Put the name Ashley Beedle into a Google search and the first thing you'll notice is that “The Original Rude Boy” has worked with EVERYONE! And remixed EVERYTHING! And when I say everyone I mean everyone – from the newest kids on the musical block to the oldest swinger himself, Sir Mick of Jagger. So, having discovered that my new London abode is but a mere stone's throw from his Muswell Hill gaff, I decided to see if I could arrange a wee chat prior to his gig this weekend, to pick the brains of a dude who was there when it all kicked off man!

Armed with my trusty google map and a vague clue of what bus to get on, I find myself in the really rather lovely part of North London he now calls home, and arrive at the door to be met with a warm smile and a firm handshake. We head in to the living room where Emmerdale is promptly abandoned (he swears he doesn't really watch it, he's more of a Corrie fan) and get down to chew the musical fat. Having just finished a book called Altered State, which documents the extraordinary explosion of the acid house movement in the late '80s, I'm keen to hear what he, a real live person who was actually there recalls about those heady days. “It was quite mind blowing really” he muses, “because it was, as I distinctly remember, in the space of literally one summer that it all just kind of exploded. And I don't think myself or my peers really knew while we were amongst it what was really happening! I mean looking back in hindsight you can sort of look back and go WOW, I was a part of that!”.

At a time when every warehouse and secluded country pasture in the UK was seeing more than its fair share of rave action, the young Beedle was a member of a sound system called Shock. “It was a pretty big sound system at the time, I suppose a comparison would be Soul 2 Soul, sort of like that. And we set up the equipment at the Clink St. parties, which was a big kind of indoor rave, if you like, at the time. So we started off with setting up the equipment but then we progressed into one of the rooms and started DJing there, and for me those were such brilliant times”

And times we are unlikely to ever experience again, he concedes. I mention that another stalwart of the industry, Derrick May has expressed concern about the lack of direction in dance music at the moment, and that the rise of good music to people's attention is a a very random thing. “I was only talking to someone about this the other day” he says. “I totally agree. I think the business is in a strange place at the moment. It definitely goes around in circles and at the moment you've got a situation where a lot of clubs are closing (London's Turnmills closed its doors for the last time last month), record shops are closing down, and record labels are losing out to downloading, so things are difficult. But I think the great thing about dance music is that you'll always have young kids coming along breathing new life into it. I don't think we'll ever see another big explosion like we did in '88 and '89 but there'll always be people with new ideas.”

As far as new ideas go he's been known to have one or two himself and is regularly name checked by his peers as a pioneer in his field and an artist who has continued to experiment and “just do his own thing”. Indeed the aforementioned oldest swinger has described working with Beedle as a “great creative experience” So is there anyone he feels the same way about? “Well you know, at the end of the day I'm a fan” he says smiling. “There are so many I could mention, but you mentioned Derrick May earlier, Derrick is someone I've known for a long time and whose work I really respect, although he doesn't make as much music as he should. Then there's Carl Craig, people in the UK like Andrew Weatherall, and then obviously Rocky and Diesel from Xpress 2 – working with them is always a pleasure. And Carl Cox, mustn't forget Carl” he adds enthusiastically.

On the subject of Xpress 2, I ask whether he feels the fact that all three of them have pursued solo projects might have contributed to their longevity – they released their first track Muzik Express on the then nascent Junior Boy's Own way back in 1992 and are still in demand as a DJing trio all around the world. “Xpress 2 is a strange beast” he reflects. “We seem to go through these stages where we almost fade into the background and then something else will come along that seems to make it all kick off again." At the moment that “something” is a remix of MuziK Express by Nic Fanciulli. “Nic is a great guy”, Beedle enthuses. “You know, he's a young guy who's worked his way up to where he is now and he's done a great job on this remix” Praise indeed from someone who is widely regarded as one of the UK's most gifted remixers.

The current wave of Xpress 2 popularity sees them back at top billing for a lot of the major festivals this year, so the summer is looking pretty hectic as far as touring goes. “I do love the buzz of a festival”, he admits when I ask him where he feels most at home. “There's something about being in the open air with thousands of people, but deep down I'm a small club man at heart. I prefer that sort of vibe, when you can really get close to people and see their reaction and build up a vibe. That's what I love." Something tells me he'll feel right at home at the Bernard Shaw then, cos let's face it, it don't get more intimate than that!

Conscious that Ashley has very kindly asked me into his home and I don't want to overstay my welcome, I wrap up the interview with a couple of quick fire questions. If you ask him to choose between Fabric and Space, he'd have to choose Fabric although he hasn't played there in a while. Ask him to pick his favourite musical decade 80s, 90s or 00s and he'd be hard pushed to choose one, first opting for the 80s for nostalgia's sake and then reassessing his answer with a “what am I saying?! How could I leave out the 90s, the mid 90s was a classic time for dance music”. And if, finally you were to ask him where a body might find the best pies in London, he'd look perplexed and tell you your best bet would be to head down Bermondsey way. So there you have it Trev!

All in all a pretty swell guy. And as someone whose collection of tunes would turn even the mighty Mike Black green with envy, I reckon twill be well worth the trip down to The Shaw after prayers this Sunday. Enjoy.

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Jude @ 24 Apr 2008 9:59

Oh it's very nice indeed. If someone fancied throwing a few mill my way I would probably buy a gaff in Muswell Hill. It's beauoooodiful up there.