So, if DJ SS was playing music that catered for everybody’s taste, what was so special that attracted him to the House scene?  "It’s a bit tricky really because I have still got my fingers in a few pies. I’m doing a bit of House, a bit of Rap, I’m trying to be versatile and not stick to one style of music. Of course I’m doing well in Jungle because that’s where I’m known as a DJ. I’m always making a vibe to my sound and I always will do". In the early days inspiration for SS came from the likes of Carl Cox, Grooverider, Fabio and the old Amnesia House. He believes they got people talking about the scene. "I had been DJ’ing a long time but they took it to a different level. I just jumped on their bandwagon really. We were still doing our small clubs around here, but on a nation-wide thing those guys had it sorted". SS managed to break into the top name DJ field by putting on his own events.

Back then the main Midlands DJs were Doc Scott and Keith Suckling. Although DJ SS had mainly played at small events in Leicester and Birmingham, his first big break came at an event which DJ SS put on himself, this pulled in around two thousand people and it was around this time that he decided a career in bricklaying wasn’t for him.   "I was a brickie and I got laid off at Christmas time. That was when I decided to make DJ’ing a full time hobby. I had no choice at the end of the day because I didn’t want to go back into the building game - it’s a mugs game really. You’ll kill yourself for little pay. I got out of that quickly and started helping out my mate who had a small record shop".

Although DJ SS first started producing Hip Hop music before this scene came about, he never released any of it. His first actual release was a Hardcore record called ‘Psycho EP’. This was the first ever release on Formation Records and managed to sell three and a half thousand copies. Two and a half thousand were sold by themselves, by doing a sale or return at shops, and a thousand were sold via Mo’s Music Machine.

Producing music was probably SS’s best way of breaking into the back door’ but it worked. "This year is the year where I broke into London. I played at most of the major events apart from World Dance. It was my producing. Because of the tracks like ‘MA2’ and ‘Lighter’, which were big hits in London, I got my break through Elevation and Telepathy. It’s very hard to get into the London scene because they are very political. They’ve got their own DJs around the corner and it’s all about money down there at the end of the day. They think ‘well, if I get a Midlands DJ he is going to want petrol expenses’, which puts up the money. Where as a guy from around the corner they could pay £150 instead of £250. They are really clicky down there, but it is where things are happening - for me anyway".

So the style of music which DJ SS plays, perhaps it’s best for SS to describe it himself.... "More Hardstep, Drum & Bass. More kind of danceable business. Not Ragga - I ain’t playing that Ragga rubbish. It’s more like hard steppin’ really. I am trying to come up with a different formula because there are a lot of good intelligent tracks out there, but they are too weak. They are alright if you want to stand at the back of a club with a pint in your hand, but for me I like to see people jumpin’ on the dance floor. It’s more like a jump up semi Hardstep business".  Playing the underground, we were interested to hear his opinion on Jungle going into the charts? "It’s good and it’s bad. It’s good because people are taking more notice, it’s getting majors interested and it’s getting people abroad interested. The bad thing about it is it’s crap Jungle which is getting into the charts. The watered down business, do you know what I’m saying? It would be good if it was the ruff which was getting into the charts, it would be good for people like me and other producers, we would be getting the sales."

But, does he think the scene is strong enough to see longevity? "I remember a man saying to me two years ago, ‘oh, Hardcore is dead’, but we are still going, we are still pumpin’ and we are still attracting thousands of people. Hardcore will never die. You can’t have hundreds of thousands of people listening to this type of music and then all of a sudden it’s gone. It’s a history. We have created a history which will always be there. It might not be as big but it will always be there in the background". Although the Jungle scene has become much larger due to the commercial chart success of certain tracks many people say Jungle is a London thing. What were the comments of DJ SS and would it have benefited him by being based in London? "It’s a London thing because it’s a way of life to most of them people down there. Down there they have always got a scene and they have always got something going. You are always guaranteed three or four big parties a month, but in the Midlands scene there is not even one club which does it now really.

It was originally created there, but the best producers are from outside London - and that’s a fact. They call it a ‘London Suntin’ I suppose, but it’s what comes out of the speakers and where the best parties are at the end of the day. You can ask any London DJ.

Two years ago if they weren’t playing it in the Midlands - they weren’t playing nowhere. All the best parties were based around the Midlands. Many a man has said to me that if Formation Records were based in London we would know what’s what, we would be in with more people, we would be speaking to majors and we would be getting a better price on our records. You have got be where people can get hold of you regularly. It’s just one of them things, but I think we have done alright".

He’s probably right, DJ SS and Formation Records have one of the best reputations in the business, with such a complete and successful past we were interested to hear his plans for the future.  "To make better music definitely. I am trying to come up with a style".   The same as what we were doing before but with a bit more thought to it. In like ten years time I want my own pressing plant. That’s how far I want to take it. Pressing records and shit. I can’t say ‘well, I’ve made a bit of money so I will go and buy a fast car and smoke loads of draw’. My main ambition is to own my own club, I think  - yeah!".

Whatever, we hope all his ambitions are reached and we wish him every success in the future.

HISTORY proves Hardcore will never die!

Links to Fantazia

DJ SS played at the Fantazia events:

Fantazia One Step Beyond
Fantazia Summertime
Fantazia Second Sight

Copies of his sets from these events can be bought here