Dave Angel
Whilst many producers and critics have argued that the techno longplayer couldn't be made successfully by the artist and enjoyed also bythe listener, Tales... showed it could be done. It took Angel, a realmusic lover, to take inspiration from different styles, be they jazz,breakbeat, ambient, or hard driving techno, and meld these musicalstyles so much so that they become an entirely new beast, a fresh sound,a real musical excursion. "I think that is what I've been trying to do.I mean ever since I started making music I've always wanted to have myown style. There are a lot of influences but at the same time you've gotto do your own thing really," states Dave. Natural really, for DaveAngel is a man who has had music in his blood since a very young age.
"I started playing drums when I was eight years old," muses Dave, "andmy father was a jazz musician and I was quite influenced by him andy'know, involved in music at a young age." Angel was brought up withjazz in the house and it is still evident in his music. The rolling basslines, the subtle horn stabs, crisp cymbals, and sharp kick drums areall key ingredients he uses to create his shaking, funky techno. Hisfather obviously played a key role in shaping Dave musically, and itwould be interesting to see what he would think of his musical exploitsnow. "He'd probably be my manager!", says Dave laughing. "I think he'dbe down with it." Yet it wasn't the bottom heavy tones of the doublebass, or the subtle touches of the trap kit that guided him towardstechno, it was the piercing squeal of the humble TB303. "Yeah, it waswhen I first heard a 303," he remembers, "I think that was probably it.And I'd heard the stuff coming out from Chicago, and y'know, it was justmusic that sounded fresh and I really wanted to get involved." Yet Angel hasn't always enjoyed such success. The life of Dave Angel,the musician, began after several events changed his life forever.
"Music was always something that was in my life as I said I always hadmusic around me. My father died and I just thought this is what I amgoing to do with my life. I am going to dedicate my life to this,"remarks Dave. "And that was just it man. This is my life. Everyday,y'know, everyday. I record from Monday to Friday, and Friday to SaturdayI will go and DJ. The studio goes on on a Monday, and then it stays on.
No it's not a nine to five job, its a nine to whenever, that's thebeauty of it. Music should never be like a job, I used to play music asa kid because it made me feel good. And that is the sole reason that Iam still doing it now."
Angel also happened to be on the receiving end of the long arm of thelaw, and had a few visits to the local prison as a result of a someminor charges. His first son, Daine, was about to be born when Dave gotthrown in jail. He told Keyboard Review, "I got put away for sellingweed when Pat, my girlfriend, was pregnant. By the time I got out Dainewas six months old. And it was probably the best thing for me. Goinginside when I was just about to be a father made me think about thingsand decide to do things differently." Just two weeks after his exit fromprison Angel was producing/remixing the track that would set him on theright musical path, his now legendary remix/interpretation of theEurythmics' hit, Send Me An Angel. This track gained momentum throughheavy club play and underground support and even turned heads at thebands record label, RCA, who loved Angels spin so much that theyreleased it officially. Angel was the recipient of 15,000 pounds for histroubles. Money that was used to establish a proper studio. It was thismonster of a studio ("I've been collecting stuff for<
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