Exclusive Interview and mini 'Kidd-Vokate' mix from Alex Kidd!! So Alex, things have been changing for you quite dramatically recently. What’s going on at the moment in the world of Alex Kidd? Yes it’s been all change in the world of AKHQ! I’ve been doing a bit of out of season spring cleaning and decided it was time to put some moves in place for the future. The UK scene was definitely ready for a shake up and although the old skool artists have helped shape the scene, they weren’t cutting it in terms of helping it progress. I saw a big opportunity in bringing a fresh approach so I went about building an independent operation to create the Kiddfectious platform. The sleepless nights and the long weekends have been the best times of my life but I’m now ready for a new challenge. I’ve learnt so much from Kiddstock and setting up Kiddfectious that it was time for me to take things to the next level. I’ve always said there is too much control taken by faceless corporate companies and rip-off merchants who have no care for the music which pulls us all together. I appreciate business is about making money but I believe there needs to be a balance. Injecting new life and fresh vibes into the scene is way more important to me and this will reflect with the forthcoming projects we have lined up. You were a big part of Goodgreef / PFA since their start. What caused the decision to make the break? There’s been lots of controversy about the split because nobody really knows what went on.. After 10 years of working with Barry Goodgreef though, it’s pretty obvious why I departed! On a serious note though, it’s in my nature not to play safe. One of the rules that I abide by is; “If you only do what you have always done, you will only get what you have already got” so I took the calculated risk into venturing into the unknown. It’s no secret that I was closely tied in with the Goodgreef team and my relationship with them goes back 10 years, which feels like a life-time! To develop the Kiddfectious brand with my own vision I needed to think outside the box and take a fresh approach. Kiddfectious is all about experimenting, testing the boundaries and causing anarchy with cutting edge concepts. The people who managed my diary also had their own brand interests with Goodgreef. This was great in the early days as I built my name up through being their resident but now the time has come to stand on my own two feet and make Kiddfectious my focus. I will still play at Goodgreef events but I’ve been told I have to “wait for the dust to settle”. Ha, it’s a right bloody drama this hard dance scene but hey! When it came round to telling them I was leaving, the first thing I thought was “thank fuck for that!” Then a week later I was in panic mode; “What the fuck have I done? What a mistake!” My big split from Goodgreef is actually pretty minor in my eyes. It is just part of the bigger picture. Now I’m so busy working on KF and studio plans it really seems to have been instantly for the better. I’m just so refreshed and ready for new challenges, which is exactly what I needed. So I set up Inspired Artists as a roster for Kidd Kaos and myself and there are future plans for other artists to be added to the camp. I have a new team around me in the KF office, all of whom I love very much. The new opportunities and concepts I am working on are out of this world. At the end of the day, when I go old and grey I can say to myself that I stuck up for what I believed was right and not what was easiest. What effects will these changes have on you as an artist and does this mean we can expect changes in your musical style in the near future? I’ve always tried to not stick to any rules and play the stuff I like but being successfully tied in with a big brand such as Goodgreef did inevitably label me and put me in a small box. I wasn’t exactly encouraged to go beyond limits. On a broader tip I have a unique project, the Kiddfectious Xperiment. This is all about stripping away the boundaries and creating a 360-degree music policy. It’ll translate into the label as well as we push out the Xperiment EP’s which will showcase some genre defying sounds from some awe-inspiring artists. From minimal techno to tech trance and all the way through to hard dance and gabba, we aim to really cross some unchartered territory and open up some minds. The boat parties in Ibiza this year left my feeling on top of the world, busting out minimal tech at 134 bpm! They were the best I’ve ever played and it really invigorated me to think that I had shown a totally new side of what I can do musically to the AK fans. Maybe it comes with age but I’ve really got back into my carnival techno and minimal sounds and I’m ready to test this out in some of my future plans. On harder tip though is where it gets really exciting. The brain crushing tackle from Evil Activities and all the Masters of Hardcore Crew right through to the intelligent yet slammin’ Kidd Kaos and ASYS vibes – I find that the crowds love it all. Obviously in certain areas it needs to be more accessible for some clubbers as they aren’t used to the extent of levels I can go to. I now have a pretty free range on where I can go to with no shackles holding me back. So prepare for an onslaught this Xmas – it’s going to get beyond wild! The Kiddfectious record label and brand is coming up to a year old. What plans are in the pipeline? The current climate of vinyl production is pretty tenuous which has caused us some serious headaches! However, as a label we are now up to our fourth release and the new company we are working with are real pro’s. We look forward to releasing vinyl again in 2009. In the meantime we are putting out KF004 as a digital release only; The Kiddfectious Xperiment EP is rather tasty and very different from previous releases. The broken beat ‘Brickwall’ track is a beauty whilst the lead track ‘Dirt’ has been a huge set opener for me in recent months. I’m fully supporting the new breed of superstar’s as always with Ryeland and Callum B making debut appearances on the label. KF005 see\'s a really exciting collaboration of Suni Feenix with Kidd Kaos. Check out my 'Kidd-Vokate' mini mix for a sneak preview of 'Capture'. The events are going through the roof. The highlight event for me will be Kiddfectious v Advocate because the line up is the sickest Tall Trees has ever seen and the venue is so immense. The production and special surprises on the night will be breathtaking so it’s a very exciting chapter in the Kiddfectious story. On from that we set sail to Ireland for the Kiddfectious Christmas Party on December 29th. Galway will play host to the KF debut in Ireland and I expect a full throttle event as Scot Project and Lisa Lashes commence battle with myself and Kidd Kaos. I love the Irish crowd and they have a special place in my heart so it will be perfect to take the brand over there to smash the granny out of it! The Kiddfectious birthday makes its long awaited return to its home of Manchester. Needless to say this will be a sell out event and making it a small and intimate party for the Kiddfectees will ensure a night as memorable as its launch 12 months ago. Kiddfectious is ready to rock Scotland with its debut arena at Fantazia in Glasgow on Valentine’s day. With international appearances from A*S*Y*S and the master of Q-dance Technoboy, this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship with the Colours crew and having an arena at an event alongside global players such as Masters of Hardcore is a real honour for us. Oops – did I forget to mention Kiddfectious Ibiza and Kiddstock 09?? We’ll chat about that next time! The upcoming Kiddfectious v Advokate Project event sees KFHQ team up with new guys on the block and hardstyle veterans Advokate Project. What spawned the decision for the two to join forces? It’s quite mad really; there I am having a nosey on the internet and seeing that the Advocate boys had some pretty interesting stuff going on. Then the very next day my business partner called me to say he had been approached by Tall Trees about the possibility of running the next Advokate event as a joint venture. After several meetings, we came to a mutual agreement that even though we didn’t have time on our side, we could come up with something really special to capture the imagination of everyone out there. We share similar tastes in harder music and with the experience and contacts of KF I knew we could throw some new angles to their event. Ultimately it is about keeping our separate identities whilst tying them in together through common themes. The Outbreak will twist your minds and shake your senses! The addition of the legendary Scot Project to the line up is an interesting choice to the otherwise predominantly hardstyle line up. Was this an intentional choice to offer more musical variety to the event? There are some key figures in our scene that need to be respected and acknowledged for shaping and moulding the sounds of Hard Dance. The Q-dance sound and the Dutch and Italian hardstyle has dominated the headlines, my record bag and my brain cells. But before I knew about hardstyle as a genre, I was a massive fan of the patterns, kicks, sounds and basslines of the Lords of euro Hard Trance such as Scot Project. He consistently smashes the boundaries, re-writes the rulebooks and then re-invents himself. Just as a wave of budget producers try to copy his style he moves into a new direction. He has always been on top of his game and he definitely adds a seal of quality to an already sterling ‘hard’ line up at Tall Trees. You’ll be playing a ‘Kidd-Vocate’ set. What can we expect from Alex Kidd on the night? I had a chat with the Advokate boys about doing something different for the event. I’m really into deep music at the moment, tracks that stir up emotions and create a real tension. On top of that I’ve always had a bit of a secret love affair for Dutch Hardcore and Gabba! I’ve been really lucky to enjoy my success but this also brings with it the haters and keyboard warriors. I’m ready to silence the critics and show them why I’m at the top of my game and a new side of The Kidd. Obviously I can’t please everyone but I’m hoping this set is going to make peeps ask a few questions and raise the bar for all the mentalists on the dancefloor! With such a strong line up I’ve already got my work cut out for me and it is definitely time for me to show a different side of what I’m about. I reckon this could be one of the most brain crushing sets I’ve played yet. What a way to end ‘08. Check out the Kidd-vokate mini-mix in the lead up the this special one off event – I cant be held responsible to any wall damage after you have been bouncing your head off it! It seems the event is set to take Christmas by storm! What does your ideal Christmas entail? These days some time with my family would be ideal. And a round of omnibuses and other shit TV. After that, a rave in a warehouse for good measure!! As the mistletoe dies and only the coffee cream Quality Streets remain in the bottom of the tin, the New Year rolls in.. What’s on the cards for Alex Kidd and Kiddfectious? To keep cracking on I guess. Keep it fresh and lively and never rest on our achievements. We just do what we do best, which is to show our passion for the scene. If we push forward with the events and the label then I think we will progress in to a major force in underground dance music. I’m really keen on taking the brand to Ibiza again so I am working on that amongst other things. We also have arenas penned in for some festivals and other big events over the summer, which will keep me very busy. In terms of Alex Kidd I think that once the next couple of months has settled down a bit I can look to getting back in the studio on more of a full time basis. I’ve made a few tracks and plenty of remixes and set edits this year but I need to get my head firmly in to Logic as well as prepare for the Kiddfectious All Star Live show we have been planning. So plenty to do as always - Finally, any New Years resolutions, and why? To get back in the gym religiously. To stop eating so much crap food and to try to not work so much, I’m a bit of a workaholic and I have to stop myself from becoming a recluse sometimes! X Download Alex's 'Kidd-Vokate\' mini mix here >>> http://www.djalexkidd.com/mixes/alexkidd_kidvokatemix.mp3
