Tidy Boys interview with Amadeus Mozart for Frenzy15th November 2007 - interview copyright of Frenzy Amadeus Mozart is one half of the Tidy Boys. He is also one of the people behind the superclub Slinky. He speaks to us about the forthcoming Opera House Re-Union party on November 30th with Lisa Pin-Up, Kutski, and many more. He also tells us about as his recent appearance on TV, plans for Slinky in 2008, plus what he gets up to outside of the clubbing world. 1. It’s traditional for us to usually open our interviews by asking who you are, where you’re currently based, and what your favourite TV program is. As this is a special occasion though we’re going to turn that on its head. So, in no particular order please tell who you wish you were, where you really want to be right now, and what you really hate on TV currently? I wish I was Steve Jobs from Apple and right now I would love to be in Amsterdam with my wife. Of all the things on TV at the moment I have to say I hate The X-Factor.
2. It has often been said that the Opera House is haunted by many ghosts, including those of clubnights past! It has also been reported that there are many spooky and scary inhabitants of the venue (and we’re not talking about the One Nation DnB nights here either)… What’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to you guys whilst on your DJ’ing travels? Nothing scary has ever happened to us really mainly because I don't believe in ghosts at all. The only real scary thing that's happened is a few near misses and accidents on the roads. But then what do you expect with a one eyed driver! 3. One the Frenzy clubbers recently asked us whether either of you had ever DJ’ed solo since the conception of the Tidy Boys? Most successful partnerships invariably end up splitting as one or both thing they can do better without the other, but as Jason Donovan learnt going solo isn’t always best. Have you ever DJ’ed a solo set, and if not would you ever consider it? We have DJ'ed solo a few times. Twice I've done it when Andy's wife was giving birth and he has also done it twice. Both times when I have been unable to DJ due to illness. The only other time recently was in London at a Tidy night in Heaven when I had to rush home because my wife had gone missing... and I thought she was dead! But when i got home she had got pissed and was snoring like a a pig on the bed... (I could've kicked her face in that night...! LOL)
4. Back in the halcyon days of hard house, when DJs span primitive things called vinyls, the Tidy Boys under their many guises released some cracking hard house tracks, but the last few years have seen a distinct lack of released material. How come we don’t hear so much from you in terms of production nowadays? We both have many other businesses and a lot of people don't realise that Tidy only takes up maybe just 3% of our working week. Andy is the deputy chairman of a company that has 72 staff and currently works with Microsoft and local authorities on Education projects. I have my own design company called Motel Red, plus I'm Creative Director for Addictive Interactive, a merchandise company and Slinky. So we both are on 80 hour weeks, plus weekends DJ'ing - and we both have families. So there's not really much time left to produce.
5. We were told you guys were on the TV program the Real Hustle the other day… what was that all about? Care to tell us and give us an insight? The programme itself is a bigger scam than what they show us. We were quietly having a drink in San Antonio Bay and a TV crew came up to us and said..."there is a girl going to come along in a minute and try and sell you tickets for Tidy at Es Paradis - just play along with it and buy the tickets and we will give you the money back in a minute". We did try and tell the BBC it was our own night and it would look odd us buying tickets for our own Tidy event... but somehow I dont think they knew who we were and thought we bullshitting. So we played along with it and then signed off a agreement form with them for it to be shown. We knew when it got aired on TV people would see through the terrible mistake they made. NEVER trust the TV your watching as 80% is fake.
6. Sharing the line-up with you guys at your Opera House re-union will be many acts that clubbers on the south coast will be familiar with including Lisa Pin-Up, Kym Ayres, and Kutski. I’m quite interested though to hear what the Tidy DJs are all about. Who are these guys and are they the planned heirs to the Tidy Boys’ hard house throne? Sam and Deano are the Tidy DJs and since Sam Townend is the new A&R man at Tidy he is a DJ that represents the new sound of what Tidy is putting out. I did the A&R for Tidy from the start in 1995 up until summer 2006. The last track I signed for Tidy was Kym Ayres'More & More. The Tidy DJs play the kind of stuff me and Andy love - hard funk.
7. It’s been well documented that one half of the Tidy Boys now has an interest in the clubbing institution that is Slinky. Amo, could you tell us what’s planned for the clubnight, as at the time this interview is being written Slinky has left their Portsmouth home after a very brief tenancy. Many clubbers would love to see a return to the Opera House. What are your views on this? It's been very exciting taking over at Slinky and we have some fantastic plans for 2008. Some of which I cannot talk about just yet. Lee Haslam, my old partner in crime at Tidy, has just joined the Slinky team and already is working on a 30 date Slinky tour across the UK plus some massive International stuff. Our goal when we took on Slinky was to re-build the brand in 2007 and then in 2008 launch back in to the big league. It was great moving to Portsmouth and I loved the Liquid Nightclub, it's just a shame we could not agree on a long term deal with the club. However we will return for one night only on December 26th for a big Boxing Day Bash... which is gonna be very special. As for Slinky returning to the Opera House, that is something I would love to see happen and the new Slinky team will do our best to bring that fantasy to reality.
8. I’m sure a lot of people think it’s been quite a satisfying life championing the Tidy label and sound, DJ’ing all over the world, putting on successful events and so on… but I’m sure it’s not always been plain sailing. Have you had any regrets or disappointments in your careers within the clubbing world? I have no real regrets worth shouting about... I suppose I had big ambitions beyond clubbing for Tidy and due to many business factors with Tidy's parent company Music Factory this could not be achieved. This is a shame as I think the brand did have the following and passion to go to the next level in lifestyle business. 9. Advice time now… Everyone seems to be a DJ nowadays so there’s obviously a lot of competition. Are you able to give any tips to aspiring DJs who might want to get their sound heard? To be really really honest this is the hardest question we ever get asked and there is no perfect answer. The secret is to be more than just a DJ who mixes CDs together well. It's about having a personality that spills from the DJ box to the dancefloor.
10. Finally, it would be rude for us not to let you plug your forthcoming news and plans, so with that in mind is there anything the Bournemouth clubbers should be aware of in the World of the Tidy Boys? And have you got anything special lined-up for us on November 30th for the Tidy Boys Opera House Re-Union? Everytime we play at the Opera House it's been special. As you know it's on record that it's our favourite clubbing venue of all time. The place itself creates its own magic and we can't wait to see how it looks after its new multi-million pound re-fit. We have a few treats line up for the Opera House but we don't want to give to much away. Just make sure you come down and don't miss out on this special event. You can next catch the Tidy Boys playing at the Opera House Re-Union Party with Kym Ayres, Lisa Pin-Up, Kutski, the Tidy DJs... and many more on November 30th. Check Frenzy's forthcoming events for more details. Some photos courtesy of Natalie Cord @ www.versiontwophotography.co.uk |
|
 |
