After you released Reform Club it became quiet around you, at least in the music world. What has been the reasons for your withdrawal from the scene?
I knew even back in 2012 when the album was about to be released that I would do a bit of a tour following the release, then switch to doing the dad thing afterwards. That’s not to say musicians & DJ’s can’t also be good dads whilst having a career in music, of course, they can — it’s just more difficult to make it work. When you do the math — your child attends school Monday to Friday, your job involves being away on weekends;n it’s a difficult balancing act. One thing I’ve learned in the last 5 years is what a child wants more than anything else is your time — and looking back I definitely made the right decision for own my situation.
I have the impression that this course path of retraction after a new release and resurfacing a few years later is essential to you as an artist. Can you explain why?
I never planned to have a 5-year break or even knew if I would make another record. I’m the kind of person, who gets the best out of himself almost by accident, by surprise. I’m an impulsive person, it’s a Stewart trait. And I’ve always tried to let my conscience lead the way, sometimes that can be like following a satnav into a river, you can see consequences ahead, but just can’t stop yourself! I realized I’m not cut out to make bookings on a permanent basis, or for a long sustained period anyway, and that’s really where an artist at my kind of level makes his living. I can do it in fits & starts, around a release it seems fresh, I’m motivated. Then after a while, the repetition and rolling in the hotels at silly o’clock becomes a bit tedious. I’m also not prolific enough these days to have a conveyor belts worth of releases to keep the interest going.
So, would you consider yourself as a part-time producer?
When I’m in music mode yes I would say I’m a full-time artist, then when I take a step back I completely cut myself off, no social media, nothing, just move onto the next thing & forget about music. Though a part-time artist to me sounds a bit strange, if that’s the perception I convey I’m happy to live with that, it’s a choice to do it this way than having been forced to find alternative work as I could have continued with bookings and maybe filled in with a couple of run-of-the-mill releases. I’m fortunate that I have this other option so if I feel the music at any particular time has run its course, I’ll take a break and get on with other things until the right moment presents itself again. But I would certainly always describe myself as a music man first & foremost.
Reform Club is still considered one of the best albums of techno’s recent decade. For me, it felt like an intense yet subtle statement, almost like a departure, a personal farewell, as if you’d said everything that needed to be said. Can you relate to this sentiment?
Perhaps this answers one of the reasons why I retracted from the scene. Next to family reasons I felt like I might not follow up Reform Club. It probably captured a feeling of some personal things were going on at that time. I’ve somehow managed to put a few my emotions into my music, but I only know this because of what people say about it afterwards. When I finished Reform Club, I wasn’t sure whether there would ever be another record, taking into account my age, creative output levels & family commitments, it all seemed like a good point to find something else to do without making any rash statements. But you can never say never, music is an art at the end of the day & when the motivation and circumstances came together to do another album, which surprised me more than anyone — you just have to ride with it and see where it takes you.
Did you ever thought about stop making music?
Sometimes, though maybe this is a petulant reaction to failing miserably when having a go at writing something decent that actually sounds like shit. Anyone would love to rediscover that bit of unintentional magic a writer gets from time to time…as you get older you sort of forget how to do things naturally than when you were younger. But in the last few years, I’m more relaxed about it, whether I do music or not — I’ve never been dramatic and say: I’m done. Though Marsel [van der Wielen, Delsin label boos] has a knack for mailing me just as I do think I am done. Must be something in the air!
