DJ Unknown first met DJ Sy about seven years ago when they were both djing at the same rave and they decided to team up and make a couple of tracks, it went so well we've been producing together ever since. Unknown has become one of the leading hardcore DJs around the world and has regularly showcased his talents in countries such as America, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, to name a few.

The label Quosh Records was born about nine years ago now and has released in excess of seventy tracks, together with numerous tracks for other labels and countless remixes. It is now widely regarded as one of, if not the, leading hardcore label around. And with the huge international success of the quosh website, quosh is beginning to stand out as a leader in the scene. Together with Sy, Unknown has released his first album in America.

This came out in 2001 and helped to establish him as one of the leading hardcore djs internationally. Unknown has mixed several 6 CD album which contains 4 cds of upfront hardcore and 2 cds of old school, following the success of last years Original Hardcore 1 & 2 albums and 3 Decadance hardcore albums.

They have also released 3 Hardcore Heaven albums with Resist music, the third of which is out on 20th March 2006. Unknown has just returned from a tour of Australia which saw him perform in front of 8,000 ravers at the Upper dome in Sydney, just goes to show that hardcore is now becoming one of the leading dance music genres around the world.... Long may it continue!!!

Interview with DJ Unknown & Sy

How did you first come to work together? and what made you decide to start the Quosh label?
I met Chris at a Fusion event in Farnborough because I'd been playing all his solo productions, and we organised a day in the studio which went well, so we started the label!

Quosh has it's own unique sound, how did that come about?
Simply because of our musical preferences and our own style of production.

Do you both share the same musical influences?
Well I'm older so my real influences come from Hip Hop & Electro, but Chris has similar tastes. It does mean arguments are a pretty rare occurrence in the studio!

Who does most of the work load in Quosh or do you both do your equal share?
We both share the work load equally, Chris does most of the actual engineering, I'll do a lot of the organisational work (website, record pressing, labels, promotion etc). We've never had an argument about who should be doing what: whenever there's work to be done, it will be done by whoever has the time.

Asa & S1`s "Makin Me Wanna Dance" has been smashing up the dance floors up and down the country which was released by Quosh how did you come across it, and what did you think when you first heard it?
Asa sent me a CD of it in it's original form, & I immediately thought "this could be massive"! I then contacted him and secured the deal.

How many tunes do you receive at the studio each week, and has there been anyone who really impressed you lately?
Oh, we must get 10 cds per week easily. I must say the standard of "unknown" producers` material is improving all the time!

What have you both been up to in the studio recently, and what should we watch out for?
Watch out for our remix of Ian Van Dhal's "Inspiration"; a vocal track by Paradise called "See The Light".

How did you get started in the Hardcore scene?
Unknown: I started producing music back in 93 and I guess it kind of took off from there!!

Did you always aspire to be, a DJ or a Producer, or both or something totally different?
Unknown: I wanted to be a professional sumo fighter but Hixxy beat me to it.

Your sets are mostly alongside Sy, and its very rarely we see you with a solo set or working with anyone else, would you like to do more sets on your own or with other DJs, or are you happy to continue as you are?
Unknown: I'm always happy to do sets on my own but the promoters don't seem to book me for them that often, maybe they think I'd get scared. Hopefully they're reading this and the phone will ring off the hook!

Is there anyone you have not worked with in the scene but would like to, both DJ-ing & producing?
Unknown: I guess the one person would have to be Slipmatt, we've done remixes for each other but never worked together, that would be fun!

Is there anything in the scene right now that you would like to change?
Unknown: Not really I think it is progressing nicely, there's a nice blend of old and new dj's/producers which helps to keep everything fresh.

You have had an amazing DJ career in the Hardcore scene, how did it make you feel when you were voted Number 1 Hardcore DJ by the ravers? And how do you think you will fair this time around?
Sy: It was an extremely proud moment for me, to realise that what I had been doing that year was recognised by the ravers. I haven`t got a clue about this year, you should ask the ravers that!

You recently played a 3 hour set at Vibealite's Triple Crescendo Concept, how did it go?
Sy: Very well. Apart from being a bit cramped in the dj box. I love variety in my dj-ing, in other words, it's nice to do different length sets, varied back to back combos, etc. The 3 hour set gave me a chance to play tracks that I might not play in my usual hour drill outs!

Just for my own curiosity... What do you do if you need the toilet in the middle of a 3 hour set?
Sy: That's the first 3 hour set I've done since 1990, and luckily I didn't need the loo!

Most of the sets nowadays are an hour long, do you both feel this limits DJs to just bang out a few anthems and favourites? DJs don't have much in the way of taking ravers on a journey or being able to experiment these days, would you like to see a reintroduction of longer sets by all promoters?
Sy: Like I said previously, it would be great if there was more variety in set presentation, i.e. some hour sets, some longer sets, different back 2 back combos. You're right though, an hour doesn't give the dj much time to be experimental, which can be frustrating.

What's the differences for you personally, in playing a 3 hour set compared to playing just an hour set?
Sy: Errrm, I have to play more tunes. Nah, it means you can drop a few less obvious tracks, and build moods, so, for example, in my 3 hour set at Vibealite, I played a good 20 minutes of darker tracks towards the end of my set, which I wouldn't normally be able to get away with without the audience wanting the "hands-in-the-air" anthems.

You do not seem to scratch as much as you have done in the past, is this by personal decision or is it what the music dictates these days?
Sy: It's purely down to the sound system set ups in the clubs that I've played at. Using cds to play the music from nowadays has meant that vinyl sounds much much quieter, so often you simply cannot hear the scratching because the set up in the club won't allow me to adjust the levels adequately. Plus, for some reason, loads of clubs have had that god awful Allen & Heath mixer fitted, (e.g. Brunel Rooms in Swindon), which is quite simply the worst mixer there is for scratching on, because the cross fader is just shite! If the set up is good, I will scratch just as much as I always used to!

You have a Degree in Geography which you achieved while studying at Nottingham University, was there any specific reason why you chose Geography? Or was it just so you could find your way to gigs faster?
Sy: You wanna know the truth? I didn't have a clue which subject to do at Uni. I enjoyed physics, but thought the course would be full of geeks. So I chose geography cos I thought there'd be loads of fit birds in the class! Ha ha! Unfortunately there was only one, and she turned out to be a right old snobby hag!

You recently stated in the raving eye that the scene needs "more varied DJ line ups at the major parties, more varied back to back sets, and newer artists need to be showcased on record releases and rosters at the parties to ensure the longevity of the Hardcore scene" Ultimately do you think this can be, and will be achieved, and where do you see the future of Hardcore heading?
Sy: Well it's starting to happen: both the Hardcore Heaven 2 & Hardcore Nation 2 CDs contain numerous tracks by newer artists, and I've noticed some fresher looking dj line ups at the big events recently too.

How do you both feel about DJs, Producers, and MCs who left the scene when the scene needed them most when Hardcore nearly died, who are now returning to the scene now it is becoming popular again?
As long as they're offering decent music to the scene, we don't really care! Everyone's tastes alter, people are entitled to listen to/produce whatever they want. However, if said people are simply returning to rape the scene of money as indecently and quickly as they can, then they can f*** off!

How did you both keep your faith and enthusiasm in Hardcore when it nearly died, and what spurred you both on to continue?
We both love, and have always loved, the whole rave "thing": the vibe, the ravers, the fact that the scene has been built without any significant involvement from major corporations. So it was simply a case of concentrating on improving our production, and finding our own unique style.

Do you feel DJs have to produce records to make their way in the scene today, and that DJ skills on their own are no longer enough?
Like I said, the sound system set ups in clubs are so shite that dj skills will never be a vitally important aspect of the hardcore scene. Skills help, but as a dj you are so restricted by the set ups we have to play on. The ravers just wanna hear banging tracks that make `em wanna put their arms in the air, get off their tits and have a good time. So yes, the music is, I think, more important than dj skills ultimately. So it follows that if you make an amazing track, you will probably get more recognition nowadays than by simply being a skilled dj.

Music production of Hardcore has come a long way since it first began, tunes seemed to be just very fast remixes of normal songs with a hard & bouncy base line, whereas nowadays they seem to be more composed and a lot more thought has gone into their production ... but, do you think Hardcore lost some of it's raw and underground sound?
It's got faster! There's still a huge variety of hardcore out there, some underground, some commercial. The bigger the more commercial sound gets, so the underground sound should theoretically improve.

There have been many advances in technology in the music industry with the introduction of CDJs, etc. How have you adapted to the change as both DJs and producers?
Hasn't made any difference to the way we produce, but it's meant our record bags aren't as heavy anymore when dj-ing! The sound quality of cds is obviously so much better, and it`s also easier to get the volume levels of different tracks more equal on cd, which is a big bonus for the overall sound of the whole set.

You have both expressed an interest in the darker side of Hardcore, especially with the release of "Gonna Get Ya" is there anymore tunes like this in the pipeline?
Yes, there will be some more like that next year. Love the darker shit!

What are your views of other forms of Hardcore like Freeform, Techno, UK Gabba, Dutch Gabba, and Speedcore, and do you think that it is good to have such a wide variety of Hardcore these days?
Not to our tastes, but it's very important to have other forms of hardcore like those. We respect those music forms as much as any other. The more variety the better.

You have both been in the scene for a long time now, when do you think it will be time to hang up your headphones and make way for other up & coming DJs & Producers (hopefully not for a very long time)?
Hasn't even crossed our minds!