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Australia's Infusion: Melbourne Globetrotters Stop Off In London

Author: Jonty Adderley
Sunday, September 29, 2002
Jamie Stevens from rising Australian dance act Infusion stopped off in London again last week, as the band continued their assault on international clubland. While his partners in crime Manuel Sharrad and Frank Stevens took the afternoon off, Jamie hooked up with Skrufff's Jonty Adderley for a quick chat about the state of his Infusion world. Speaking in a West Soho pub off Carnaby Street, he was both friendly and impressively cheerful.

"We've been on the road for over a month and it's been going really well," said Jamie.

"We came over to London earlier in the year and this time round it's been a lot easier because we're a lot more familiar with the city. We met more people earlier on so we're having a bit more fun now."

Skrufff: You've just flown in from America, did the people there tend to assume you were English-

Infusion: "If you're not American, Americans think you're from another planet. They don't recognise any accents at all; you're either American or you're not. We were in Miami earlier in the year for the Winter Music Conference and we asked a taxi driver to take us to eight- teenth street (pronouncing the T) and he looked at us saying 'I don't know where you mean'. It took us about five minutes to explain. They don't seem to have much of a clue when it comes to the world outside America. They're lovely people, don't get me wrong, but they have such a way of defining their own culture that leaves out everyone else."

Skrufff: What kind of crowd did you pull at LA superclub Spundae-

Infusion: "It was an incredibly mixed crowd with a huge cross section of people. I think the whole American club scene attracts a really wide range of people, it was the same at Centrofly (New York). You get the glamorous types, indie dressed down people, muscle guys, all sorts. They were quite friendly too though there's a weird climate there at the moment, especially in New York, obviously. Earlier in the year, they were a little more subdued and reserved though this time they were going crazy when we played."

Skrufff: Are you getting any popstar / groupie type treatment yet-

Infusion: "Erm, no, people come up to us and tell us they've got all our twelve inch records, we met some guys like that in Japan. That's a very strange feeling because that's what I used to do when I idolised producers in the past. It's a strange and surreal kind of thing when someone tells you they buy everything you do People have been really friendly to us actually, it's been great actually. This has been our first time out of Australia, this year, and it's a bit of shock to discover that you have made some kind of an impact in territories that you've never been in."

Skrufff: In Australia are you perceived as a proper rock type band or as dance producers-

Infusion: "I think we're still seen in a dance context, people have always labelled us a techno band, but we did have a crossover appeal simply since we're played on Triple J (Australia's Radio 1 equivalent). We are seen as a dance band, when we play at things like the Big Day Out, we always play in the dance tent."

Skrufff: Has dance music now crossed over in Australia like it has here in the UK-

Infusion: "I don't know if it's crossed over but it's certainly a really strong scene, a lot of people are really passionate about it. You hear from talking to promoters that there's a bit of a slump right now but you don't really feel that when you go out. Whenever DJs come to visit Australia they always pick up on people's passion. It's taken longer for it to catch on in Australia so we haven't reached saturation point yet."
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