The night of the year.
Never would I have ever imagined that I would get to meet LTJ Bukem in person one day. Not just meeting him, but I actually interviewed him. This is the first interview I have ever done in my life and I don't seriously care if this was the last. All it matters is that I have done this particular one with the man that I have always wanted to see in person, and that's Bukem.
To think that I almost flew off to Calgary on impulse to want to catch him on his Progression Sessions tour. That was three years ago and I would have blown every cent in my savings just to do that. Yes, and now I have met him in person - had him answering my questions and having pictures taken with him. It's a good feeling. This good feeling that's emerging from a swamp of anger, bitterness, cynicism that had me wrapped up with my encounters with work and people. If there was a good reason to be alive, this has got to be the feeling that I need to feel.
I first heard him through (Demon's Theme) on the Jackal Soundtrack (which has other great tracks like (Going Out Of My Head) - Fatboy Slim, (Poison) - Prodigy, (Swallowed) - Goldie remixing Bush and the amazing (Shineaway) - Richard Butler). Then I found the first true drum 'n' bass compendium in Logical Progression, which is produced by LTJ Bukem.
I didn't know that he was coming to town until I heard a soundbite on the radio "MC Conrad"... A check on Kayling's Dance and Soul site confirmed that LTJ Bukem is going to be in town with his MC (i.e MC Conrad). Then this wild idea came up - I contacted one of the local magazines to ask to see if they would be keen to publish an interview if I could get an interview set up with LTJ Bukem/MC Conrad. They said okie and then I went to knock on Zouk's door to ask if they could help to arrange an interview since a mag is willing to carry some story/interview on the guest DJs. Everyone nicely said yes. I did the feature and the questions for the magazine folks to vet and they came back in ten minutes to say "OK!" and that was it.
There were four groups of people waiting to interview him - Frontallabs, Zouk, me and another local drum 'n' bass website.
Although I was the first person there, I was third to interview the both of them. Actually, I was there while they were doing their soundcheck. They were pretty concerned with the sound because they spent alot of time just trying to fix everything up. He would remember me as the most enthusiatic guy around because I was there the earliest and I waited for two other groups to go before me. Before I started the interview proper, he was already smiling at me and telling everyone how I was the nice one who let the other two groups go first and how I seemed to be the who is the keenest to get the interview going.
At the end of my interview, he remarked that it was a very good interview that I had done because of the questions I asked and the way I conducted the interview (I guess it's because one of the earlier interview threw mostly non-music related questions). I went on to have a joint picture together with them and he gave me a little nudge on my shoulder and asked for my name before he went on to autograph the CDs that I brought along with me.
I left Zouk for dinner and only came back after 12. It was really packed inside there and I could feel that there were loads of people who are eager to catch the set.
Halfway through the set, I could feel the tears swelling up. I could feel the pain, the anger, the bitterness dissipating as the beats rained on me. Yes I am happy tonight and I haven't felt this way for a long time. I stayed throughout the whole gig until they played out this last track and the lights came on. I was right in front of the DJ console when the set ended he smiled at me when I held out my hand to him for one last time. I told him that I would visit him if I ever go to London (he gave me his card earlier on during the interview).
If I ever get to London, that is.
Never would I have ever imagined that I would get to meet LTJ Bukem in person one day. Not just meeting him, but I actually interviewed him. This is the first interview I have ever done in my life and I don't seriously care if this was the last. All it matters is that I have done this particular one with the man that I have always wanted to see in person, and that's Bukem.
To think that I almost flew off to Calgary on impulse to want to catch him on his Progression Sessions tour. That was three years ago and I would have blown every cent in my savings just to do that. Yes, and now I have met him in person - had him answering my questions and having pictures taken with him. It's a good feeling. This good feeling that's emerging from a swamp of anger, bitterness, cynicism that had me wrapped up with my encounters with work and people. If there was a good reason to be alive, this has got to be the feeling that I need to feel.
I first heard him through (Demon's Theme) on the Jackal Soundtrack (which has other great tracks like (Going Out Of My Head) - Fatboy Slim, (Poison) - Prodigy, (Swallowed) - Goldie remixing Bush and the amazing (Shineaway) - Richard Butler). Then I found the first true drum 'n' bass compendium in Logical Progression, which is produced by LTJ Bukem.
I didn't know that he was coming to town until I heard a soundbite on the radio "MC Conrad"... A check on Kayling's Dance and Soul site confirmed that LTJ Bukem is going to be in town with his MC (i.e MC Conrad). Then this wild idea came up - I contacted one of the local magazines to ask to see if they would be keen to publish an interview if I could get an interview set up with LTJ Bukem/MC Conrad. They said okie and then I went to knock on Zouk's door to ask if they could help to arrange an interview since a mag is willing to carry some story/interview on the guest DJs. Everyone nicely said yes. I did the feature and the questions for the magazine folks to vet and they came back in ten minutes to say "OK!" and that was it.
There were four groups of people waiting to interview him - Frontallabs, Zouk, me and another local drum 'n' bass website.
Although I was the first person there, I was third to interview the both of them. Actually, I was there while they were doing their soundcheck. They were pretty concerned with the sound because they spent alot of time just trying to fix everything up. He would remember me as the most enthusiatic guy around because I was there the earliest and I waited for two other groups to go before me. Before I started the interview proper, he was already smiling at me and telling everyone how I was the nice one who let the other two groups go first and how I seemed to be the who is the keenest to get the interview going.
At the end of my interview, he remarked that it was a very good interview that I had done because of the questions I asked and the way I conducted the interview (I guess it's because one of the earlier interview threw mostly non-music related questions). I went on to have a joint picture together with them and he gave me a little nudge on my shoulder and asked for my name before he went on to autograph the CDs that I brought along with me.
I left Zouk for dinner and only came back after 12. It was really packed inside there and I could feel that there were loads of people who are eager to catch the set.
Halfway through the set, I could feel the tears swelling up. I could feel the pain, the anger, the bitterness dissipating as the beats rained on me. Yes I am happy tonight and I haven't felt this way for a long time. I stayed throughout the whole gig until they played out this last track and the lights came on. I was right in front of the DJ console when the set ended he smiled at me when I held out my hand to him for one last time. I told him that I would visit him if I ever go to London (he gave me his card earlier on during the interview).
If I ever get to London, that is.
