Seb Fontaine - Reflektions
Seb Fontaine has played a vital role in the London clubbing scene, so as he hits Club Club this week, 3D’s Scott Henderson finds out what makes the Briton tick – in the good way.
What’s the craziest, most random or surprising thing that has happened while you’ve been DJing recently-
This wasn’t that recent but it always puts a grin on my face: I was DJing in a theatre-type venue when a pair of girls’ high heels was thrown at me. I thought that there were better ways to get the DJ to change the record, however it was only when I saw a crazy girl climbing up the curtain (about two or three storeys high) and into the DJ booth with bare feet that I realised who they belonged to.
We’ve all heard about the closures of clubs in London that were practically institutions, how long did you run Type at The Cross and how did it feel when you heard it was closing down-
Well I did Type there for seven years, but I was also resident there when the club opened nearly 15 years ago, so it was a huge chunk of my life, but I still have the memories (well sort of – a bit hazy). Loads of new places are opening up and London is buzzing at the moment so all is good.
People will always want house music, so in what ways has the club scene reacted to all the club closures of the last year and has it seen new scenes pop up in London you can tell us about-
Well, venues got smaller and music more sub divided which I never like. Dance and house music should always be an open-minded affair but there are some great things going on now.
Where do you thinking the cutting edge of club culture is today and who are the DJs that are defining it-
Cutting edge club culture is everywhere and nowadays it is being defined by up and coming DJs as much as the old favourites, which is a great thing. My only moan is what with the rise of the digital download sites, music seems to have a much shorter shelf life and people are making disposable tunes just to sell them quickly. The huge records a while back all had months in promotion and development and I think that we miss that now.
There’s again been rumours about day time closures of clubs in Ibiza, have you heard much about this and what kind of impact do you think that’ll have-
As much as I love a good party during the day, I guess the government thought that they couldn’t just rely on club tourism. They couldn’t seem to attract any other type when there was loud music everywhere and people driving round that hadn’t slept for days. That said, it was fun!
The US has seen club music surge in popularity again this last year and apparently clubbing in Los Angeles has been going off: have you played out there much and what do you make of the American scene-
I’ve played in LA for the last 10 years and it has gone from being one of my least favourite cities to one of the best. I am back out there next month and it would be rude not to do a gig in Vegas at the same time, haha.
What are some of the best new tracks you’ve been loving watching the crowds go crazy for lately-
Reflekt is having a second wind, which pleases me as it’s a real fave of mine, but coming up to Miami there are so many good tunes about, so it’s a good time to be a DJ.
Do you think there will ever be a time you stop DJing or will they have to pry the turntables from your cold, dead hands-
I love a good party and will always DJ at parties. Whether there comes a point that I don’t do clubs anymore, I don’t know, but I started DJing for parties before there were any famous DJs and I still love playing them. I quite often turn down good work to DJ at friend’s parties, much to the annoyance of agents and managers, but life’s too short not to party.
WHO: Seb Fontaine
WHAT: Plays Club Club at Chinese Laundry
WHEN: Saturday 28 March
MORE: jammusic.com.au