Interview with Chris Finke - 11th Hour Technology

Many people world-wide look up to London and the UK as a place where Electronic Music and the culture surrounding it are accepted into the mainstream. Clubs and record labels are run efficiently with business sense and direction, and form a significant and well respect sector of the UK's infamous music industry. The capital and majors cities of the country all offer some kind of Electronic Music night on every day of the week, and often more than just the one. Foreign scenes are envious. Yet, anyone who has been to the UK may have noticed something missing in all of this, although just what, it is hard to pin down.

Have the original impetuses of the UK scene (such as unity, quality music, expression and opportunity) been forgotten in the rush to become successful, professional, more mainstream, and ultimately make money? To quote a previous interviewee (Kenny Hawkes), 'It used to be the MUSIC business, now it's more like the music BUSINESS.' And anyone who has had dealings with the UK is likely to have realised these changing attitudes, for better or for worse. But what about the people who listen to, and play the music - the foundations of the scene where any progress or new ideas should be coming from? For sure, there is no shortage of musical talent or devoted fans in all genres, but yet it seems that it is only the same artists and djs playing the same music at the same clubs all over the country. Whether deliberately or not, people are creating musical monopolies and it's all a little stagnant. Surely someone must be trying to do something different, new or fresh? Look hard enough and you might spot a new club night or dj, but more often than not they won't be around for long. FLUX however, a new Techno club night now based in London - perhaps the hardest scene to break into - is attempting to remedy such problems, and intends to be around for some time.

We are very proud to present Chris Finke, resident dj and joint promoter of FLUX to share his views on the UK scene, his club night and running it, and the sound of Techno now.

11th-hour How did you get to the stage you are now at, and where did it begin?

Chris Finke Well, I'm 25, live in Northampton, I've been involved with dance music on and off for about 12 years. I'm essentially a Hip-Hop dj (I've twice been in the UK DMC championships), and I first started playing Techno in late 1992. At that time, I hadn't been djing out for long and mostly played raves and clubs in the Midlands and the North. I used to go to LOST in the early days and it was there that I got the bug. I remember playing at the Que Club in Birmingham in front of 2000 screaming monkeys who wanted some "hardcore jungalism" and I turned up and played a Techno set. I just managed to play my 4th record when the promoter pulled me off (not physically, you understand (!)-I was asked to leave…). From there I played at loads of similar places, as people like Dave Angel were getting booked more at that sort of thing it was a bit easier. But I was just getting pissed off with the drugged up idiots and short-sighted arrogance of the promoters so I just left the scene completely. Oh, and I was a lazy bastard as well, which didn't help. I went back to college and ended up as a hotel manager eventually. When I left hotels, I got into radio djing (yes-the Tony Blackburn sort of thing!), and I still do voice over work now. I was still playing the odd place-I had a couple of residencies in the midlands playing Hip-Hop, Breakbeat etc but only because I got asked to, not because I actively went out to promote myself. I got back into djing properly a couple of years ago and started FLUX in the Midlands. We did some parties and I got back into djing. From there it just grew and the only place to really make any waves is in the capital, so I moved FLUX to London in March this year, hooking up with my mate Andi who now runs it with me.

11th-hour How would you summarise the ethos that underlies everything that Flux is?

Chris Finke We want to put on parties for people who want to go out and have a good time and listen to good music. I think we have a much more open music policy than a lot of other UK "Techno" nights and that's the way we want to be, to put a less "elitist" slant on a Techno night and get back to HAVING FUN in a club, which sadly for me is something that is often overlooked. I really don't want to be stuck in a position where I want to book an act or DJ but can't because it might alienate a lot of our crowd. If we state this now, it will be easier for us to operate this way in the future and easier for us to hook new people who before may not have looked at going out to a Techno club in the past.

11th-hour Why and how do you think the London Techno scene has evolved this current of state of what may be described as 'Hyper-mediocrity'?

Chris Finke I think that the main reason that the UK scene is in the state it is in is because a lot of people - clubbers AND promoters - have forgotten that at the end of the day, it is all about going out, meeting people, dancing to music and having a good time. So many of the clubs you go to you see moody head-nodders staring at the floor and I really want to get away from all that "Techno train-spotting" as this, in my mind has impeded the growth of the UK scene.

11th-hour How does the music and atmosphere at Flux differ from that of other clubs, and in your eyes is this an improvement on what is already present, or simply an alternative?

Chris Finke Well for a start from day one I wanted the music and crowds at flux to reflect the sort of person that I am and my friends are. I wanted to make it as fun and stress-free as possible so that you were smiled at on your way in, taken care of whilst in the club (ie-the music is of the highest quality, presented in such a way to keep you entertained) and you go home feeling like you've had a good time and haven't wasted your money.

11th-hour There is a strong presence of Detroit Techno is your line-ups, especially with tomorrow nights (25/08/01) party in conjunction with Underground Resistance. Why is this, and how does it tie in with your mentality? Is it fundamental to the Flux mentality in any way?

Chris Finke Yes and no. Yes because so many styles and genres of music go to make up the Detroit sound, exactly the same way we play across the board at FLUX. There are far too many people who think that going out and listening to Techno means being pummelled by a relentless kick-drum, and it's a shame. Yes also because they work so hard and believe in what they are doing so strongly, and that is similar to us in that we are pulling out all the stops to make FLUX work. No, because some of those Detroit boys are DEEEEEEEP when it comes to music and they way they run their lives, and that's just not me at all. Don't get me wrong - I can train-spot with the best of them, but the majority of my mates - both at home and in the industry - aren't like that. Another point is that I have never lived in Detroit and never will do, so consequently I haven't encountered the problems they have and continue to encounter in their lives and cant even imagine what it is like. Before speaking to them, I always thought that a lot of it was hype, but the fact is that it IS that raw over there. One of the UR guys told me recently that if you don't have a criminal record in Detroit it is now legal to carry a firearm. WHHOOAA! I'm sorry but I'll stick to sunny blighty thank you very much! That's just something that I can't get my head round. If there's ever a fight in a pub or club when I go out I'm always the first under the pool table and I don't mind admitting it…

11th-hour The market for Techno clubs in London - if not the UK - seems to be dominated by long running and already well established club nights, with new nights coming and going with the seasons. What makes you think that there is room for Flux, and in particular what type of person are you most interested in targeting, who might be interested in coming along?

Chris Finke Topless women, lots of them. The fact is, that if you go Europe or wherever, there are so many Techno nights all operating in a very small area and I really don't see why that can't be the case here. It all comes down to money and "programming" at the end of the day. If you have the money to put on a party but get the programming all wrong, then you aren't giving the people what they want which is why, I'm sure, that so many promoters have fallen by the wayside. We listen to people and find out what they want and try to give it to them.

11th-hour What are the lasting qualities of Flux? How will you make people still return to your nights in a year's time?

Chris Finke As I said before, it's a case of giving people what they want. The fact is, that FLUX is not going to corner itself into sticking to a pure Techno music policy because it's not where we come from and it wouldn't be commercially sensible in the long run. Look out for people like Sneak, Derrick Carter, Slam, Felix da Housecat etc to be slotted into the programming alongside the "pure" Techno DJs in the future, because we want to open up more and more people to the scene and if we can get them interested with these guys (who play a lot of Techno and mix it up across the board - just like FLUX), then its easier to educate them (I hate using that word) with the "Techno" guys. I'm sure that I'll get slated from a number of die-hard purists out there for saying that, but that's the way it is going to be, because as I said in the first place, the idea of this is to give people a good time. Something I'm so happy with is that we get a lot of females in at FLUX-it's difficult to do that in Techno sometimes, but we have started well. I don't want to start getting in to the "ladies in free b4 10.30" scenario that our educated cousins on the UK Garage scene have done. And I'm not going to start wearing Moschino denim suits either. I do like champagne, though…

11th-hour How hard has it been to get Flux going from where it came from, to where it is now?

Chris Finke It has been incredibly hard, both in terms of money and time. If anyone is sitting there and is considering putting on parties of this scale before building up to it with smaller ones, then for gods sake don't do it, because nine times out of ten it wont work, and that's a fact. Think of all the 'one offs' and disappearances of promotions over the years and you will realise this is true. It's a lot of hassle and the rewards are minimal. The fact is that when we moved to London, I said "give it 6 months and see how it's going". Even though now we have established ourselves, it is still so hard to keep it going when it seems like you are pissing money up the wall.

11th-hour How important a part of Flux is it to 'nurture' or 'encourage' new up-and-coming talent, and why?

Chris Finke It really important to do it, because that's where the future lies. When you first start out, its difficult to book up and coming talent etc because you are in a catch 22 situation. You need to establish yourself with the bigger names to get the people in, and then you can start to do it. Next year we are really going to make a conscious effort to book some new guys in the main room - I'm getting loads of demos from all over -some of which are astonishingly good and its only fair to give them a go. At the minute, we always have a first timer in the second room, and this is working well. There's a lot of talent out there, and it's a shame there's not enough room for them to play more.

Chris Finke I cannot emphasise how important the residents are to us. For me, I want to create a scenario where the punters are just as excited about hearing us as they are the guests, and we are really going to work on that. Aside from myself, the 2 "main room" residents are Penfold and Ryan Blackman. I've known Penfold for over 10 years now, and he is so dedicated to the music he plays and is a fantastic dj. I've learned so much from him over the years and the man is a gem. Both of us come from a Hip-Hop background, and back in the Midlands, Penfold was a big name in the rave days. He's is a wicked dj, both in terms of technique and he also has such a wealth of knowledge about music. I've only known Ryan for about 9 months now, but I have to say I have never met a more loyal and hard working guy who truly believes in what we are doing. Once again, he's a fucking good solid dj and for these reasons, he was given a residency. We were only going to have Penfold and I for the main room, but thank God Ryan is on board as well because he's a star. The 2nd room guys we have are very strong. Aidy West knows how to work a crowd as hes been doing it for so long and can play any style whatsoever. Its good to have him on board because he's knowledgeable and owns a mail order record outlet, which comes in handy...! Po-Ski, Gavin and Darren from Brixton, again I've only known for a matter of months (I met them at a party in April and got talking and they gave me a CD), but when they came down and rinsed it out at our May party, I knew they were something special. The final two, Grant Perks and Nick Altimas have been with FLUX since day 1 and we have grown up djing together. Grant has the best funk selection this side of Uttoxeter, and Nick is a retired Techno dj that can rock it wherever.

Chris Finke Well in the past I've been compared to a bag of monkey's let loose in a hardware store or a brass band falling down a steep flight of stairs, depending on which night you catch me… What I do is mix up Techno, House and Electro to make my set as FUNKY and interesting as I can. I do a lot of Hip-Hop stuff with 2 copies etc and also a lot of long running mixes - it all just depends on the crowd and the mood. Lots of Latin stuff and mad Electro. Because I've always been into so many different styles of music-aside from the hip hop, jazz, funk, all sorts of electronic stuff, I listen to loads of "indie" stuff and that sort of thing, I'm influenced by all of them. I was actually the singer in a band for a year or so a couple of years ago. I use the word "singer" in its loosest possible terms, though - it wasn't a pleasant experience for anyone that heard me - some have never quite recovered to this day. The SUPER FURRY ANIMALS are wicked - I'm so into their stuff - they use loads of electronic sounds, drums and rhythms and mash it all up with the acoustic stuff and for me, they have made some of the best music I have ever heard. I play a lot of old tracks in my sets - I think that where so many up and coming Techno dj's go wrong is where they think that you have to play the freshest tracks all the way. The fact is that with the way the music is, people have to have something they can identify with or else it just descends into banality. I just think that I've got my own style - that's really important to me and its something that will continue to develop over time. I'd like to think that I'm the Martini of Techno -"any time, any place any where"…!

Chris Finke With out a doubt the dj that I admire the most (in Techno) is Derrick May. The way he spins and the authority he has over the crowd is amazing. It's the way he MIXES his tracks - you could give 3 records to 10 different dj's and him, and he could make them sound completely different to any of the other dj's. People sometimes say "you know what he's going to be playing even before you hear him", but the fact is that most other dj's who play round the world on a regular basis have a pool of records that they go "on tour" with - they only say that of him because he plays records that stick in your head and he presents himself so much better than any of the others. Claude Young has to be the nicest guy in Techno and a baaaaad dj as well. Technically, Bone is the boy - when he plays it's like a science lesson-you just have to watch him to understand what I mean and he makes it look so easy. That's the great thing about Techno - pound for pound our boys would destroy the majority of dj's from the other genres of dance music. Not that I care about it that much - its just an "off the cuff" observation. Even though I'm not into some of the stuff he plays, technically Ben Sims really impresses me every time I hear him - he just oozes confidence and looks like he's having a good time doing it. Outside of Techno, Masters at Work just blow me away every time I hear them. Little Louie Vega is astonishing and it's all over when they get behind the decks. If anyone's in any doubt, just go and catch them next time you get the opportunity. Q-Bert is probably the best dj on the planet though.

11th-hour You DJ abroad a lot. What do you sight as the crucial differences between foreign scenes and that of the UK? Do you think that there is anything one can learn from the other?

Chris Finke To be perfectly honest with you, if I had my way, I wouldn't come back to the UK again. The whole dance music scene is caught up in endless bullshit, and if you ask the majority of US or European djs who come here a lot, they will agree with you. The sad truth is that a great deal clubbers in the UK go out to get fucked-up on drugs and a loy of the time the music is irrelevant to their night out. In a lot of other countries I've been to, the opposite seems to be the case; they go out to have a good time listening to music and the drugs are secondary. I have been around on and off for 12 years now and I am sick and tired of stuck up, arrogant, moody promoters, djs and clubbers who think they are going to change the world by keeping up this pretence that they are better than everyone else and the parties are an excuse to show off how important they are, whilst not having a clue about music. Believe me, I know a few promoters who run some of the high profile "trendy" nights, both in London and further North and they just take the piss…But they're making money, so I suppose as long as people pay to go into their clubs, they can do what they want.

11th-hour If you could go back and start again, what, if anything, would you change about the way Flux was created?

Chris Finke Yes - if I had gotten up off my arse 10 years earlier things would be different, me thinks…! But the way things are, there's not a great deal more Andi and I can do. We're putting the time in, we've got what I think are easily the best resident djs in London (if not the world!) and we are forging a nicely presented, no-nonsense party night where people come along and have a good time dancing to some of the best djs and acts on the planet.

11th-hour In an ideal world with no financial or social constraints, how would you create the ultimate club?

Chris Finke Oh, now you're talking! Mondays thru-to Thursday nights would be Bingo, Saturday nights would be "old-time music hall" and theme nights, such as "Hawaiian night" and " the Roaring 20's". Sundays would, of course be available for functions, such as christenings, children's parties and bar mitzvahs… In house master of ceremonies? Who else, but friend to the stars-the irrepressible Kenny Lynch! Seriously, though, I think the only way to do it would be somewhere along the lines of the Paradise Garage in Chicago, where Larry Levan created the perfect club over a period of time, where he was given carte blanche do whatever he wanted. He worked 8 days a week focussing on everything from the sound system, right down to the minute details of the décor. From what I've read and heard about that place, it was, as you said, "the ultimate club".

11th-hour What are your intentions for Flux both in the long and short-term future?

Chris Finke To build on what we have started here in London and further a field, to continue to book djs and acts who haven't played here before, but who we feel have got something to say. We just want to continue to get away from the idea that Techno doesn't have to be serious and moody, and to try to turn as many people on to the scene as we can. I'm not from the school that says, "if you promote a Techno night, you can't advertise it". If we had the money, we'd be advertising it on TV if it meant reaching more people. We are putting together a FLUX European tour for this winter and next Spring, which I'm really excited about. Actually, we are also going to the Far East, so I suppose its more of a world tour. I'll have to get some t-shirts made up and hire a washed up longhaired old Judas Priest roadie to carry the gear if it carries on…Then there's the label - FLUX RECORDINGS that will take it to the next level. It will reflect the music played at the parties and feature tracks from both established artists and new talent from around the world. Were hoping to get going with it within the next 4 or 5 months, but it could be longer. There's no point rushing into it and doing anything like this half-arsed. One thing I will say is that it's not going to be your usual "oh, we've got a night going, lets do a label as well" type of thing, its going to be a well thought out, sleek operation - something we can be proud of and somewhere that artists can be proud to put out tracks on. That's something that I really respect with LOST - they've got the club nights and labels, they've developed their sound, and they go hand in hand so well together. Although ive made some ans play them out when I play, I'm not putting out tracks myself for a while as I'm just getting to grips with production and wont do anything for "public consumption" until im really happy with them. As for who we are looking at to record for us, well 2 of the artists in particular we're really excited about working with and but I'm not saying any more.

Chris Finke I'm concentrating at the minute on dj gigs. It's something I really enjoy and I'm happy to be doing. I've got a lot to say for myself behind the decks and ill play anywhere and everywhere. Because I mix it up, I'm getting quite a few bookings in House and Tech-House clubs which is great because I can play a good varied set and promote Techno in a positive way. As I said before, I really like playing abroad, and I've got gigs coming up in all sorts of places, such as Spain, Israel, Germany, Belgium, Singapore, Cleethorpes… I'm starting to get quite a few gigs in the UK now as well, which I'm quite happy about. As soon as this year is out of the way, I'm going to really throw myself into production -it's the obvious next step and I've really only just started to feel my way around the studio. I play the drums and have a really good working knowledge of how tracks are constructed, but I've got such a lot to learn.

Thnaks to Chris for sharing his thoughts...... Nice one!

Chris Finke is 25 years old, lives in Northamptonshire, and has been DJing for over 10 years. Beginning his career as a hip-hop and electro DJ (he has twice entered the DMC UK Mixing Champs.), he went to his first "rave" at the age of 15 and was hooked on dance music immediately. Between the years of 1991 and 1994, he played at countless clubs, raves and parties all over the UK, at venues such as the legendary ECLIPSE, The QUE CLUB and MILWAUKEES, alongside residencies at THE VAULT, and his own HEADPHUNK in the midlands (as well as guesting in Europe and in Canada). Becoming increasingly disenfranchised with the way the UK "clubscene" was developing, Chris decided to concentrate on his chosen career, first in hotel management, and afterwards as a radio DJ and voice over artist and put his Djing on hold.

After a 4-year hiatus, Chris decided to return to the DJing, but knew the only way to make any inroads into the highly competitive scene was to promote his own events, and the first "FLUX" event was held in Birmingham at the end of 1997. With a strictly "Quality Techno and Electronic Music" policy, the "FLUX" nights have now moved to London, and is set to become the most exciting new promotion in the capital, playing host to world class guest DJs, such as CLAUDE YOUNG, DJ BONE, SUBURBAN KNIGHT, ROBERT HOOD, OCTAVE ONE, and a forthcoming live set from the legendary PHUTURE 303. The FLUX record label will be launched in mid 2001, reflecting music from the FLUX nights, and featuring tracks from both established producers, as well as new up and coming talent including Chris himself. The aim with the FLUX parties is to try to put the funk back into the London techno scene-too many nights are booking the same DJs who play the same records all night, and Chris is purposely steering away from this trend, booking DJs and artists who make Quality music with a big following but aren't getting gigs in London

As for his Djing style, Chris combines his hip-hop skills with seamless blending as he mixes all forms of techno; from pure deep Detroit and Latin style house, techno and electro, to harder edged tracks. On his style and technique, Chris comments: "No matter what the style of music I am playing, the most important thing I do is keep it FUNKY. There are too many "techno" DJs who play hard for the sake of it, but at the end of the day, no matter how technically good you are behind the decks, there's no funk whatsoever in just playing linear beats and monotonous loops all night long. I always put 110% into everything I do-I don't plan my sets, I watch the crowd, I don't play obvious records, and I'm not afraid to take risks behind the decks. I like surprising people-I make sure I keep them on their toes and make it as exciting as I can".

FLUX is a London-based organisation committed to promoting and producing the finest "QUALITY TECHNO and ELECTRONIC MUSIC". Our aim is to put the fun back into "techno" by operating an open music policy, promoting straight-up, no-nonsense attitude free parties for forward-thinking people who want to go out and have a good time. FLUX RECORDINGS, our soon-to-be-up-and running record label, will reflect the music and attitudes of the parties and will feature tracks and mixes from a wide variety of new and established artists.