The Adventures In The Beetroot Field’s Casper C has been hugely influential in blending the lines between what is ‘club music’ and what is ‘band music’, and is the poster boy for a new breed of DJ whom DJing on vinyl is as abstract a concept as using wax cylinders. As a Fluokids contributor, expect him to have all the records you’re waiting desperately for someone to post online.
How did you end up blogging on Fluokids, a French site?
I moved to London in 2006, and whilst on the dole and looking for something to do, I came across the blog, which was shedding light on the music I was very much into at the time (emo Australian synth-pop, ghetto-pop, French Touch 2.0, crunk, etc). It seemed like a bit of a ‘golden age’ in music, with all manner of sounds floating around, and this new way to connect with them. I was also inspired by fellow Brighton boys, 20jazzfunkgreats, who were into blogging for all the right reasons. I became acquainted with one of the Fluokids, Hianta, and she persuaded the big boss, Pharrell, to let me join. He thought I had a funny name, which was enough for him!
What’s your take on blog house as a genre? Does it exist?
I first came across the term on a tongue in cheek Wikipedia entry, which referenced Fluokids and my night, Blogger’s Delight. I found it amusing at first, but my experience of music is that once something has been given a name, it calcifies the movement and invariably leads to trouble. I think the expression essentially described the Switch/Dubsided sound that became prevalent in alternative clubland for a spell last year, but it was more of an off the cuff bon mot than a genuine musical genre, for me. At least the abbreviation, ‘blouse’ didn’t catch on!
Is there a new international community around blogs like Fluokids and Big Stereo?
I certainly think that blogs have found common ground between open-minded music fans the world over. I often joke that there’s 10 people in every city in the world who know who we are, and it’s not a million miles off. On our DJ sojourns, we have made friends with other blogs like Skull Juice, Acid Girls, Headphone Sex, Slutty Fringe, Discobelle… The list goes on. It’s amazing to have a reference point that can break the ice with new people in a strange place.
Has the blog world finally brought a change to the dance music old guard that hasn’t changed since the 90s?
There’s a definite divide between blog/party DJs and ‘real’ DJs who buy vinyl and claim a stronger affinity with the music they play. As with anything, there are those that embrace technology and those that feel threatened by it. For me, technological advances only provide options, not obstacles, and everybody has their place. Of course, that isn’t to say that somebody who writes a blog can’t embrace the old too.
Adventures In The Beetroot Field has been bringing bands and DJs together for years? Has it always been easy to transistion between the two?
It’s always seemed like the most natural thing in the world, and the thought of clubs NOT combining the two is difficult to comprehend in these enlightened times. At certain times, the link from one act to another can be more tenuous than others (Ipso Facto into Mary Anne Hobbs any one), but I like to think that across the three rooms at Fabric or the weekend at Glastonbury, we’ve always managed to make the open-minded music fan welcome, whilst showcasing little pockets of die-hard tribalism as well, from time to time.
The lines between production and DJing are increasingly blurring. Where do you stand on DJing off laptops?
I was inspired to DJ in the first place by the likes of Our Disco and It Came From The Sea, who were using laptops which was an alien concept that aroused the geek in me. I spent 18 months using Ableton Live before realising that the mental boundary ‘real’ DJs had created between me and them was a complete fallacy. It took a lot less time to pick up a decent standard on CDJs than it did to master Ableton in the first place! I’m a strong believer that the visual performance of a DJ is only of marginal importance, although I do personally enjoy being hands on since switching over.
What could we expect from a session down at Blogger’s Delight?
There aren’t no party like a Blogger’s party. First of all, you can expect to pay nothing to get in. Get there early enough, and you can expect to hear chuggy disco, psyche, and the like, accompanied by pear cider and a roast dinner. You can usually expect a few bewildered drinkers sticking around all night and having a surprsingly good time, grown men reduced to giggling schoolgirls when the balloons are unleashed, and a few dance music icons behind the decks, making the most of the intimacy of the Lock Tavern. Best friends have been made and furniture has been mounted on the Bloggers dancefloor!
By definition, Bloggers is supposed to be a dynamic platform for progressive music fans. Fads such as ‘blog house’ come and go, but we’ll always be doing our best to move and evolve.
What’s the secret of success on Streetfighter? What’s the best character?
If I told you that, I’d have to kill you. On Tekken.
BLOG ROLL
Casper’s Fave Music Blogs
20jazzfunkgreats
One of the originals and still one of the best. These guys LIVE it!
House Is A Feeling
An uncanny knack for being into the very same deep house records that float my boat.
Get The Curse
Fellow Frenchies with the best house and techno around, and great podcasts.
Modyfier
Reassuringly pretentious podcast series, attempting to deconstruct the process of inspiration and creation.
Slutty Fringe
A nice guy, and a blogger in the true sense. You’re always bound to find something new or interesting on Slutty.
