David Seaman; Mix Mag, Melbourne, Metal & Red Indians

"Dance music is never going to disappear. It's about primitive rhythms and it's going to be here forever."

From being Mix Mag's first and formative editor in 1989 to becoming a globally recognised DJ and producer, Dave Seaman has remained at the centre of dance music's ever changing heart, participating in and enjoying the fruits of its progress.

"It's been one of the UK's best exports for the last 30 years, from mods, rockers, punks, new romantics, and even hooligans," he told Skrufff's Benedetta Ferraro this week.

"We all expected it would have had a little more longevity than punk, perhaps five or six years. Little did we know the impact it's really had. It 's the new rock & roll, but an electronic version of it."

Seaman's latest contribution is a new mix CD for progressive/ trance specialists Global Underground, fittingly based around one of his favourite destinations Melbourne, Australia.


Skrufff: Your new compilation is branded as 'Melbourne', how did you capture the Melbourne flavour-

Dave Seaman: "I chose Melbourne for the huge amount of talent the city generates. I've enclosed seven tracks from Melbourne artists in the comp, out of the huge selection I was offered, which I think is pretty healthy. I've mixed these seven with stuff that was big on the night and new stuff as well. Also included in the package is the CD Rom, an eleven minute visual of what went on at the weekend that gives more of an idea of the entire event."

Skrufff: How much is the term 'underground' still appropriate-

Dave Seaman: "Underground is about not complying to commercial needs, not making records for money or for the benefit of commercial record companies. What's considered underground in Greece may not be the same here in the UK. A lot of the music we play is considered underground around the world, although not here, but that's this country's and its media's fault. Because we have so much media, the infrastructure is so strong and so intense, that the music cannot help be anything else but commercial."

Skrufff: How big a difference is there still between the UK dance scene and elsewhere-

Dave Seaman: "Generally, around the world it's still considered to be an underground phenomenon, whereas in the UK dance music and its scene has been milked to death for the last 13 years, so it can't be anything else but commercial. It's a shame really, but at the same time, that's what we wanted at the beginning; we wanted to be taken seriously, we wanted to hear it on the radio."

Skrufff: I read somewhere that you think Nu Metal is replacing dance music amongst teenagers…

Dave Seaman: "I don't think Nu Metal is replacing dance, I just think there's a shift towards it. If you're a 13-year-old kid, probably your parents were listening to house music, so the last thing you want to do is to listen to the same music your parents used to listen to. Dance music is never going to disappear; it's been around since the Red Indians, who were celebrating life dancing under hallucinogenics. It's about primitive rhythms and it's going to be here forever."

Skrufff: What's your assessment on the health of Britain's club scene-

Dave Seaman: "What I feel it's happening right now in the UK, is that there's a shift away from the middle ground weekly super clubs. I think the likes of Cream and Gatecrasher are suffering in terms of their weekly nights. They will either have to go more underground or go for the very big experience, because if the kids are going to spend the sort of money they are charging, they'll have to offer a major event, a festival with big arenas and lots of big name DJs. The new generation of clubbers expect a lot more for their money, like events with 5,000 plus capacity. If they meet these requirements they'll do very well."

Skrufff: You were Mix Mag's first key editor at the very beginning of club culture, How much in common does today's scene have with the old days-

Dave Seaman: "It's very diff Tags

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