Interview with Moonface

Follow the career trajectory of a legendary DJ from his foundational days at Bedrock Records to his influential residency at Thessaloniki’s Decadance club, leading up to his recent remix on Future Ave

Hello Phil! How are you today, and what have you been up to lately?

Hello Dom, Thanks for the great questions. I am really happy to be working with you, Tojogo and your awesome label.

With over 30 years in the music industry, you've seen many changes, especially with the advent of the digital age. How has your approach to music production and distribution evolved over this time?

Initially, I was spoilt with knowing at the time as my first tracks and album were released in the golden age of our UK Dance music scene around 98- 2000. It was not quite a global scene yet. So when you did travel and play abroad most people knew of my music. Sometimes I was one of the first international Dj’s to play in that country. Then fast forward to now where music has saturated the scene so much. No one really cares if you make music or release it, as nearly everyone can have a play at making a track as long as they have a computer. The producer is now the last person to get any income back from their music unless they self-release on Bandcamp. It took me quite a few years to come to terms with this change. I lost trust with most of the labels I was on until I finally gave up being annoyed with the industry and just continued to make music for the love of it.

The year 2000 marked a pivotal moment in your burgeoning career,: Sasha played your track “U Get So Give” in his Essential Mix. And your tracks “Futurized Fears” and “Overactive” were signed as a double A side by John Digweed for his Bedrock label at its inception. What did it mean for you at that time to be supported by such an influential figures in the dance music scene?

At the time I really don’t think I had any idea what was going on. I can still remember the moment I was listening back to my mini disco recording off the radio from the night before Essential Mix. I had not idea he was going to play it and suddenly I heard it coming in. I remember how shocked I was sat up in bed listening with my headphones on early in the morning. At the time I was never really into any of the now so called “Progressive DJ’s”. I loved DJ’s like Brandon Block, Alex P, Danny Rampling, Danny Tenaglia. My friend Dan had to give me a Danny Howells CD to introduce me to the Bedrock warm up DJ. I had previously warmed up for Sasha and Digweed locally many years ago at a Southampton Northern Exposure night and as much as I knew of them, I was not a massive fan at the time. I never really liked the Renaissance floaty drawn-out sound with long breakdowns at. I was into either really uplifting party house and at the same time self-indulging into really quite hard underground style of heady hypnotic dance music. I used to go to a Thursday night in London called Sex Love And Motion in the Soundshaft. I listened to one of Digweed’s compilation mixes and I really liked the sound that he was now playing. Tribal dirty underground style. I suddenly felt athomeonalabelthatIhadnoideahowbigitwas. I guess I was very complacent at the time.

The release of your mini album "Between Worlds" on Bedrock Records sold out globally before the digital age truly took hold. How did you navigate the challenges of promoting and distributing music in that era compared to now?

Yes, its crazy now to think I had a £15,000 album advance and paid it off very quickly. Nowadays I don’t think any label gives you an advance. At the time Global Underground was massive. They were releasing the go-to compilation mixes for the world to dance to. Way before anything could be shared digitally online. Most of the Dj’s at the time were playing my tracks and also included them on their compilation mixes. I think it’s those GU mixes that spread the sound globally. As far as distributing and promoting the music this is not something I ever got involved in.

You've been supported by a roster of top DJs from the golden age of dance music. How important has collaboration and support from peers been in your career?

I was supported by most of the big guns back then yes. But nowadays I’m supported by a minority of some of the coolest Dj’s into my sound and buying my MOONFACE tracks from Bandcamp. Nick Muir did a remix of my track “U Have 2 Change” a couple of years back and I really love what he did with it. Some long-time DJ mates are very supportive over the now 20-plus years. My good friend in the Netherlands Hilbrand, DepGlobe has been awesome support for me. As for the others, I send my music to some of them and only some take the time to respond. It’s quite a lonely existence these days. Music is weird, as people get accustomed to you. I don’t feel you have the same buzz about most new music these days and even for myself its a very short lived buzz. We truly are spoilt by the endless music available to us all. Yeah there is more amazing music, better produced than ever before and I love searching for it and buying it. But even if I hear a new track by someone massive. I might not play it just because it’s from them. I don’t understand why we do this as DJ’s. Even if I was to hear a new Aphex Twin track it might be a genius track but I will still flick through it and kinda expect it to be awesome. But not have the same buzz as years ago when you would hear a new track by a huge artist.

Taking over as the new Bedrock resident from Danny Howells back in the days was no small feat. What was your strategy for making your mark and maintaining the high standards expected at such events?

As you mentioned it was not easy at all. Danny Howells had been the Bedrock warm-up DJ from the start of the Bedrock nights going way back. He was totally awesome and right at home warming up the crowd that loved him so much. We got on really well, I really liked him, he was a huge fan of my music and a big influence on my sound at the time. I was making a track a month for each Bedrock night. Suddenly I had to fill in for him at Brighton Bedrock on a Sasha and Digweed night. If I remember I was called just days before. I was already used to warming up every weekend in a small club in Southampton for many years. So I knew what to do and how to respect the main Dj’s. I warmed up in Brighton and then next day John called and said he really loved how I played and would I like to be the new Bedrock resident. BUT the London crowd were a tough crowd to crack. I was not as funky as Danny. I would say I was more trippy, futuristic heady, electronica style. I used to drag out the warm up keeping it as cool as I could but still danceable, as long as I could right up until the last 20 or 30 mins where I finally lifted it up a little to a rammed responsive crowd. I used to get so much abuse on the early message boards. But I stuck to my guns and I think it took a good two years before I then had them warm to me and my style of warming up.

Touring globally, you've played in a variety of locations from Bali to South America. Which place stands out the most to you, and why?

I would say Tbilisi Georgia. I was one of the first international Dj’s to get to play there on a night with Omid 16b and Quivver. I then fell in love with the place and had many life changing gigs there time and time again. I always felt at home there. I loved the people and the food and the scene was so fresh it was like going back in time for me. I became very well known there, playing most of the big clubs and venues. Plus now I am married to a Georgian girl that I actually met in my home town when she was here on a visit.

Holding a long-term residency at the legendary Decadance club in Thessaloniki, Greece, must have been an incredible experience. How did this residency shape your skills and approach as a DJ?

Yes I really enjoyed that bi-monthly slot. It all started as I used to warm up for Digweed in most of the places he was pushing his Bedrock sound around the world. I used to really enjoy it as I got there at the start. Played often for 3 hours holding everyone back. Bear in mind that the Greek clubs didn’t even start until after midnight sometimes starting at 1 or 2 am and then go on until whatever time in the morning 9 or 10am. Digweed was always so professional and a true master behind the decks. I used to just watch him for the whole night learning from him. What tracks worked how he would hold back the crowd and build it steadily and meticulously over many hours until daylight. Every weekend I had this opportunity so I really learned loads from him. I was very fortunate. I always tried to make an effort with the promotors and they really got to know me well. Then one day they asked if I would like a bi-monthly slot. They could fill the club the same as when Digweed played but pay me just a fraction of the cost. Greek business mentality.
I basically just carbon copied how Digweed would play but more of my own hypnotic underground style and maybe a little darker aggressive sound back then.

Could you share the most surreal moment you've encountered during your DJ sets or while on tour?

I always love to tell this story. I was warming up for Digweed in Izmir Turkey. I had done my set and was now chilling behind the decks. Digweed was doing his thing. It was an outdoor venue. I was backstage just looking up at all the stars in the Milky Way on a super clear night with no light pollution. I started asking the Universe for a sign just for fun. Please show me a sign I was saying in my head. Is there anybody out there? Then suddenly a shooting star burst into our atmosphere. One of the best shooting stars I have ever seen. Everyone on the dance floor was looking and pointing at it. It went right across the sky, during and broke up into smaller pieces with different colors. We all stood watching it even Digweed as it then disappeared behind the mountains on the distant horizon.

The music industry has undergone significant changes in recent years, with streaming platforms and digital distribution reshaping the landscape. What are your thoughts on the current state of the industry, and how have these changes affected your career?

Well simply I have gone from living off my music to now only making a small amount of money from selling directly on Bandcamp. The whole industry lives off the creations that music producers create. Even the mastering Engineer makes more money than the one who makes the music. All the big DJ’s get sent all their music for free. When they play out they get paid an average person’s yearly wage in one night and never need to pay for anything, as all expenses are covered. The whole thing is upside down like nearly everything in our world. We have a passion and the gift of creating emotional music for others to enjoy and we are so hungry for recognition that we just keep on making track after track because we are addicted. It a bit like being abused by a lover over and over but you put up with it because you love it so much. But now these days we don’t get any financial reward just a very minimal amount is returned. Everyone else makes something but not the artists. Some genres do make some money but most creative underground music basically has no financial reward that you can live off without touring. To get any kind of gigs you need to be on an awesome agency that is pushing you, looking after you.

What do you consider the absolute highlight of your career, both as a DJ and a producer?

Good question. I needed to think about this one. One of the first things that comes to mind was after I warmed up for Sasha at his Airdrawndagger Bedrock album launch party in London. Sasha told me that an electronica mix cd of mine that he’d had listened to loads, was his main inspiration for the album. If I remember James Zabiela had passed on a chill-out cd I made with some of the coolest electronica I had bought at the time on vinyl. I knew the exact cd he is on about and if I listen back to it I can hear the influence it must of had on his album. Other than that there are so many awesome memories I have. Also so many total blanks in the years gone by. I was full-time, DJ’ing away every weekend for at least 6 years mostly before the internet and social media. I have met so many awesome people along the way and some are now long-time friends.

We've just released your remix of Tojogo’s “Conundrum” on Future Avenue. What inspired you to remix this particular track, and could you walk us through your creative process in making this remix?

I had been really enjoying Tojogo’s “Virtual Beach Bar” mixes all year. Some I listened to so many times. A few tracks stood out. I also played in the Netherlands a few times last year and a couple of the Dj’s also played a few tracks that I recognised from Tojogo’s mixes. Only to find out one of the stand-out tracks I loved so much was one of his. So I instantly became a huge fan. I kept listening to his shows and tried to buy quite a few of his angelic melodic tracks. He has his own style and sound that I can be certain about. His melodies are so infectious, warm, loving, hugging hooks is the best way I can describe his style. Then one day I was in the studio listening to one of his new mixes loud and I thought I was gonna message him on Soundcloud. Never expecting a response as you never know with artists if they can be bothered to respond. I reached out to him saying how much I loved his music and his sets. This is where is all started really. We got chatting more and more. He shared a private link with to me of his current tracks and I pretty much loved every one and this is so rare for me. He said he had heard of me and still has a copy of my track FUTURIZED FEARS on vinyl. Some time passed and he asked me if I wanted to remix one of his tracks. I said yes before I even heard which one. That’s not like me at all as I don’t do many remixes. I really have to resonate with the artist and the track and feel I can take it somewhere MOONFACE styled. He sent the stems and I got started right away. The original track was already awesome. I just wanted to add some tougher beats and percussion and give it some of my style, but not get too far from the original. The initial creative sessions happened quite quickly. Then I got deeper and deeper into it and it took another two months of tweaking before I was finally happy with it.

Looking back on your career, what piece of advice would you give to upcoming artists trying to make their mark in the music industry today?

Be careful who you trust your career with!! It will never be fully in your own hands or destiny and that’s quite hard to deal with. Your income will always be in someone else’s hands not your own unless you are a social media guru. But the more creative a person is the less they like social media so its a catch-22 situation. You will be relying on people who you have to trust with your lifetime destiny, dreams and goals. Also, you will be used and accept that. It not nice being flavor of the month only to be replaced the next month by someone new and fresher. I really wish someone had taken me aside and said these simple bits of advice to me. It’s a very hard place to exist and not a single artist in the world has had a smooth easy ride. It’s very hard and very competitive. The best of the best have been abused by the machine spat out, kicked out only to become and feel like a “has been”, the list is long and ever-growing. I can’t even really say “Stay original” and do your thing. Because the industry only cares about one thing and that is making money off you. The minute you might be a bit creative and not follow the trends, then seen as slacking there is someone right behind you hungrier and more willing to step into your shoes.

Besides music, do you have any other passions or hobbies?

I really love mountain biking. I get out pretty much every Sunday all day with an awesome group of biker mates. We go out into the woods and drive to the mountains, it's physically demanding and rewarding. It cleans my soul from the weeks challenges of running a small business. I don’t think about anything other than riding, chatting along with loads of banter with my mates. Other than that I love to drive listening to Dj mixes really loud in my Caddy Van with a great sound system.

Are there any books, documentaries, podcasts, or TV shows that you'd like to recommend to your fans and fellow artists?

Books: The Four Agreements, Celestine Prophesy, Breaking Open the Head, Peaceful Warrior. TV shows Graham Hancock.

A must-watch animation on YouTube - “In Shadow - A Modern Odyssey” If you are not awake yet be prepared for the veil to be lifted.

Could you share some of your all-time favorite tracks or songs that have had a significant impact on your musical journey?

This is quite hard to do as my influences are endless. I would say my heaviest influence on my sounds and style is Eat Static. If you listen to any of their tracks you will find similar elements in my sound. I am a massive music lover and always searching for inspiration, this never ends. I have always tried to stay away from trends and what ever is the current fashions. Never limit myself to just one style of dance music. I like to listen to rock music to pop music if its quality.

What can we look forward to from you in the near future?

I really want to start selling some merchandise featuring my fine pen black and white drawings. I have so many original drawings that would work really well on T- shirts and sweaters and hoodies. This is a must for 2024. Other than that more music as always. Also it would be nice to get a few more gigs, but not many as I love my creature comforts and my Sunday rides. Finding the right person to look after my gigs would be very nice if possible.