Myagi:
Yup.

S:
How the hell am I supposed to pronounce your name?

M:
Me yah gee, that's how I pronounce it

S:
Damn I was nearly right at my age

M:
Well how the hell do I pronounce yours? :P

S:
Hehe steelz a wheelz

M:
Ah ok. I got it right :D

S:
Dammit! OK - lets begin...so you have been a busy boy of recently, how many labels have you released on now?

M:
Umm. Right now, 6 - by the summer probably 8...2wars, Pure Phunk, Money Shot, Howlin, West, Splank...later Womp and Play Records.

S:
Which is the one that you was most excited about, be careful it better have the words west in the title...

M:
Well, in many ways west is. The labels releases have been classic tracks instantly, and a lot of the thanks there goes to you.

S:
Stop kissing butt and tell me the truth :P

M:
HA! Well, each label I work with brings something different to the table to be honest. Each one promotes in a different way, and makes the job easier on the others. I've caught SOME flak for being a "label slut"....

S:
Never!

M:
Heh - a bit. Don't mind at all man. Overall, its a good move on my part....I write a lot of different stuff.

S:
Too right, I would be most chuffed to get one on Howlin, Freddy Fresh has always been a bit of an icon for me.

M:
Yeah, totally. Freddy is an easy one to work with. Great guy. Howlin has some TOTAL classics buried on it...

S:
How the hell did you blag that one?

M:
Heh - I got an email from a mate that was happened to include Freddie's address. I emailed him about sending some tracks down and he responded immediately. That was it really. He was interested in putting out home listening tracks as much as DJ tools. The first one I put out with him was very much a home listening one - I wrote it on my MPC [2000] with a bass and my guitar. That was "I got beat up by a 303"...the second one, "skank o matic" was much more a dancefloor one...it went really quickly....I've only got one copy left for myself. :(

S:
Yeah I picked up both and didn't know who you was for the first one, your style seems to be never really fixed as one sound, can you describe the Myagi stuff?

M:
Well, funky. Be it a deep funk or a pounding one, or a big beaty over the top one, its always got a bit of funk to it. I've always been rooted in both electronic stuff and live stuff, and I've always had a song like structure...a bit of a verse/chorus/verse/chorus kinda thing.

S:
Are you classically trained you play bass etc?

M:
Nope, not at all. I play bass a bit, guitar a bit, etc., but I've always just grabbed whatever instrument I wanted to play and noodled around with it until I could do it and sample it.

S:
Oh, that sounds a bit rude really but lets not go there. Can I ask the customary hardware/software question? I'll ask the bootleg one later.

M:
HA! ummmm...yeah - hardware vs. software...heh...I USED to care to be honest, but I don't anymore. I had the typical luddite approach for years....that software just COULDN'T cut it. That's not true anymore. Given the ideal set of circumstances, I would use nothing but outboard, I just prefer it....but space and money in mind, its easier to use software, and if you KNOW how to get good sounds (as opposed to being a preset whore), then you can use software very effectively.

S:
Too true, a lot of big tunes being written that way. So, kit list?

M:
Outboard: Akai MPC 2000 XL, Roland SH-7, Roland MC-303 (silver doorstop), Korg Poly 800, Juno 1, Oberheim DX, I think that's it for now...I sold off some of my stuff moving around during university. As for VSTs, those stay secret - I've got a lot of weapons in the vault :P

S:
I like the way you have your two guises, personally I find it hard enough just doing one but every now and then Sole Claw seems to poke his evil head out. Is it just a bad day your having?

M:
HEHE...nah. :P everything starts as a Myagi track...then if it goes dark, a bit techy, it becomes a Sole Claw one.

S:
Does everyone know you are The Claw?

M:
Pretty much yeah. The thing is, despite the fact that most releases are just singles with a remix, its hard to really have many things out at once without confusing people. Sole Claw was a method for me to do that.

S:
There seems to be a good group of people out now writing and supporting the funk, any everyone seems to help and talk to each other to keep that scene going as well as remixes etc, whose doing it for you at the mo'?

M:
Circuit breaker, yourself, Simon Paul and Price Cuts...really the predictable consortium of us I guess.....Ced Benoit, Sgt Rock. I love anything the sarge touches - great stuff. I think as the market has changed over the last few years some people have really gotten back into putting proper hooks into tracks. Atomic Hooligan as well are doing ace stuff - its got the funk but its techy enough to keep the nu skool heads satisfied.

S:
I have told you once now, flattery will not get you an advance on west you know :P but yes, the sarge is on form, he doesn't get the releases he deserves. What about remixes? Who you working on at the mo'?

M:
Well, I just did a remix for a woman named Carole Pope, and I'm doing one for a woman named Melleny Melody as well - both are huge chunky dancefloor tools...up next is a track by a group called the beatfreakers - its called Duck and Cover and it's going to be an AMAZING package.

S:
Heh heh, V-Addiciton said the make it loud and remix was a GREAT package, it's a shame my girl friend don't same the same about me. So what tune is out next for you?

M:
Well, there's the "No Skool" remixes on Splank...that's going to be a great one. Scissorkicks did a great mix, and mines a bit of a big beat revival, then there's the one on West, which is a dark techy jungle influenced track

S:
Yes I know the west boys have been releasing a lot of bassline breaks recently, how you feeling about the slide take on it?

M:
Actually, I'm very excited about that one. The Slyde remix is amazing - a little deeper than their other stuff and totally pounding. I've had people beating my door down about it! It's a great track. Good twist on the original, a bit of an acidy feel but in a very tasteful way.

S:
Innit, I didn't expect the outcome but totally stoked with it. How about djing? You're over here soon I know, get to play out much?

M:
Yeah - I play a fair bit. I'm always writing so its great to be able to road test stuff. I'm going to be in the UK in June yeah - three weeks of madness... should be great - I know I'm going to be on the road quite a bit.

S:
Looking forward to it, we are trying to get a full on funk line up for that! Oh yeah...What's your fav track you have made and why?

M:
Hmmm - probably "Smartbomb". It's a Sole Claw track...combines everything I like about breaks; funky, hard, bouncy, deep, loads of edits and cool hooks...big bass and lots of balls. You'd like it too - you like balls.

S:
Heh heh, more than cows anyway! I hear the "fatter" dj's are into it too, good work.

M:
Heh...yeah. :P There's been a lot of support from the big guys on this one....the FingerLickin' camp and all the guys making waves. It's a good feeling.

S:
Your stuff has been firmly in their boxes for a bit though, so I know their standards aren't quite what they used to be. It's amazing who you can pay off nowadays, a cheap whore and drugs gets you a lot of clout.

M:
HA! Too true. :P Ok, one for you...Steelz is a team eh? I didn't know that until about a month ago...who's your better half?

S:
Ahh the other Steelz, yes… There are two of us, we have been best mates since school ad produced for 15 years now at least. Me and Justin, its a blinding studio partnership, we both have our roles and work well together. I'm the only dj though, I'm a little less shit than he is.

M:
Ah right on. Yeah, I've never had that kind of thing. Sometimes I think having a second head in the studio would be good but I've got a good rhythm by myself I guess. I think at points it would slow me down.

S:
Damn right - you're a bit of a God to me and I wouldn't change that for the world. Can I have your children?

M:
No. I told you before.

S:
Ah well. To tell the truth just don't follow the breaks scene at all really, except the bits he hears while I'm doing the radio, it brings a breath of fresh air into the whole thing, I'm making tacks for a scene I love I suppose, he just makes what sounds good. He knows the kit we use inside out and is a blinding keyboard player/synthasist. so he really keeps things motivated, its like a fresh set of ears each time we write, plus he don't mind saying its really shit when its really shit.
But yeah there are time when you got to crack on your own, mix-downs and fiddly bits mainly, him with keyboard parts

M:
The one issue that really sucks for people who are "getting out there" at all is when their mates say everything's great. It's frequently not the case, and honesty about that is a hard thing to come by :)

S:
True, but I find if you give a lot of people honest and constructive criticism they get the arse because you didn't say ooh that's great. Of course it's great you made it! You should be happy with it. But you need some one to comment on mixes arrangements, etc.

M:
Yeah - I've encountered that on message boards a lot. Not to slag off the net in general as a means of exchanging thoughts, but it often leads to people becoming big fish in small ponds. By that I mean people posting tracks and trying to collect the compliments of a few online mates, and forgetting about the other things that really matter - does it work on a floor, does it work on the radio, etc.

S:
Indeed.

M:
I used to do that a lot personally. It lead to an introverted style...better to write a dancefloor masher and then go see if it puts the smiles on people like you expect it to.

S:
I think its a good way to start off though, if your confidence is low on whether you write good tunes or not. A lot of producers can have a low self esteem in this way

M:
Oh totally. It has its time and place.

S:
But move on, get some balls and release the bloody thing...that's what we did with West.

M:
That's the key right there. You've gotta recognize that each release is a step forward, but that no track is EVER done, there's always things you'd do differently. I think a lot of guys starting out don't realize that. They want to write the "perfect" track, always. Its never like that.

S:
Too right I learn something new every time.

M:
Me too man. Everything I write, I add something new to my bag of tricks.

S:
That's how you progress!

M:
Yeah totally...its all a question of patience. So - what else to talk about here? State of things? The funk revival? Why do you think it's turning out the way it is?

S:
I think people need some fun on the dancefloor, I don't really do serious stuff, I'm not really that much of a serious person! Personally that's why we started the West thing...to get our own stuff out without getting shafted by the labels anymore....to have a quick turnaround on tunes of your own so you ain't spending half the time punting your on shit round and sweating on it. As it goes it west records has over took us all, and became a good standpoint for a funk and party style.

M:
Yeah, west has taken off really really quickly. :)

S:
Yup. This year we are concentrating on getting the funk to start and a killer remix on every package. So it will satisfy the later sets. I have pretty much tried to write tunes for the funk and warming the crowds up, I like to play those sets when you get them moving, gives you a really good sense of achievement.

M:
Yeah, there was a void in the spectrum that was left open by the fall of the Freskanova style breaks a few years back. Now that the climate is more receptive to that sound, there's a nice momentum behind labels like Lab-Rok, Splank and west, all of whom started at essentially the perfect time with a whatever goes attitude.

S:
Yeah and the good thing is they all talk to each other, it ain't a battle to be who's the best and all that. So far it's stood us in good stead. And got me and the Western Allstars playing at some killer venues. It's kinda funny after all these years of producing and dreaming to be playing some of the most respected breaks clubs in the UK. That is what your doing. You sort of have a reality check every now and then and think, how the fuck did I end up here? But the whole West thing has been built on hard work and hard cash. No P&D's here, you have more control and make you think about your release a lot more before splashing out your dough.

M:
Yeah, I believe it. That's the one thing that's always kept me really chilled out about releasing stuff. I've always worked closely with labels and their managers, and when someone asks for a little tweak here or there, I never end up in arms. The current state of things is better than it was, but it's still tense. A bad release can financially derail a label permanently so you're better off working with people to compromise and put out a quality product.

S:
Well, its good for us as its a core group of people (Hatch, Sam, Myself and Harry) who are all into the same sound, which is a rarity

M:
Yeah - you guys seem pretty tight. I wonder sometimes :P

S:
"homoerotic statements deleted"

M:
HAHAHAHAHAHA...you're 6'6? Jesus!!

S:
No Jesus was shorter . :P