Or maybe ‘almost mystery man’ is more correct. If you really want to know the true identity, well, it won’t take much digging. Redshape probably doesn’t mind if you do. But why not play along? There are too few secrets, too few mysteries, not enough romance. Redshape – both visually and sonically – harks back to a different era: one that plays on the Man Machine idea, and the definite path that followed it.

One of the tasks we set ourselves before the interview began was not to mention two things outright: the mask and Detroit techno. “It’s good that you say that,” agrees a smiling Redshape, drinking beer and smoking throughout, “otherwise I might have punched you.” He hasn’t given many interviews, but the ones he has have tended to focus on the more obvious aspects of what he does. (Of course, some of the above topics inevitably come up, but at least we tried.) The decision to start the project in 2006 is an interesting one. Redshape had a reasonably successful career with a different project beforehand. So what compelled him to effectively ditch all that he had worked for, and start from scratch?

People still ask about the mask, but now it is more about the music and how I make it

“It was the music I was making – the music took over the decision. That’s how the project started.” Three years into it, how do you feel about the persona you created now? The flurry of interest – which peaked around four EPs in with the release of ‘Telefunk’ on Styrax Leaves and ‘Dogs Day’ on Millions of Moments – has subsided. He nods, and you sense that this is what was supposed to happen. “Of course, people still ask about the mask, but now it is more about the music I am making and how I am making it.” We talk about over-exposure, and how easy it is for emerging artists who find themselves suddenly in the spotlight to forget to say no, to forget to think about how much is too much. I suggest that he has a more definite plan, working with a small number of like-minded labels and choosing his remixes carefully. “I had a relationship with Music Man from before this project. Delsin came about through looking for distribution, and then Stryax Leaves after. And then my own label, Present, which is my own playground.”

How do you decide what goes where? “It depends on what the track is. Each label is like a certain side to Redshape: Present is for one thing, while for example Music Man is more for the club sound, and Styrax for the other. And for example, ‘Plonk’, that was a track I had before this project, something I went back to and re-worked and decided that it had to work on Present. So when I am making music, I always have to have the special atmosphere of the label in mind - as I never decide afterwards which label to give the track to."

You think a lot about what you do, and how you present yourself to the world, don’t you? “Yes,” he nods immediately. He has spoken previously about what he describes as his “control freak” personality, and it’s clear from our conversation that this is his modus operandi. It’s odd – when you know so little about the person behind the mask, you create a certain mental image of their personality. His habit of conducting interviews largely by e-mail has added to the slightly robotic invented persona. But in the flesh, it feels like there are two Redshapes - or perhaps one human, and one man machine. Before we met, we passed on the backstage stairs of the club, with him offering a cheery hello. And when we are introduced, he is warm and polite. When the tape starts rolling, he remains friendly, but flips into Redshape mode: my questions are met with immediate, definite answers. This is a man who knows what he wants.

Each label I release on is like a certain side to Redshape

But we may be about to see another side to what he does. A debut album has just been completed, one that will, as he puts it, see him explore different territory. Due out in October, he describes his approach to making it as different to what has gone before it, believing that an album should be just that: different to a series of 12”s. “None of the tracks are above 123bpm, and it will be quite a deep record. I have been working on it since maybe last September, so it has been quite intense. So that is why I enjoy nights like tonight,” he smiles, taking a swig of his beer. His recent forays into this territory on the ‘Tribute To Ramin’ compilation on a Styrax Leaves off-shoot and references to Theo Parrish and Moodymann suggest the record will worth waiting for. Typically, he has a definite plan for how it will be issued too – continuing the vinyl-friendly approach that was in part responsible for creating the Redshape mystique in the first place. “It will be released on coloured vinyl, with bonus, vinyl-only tracks on 10”.”

Speak to any Redshape fan, and they will most likely reference the ‘D’-word in the first few sentences. And while this is true, this interesting, thoughtful producer is certainly no revisionist. Talking about influences, he warms to the theme, giving what feels like a pre-programmed answer - one that is probably qualifies as a mission statement. “When artists in Detroit were making music, they were thinking about a feeling, about the future. And that is what I try to do – not making music that sounds like the past, although there are references, but it’s about the feeling, the emotion about the future.”

www.myspace.com/redshape