When did you get started in the music scene and, more specifically, into the hardcore scene?
DJ Brisk: Well I've had this lifelong fascination with music that began as a small child playing old 78's on my parent's record player! My first gig was at the age of 15, at a small club called The Escape Club in my hometown of Southampton on the English South Coast. I was spinning all kinds of music but mostly house and rap. My hip-hop years saw me spraying my "tag" all over the city..."BRISK" and the name stuck. As soon as the first early breakbeat/hardcore tracks emerged I jumped on it straight away, as it had the rap and house elements that I loved fused with a kind of 'raw energy' that had me hooked immediately.

What drew you to producing hardcore tracks, in particular?
Brisk: Well, after playing and buying so much hardcore it seemed the next thing to do was to have a go at it myself, because, after all, it couldn't be that hard, could it? Well, at the time it was an uphill struggle but I was working in a record shop in early 1992 and I met a local guy called DJ Intense (who was a shop regular) and he had a small studio in his garage...that was it! We booked in a few days and came up with Brisk & Intense "Get Live/ Muffdiver" on Men From Uncle Records. A very poor offering by today's standards but at the time we were buzzing with it!

What is your take on the evolution in hardcore from the more breakbeat friendly sounds to the new stompier sounds? And whats the final Brisk say on "cheesy" tracks?

Brisk: Having grown up up on a huge influx of breakbeat I was drawn.

By Massive Magazine