Bugged Out! interview Boys Noize

Johnno chats to Alexander Ridha before his main room set.

Riding high off the release of his debut album ‘Oi Oi Oi’, Germany’s electro noise-machine and dancefloor destroyer Boys Noize took the main room controls at Bugged Out’s birthday in Oct 07. He took a little time out beforehand for an interview to warn us of the havoc we could expect with him behind the turntables!

Bugged Out!: What can we expect from your gig at Bugged Out!’s birthday on Oct 20th?

Boys Noize: The best DJ/live set of my life (laughs). Of course I’m going to drop some tracks off my album too.

It’s also the launch for your debut Boys Noize album so can we expect plenty of 'Oi Oi Oi'?

Yes, this album I made to play at Bugged Out parties and I can guarantee it's gonna be the bomb! I usually play almost every track depending on the time, crowd and mood.

Why did you title the album 'Oi Oi Oi'?

My very good friend and designer Paul Snowden (Wasted German Youth) came up with this idea when he looked at my sticker where Boys Noize was repeated three times. The "oi" was there each time. I thought it fits perfectly to the way I handle my label and myself by saying always "no" to managers, shitty promotion and things I don't like. It's kinda ‘anti’ but it fits to the music, as well. I know where the term/shout comes from and maybe it's a 2007 punk version of it. Punk doesn't just mean the music, it's a way of thinking and attitude. A techno party can feel like a punk concert!

What’s your personal favourite track on the album and why?

Right now it's probably Lava Lava because it's techno with a funky touch. I’m actually not a big fan of the "real" funk, but this track rocks rocks rocks!

How do you come up with the titles for the album tracks?

90% of the titles were there when I saved the track for the first time while producing it. It's a very freestyle way I must say. I didn't really think too much about them. Lava Lava is named after this funny comic you can find on YouTube. When my girlfriend heard the very end of the track she asked me if I sampled it from that comic. I also wanted to call Shine Shine London, Shine Shine but in the end it was the contrast track to Lava Lava so I dropped the London.

You have released the album on your own label, Boys Noize records. Is it important for you to stay independent?

In fact, it was very important to me and there are many reasons why. At first I thought that everything right now is so good because I travel and play a lot, I do cool remixes and it can not get better than that I think. Also, I didn't try to make a step into pop and I don't really think it's a classic album either because I just wanted to make club tracks. To me this album is a collection of tracks that I would all release as singles. Marketing and promotion plus the good set up of a label in their territory can help sell more records but to me it wasn't that necessary. I’ve produced this music since 2003 and I was always outside of any hype. My label grew very naturally without doing promo at all. For example, when I started to buy records and DJ I was so happy to be the only one of all my friends who did it. I also searched for records nobody else liked or played. It always felt that way. I think it's the same with Boys Noize records because they’re not too easy to find and not many people play that kind of music, either. DJs like Erol Alkan or Justice helped me to get more popular but when they dropped Boys Noize first time around it was very underground and not many did this music at that time. Releasing on my own label will hopefully raise the profile of my label too.

You wrote an anti-new rave blog recently. You won’t be bringing any glow sticks to the club then?

Ha ha, no. I leave it up to the crazy kids.

You are a noisy bugger. What do you listen to to relax?

Artists like Ennio Morricone, Apparat, Roxy Music, Bob James, Dusty Springfield, Sigor Ros, Chopin or The Notwist are quite relaxing but I also can relax if I hear old disco/soul music, a new hip hop or indie record.

You have been DJing since you were 14. How did people react to you in clubs when you were that age? What were you playing then?

I was playing old school disco and hip hop when I was 14 years old and when I was 16 I had my very first gig in a 500 capacity club. I played US house music from Guidance records, Paul Johnson, Romanthony, Theo Parrish and a lot of French house like Roule' and Force Inc. from Germany who had artists like Ian Pooley. I got many bookings after that night and everyone felt like being my dad or mother by giving me tips and do's and don'ts". I was always the youngest everywhere and I saw people taking drugs at this time, also. I know it's a big part of the nightlife but it never touched me.

Did Damian Hirst rip off your logo?!

Yes, he did (laughs). No, I am not sure about it but the skullhead logo I am using is older than his one. I find it ridiculous to waste so much money on diamonds although I do like his other work.

Published: 23/10/2007

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