Name: Tristan Watkins
Age: 30
Live: Brixton (centre of the known universe, as Rob Taylor would have it)
Born: St. Merryn, Cornwall, UK
Other towns lucky enough to see the back of me: Santa Monica and Burbank, CA;
Ann Arbor, MI; Seattle, WA; Iowa City, IA; Baltimore, MD; Washington D.C.
Into Techno since: 1990
Growing up near Pasadena, Depeche Mode and the like were an ever-present
influence. In my early teens discovered lots more synth pop and alternative
stuff. Mid-teens discovered industrial and Belgian new beat. Took a while to
find lots of other techno in Iowa. Started DJing when I was 17 at the
University of Iowa's radio station and quickly filled the vacant dance music
slot, which I held for five years. Over that time (92-97) went through rave
stuff to trance/ambience to Detroit, Chicago and Berlin. I should be posting
archives of some of my favourite old radio shows in the not-too-distant future,
so keep your eyes peeled. You'll get to hear me sounding like a nervous, hyper,
uber-dork and can cringe with me. Living in Baltimore and DC ('00-'01) became a
lot more accepting of bigger-vocaled coastal house and picked up on broken beat
stuff. Presently buying everything under the sun.
First rave: Quad Cities, IL, '91
Favourite club: Public Life under old ownership/Plastic People
Best crowd: Brixton Techno Mafia - present
BEST PERFORMANCE EVER: we covered that earlier this week
Set that changed my outlook on music forever: Theo Parrish at the first DEMF
Best house track ever: Mr. Fingers - Can You Feel It
Best techno track ever: probably At Les
Most under-rated house/techno producer ever: Wayne Gardiner
Best record so far this year: Dimlite - Runbox Weathers (or whatever it's
called)
Website: http://www.phonopsia.co.uk
