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Omid 16B's Washing Machine Moment

Author: Jonty Skrufff
Friday, January 25, 2008
London progressive house type Omid 16B chatted to Skrufff this week about his eclectic upcoming double album 'Like 3 Ears and 1 Eye' and revealed that he learned some vital lessons from the demise of Hooj Choons, the label he was previously signed to.

The Iranian-born Londoner's career briefly faltered when Hooj went into liquidation in 2004, prompting him to spend time meditating, reading and walking round the local park analysing his relationships, he said.

'Before that experience, when I had my own label I was always so enthusiastic to sign as many records as I could,' said Omid, 'Little did I know that some nights the artists would phone up because their washing machines had broken down and they'd hold me responsible for paying for it.'

'I'd like to be there for everyone and to have the money to fix his washing machine but it's not really my responsibility,' he laughed, 'I've had to rethink how I work with other people so they don't need you too much and you don't need them too much. You both productively move forward independently,' he added.

Hugely enthusiastic about his new album he also revealed he's been struggling with his health in recent years, after developing a disease that's most closely associated with Victorian hedonists; gout.

'Gout is basically uric acid that hasn't been broken down naturally in your body and I got it from playing long DJ sets and not going to the toilet and holding my piss for as long as I could,' he explained.

'The uric acid gathers around one of your joints in your big toe and it starts to swell and increasingly diverts you from everything else you're doing. You end up having to just lie down waiting for it to get better. And drink lots of water, avoid narcotics, red meat, chicken... it's actually good for your diet. This is the third time I've had it and I want to make sure it's my last,' he said.

'It was also partly caused by the amount of flying I was doing. I had six gigs in two weeks and it wore me out a little, going up in the air too much and coming down. I got back to London on Christmas Eve and that's when it came back. It was a nightmare, I had a gig at Ministry of Sound on New Year's Eve and this bouncer had to literally come outside and escort me in to make sure nobody could tread on my foot.'
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