Full name and how young are you?
Neil Spicer, 31! but feel older! That comes from having kids!

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm very much a family guy! Got 2 smashing kids and my wife Amber is really supportive of everything I do, so I'm really happy!

You are considered a bit of a legend in Cornwall. How did you get in to the scene?
I got into the whole rave scene in 1992, and attended the Shire Horse in St Ives most weekends. It was a crazy place ¡K.tiny, but the atmosphere was amazing! It's the only club I know of that people would turn up with no money and sit outside waiting for the inevitable 10 second opening of the fire exit and quickly nip in before the bouncers saw. I made so many good friends through that place!

When did you play your first gig? Was it St Dennis Village hall? ( Cornish joke for all peeps scratching their head)
Haha!! Good old St Dennis!   My first time ever playing out within the rave scene was at some after party in a field. I remember waiting for what seemed like 4 hours for the guy before to finish! Then when it was my turn my hands were freezing and you had to kneel in mud cos the decks were so low! I don't even think they were my records either!

Since the early days, where have the talents of DJ Nee been heard?
Actually not that many places really, considering how long I've been into it.
I didn't really think I was any good back then and never really pushed it, something I regret now to be honest.

I've always been a more sit in the background type than in your face.
I played a few events around Cornwall though including Flying Time, Spiritual and at Run to the Sun which is the annual VW rally in Newquay.  I got booked to play at Obsession too, but they folded just before the event happened. Story of my life!

You are very much pushing the hardcore breaks sound at the moment. Why have you decided to help reincarnate this sound?
I think if you ask anyone they'll tell you that none of us expected any of this to happen. I wrote my first tune in September of 2004 for a laugh and its all gone from there really. Like most producers writing hardcore breaks, a lot of my earlier tunes sounded more like they belong in 1992, but gradually everyone has embraced newer sounds into the equation whilst still retaining the original vibe of early 90s hardcore and its really working out and can definitely be classed as a whole new genre rather than just new oldskool!

Its great though, because even djs out playing true oldskool sets are finding they can drop a new Hardcore Breaks tune in and it doesn't sound out of place. Id like to think of the sound as where hardcore should have gone before the d&b / Happy Hardcore split and I think this is echoed by most people into the music.

You also co-own Enormous Mouse Records. What is this project about?
The whole thing is just mad and a bit far fetched really! (Ill try and keep it brief!)
In 2004 I had this hair-brain idea that I wouldn't mind writing some tunes. Id had a bit of a play with a programme called Octamed for the old Amiga computer sometime around 1996 and I posted a request on Back To The Oldskool internet forum asking if there was an equivalent of this program for the pc.

A guy called Stu Chapman replied and soon after we started writing tunes together, firing different versions back and forth over Msn Messenger until we were happy with them.
We talked about getting an EP done, but held off for ages because of cost and didnt really know if there was a market for it. But eventually we pressed 100 copies up the label was born!

We just sold to people we knew on internet forums to begin with and never expected it to go any further than that really, but by mid 2005 we were starting to get quite well known and decided wisely to change our original logo to something a bit, erm safer!   But yeah, the whole label thing is mad! We had it running for well over a year before we actually met, with Stu living in Kent, he ain't exactly local!

What Djs are playing your tunes?
We do get feedback from time to time from the dj's playing out, and from this we know of people such as Ratpack, Billy Daniel Bunter, Flashback, Glenn Aston, Pilgrim, Snypa, Dekoy, Trix, E.S.P, Faydz, Genocide etc as well as a ton of internet radio coverage.


What do we have to look forward to from EM?
Well, we have the next 2 releases already sorted track-wise, and were always writing new stuff so long may it continue!    We've recently wrote a couple of real belters if I may say so myself!! And are looking forward to getting them out.


As some one that has been in the scene along time, you must have some real ropey tunes. Whats been the worst?
Hmm thats a tough one! I'm not sure if I could ever say a tune was ropey, more like I would have produced that differently¨


You're playing out, what tune do you drop that always gets the crowd going mad?
At the moment its between 2 tunes. Stu Chapman's Ill Notes is going down real well, and also Stuart J Dodge This.  Both do the job nicely!

Been a lucky bastard and still living in Cornwall, how do you like to chill out?
To be honest I don't really need to chill out as there's not really anything that stresses me out! I've got the best job in the world being a stay at home Dad and raising my children, and cant think of anything Id rather be doing.

Do you think Cornwall needs a good hardcore scene?
It would be nice! I think there is still a scene here, but its not Hardcore Breaks or Oldskool. I'm not sure what it is, but its very fast speeded up stuff! (I'm deffo getting old!)

Where do you think Dj Nee will be next year?
Australia where its nice and warm!    We went over there after Christmas for a preview of what its like and we fell in love with the place. Its great there because you have a summer, and a winter! Whereas in the UK you have a mixture of everything all the time¡Kvery annoying as you can never plan ahead.

I'd like to say that the label will continue but the truth is that I really don't know. Stu has plans of not being in the UK for too much longer either, so we'll have to see how it goes.

There will be more in the meantime imp sure, and once we have details they will appear on our website www.enormousmouse.co.uk

Both me and Stu are always looking for new places to play, so get in touch if interested (Fantazia) lol

Some Quickies

Whos going to win the Premiership this year?
Real sad but I don't follow football!

Cornwall, County or Country?
Deffo a county! Im proud to be Cornish but there's no way its a country! (Ohh Debatable-Keaty)

CD or Vinyl?
Currently cd as most of my set is unreleased material. I still buy lots of vinyl though! Vinyl will always be king.

St Austell or Newquay?
Newquay

Maccy Ds Or Burger King?
Maccy D

Can I get EM Promos?
None left! EM005 disappeared in 6 days! Gotta get some more pressed.

Fav chat up line?
Id never chat up Dj Fav, he would physically hurt me

Finally would you like to give any shouts or advice to the Fantazia Massive?
My advice to the Fantazia Crew is to keep on doing what you know and love. So many years and so many people still into it for the right reasons that speaks volumes to me.
Many thanks to you all for your support (to an old git!)

Shouts!
Going out to Stu Chapman for being a top writing partner and bloody good mate! Theres no-one else I could write with and you know it! Dj Elusive for being so supportive and all round top guy from day one.

To the djs & producers who, in my view, continuously provide the backbone to the whole scene.

Abo, Aike, Bassrock, Bennie D, Bones, Brainstormer, Chance, Darkus, Distortionz, Dossa, Drift, Eddie V, Enzyme, E.S.P., Eyeski, Ezman, Fav, Faydz, Flipside, Garry Bynon, Genocide, Hattrix, Hex, I.D., Ill Advised, Inferno, Jedi, John Grief, Liquid, Malice, Nervous+Anxious, Prime Movements, Rapid, Reckless, Renegade Genius, Roley, Running Man, Sike, Simon Holmes, Snypa, Stu J, Tazzy B, Teknotik, Trix, Vinyl Junkie, Waxkiller, Xperience etc

Sorry if I missed anyone! The list grows daily!

To the labels who have encouraged and helped us¡Kmany thanks.
Warehouse Wax, Hardcore Projektz, Sharkfin, Right Touch, Nastycore, Hardcore Will Never Die, Repeat Offender, 2 Fresh, Firewall, Ninety Two, Mert Wax, JSA, Good Gosh!, Bassrock, Buzzbee, Sharkfin & Underground Feeling.

Big kisses to Amber my wife and to my 2 kids for putting up with the constant noise¡¦ xxx

Interview conducted by Keaty (for Fantazia)