SI BEGG - Bucking The Funk

Simon Begg. Hardly anything at all is known about this UK-based artist down here in Australia and a majority of his releases have never made it through customs, let alone into our record shops. But the few bits and pieces that have surfaced have been remarkable takes on electronica, from his work under the aliases of Buckfunk 3000, Cabbage Boy and Noodles to records recorded as just plain Si Begg. Ken Ishii rates him as one of the world's best producers, Sublime can't get enough of him, he's best mates with Cristian Vogel, and he's obsessed with Cybermen iconography. Is this the future face of electronic muzak-

When did you first start making electronic-based muzak, and what inspired you to do so-
"Around '86, I was in various bands, playing guitars, drums, keyboards, et cetera, and I've always been into the weirdest music I could find. It seemed that the most experimental stuff at the time was in electronic music. Also you could do it on your own - it was hard to find other people who were into making experimental music."

What was the first electronic-based record you ever heard-
"Probably Jean Michel Jarre, my uncle used to be into his stuff and used to play it in the car. My brother's mate's dad also had 'Tubular Bells' and stuff like that. I remember being really into all the sounds and noises, the total futurism. And I was right into 'Star Wars' and 'Tron' and all those kind'a kids' sci-fi things."

What other artists and/or labels continue to influence you or at least challenge your artistic sensibilities as the current millennium grounds to an over-publicised halt-
"Lots of stuff. Negativland are one of my all time favourites and still continue to influence me. Where do I start- Serotonin in the USA, T-Power, Cristian Vogel and all the No-Future crew, Tanzmuzik in Japan, Stock, Hausen and Walkman, UR are still going strong, Eerie records in the USA, the Cheap Records posse in Austria, all the turntablists - Kid Koala, Scratch Picklz - basically all the scientists out there who're trying to do something new..."

How would you describe the sounds you make to someone who'd never heard them before-
"That's really hard, because it's so hard to be objective about your own work; just the other day I did a remix that I thought was probably one of the most commercial floor-friendly things I'd done but a reviewer said it was really hardcore, challenging and extreme. All I can say is what I'm trying to do, which is make futuristic funk and sounds you've never heard before."

What's the best reaction you could hope for when someone hears your music-
"...any reaction for starters; the worst thing is if someone finds it boring. I don't know. It depends on the track, if it's a club track then of course to dance and get down. Other stuff I don't know, I guess just to listen, you know, as opposed to just hearing. Actually listen..."

Here in Australia you're considered part of the more anachronistic electronic groove set that includes people like Jamie Lidell, Neil Landstrumm, Cristian Vogel, Surgeon, Tobias Schmidt, Dave Tarrida and Russ Gabriel...
"Me and Cristian go way back and we're buddies, we've been running Mosquito [the record label] together for years and we hang out and DJ together so people are bound to talk about us at the same time; we actually went to the same school, and I guess we both make music in the same new school if you know what I mean. Neil, Jamie, Tobias and Dave are all great people - we met over the years and we all seem to share a common attitude more than a sound, we check out what each other are doing and chat a lot so it's cool to have other people with the same vibe who you can talk to about ideas and stuff. I know Russ, me and Cris met him back in the early days of Ferox. He was putting out stuff that was really deep, really good. I've met Tony Surgeon - he's a great guy, we have different styles but we all respect each others wo Tags

• Si Begg