How did Top Buzz itself start?
Patrick was originally a DJ and there was 3 of us but it just wasn't working. Pat knew the mic was his cause he wasn't too fluent on the decks.

Was you working separately before Top Buzz was formed?
No all three of us started together (and there wasn't a fourth either).

What was your original Aim when you first started?
The main ambition was to play at a big rave, that was the one at the time. They weren't happening at that time everything had stopped for a while, it was that little dry season at the end of '89-90.

It was starting to go a bit commercial that that time?
Yeah, when people started obtaining licenses that's when it started getting commercial cause they were treating it more like a business. When everyone was just rushing to a party and they were avoiding police and you'd get through X amount of roadblocks and you'd be in there and get the smell of the place through your nostrils and you'd just say, 'Yes, we're in here man this is happening right now. 'But we wasn't playing at them time we were just punters and we were out there checking out what's going down.

What was the first big break that got you into the scene?
Amnesia at Skyblue Connection in Coventry in late '89.

Do you think it's been easier as an act to find the rise up the ladder as opposed to being just a DJ?
I think the MCing helped us a t first cause it gave people something to relate to rather than just music and it's grown from there really.

Do you get your work through an agency?
Yes Maxine Bradshaw at 24-7

Do you find that easier than doing it yourself?
Yeah, you get bogged down and it's harder getting money from the promoters.

You made the 'Livin in Darkness' track last year, would you like to get in the production side more?
Yeah, I love DJing. I don't want to stop DJing but production is definitely something for the future.

What style of tune do you think is going to be about next?
Just some dance business, what kind we don't know yet but I think as a producer, you've got to show people you're not a one music person, you know your music inside out, good music is good music what ever it is.

What do you think of the music that's on the street at the moment?
There's some ruff tunes out there, certain labels out there are holding it down. I rate labels like Basement, Reinforced, Moving Shadow, and there's a couple of others, they're the ones who are keeping things at a nice pace. As this music develops further the vocals and that will be used a lot more and it will actually be taken as serious music rather than just an overnight thing. The music's getting better and better and the people are understanding it more.

Whereabouts in the country do you prefer playing?
Anywhere so long as it's tearing.

Do you think there's a better vibe in any certain parts?
There's a good vibe everywhere it just depends on who's putting on the promotion and what kind of people they are getting in there.

What do you think makes a good promoter?
Honesty is the main thing, not just piling 5000 people into a 2000 venue and they don't give a fuck how anyone's going to get out in a fire and people start dying of heat exhaustion. That happened wand we ended up playing for charity for the geezers brother that died, we went all the way to Nottingham on a week night and they just loved us and the promoter didn't do fuck all he just put out tapes and sold them and grassed up the owners of the venue by saying that they sold excess tickets when it was him. He just wanted to rip off the money, he didn't give a shit about anyone's safety, because if there was a fire in there we would have been the last ones out cause it was so packed, even the DJ bit was crammed the place was chocka and all the geezer was thinking about was money, people were uncomfortable in there. People like that need to be stopped doing anything else when they are endangering human live and all that shit.

Wasn't there an episode of London's Burning that was about a too crammed rave?
You've got to be careful because you've got to realise there's a lot of people kids going in there and also they shouldn't be allowed in if they look underage either.

What promoters do you think are doing a good job at the moment?
I think the Edge are trying hard, Amnesia, Dance Trance, Obsession. There's loads. I can't remember but there's a lot of good ones who should keep up the work but the greedy ones should just ease off. They're the ones that killed it all last year, things were flowing nicely but they commercialised it all up too much, 30,000 people and all that. That's some joke business, how can you feel comfortable with all those people around.

Have you ever played abroad?
Yeah, we've played in Canada, and Australia is in November and a few other places are coming on but nothing solid yet.

What's the scene like over there?
Well Canada was alright, they're into dance music as a whole, but our kind of music appealed to them when we was over there. There was JJ Frost, Ellis Dee, Krome and I think that was it, we were just flinging down some tunes and they said they had never head so much of that kind of music on the trot. Australia's supposed to be kickin and apparently they bootlegged out tune there and sold thousands - this is what we hear.

Would you prefer to play more abroad?
I would like to travel and see things but I like it here this is where it's happening this is the best scene in the world and also the best colour mixture. People said that if you took the drugs out of raving the people would fight but that's just rubbish people are there because that are friends colour and that don't matter at the end of the day you're just there playing the music and people are there to listen.

What plans have you got this year?
Well New Years Eve I know we're gonna be over her, just really to try and last is I suppose.

What producers do you rate at the moment?
They know who they are.

What clubs do you like playing at?
There's loads - Quest in Wolverhampton, The Edge (Tearin Club), and Sterns to mention a few.

 

Links to Fantazia

Top Buzz played at many Fantazia events and we have many of their sets available.   The Dream Team and Jason Kaye also played at the Fantazia Return of a Legend party.

Fantazia New Year 91
Fantazia Second Sight
Fantazia Summertime
Fantazia One Step Beyond
Fantazia Showcase
Fantazia Club Tour
Fantazia Return of a Legend

Buy these sets here