You were on tour in the UK and Europe in November, so what were the highlights?
All the shows were amazing to be honest. It’s been a while since I’d left the comfort of the major European cities, in fact, I played London and Paris a half dozen times in 2005 (including the Keepintime gig at Cargo; click HERE for review). So leaving the central populations was a bit of nervous proposition. Thankfully, the other cities did not disappoint, much the opposite, I found the audiences to be perhaps even more enthusiastic and open to something different. Like at the Hi-Fi Club in Leeds. This was an amazing space and for all of its niceness the people got down to the slightly rugged jungle bizness the best. The Cube in Bristol was all-seated which is always intimidating, but with an all-volunteer staff being ultra nice, this might have been the best-received show. In fact, it felt as if there was an impromptu question and answer session following the performance, strangely fun. The Student Union in Sheffield is a bit of a blur. I had to leave quite early the next day. Andy C was in the main room so it was ram-o in the club but mainly with the hardcore of Junglists or whatever to call them nowadays, still they were well up for a party and I perhaps caught a few wandering ears.

“You dogs I don’t like you. You are very mean. I’m going home to get my AXE, and to chop you in half”

And at the ICA in London (with a live set by Fink and a DJ set by Coldcut)
I’ve played the ICA before to smaller crowds and somewhat strange looks, but this time around it was all positive as Fink performed live admirably (I believe for the first time with a large ensemble?) and Coldcut was debuting a new live show. So lots of new magic in the air I think. I certainly felt anew playing a show in London that involved fewer stares then ever before!

And you went to France again?
All the French dates were changed at the last minute because Seth P. Brundel had to cancel his European tour. The show must of course go on, and all was made OK by the addition of Daniel Givens for those dates. I’ll sum up all these shows quite easily. I was just amazed that in these smaller cities people were all the way into it. Paris has been kind to me, but by the stories I’ve heard of indifferent crowds from touring friends, I’ve always been lucky to have a lovely experience. These shows really increased my confidence on what is possible far from the comforts of familiar territory. Oh and P.Love and Matt Kelly killed it in both Metz and Colmar.

This tour proved to be an opportunity to promote the much delayed release of one of your early production’s ‘Axe Murderation’, which has been remixed by like Venetian Snares, Phthalocyanine, Libythth, 8 Frozen Modules, Jason Portrez. What is ‘Axe Murderation’ all about?
It’s a different look for me. Bouncy, slightly deranged up-tempo beats with an unbelievable child’s voice saying these words “You dogs I don’t like you. You are very mean. I’m going home to get my AXE, and to chop you in half”. This being sung at random by a 10-year-old girl, a found-sound scrap of a lifetime. I’ve built a song around the sample and those others mention have built remixes around the song, and I then built a shrine around this album
and pray to it twice daily. It’s quite different and that in itself is fun. Last note the Venetian Snares remix is really lovely, pretty stuff, but I think the Libythth remix steals the show.

Talking of remixes, recently, the 12” remix of ‘Impending Doom/Just Briefly’ has been released, how do you know about Domu/Umod
Domu is a multi-talented man and has gotten a fair amount of love from Internet radio Dublab. I myself have a love affair with all music that goes bump in the night, especially when it beguiles like the broken beat or grime out of the UK. His remix of Impending DOOM is a stormer, that I’m honoured to be a part of. Interestingly, I’ve done a mix CD ‘Tried and True’ that ends on a broken note for the released version, but in reality that very same mix continued for a while into broken beat territory, thru some old school rave (a personal favourite of mine) and ends with some ragga-ish jungle. We had to cut back for time reasons.

And you did a remix of Coldcut’s ‘Man In A Garage’. Were you surprised when you heard the original version and how did you go about the remix-thought processes?

I wasn’t surprised per say, but was feeling the challenge of remix proportions. I knew right from hearing the song for the first that I’d be remixing it. Every remix is it’s own set of issues and the end result has no thought for stylistic choices if that makes sense. I’m very happy with the vibe that happened, Coldcut are probably the most impressive group I’ve had the chance to rethink so the pressure was a bit on, you know?

for all intents and purposes no one is big in Los Angeles, the city is too big to allow it. Everyone loves Sa-Ra, Busdriver, Jay Dee (new LA transplant), among countless others

Yeah, it’s not like you’ve thrown away the original but it’s very ‘you’ at the same time. Then again, like Coldcut themselves, it’s hard to pigeon hole you. Carlos Niño played Mia Doi Todd & Adventure Time - ‘Amor’ at the Worldwide Awards party. Is that coming out and how long have you known Frosty (the other 50% of Adventure Time with Daedelus) & Mia?
When I heard that Carlos played that remix at the Worldwide awards it was an amazing moment also fraught with risk knowing that he played a track not even released in 2005! Happily, it is out soon as part of a remix collection of Mia Doi Todd on Plug Research records. Adventure Time is Frosty and myself, and has been releasing random records and remixes for the past couple of years, but I’ve known Frosty since University, and he started Dublab.com making a home for a lot of us in the greater Los Angeles community.

Apart from the trip to Japan in April, what else are you getting up to in the new year?
Touring the great mess that is the United States for a little while before Japan, during March mainly. As well, in June I’m going to attack the UK and Europe, after that it’s hard to say, but happily in the period there will be some debuting, if all works out, a new group out later this year on Ninja Tune called the Long Lost. That is a love sound.

Apart from Daedelus what/who is big in LA at the moment?
That is kind of you to say, but for all intents and purposes no one is big in Los Angeles, the city is too big to allow it. Everyone loves Sa-Ra, Busdriver, Jay Dee (new LA transplant), among countless others. As for tunes, it seems like if you were to be at just about any club and drop a hot Cumbia track the kids go crazy, but that is just the cross section of people partying I think.

So as we leave Daedelus admiring the view out of his window, you can see he won’t be inactive for too long. Whether it’s out gigging in the US, Europe or Japan, clubbing in LA, on the remix or producing his own material as a solo artist or as part of a group, Daedelus is a an exceptional talent that just can’t stop. And we’re very grateful to him for it.

Photo by B+, Daedelus 2005.

Links:
More information on the LIVE dates and Keepintime at www.ninjatune.net/live
Ninja Tune www.ninjatune.net
Daedelus www.daedelusdarling.com
Daedelus @ Myspace www.myspace.com/daedelusdarling
November Tour
the 3rd in Leeds at the Hi-Fi Club
the 4th in Bristol at the Cube
the 6th in London at the ICA with Fink (Live) and Coldcut (Djs)
the 8th in Sheffield at the Student Union
the 9th in Poitiers, France at the Confort Moderne with Seth P. Brundel and Algorithm
the 10th in Paris, France at the Nouveau Casino
the 11th in Metz, France at the Les Trinitaires
the 12th in Colmar, France appearing at the Hiero Festival along with Jan Jelinek band, P.Love & Matt Kelly and Fuckaloop http://hiero.colmar.free.fr/supersounds/supersounds2005.htm
Coldcut www.coldcut.net @ MySpace www.myspace.com/coldcut & www.coldcut.net/mailinglist
Seth P. Brundel @ Algorithm www.algocentral.com/artists/Daniel Givens @ MSN
Dubclub @ MySpace www.myspace.com/dubclubla
Busdriver @ MySpace www.myspace.com/busdriverofprojectblowed
Mai Doi Todd @ MySpace www.myspace.com/miadoitodd
Adventure Time @ Myspace www.myspace.com/adventuretime
Gilles Peterson :: Tracklisting 25.12.05 WW Awards Part 2: WW All Star Selectors 2005:
11, Carlos Niño (Ammoncontact, Build An Ark, Hu Vibrational, Dwight Trible & The Life Force Trio)
TRACK CHOSEN: Mia Doi Todd & Adventure Time - ‘Amor’ (Plug Research)
Plug Research www.plugresearch.com