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Lofty and Mike Mackeeg Ahead of Never Grow Up on the 20th we catch up with Lofty and Mike Mackeeg from Illicit Audio… To talk about Ibiza, Illicit plans for the rest 2009 and beyond … and teenage mutant ninja turtles! Plus download yourself Lofty’s brand spanking new mix J What made you jump around like a loon when you were a teen ... who helped forge your mind musically? L: - To be fair the first time I got into house music was not until I was at university and a couple of us trekked up to London to come and see Clockwork Orange at Camden Palace, Mike and I ended up playing for them a couple of years ago and that was a big thing for me. As for musical influences, I have always liked music which is good to dance too, I mean that is one of the main reasons right?? So I was brought up on Motown, people like Martha and the Vandellas right the way through to early Michael Jackson (not afraid to admit it ha ha) and then on towards early rock and even some country in the form of the Eagles. My iPod for instance is not what a lot of people think it is. There is some Paul Simon on there, some Dire Straits and of course lots of quality house and techno. M: - I was into electronic music at a young age - I remember shunning pop and rock and from 11 years old I was purchasing 7" acid house singles and also frequenting my home town's underground record stores to pick up the latest mixtapes and flyers. I was too young to fully appreciate the scene at the time which is a shame - looking back on the acid house movement makes me realise just what everyone went through to allow us to do what we do now. Mike, you're just back from Ibiza....lucky sod! How was it? Any particular messy stories to tell? M: Haha, what happens on the island stays on the island. Let's just say it was a fantastic week thoroughly enjoyed by all. L: Don't talk to me about Ibiza, next year, yeah!! Where'dya go, who did you see? And what's Illicit Audios fav Ibiza night? M: Well we landed on Friday and went straight to Pacha for Pure Pacha. I saw Sander Kleinenberg and Basement Jaxx. Then on Saturday I went to Zoo Project where Jose De Devina was headlining. Sunday was the main event, Space's opening party. This is probably my favourite event in any country at any time and is an Illicit Audio recommended day out! The line up is immense, Steve Lawler, Sasha & Digweed, Guy Gerber (my personal fav) Carl Cox, Yousef, Dubfire and so many more. On Wednesday it was back to Pacha for the Subliminal opening party, I'm not usually a fan of Erick Morillo but it was good to hear lots of classic Ibiza anthems which is something I'd never done before. Hear any big tunes over there - tip us off!! L: Mike was texting me at one point about a tune I picked up a couple of weeks ago and it always goes off, they saw Basement Jaxx playing it - it is called Gramophonedzie - Why Don't You and it is amazing. It is pretty jacking and then it breaks into this 1920s swing number it's very good, expect it at Never Grow Up. M: As Lofty says, that Gramaphonedzie record really did go off! Other big tunes included the new mix of Guy Gerber's stoppage time which has just come out on Bedrock. Also various tracks from Gui Boratto's new album "take my breath away" which is a recommended listen. Cool, Any other holiday or festival plans across the summer for either of you? L: Nothing really clubbing related for me, I have a friend's wedding in Crete which I am really really looking forward too. M: Nothing over the summer as I've already been to TDK Timewarp in Germany and Ibiza so the next big outing will probably be I Love Techno in October. I recommend attending at least one big European festival a year; they make English festivals look very poor. So what's new at Illicit Audio Towers? How is 2009 panning out for you so far? L: DJ wise for me it has been pretty good. I have been doing a few bits and pieces on my own. I'm a regular at Shiva at the Whitehouse, plus a frequent guest at Get Diverted nights. To be honest, Mike and I haven't played together for quite a while and I for one am really looking forward to it. M: For me it has been a year of planning and studio time so far, I finished a new track earlier in the year and I'm now about to embark on a huge new project which will probably take till the rest of the year before I can even think about having it ready for performance. Alongside this I will be trying to finish as many original productions as possible. We've taken a different direction for Illicit Audio for 2009; we are going to concentrate on just doing DJ gigs for promoters who we feel are taking the scene in the right direction. Due to other commitments we won't be putting on our own parties this year. You have been residing at JUNK club in Southampton for 3 years now, how has that journey been? Is there another one planned? Junk holds a special place for us. When we started down there we were probably the only event playing underground house and techno in Southampton. Over the years our popularity grew and it felt like we were really doing something special. Then we were given the opportunities to feature big name DJs we really respected and that made what we were doing even better. For those of you who don't know, we finished our residency in January after 3 glorious years and our legacy lives on through the amount of similar parties still put on in the city. We had a lot of fun and it certainly was a journey that we will never forget! Lofty we caught you in South London mixing for Rob Aldritt from the Get Diverted team for some classic 80's house and funk… It was great fun! Are you planning on running this again? L: Well I was DJing for them for that, when I say them I mean Rob and Liam (Shiva) it was their brainchild and it is such a good idea. The two parties I have played at have been going off. I think it's a good idea during these harder economical times to make sure parties are affordable and fun, without those two key elements I think a party can lose something. As for when the next one is, I am sure there will be something in the pipeline... so watch this space. What was your first vinyl? L: Oh dear, do you really want to know? Ok, it was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Partners in Kryhme, and then after that it was PM Dawn - Set Adrift on Memory Bliss which is slightly better. I seemed to grow up music wise in the space of 3 weeks; I think they came out pretty close to each other. M: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles haha! That is well funny. My first vinyl was a 7" single of Altern 8's Hypnotic State but my first 12" was Icon - Desire which I bought from a friend's record store when I was 13 and I didn't even have a turntable to play it on. Where can we catch you after Never Grow Up? L: Well at the Get Diverted terrace parties at Dex - 5th July & 2nd August, more details will be coming out soon. M: I'll be at the July Get Diverted terrace party then probably back in the studio till 2010! Not many gigs for me this year so get me while you can! You looking forward to the 20th? Let the good people know what to expect from you.... L: Yeah of course, the guys at door. / Never Grow Up have always been behind us and pushing our sound from when they started, so yeah really looking forward to it. I'll be getting some more quirky house sounds coming out including that track I mentioned before.
M: We've decided to theme this set as Odd House - we'll be pulling
out all manner of strange records which rarely get a play. I have a lot
of material from artist albums and unsigned stuff. Never Grow Up always
gives us an opportunity to take things to the extreme thanks to their
open minded music policy so to a couple of guys with strange tastes like
us it is music to our ears! Cheers Guys!! Roll on the 20th! Here is Lofty’s brand spanking new mix full of eclectic house treats : Tracklist for mix: 01. Andre Winter - Karma (Ideal Audio)
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