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HF's very own Adam Symbiosis goes under the spotlight for Total Mayhem
Reported by e99
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Submitted 22-11-06 21:01
So you come on here day in day out, chatting the hours away, reading all the juicy bits of content and generally avoiding doing any work. But have you ever thought about the lovely people who keep this site ticking over? It doesn’t work by magic you know! Adam Symbiosis is one of the people responsible for keeping content on HF fresh as a daisy, acting as Music Reviews Editor and journalist for the site, as well as being a resident DJ for the HF parties and helping run the superb Thirsty Thursdays events in Soho. He’s known for his diverse styles as a DJ, and it’s this versatility that sees him playing a chilled/breaks set at the massive Total Mayhem £10 Payback this Friday 24th November at Hidden.
As a DJ, Adam’s various styles see him playing at all sorts of different underground parties and has made him a much revered figure on the scene. From Puzzle Project to Spangulation to more low-key affairs such as Ascendance in Kingston, he’s in clubs week in week out supporting the underground community that he holds in such high esteem. Anyways, enough of my words — let’s hear some of his...
Hi Adam. You are an important part of the HarderFaster team but many of us do not know from whence you came. How and when did you first get bitten by the dance music bug?
I was introduced properly to dance music by a brother of one of my girlfriend’s friends at the time. We would pop off to his flat in Lee and listen to him play on his beaten up Soundlab decks. The flat was below an antique fireplace restorers and parties raged on in the background sometimes for days. No one cared about the blaring music as it was pretty noisy in the shop and we were below ground anyway, so he could really crank it up. He even taught me the basics of playing records though it was a good couple of years later after that I got my own set of decks and started to learn properly. I think they were Soundlabs as well. The mixer was one of those basic 2 upfaders, 1 crossfader (that didn’t work) box and had no EQs. The whole set up was pretty dire but it cost me the princely sum of £5 and I could play the records I had started to buy on something other than the hi-fi.
I see you have a dark past that involves UK garage. Please fill us in on that period in your history and why you stopped playing it.
About seven years ago when I first started working in bars and going clubbing the music du jour for South London was US garage and speed garage (not much difference now). We used to go to Freedom every weekend to catch up with Norris ‘Da Boss’ Windross and Matt ‘Jam’ Lamont. It was all about funky basslines, spinbacks and cool vocals. Something that’s migrated into what I play now. Some of you might remember ‘Chocolate Boy’. That was a massive hit in the scene, but it got out and it was played everywhere. Even little girls in the street were humming it. It was like garage’s ‘Revolution’ [BK], a fantastic track that was played to a very grim death. It was time to move on.
What are your earliest London clubbing memories?
My first clubbing experience was sneaking out to go to the Ministry Of Sound on a Wednesday night when I was 15. We danced on the bar till everyone got thrown out at 3. It was amazing and I knew I had to be part of what was happening.
What was the first event that totally blew you away and made you realise that dance music was something you wanted to be part of?
What really opened up my eyes though was being introduced to Escape From Samsara. I had just started working at another bar and the guys all went out together on Fridays to The Fridge so they invited me along. It seems a bit of a well worn cliché but Samsara really was a defining experience for me and I’m sure a lot of other people as well. It’s a shame it was its own popularity that killed it off. It also got me to pick up some headphones and really enjoy music again.
How did you end up working for HarderFaster then?
Via a long and winding road. I wrote my first articles back at the start of 2004 but for various reasons went to work for Raymondo on HardDanceLondon.com. When Ray decided to hang up his headphones and go fishing, Matt asked me to come back and work on the site in a more in-depth capacity, so now I’m the Music Reviews Editor and of course I still write reviews and do interviews and come up with the occasional feature. It’s a challenging role that I do on top of my 9 to 5 and DJing, but I enjoy the writing, developing ideas and interacting immensely and couldn’t imaging filling my time any other way.
There have been quite a few negatives in the hard dance scene this year. What have you witnessed that has really encouraged you about the state of affairs?
I think there’s been a move away from the bigger parties for a number of reasons: older people are leaving and not being replaced by young blood. The staleness of some events and greedy Promoters. What’s enthused me about the scene is the re-emergence of the smaller more intimate parties. That’s not to say they ever went away. Rather people who might have overlooked them before are returning or trying them out for the first time. There’s also a good core of young DJs who are starting to get their names heard. Scenes and styles wax and wane but I think now is an exciting time to be involved. On top of this we have some great ideas lined up for Harderfaster and our members next year so keep your eyes peeled people.
What’s the deal with the HarderFaster DJ Comp? How can people enter, what’s the prize, and more importantly — what will you be looking for in the winners?
We’re running a competition for some of our newer members and for some DJs we might not have heard of before. From my perspective I’m looking for people who have something slightly different to offer but have some skill. No-one starts off perfect but there’s always something bubbling under, some added touches that shine through. From the house, trance and hard genres, I’ll be looking for that little bit of extra enthusiasm and appreciation for the music and the crowd. From each genre two DJs out of four will go through to the Xmas party to play back to back with one of London’s top residents at Turnmills, a dream prize for some.
Can you spill any proverbial beans about the HarderFaster Xmas Party? Details have only been slight so far...
Well, we’ll be running 12 till 8 at Turnmills on the 23rd of December. Of course it will be free to all and sundry and we have some very exciting surprises lined up. I can sense the excitement growing every day and I’m certainly getting energised as each hour passes and I get more people involved. They’re all sworn to secrecy at the moment so I guess people will just have to keep their eyes open for the presents we’re getting Santa to bring.
On the festive tip — what’s your opinion on Christmas Day raving? I’ve heard Trade might be doing Xmas Day again...
Well one year I went to The Colosseum for a Xmas eve rave. Let’s just say, it doesn’t mix well with Xmas dinner with Granddad.
Thirsty Thursdays has been running for a good few months now. Have you all been happy with how the events have turned out?
We’ve been very happy with how it’s grown, we’ve had some very special guests down and we’ve featured DJs that haven’t been seen before in London. As with any promoter, I think it can grow and we constantly look at ways we can adapt and progress. We’ve tried to cater (from week to week) for everyone on HF, which of course has made some people unhappy and others very happy, that’s the way the world goes. But we’ve got December to work on the party and develop it for the new year.
What have been your personal highlights over the months from TT?
Booking Sayber was fantastic as he hasn’t really been seen since the close of Escape From Samsara. My non-back to back with Adam White was pretty funny. But to top it all off, I think it has to be my 3 hour cheese fest with Chris Cee.
You’re playing a chilled & breaks set at Total Mayhem’s £10 payback at Hidden on Friday 24th November. Would you care to elaborate on the theme?
My good friend Tigger asked me to play at the party. As I’m heading down to 414 for Spangulation I agreed on the proviso that I was first, but as I love doing warm-ups I don’t mind. So she asked me to play a chilled and breaks set. The theme is purely a slow build up from ambient to booty shaking via house, prog and of course breaks. I have very strong opinions on warm-ups. I certainly don’t want to hear music blaring the minute I get into a club, I’d rather it got me into the flow of things and in any case I take great pleasure and pride from building a dancefloor, so I’m really looking forward to this.
And finally, apropos of your location, why are you sitting under a concrete cow? What’s that all about eh?
The great pleasures of Milton Keynes; roundabouts, some concrete cows and my employer’s head office — bland, bland and bland. During the week one of the most exciting things to do is to sit under a concrete cow. Great eh? Viva la Londres! Viva la weekend!
Adam Symbiosis 
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Other Features By e99:
Fergilcious: PunchFunk & Excentrik take over The Key
Baklash take over the IceBox at HeatUK Aftermath '07
Goodgreef take on Frantic at NYE-NEC
Trevor Rockcliffe — Proactive — HeatUK & The Gallery NYE — 'nuff said?
HeatUK Evolution: Natural Selection — a look at dance music’s gone-but-not-forgottens
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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You played Sparrage. 
See you soon babe. Feel the HF love!!!! 
Nice one Sir. Have fun for me 
Keep up the good work. Love foghorn 
Thanks for all your help and hard work! 