Godskitchen interview with John OO Fleming - Part One

When I caught up with leading UK DJ/producer John OO Fleming he was briefly at home, getting ready to head once again for warmer climates as a headline act on Godskitchen's forthcoming Australasian tour. "We've had a crap summer in England! We haven't had a summer, it didn't happen! I think we're paying for last year's this year!" Fortunately with his demanding DJ schedule, most weeks involve a trip to the sun.

"I haven't been in the country most of the time anyway so I haven't missed much! I've been really, really busy, I've been non-stop recording in the studio, non-stop touring, it's been a very busy time for me, I just can't believe we're in September! I just can't believe how quickly this year's gone by."

Its coming up to that time of year when it's the DJ Mag top 100 poll as visits to many spinners' websites, including JooF's, will remind you. "Everyone's got to vote for me! I want to be the next president! That's loosely what it's turned into this year. It's very important, I can't hide the fact before it was a bit of fun...but now we realise that you've got to take it seriously because so many people look at that chart, promoters in certain territory look at that chart as bible...tho' it's a popular chart I sometimes feel that it needs to be split up into different categories, because there are some amazing DJs out there who are not getting very good placings. I love FatBoy Slim, I really respect him, I feel that he should be up there in the Top 10.

"If there was all different, if we had a house chart, a trance chart, and all these different charts these people would be, I think, in higher placings. There's lots of breaks DJs that I think are brilliant, like the Scratch Perverts as well...and they should be in the Top 10. You just can't possibly fit everyone in the Top 10, so maybe they should start a new chart with different categories, so it gives everyone else a fair placing."

When I try to extract John's favourite for the top spot he protests, "Argggh that's not fair! So many people worked hard, and its unfair...I'd be sitting on the phone for the next ten minutes reeling of a load of names to you to say who should be there. Everyone deserves that number one spot...I just know so many people that I'm close to that have worked hard and they all deserve that number one spot!"

Over the past few years John's been a frequent visitor to Melbourne, and this won't be his first time cooking up a trance treat in Godskitchen. In 2002 he delivered a great set following on from Judge Jules & Armin Van Buuren. Last time over, in August 2003, saw John play a solo 6 hour set at QBH, a night he remembers well.

"That was brilliant! I loved doing that." However he acknowledges that there won't be such a gap before his next trip, with another longer club-set likely early next year.

"It's the first time I've had a big gap, over a year, since I've been here, so we said that we wouldn't leave it so long next time. I'll need to speak to Mark James when I get over this time." They've become good mates, with Fleming on remixing duties for Mr Future's 2003 release I Love America. "We just hit it off. The first time I went over there we just sort of bonded, he's got this stupid sense of humour when you get to know him, and so have I and we just hit it off and kept in touch. He's a good lad; I really like Mark, got all the time in the world for him!"

There had even been talk of John house-hunting whilst he was last over here. "Mark gets me in a head-lock and twists my arm and says "Buy a place, go on buy a place" but realistically if I did buy a place it'd be sitting empty every year until I come over and spend two days in it. For now... you know Melbourne would not be a good hub for me to be based. England is pretty central to everywhere, I can get to the States, Scandinavia, Europe, Asia, I can get to everywhere really easy from here so England has to be my home...for the time being!"

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