Q: You mentioned the On U Sound System connection. What was it like working with those guys?
A: It was brilliant. Really good. It was a lot lot better than working in a commercial studio, where I'd been before. For a start the music was okay. Most of the time we were working on people like Adrian Sherwood, Little Axe and Bim Sherman. Then you had people coming in like Asian Dub Foundation to do songs with them. The best thing about it was that you were working with the same people week after week and you got to know each other's ways of working. I left there because I needed to learn how to use different desks and they had a completely analogue set up. But within about six weeks of my next job I realised that I didn't really want to be an engineer at all. I'd had it so good at On U and I just got put on some songs doing some proper pop music. The hours are the worst - you get no life at all. So I got out and tried to concentrate on making music, which is why I'd taken the job in the first place.

Q: So why breaks? What was it about the sound which led you in that direction?
A: Well, I'd hada record released before the Kasha thing [Sawtooth - The Dragon E.P.] which was on A Guy Called Gerald's label, Juicebox, and was drum 'n' bass. The record I gave them sounded more like speeded up breakbeat; there was quite a lot going on with it and it was quite melodic. That was the only thing I did for them 'cos the label closed and I realised I didn't want to be making d 'n' b anyway. I guess with breaks I couldn't really imagine myself making any other kind of dance club DJ music because of all of the styles it's the most open to new and original ideas and variety. It's great that you can go to a breakbeat night and have one breakbeat DJ after another and they'll all be completely different. I was at the End a couple of weeks ago and you had DJ Tamsin with the driving old skool hardcore stuff followed by Freq Nasty doing his thing followed by Phil Kieron who's totally different again. Nobody bats an eyelid at the different styles. Personally I can't go somewhere for five or six hours and listen to music that's all the same style. Also the tempo means there's quite a lot of things you can do there depending on what influences you put into a track. It can be quite progressive or quite driving. Because of the diversity no-one's going to turn round to you and say it's meant to be like this or like that.

Q: What's your view on the state of breaks at the moment?
A: I think it's really strong. It would be nice if there was a little bit more of it about. I don't know why that is - if we need more labels to set up or more new faces to appear. Really good stuff that you're really into can be quite thin on the ground and I believe it's wrong to play music just because it's new. If you're a DJ you've really got to have your own style and that narrows down the number of records you'd want to play. There is enough for people to have their own style.

Q: Every year people say that breaks is about to become the Next Big Thing and each year it never quite happens, although the signs often seem to be there..
A: It's because it's quite diverse. It's really difficult to put your finger on what breaks is. For a lot of people if they're going out for a night they like to know what they're going to get. They know what they like and that's what they want. Maybe because there is such a diversity in breaks there's a lot of melodic lighter stuff which for one person is breakbeat and then at the other end you've got the minimal two step stuff. That's what I really like about it but I don't know if that stops the scene getting bigger. It's an amalgamation of lots of different styles of music so it should be pretty big, but because those other styles are more honed down people are perhaps able to get into them more.

Q: So what's next for you after "Europa"?
A: I've got something coming out on Botchit & Scarper. They're known for their sound so I wanted to do something a little bit harder. It's called Echo Babylon and it's quite dubby with some kind of Satanist chanting in the middle which I really really like but I'm not sure if anyone else will....

Q: So what is this? Are you trying to become breakbeat's answer to Judas Priest?
A: Well, you never know... Eventually I really do want to get back into playing live music so it could be time for some rock 'n' roll! Maybe a breakbeat opera!

Q: Anything else?
A: I'm doing a track with G because he's doing an album. That's going to be very dancefloor. I'm also working with Vlad from Breakneck. We've only spent a few days working together so far. I'm also supposed to be doing a track for Eukabreaks and I'm helping Commie do an album for Distinctive. I'm very busy at the moment. I also did some stuff with Klaus from 2 Sinners and I'm planning on working with Vigi too. That's the nice thing about everyone I've met who's involved in breaks. Everyone's on a nice friendly level and there's very few egos.

Q: Are there any plans for an album at some point?
A: I really want to do one. I don't know when it's going to happen but I've got ideas already. It would be great to make some stuff which has got all the elements but isn't quite so dancefloor. Sometimes if you're talking about doing a single you can't go too far in one direction... It would be nice to experiment with some different tempos and stuff which is not quite so formula. Hopefully it'll happen sooner rather than later.