How did you get involved in the project?
Nick Matthews: Actually, it’s a funny story. Enrique (the label owner) and myself met in a campsite near Valencia in May 2004 for a festival where only 30 people turned up and it rained for 5 days. But, Enrique vowed to do his own thing and make it better, 100 times better in fact. Which is exactly what he did and A Slice of Paradise is the end product of that

How long were you at Beach Bar?
On and off, a couple of times last summer and four times this summer, including the closing party on Fri. 26th August when the place went nuts until 7 in the morning.

That doesn’t sound “laid back” as advertised in the sleeve notes”
The Xiringuito is generally laid back. But, the people and the occasion can sometimes make it really kick off. The Xiringuito is one of six bars owned by the same people along that stretch of the beach. The daytime is all about the tunes and listening, but the “Xiringuito Disco” is more remote, a bigger sound system and a beautiful place for a full on party in the sand. Just don’t touch the decks with bare feet on the sand otherwise you can get static shocks from cueing up a record. It happened to me. Lasal near Barcelona (www.lasal.com) is another great location with a very knowledgeable local scene and organisers.

The tracks you’ve picked aren’t particularly laid back?
The track list is really the sort of sound track I would want to hear just before dusk and then going into the early evening and night. And of course, like any DJ set it should cover a lot of musical ground.

The YamWho? tracks are well known, but others are less so (see tracklisting below), are they particular favourites of yours?
The Les Voleurs’ tracks are great and they are an unsung and underrated group of London producers with a kinship for rustic and rural living (and music). The David Borsu tune is really nice as well and came via Counterpoint. All the tracks are ones I wanted to play and never had the place to play them. Until the Xiringuito came along that is.

Any other comments on the tracks?
Leaving my own aside, I like Gav Smith’s a lot personally. Its got a wicked flow and bounce to it. Some of the Lightning Head and Bigga Bush exclusives are great as well.

Any more folks joining the Best Kept Secret crew?
We are currently looking for free slave labour for anyone willing to join our good ship. Tea, biscuits and guest lists the world over are assured.

Now there’s a chance for some enterprising youngster. Hectic is still getting over pushing past ?uestlove in a newsagents last week to buy Blues & Soul. By the time I’d paid, ?uestlove was gone. How did ‘The ‘Big One Off’ go down?
It was great and ?uestlove was using final scratch, which for me made it feel a little bit like cheating. But tune and buzz wise, who cared? All the classics were there and he even played a track from Grease, which was a little too ironic, even for me.

I know what you mean; I felt the same when DJ Food played ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ at the Keepintime gig the previous week. So talking of tune selection, how’s the radio show coming along?
Yeah, it’s going well. The feedback we receive from Samurai.fm is good so it seems to have some ears out there. There will be some special features, but at the moment we have way too much good music from our own stable so we’re holding off from anything until Ben & I run out of ideas!

The current show is up at Samurai [check links below] and one of the highlights is the new Baker Brothers single featuring Vanessa Freeman.

Anyway, whilst you listening to that, what about thinking about booking a trip to the Xiringuito Beach Bar in Alicante? As BSK’s newsletter says it’s “a snapshot of 21st century global underground.” This new CD is sure to spread the word and there’s even a Winter Tour (see below). We’ll be looking at each CD in turn but it’s always going to be a reminder of my holidays even though I was nowhere near Spain. Looking forward to Vol. 2 already.

Tracklisting:
2-01 Terry Callier - Speech (A Slice Of Paradise Intro)
2-02 Alison Crockett - UR (Yam Who? Remix)
2-03 Sidewinder - The Adventure (Version #2)
2-04 Amp Fiddler - Dreamin’ (Yam Who? Remix)
2-05 Les Voleurs - Cry Baby
2-06 Shur-I-Kan - Generations
2-07 Les Voleurs - King Conga
2-08 Only Freak - Planet Deep
2-09 David Borsu - Nocturne
2-10 Quant - Tryin’ (Gerd’s 4Lux remix)
2-11 Paiva and the Singing Saw - Orpheo Negra
2-12 Slope - Gateway To Crime (Pulp Friction Remix)

WINTER TOUR:
SALA TEMPO, MADRID
Viernes 23 de Septiembre 2005: Gav Smith y Enrique Domenech.
De 00.00h A.M. hasta las 06.00h A.M.
SALA KATMANDU, MADRID
Sábado 24 de Septiembre 2005: Gav Smith y Enrique Domenech.
De 00.00h A.M. hasta las 06.00h A.M.
SALA MERCADO, LISBOA
Sábado 1 de Octubre 2005: Biggabush + Enrique Domenech
De 00.00h A.M. hasta las 06.00h A.M.
BESTKEPSECRET @ SALA TEMPO, MADRID
Jueves 6 de Octubre 2005: Rainer Truby + Enrique Domenech
De 00.00h A.M. hasta las 06.00h A.M.

Links:
Xiringuito, Playa del Postiguet, Alicante, ESP www.xiringuito.net http://www.xiringuito.net/ingles.html
‘A Slice Of Paradise’ compilation launched in September on Fusionova021 Records .
Enirque Domenech - see his tour dates and a Basic Soul Mix at Basic-Soul
Best Kept Secret www.bestkeptsecret.uk.com
Best Kept Scret FM – the radio show – No. now available to listen to on demand - go to www.samurai.fm/bestkeptsecret
Stanton Final Scratch

THE BIG ONE OFF - BEST KEPT SECRET PRESENTS… 28th AUGUST (Bank Holiday Sunday) ?UESTLOVE (The Roots / Okayplayer) + TALC (Wah Wah 45’s) - LIVE with residents NICK MATTHEWS (Best Kept Secret), BEN SMITH (love.is.audio / Best Kept Secret) “You know this is gonna be heavy - and if you don’t know, you betta ask somebody. One of the most important beatmakers and crate diggers of our generation behind the funkiest and mind stretchingly good hip hop outfit, THE ROOTS plays his only non London date in the U.K. Alongside the Hall & Oates meets Steely Dan inspired band you are all gonna get to know about very soon, TALC. This lot are the nuts. So, stop watching Natasha Kaplinski and get your converse and boogie boards down to the pebbles for serious all day action”.

BEST KEPT SECRET: FRI 16th SEPTEMBER 2005
BEATFANATIC, TM JUKE (TRU-THOUGHTS) + BKS residents Nick Matthews, Ben Smith and Chris Wheeler (The Heritage Orchestra) BEATFANATIC being one of the leaders of the pack. From jazz, heavy funk, old skool hip hop, underground disco and generally dirty grooves, both recognisable and unknown. He has just released an album called “The Gospel According to Beatfanatic” and its dope party music…and he is a bloody good DJ / TM JUKE www.tmjuke.co.uk is a producer and beat junkie from Brighton who, despite having ginger hair and a woolly scarf, rocks the party with organic hip hop, percussive 45’s, dusty soul and a heap of future classics. He has also just produced the album for best young British blue eyed soul vocalist and songwriter in U.K, ALICE RUSSELL and a popular guest every year at the BIG CHILL.
www.medicinebar.net 89 Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, London Nearest Tube: Old Street (Northern Line)