This week’s interview & mix comes from Montel
Introduce yourself and tell us about the part of the UK you’re from?
Hi, my artist name is ‘Montel’ and my real name is Ric McClelland. I’m from Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.
Tell us about some of your British DJ heroes?
WOW tough question. As the UK is the literally the epicentre of Dance Music and Rave culture there has been many guys who have inspired me over the years. Guys who were around from the very early days like Carl Cox, Danny Rampling, John Digweed, Sasha, Joey Negro were always a big inspiration. As we progressed into the 00’s guys like Yousef, Paul Woolford, Ralph Lawson, Danny Howells really caught my attention. But I also have to mention eclectic DJs like Gilles Peterson!!
What have you been working on recently?
Lots of new original material for the likes of Viva Music, Bedrock, Stereo Productions and a new label I’m running called Misfit Music.
Tell us about the mix, how did you put it together, what did you want to represent?
There’s always amazing music coming out of the UK, so its great to have the opportunity to showcase that in a mix. The mix was put together like all my mixes, trying to condense a 2 – 3 hr club set into one hour. Getting the right beginning, middle and ending and building around that. All done live, 1 take on cdjs, which is exactly how I play in a club. No gimmicks.
Talk us through the British music featured in this mix? Which British artists are you most excited about?
The entire mix is made up of British music. It features a lot of tracks from Bedrock. The label owned by DJ legend, John Digweed. John is someone I’ve worked a lot with over the last few years and the direction he is moving the label in is amazing. Away from the old dated progressive image and showcasing proper House & Techno from great artists like Citizenn, Harvey McKay, Jamie Anderson and myself of course. The mix also features some new music from me, Jansons and Senzala.
What is on the cards in the immediate future?
Starting up my own label in conjunction with a big club event I’m involved with in my home city, Belfast. The night is called Misfit, it’s every Friday at a club called Thompsons Garage. The club has been going for 20 years and I have been involved with it for over 10 years. It’s great to be starting the label now as we have so much talent and big names passing through.
Where is the best place in the world you have DJ’d and why?
I really enjoy playing in Dubai. I’ve played there around 7 or 8 times over the years. It has a very multicultural crowd. People from all over the world base themselves there for work. Most are clued into the club scene and DJs and love to party. Plus the weather is amazing most of the year, so it’s nice to get a few days downtime when you’re there and re-charge.