it’s a good tune I'm going to be playing it in 20 years anyway, but when I was in my twenties you would almost stop playing records as soon as they came out as it was seemed old news by then – so I seem to have mellowed with that.

A lot of music is accessible due to computers. My thing is that computers are made for work. I like to kick back, turn the computer off and listen to music on a turntable. On a computer you’re bombarded by emails, social media etc… so you don’t get chance to appreciate or give your full attention to the music. Years ago music had to be signed to a record label before it was released, so that acted as a filter in itself, but now there’s none of that. Kids these days have been brought up on computers and doing different things at once, whereas I struggle answering the phone and making a brew at the same time so my opinions are probably me just being an old fart who thinks vinyl sounds a hell of a lot better than MP3s.

You’ve previously mentioned that you like to take risks when making music. Why is that so important to you?
I think you’ve got to be nervous as a performer. I don’t mean standing up on stage, but there might be tunes I'm nervous about playing, as I don’t know what the crowd reaction will be. It's good to try new stuff then you're not boxing yourself in with what people expect. You don’t want to be put into a box. I like to play tunes that I get excited about at home and see how people react, and finding other records that connect with it and fit in with the rest of the collection. When you take a risk and it goes well then it opens more doors.

In terms of equipment I always bring my own, so long soundchecks, try keep the room nice and dark, have my tea stall, visuals, play to nice people – keep the formula of each night the same, which then gives you the freedom to introduce different things into the set once the night kicks in. If I played the same things night in night out and didn’t play the things I wasn’t sure about then it would become boring for me. I know people are going to go mad and jump up and down when I play a big tune, but I also know that they are going to do that more so when I play a big tune after something a bit weird or something they haven’t heard before, so it's all about contrast. Finding different ways to put things together keeps you interested and people excited. Working hard to keep it fun.

You’re known for your marathon sets. Why is it important for you to play for so long?
Yeah, it means you can relax and play what you like. When you have only a few hours your more restricted with what you can play. It’s nice to be able to stretch out and not have to look at your watch, and build the atmosphere. I find it’s a more natural way to DJ that I'm comfortable with and an approach that really suits me.

Keep It Unreal in Manchester is in its 13th year, that’s quite an achievement for a club night these days. tell us a little bit about how it all began…
It started off as a launch party for the album of the same name. I'd been playing in Manchester since around 1994 and I was playing at a lot of different nights like hip hop, reggae, soul… As time went on I got more and more slots at these nights and started to get a bit greedy and play for hours and I thought rather than do three or four nights a week and playing different music for each specific genre that I would do my own. Planet K opened in 1999 and one of the owners offered me a residency. It felt the time was right. I had never thought of doing that before as I would get a bit freaked out when I realised people were coming to all these different nights just to hear me DJ, but when I did realize I had my own following, and I would have the freedom to play what and when I wanted, it seemed like the ideal thing to do. So Keep It Unreal has been going every month since then.

It’s nice to be able to have control of the atmosphere and having the consistency and ability to make improvement month on month. Each month you have regulars and new people so you have to cater for that balance. As a DJ, having a residency is an essential part of maintaining a healthy approach as opposed to seeing it as separate gigs.  It keeps me inspired. If you end up doing too many gigs your not happy with then it eats away at your passion. If I started to get bored of it then I would stop, so you really need to put the work in to give something special.
 
So on 12th May you launch your Keep it Unreal in Preston. How did this come about?
I’ve been speaking to people in Preston for a while and I’ve played in 53 Degrees before. Considering how close Preston is to Manchester I have only played there three or four times. I know a lot of people from Preston travel over to Manchester to come and see me so I feel it’s only polite to return the favour. When I go on tour and I find a place I like, like 53 degrees, I like to go back because I've already tested the soundsystem and crowd so it’s always good. I can’t go back to places as often as I like as there is only one of me and I need a few weekends off to keep me fresh. It’s nice to get over to Preston.

You have your regulars that will be going, but for people who have never seen you play, what can they expect?
A really good selection of music, good atmosphere and great people. I try and make it feel as cozy as possible. A kind of wild freestyle selection of music put together in an interesting way. I’ll have the tea stall there and the visuals there, so the little potato men will be projected on the screen making people chuckle. So music, fun and a decent cup of tea is definitely on the cards!

Interview by: Jo-Anne Waddington

Catch Mr Scruff Keeping it Unreal at 53 Degrees on May 12th 2012. Tickets are now available through Skiddle for £12.

Tickets are no longer available for this event