It seemed like Hazard‘s been laying low in recent times, then out of nowhere BOOM: we’re suddenly Rolling On His Level! It was only fitting that we therefore embarked on a tangental tip and incorporated other entities which also rolled into the equation. Such as trams and even Knight Rider. Read on.
Hi Hazard. What’s new in Birmingham apart from the trams?
That’s news to me, I never knew about the trams! Been very busy, have recently moved house, so that’s taken up a lot of my time, on top of looking after the kids etc. It’s taken me a while to properly sort myself out in the new studio space, but got it all up and running now, so feels good to get back on it.
After so long of not being able to do anything I’ve been itching to be productive again.
Any new D&B from Birmingham? It’s just you isn’t it?
I’m gonna have to front this out and admit, I’m not actually in Birmingham anymore; I’ve moved out to Worcestershire now so I’m not as up to date with the city’s scene as much as I perhaps should be!
Tell us how this tune came about, it was a surprise, came out of nowhere, straight on the radio!
Island got in touch a while ago, said they wanted to put a vocal over ‘Bricks Don’t Roll’, offered me some money, so thought Yeah fuck it why not.
Simple as that really!
Who’s the vocalist?
Vocalist is Summer Rayne, she’s someone that Island linked up for the tune, I wasn’t involved in the recording or writing. They sent me a couple of vocals, which I wasn’t sure worked too well and wasn’t too convinced a top line would fit the track, but heard Summer’s and am happy with how it turned out.
It’s not something you’ll catch me playing in my sets but it’s cool to hear a different take on one of your tunes.
So what work surrounds you right now, must have loads for an album?
I’d love to do an album, but I’m just not there yet. I never have enough quality material lined up that I’m 100% happy with where I can just accumulate it into an album. I’m so busy at weekends with gigs, and wanna spend as much time as possible with my family, it’s just not easy to take on a project that big, it requires so much commitment.
Saying that though, I am sat on tunes ready to go, so you’ll be hearing new stuff from me soon, just not an album… yet.
Where have your travels taken you of late… what places are into D&B and what changes are afoot in terms of taste and what goes down well?
I’m a terrible traveller, get really bad travel / motion sickness so I really try and keep my gigs abroad down to a minimum. I stick to the UK gigs, so, frustratingly I don’t see what goes down well in different places around Europe that often.
I try and keep my sets as spontaneous as possible, just turn up and play what I want depending on my mood, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what certain places prefer and particular tunes that go well, it tends to be a bit of a blur after a set.
In terms of changes in D&B, while I was moving house and setting up my new studio space, I was spending more of my time listening to a lot of the stuff coming out.
The production just keeps getting better and better, hearing the standard of the mixdowns coming out made me really hungry to get back in the studio.
Do you have Three tunes that sum up your state of mind right now? Old and new, what you may be feeling, what inspires, what blows you away, any genre.
Joe Esposito ‘You’re the Best Around’
Survivor ‘Eye of the Tiger’
Knight Rider Theme
Hazard image by Chelone Wolf