You've embraced digital technology very successfully. Do you think you only fully realised what you've wanted to do in terms of performing music to a crowd now, or was it more borne out of boredom with the more traditional means of DJing?

It was just a case of experimenting with different DJ technologies. When I started using Ableton I knew that would really enable me to achieve what I set out to bring as a DJ.

A criticism levelled at some Ableton/digital performers is that the cutting of tracks into mere loops, they are undermining the original artist’s vision. Do you agree?

If it's bad, it's bad. If it's good it's good no mater what you use to DJ.

Your early productions were at the forefront of the ‘Birmingham’ sound. Does the city still influence your music?

In the last 15 years Birmingham has more fancy, shiny shopping centres, but still has the same complete lack of ambition to raise itself above a level of bland mediocrity.

You're in the lucky position where people expect something outside of the traditional techno set when you play - it's probably a position many other DJs would like to be in. How much of the blame do you think falls at the feet of the DJ to not take the risks, or is it more due to the expectation of audience?

I guess every artist has their own approach, in my case I think it's down to being really stubborn about only playing music that I think is good.

Dubstep has blown up in the last couple of years. Is it healthy to happen in such a short space of time? Does a more mainstream embrace of a musical style automatically mean it will become compromised, or is this just the tedious mutterings of the elitists?

I remember the same with drum and bass. Of course when there's a 'new' trend recognised you always get a load of idiots making pale imitations of the good stuff. Then everyone goes, "I'm bored of that now" so it's killed before it gets the chance to take its first steps. Good music is always there, just ignore the shit.

You embrace newer styles, but also dip in and out of older stuff too…

Great music really is timeless to me. It is important to me to be playing new music, but never just for the sake of it. Introducing old tracks to a new audience is also important to me…