RS: You run two record labels, The Alternative Route and Sex On Wax, what's the difference between the two labels?
Desyn: Alternative Route is about club hits and Sex On Wax is more of an underground label where we can put out anything. It might not be a big track that's going to appeal to a lot of people as we might put out some really weird twisted electro track that about five hundred people will want to buy. Whereas Alternative Route is a label which tries to reach as many people as we can and pull out really big club monsters that crossover in club land, so you get all types of DJs playing them. There's not a huge difference between the two labels apart from that, both labels have concentrated on trying to put out the best quality music we can find. The Alternative Route has been up and running a bit longer and we've got a really big track being re-released, a track by N-Joi called "Anthem," which was a huge rave hit over here.
RS: That's a big rave classic over here as well.
Desyn: It originally came out in 1990 and we're re-releasing that with some new mixes. Alternative Route is very much the dance hits, big club tunes, tribal, progressive house, whatever cool records we find along our way as well. Sex on Wax is dirty underground, tech house, techno and our own productions; anything we really feel like putting out, weird records as well. Sex On Wax is probably a lot more of a representation of the music that I personally love, To be honest, most Alternative Route tracks I've never even played out in my DJ sets, which some people will be quite surprised to hear. I sign it be cause I think it's suitable for the label and a good sound for that label but it doesn't fit what I play as well as the Sex on Wax records.
RS: Let's see. You're busy as hell between labels, touring and doing your own production. How important do you think it is for a DJ to be remixing and producing as opposed to just DJing?
Desyn: I don't think it matters, it really depends on what the person's trying to do. I If somebody's trying to be a DJ, I personally think they should just focus on being a DJ. Being a DJ is very different from being a producer. In fact, the two things are actually a world apart. So if somebody just wants to be a DJ, just concentrate on DJing. If their heart is telling them that they want to make music then they should make music as well. If somebody wants to be a DJ, I think it's a bad idea to try and make music to help them with DJ success, because that's going about things in a bit of dishonest way to themselves.
I think if they really want to be a DJ that they should focus on that and spend a hell of a lot of time listening to the best music out there, because that's what a DJ is, someone that creates a new vibe and a new feeling but from other peoples' records. It's the way they put the other records together, the vibe and the message they put across. You see these producers that suddenly after a big record, are touring the world DJing, but I would say to anyone wanting to be a DJ, don't try and make a big record, because it probably won't happen. Stay true to your heart and if DJing is what you want to do, then just focus on that. If you want to make music, that will come more naturally and if you are meant to make a big track then you'll probably find yourself drawn to the studio to do that anyway naturally. I don't think it's that important even though you see around you a lot of people do get success that way, but I think that's just luck to be honest.
RS: And one last thing for the trainspotters out there, what are your biggest records right now that you're playing out?
Desyn: There's a track by Serge Santiago which is really good called "It's a War." There's this new remix Chicken Lips has just done of an artist called Ignition. Those two are doing really well at the moment, they're quite biggies. I don't really want to mention my own stuff but one of them is actually one of my biggest records. It's called "The Techno Monster," the Idiots have done a kind of a bootleg that we've only released about three hundred copies of. It's out there, if the train spotters look hard enough they'll find it.
