Interview With Simon Caldwell

This week I caught up for an interview with Simon Caldwell, who is in my mind one of the more refreshing DJ's to come out of Sydney.

He will be playing this weekend at the birth of Callitech and we've asked him to play a different side of Simon.

Andrew Says: If you were an animal what would you be?

Simon Says: Something endangered ;)

Andrew Says: Favourite food?

Simon Says: Japanese

Andrew Says: How would you best describe your sound?

Simon Says: I play lots of different stuff, from hip hop through to Detroit techno. I also love deep house, funk, jazz and soul. There aren’t really boundaries between these styles in my mind.

Andrew Says: Vinyl or digital?

Simon Says: Vinyl 99% plus a few CDs…

Andrew Says: Where do you shop?

Simon Says: Spank Records, Redeye Records, etc

Andrew Says: What are your thoughts on producing, Have you produced, are you producing or do you see yourself strictly as a DJ?

Simon Says: I have done a little bit of production with other people and I would like to pursue it more, although I think producing and DJing are very different.

Andrew Says: What local DJ’s do you respect at the moment? Are there any noteworthy up & comers to keep an eye out for?

Simon Says: Jamie Lloyd & Jimi Polar, Cynik, Paradise Lost Crew...there are always plenty of good new people…

Andrew Says: What international DJ’s do you really respect?

Simon Says: Chris Duckenfield, Charles Webster, Dixon, Claude Young, Dan Bell…

Andrew Says: Electronic music has gone through a myriad of genres, fads & trends. In your opinion what is the key element/thread shared between artists & tracks that become timeless classics?

Simon Says: Tricky question… a lot of it has to do with timing, and not being a ‘genre’ track (except maybe a ‘defining’ track) – something that stands out as unique.

Andrew Says: In playing overseas, what are the key differences that you have experienced between the Aust club scene and that of Europe?

Simon Says: In Europe people tend to be a bit better informed about music, plus perhaps more open to music. Music (including electronic music) is much more part of the wider culture there.

Andrew Says: What do you think will happen in the Aust electronic music scene in the next 5 years, and how can Australia push greater quality in all aspects of the scene?

Simon Says: I think there is a lot of quality in the local scene. There always has been. There needs to be proper support for local artists and DJs rather than importing everything and paying all the money in the scene to people from overseas.

Andrew Says: What is the most humourous thing that has happened to you whilst DJing?

Simon Says: Being asked for the track that’s already playing is always a bit of a giveaway about the state of the requestor. I once got handed a joint about a foot long while I was playing – there were many incriminating pictures taken… but of course I didn’t inhale…

Andrew Says: What do you do through the week?Do you have an alter ego for eg are you an investment banker?

Simon Says: I’m currently studying at uni and operating as a casual international spy (but don’t tell anyone).

Andrew Says: What made you decide to put on your Mad Racket parties?

Simon Says: We all knew each other and wanted a place to play the music that we couldn’t play at other events but which we loved.

Andrew Says: What are your objectives behind Mad Racket?

Simon Says: To put on a party we would really like to go to ourselves. It’s simple really.

Andrew Says: Mad Racket is known for it’s local DJs more so than your internationals. How do you believe you developed this cult status that is associated with the Mad Racket name?

Simon Says: I think we share the emphasis between quality internationals (we try to bring people out before they are well known) and locals. Often people say they like the locals more, which is cool, but it’s also good to keep things fresh with diverse international guests. Hopefully it’s more a trust than a cult. People know we will put on an event that they will enjoy.

Andrew Says: What do you see as the key to Mad Racket’s overwhelming success?

Simon Says: Keeping it simple and not thinking about getting rich.

Andrew Says: We’ve noticed the more upper class Mad Racket ‘cocktail parties’ – is this where Mad Racket is heading?

Simon Says: I think we’re keen to just keep putting on solid parties.

Interview With Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google

This one is a little bit off topic but extremely interesting all the same. iinovate - a podcast ran by Stanford business school students - has just recently done an interview with Eric Schmidt, CEO of the Google monster, and it is extremely inspirational & intellectually stimulating for anyone.

Anyway, I'll just let Eric do the talking...here it is!