High Torque

We got together with High Torque - master of electronic sounds - for a chat and to find out what he likes and what he doesn't. Turns out he likes quite a lot of things.

How's life treating you?
Not too bad! I’m working down at Cr2 Records, which is wicked and have some exciting DJ bookings coming up. I just need to find more time to write music.

What's the first thing you did this morning?
Had a cuppa.

What inspires you?
Music, life, anything really.

What scares you?
Being deaf. I’m not really sure what I would do.

What's on your iPod?
Lots of live mixes and podcasts. Fresh music is great for sparking ideas.

Do you have any pets?
Nope, I would like a dog but I live in London and work all day.

What's the hardest part of making music?
Getting into the studio.

What other artists do you admire?
Too many to name them all, but Steve Lawler is amazing.

What is your favourite place in the world?
The South Pacific is pretty amazing

Who's better, Superman or Spiderman?
Both are a bit geeky, mind you being able to fly would be pretty handy, so Superman.

Tell us a joke.
My uncle is an agnostic and also suffers from insomnia and dyslexia. He lies awake every night wondering if there really is a dog.

What was the last thing to make you laugh?
A lady working in the supermarket wondering what Sainsbury’s would do if all their staff came down with ‘Swan Flu’.

What’s your proudest moment to date?
Getting my swimming certificate for 5 metres with a float. I was so chuffed at that that I didn’t take it any further. I’m not a very good swimmer.

What's your best trait?
Being laid back. Though it can also be my worst.

What's your worst habit?
Procrastinating.

What's your favourite tipple?
A good old fashioned ale.

What can't you stand?
Warm-up DJs that don’t get the meaning of ‘warm up’.

Tell us something that nobody else knows.
A snail can sleep for 3 years, not a lot of people know that. (Spank is suitably amazed and sort of wants to sleep for three years too.)

When was the first time a song made you go "WOW!"?
The first album I bought was Michael Jackson ‘Off The Wall’ on cassette. I remember being pretty blown away.

Why did you start making music?
I loved music and was intrigued to know how it was made, so decided to give it a go.

Where are the next five years going to take you?
I’m working as an artist scout for Cr2 Records and will hopefully get to meet a lot of cool people and listen to fresh and exciting music.

What's more important nowadays – skills or hype?
Skills are essential to get noticed by the right people, but hype creates the superstars.

Do you have any regrets?
Nope, whatever it is, it’s in the past

Ever made a fashion faux pas?
Like most of us in the 80s I had a shell suit, but not everyone’s was purple. (Actually, mine was too)

Use the word Spank in a sentence.
It’s been a long time since I was last spanked, take that how you like.