Interview with Craig Richards: Part 2

Part 1 | 2

What were your beginnings like as Tyrant [Craig’s collaboration with Lee Burridge and Sasha]? What did the three members have in common?

Friendship, really. All of us played different styles of music, so it was pretty much just one encounter and our friendship that brought us together as Tyrant. It seems so long ago now, it’s pretty much been and gone, hasn’t it?

Do you see a future for Tyrant?

Lee and I have played a couple of times together. It’s difficult because the main thing that split us up was distance. I had my residency in London and I didn’t want to travel, plus I enjoyed being at the club. Lee was travelling, and when he went to America he started to spend more time there, and eventually he got himself an American girlfriend. We just didn’t play together as much, and that was pretty much the only reason why we slowed down and eventually stopped playing together. We have talked about playing together again, but it’s never going to be like it was – and we didn’t really plan for it to go any other way either. In the beginning we played together a lot because we had to share our set time. We played small sets and had one, or one-and-a-half hours between us, so we decided to do it together – we were friends and it was fun. I don’t remember there ever being a plan, necessarily. I try to avoid a plan with most things I do!

'People are starting to use analogue drum kits again, and who knows what else will change? The thing about vinyl is that it is very expensive, and it all depends on how much you care about sound.'

What are your thoughts on the evolution of techno and tech house and how do you see the scene today?

It’s changing a lot. The music is governed by technology, as, in a way, it has always been. I think it’s easier to make music now, but it’s not easier to make great music. From my point of view, you have to listen to a lot more s**t to get to the good stuff these days. I like to play old records as well as newer stuff; the mix of playing old and new is more enjoyable for me. I will play a record that is nine years old and after that, play one that is nine days old.

The music scene tends to be like throwing mud at the wall and hoping some of it will stick – there is such a huge turnover of tracks that if you put up a track on Beatport and nobody buys it, it doesn’t necessarily matter. Whereas I’m a big vinyl lover, and though I do have mixed feelings about records, I do know that if you are going to make a record, you have to be clearer and more attentive about how it’s going to sound – mastering it, cutting it and making a commitment to it as a creative process and a creative result – than if you just churn something out on the computer.

But I think it will change and things will evolve. People are starting to use analogue drum kits again, and who knows what else will change? The thing about vinyl is that it is very expensive, and it all depends on how much you care about sound. If you don’t mind listening to squashed MP3s on your iPod, then it doesn’t matter. It’s like, some people polish their shoes and some don’t. Some people comb their hair and some people don’t. Some people don’t even wash [laughs].

What are your plans for the future – as a DJ, with Tyrant or as a visual artist?

Howie B and myself have been playing at art shows, we just did an amazing one at Royal Academy of Art, set up six decks and four CDJs, and basically played abstract, experimental music and just had fun with it – mostly soundscapes, no beats. I’ve started to paint again and Howie B and myself will be releasing a book that includes my paintings and drawings and some written works that he has done. We’ve been talking about releasing music with that as well.

Part 1 | 2

Craig Richards shook the walls of Zouk on 12 June.