Interviews

Favourite Fives: Justin Robertson

If you’ve had any kind of interest in dance music over the past 20 odd years then you’ll know that Justin Robertson is pretty much Acid house / Balearic / Techno / Whatever-they’re-calling-it-this-week, royalty. Not that we believe in a monarchy but you know if we had to choose a royal family, Justin would be up there waving from the Balcony of Buckingham Palace with Andy Weatherall and all the other knights of the turntables (no not you DLT).  However, unlike most world famous DJs Justin doesn’t dress like a bi-curious hairdresser or a failed NME hack, no he makes a real effort and more often than not resembles a modern day Errol Flynn, a strong look which elevates his already legendary status even further in our eyes. Not one to rest on his laurels Justin is still bang at it and releases the Ritual Ep on his own Solitary Cyclist label this month. As well as that his new project Daniel Avery and The Deadstock 33s (which is one of the best things we’ve heard in ages – listen) has an EP out on Optimo in December as well as appearing on on Matt Walsh’s new compilation ”Clouded Vision Experiment” and Jennifer Cardinni’s Correspondent label comp. The new year will see a Deadstock 33s single (or two) before their debut album in March. Despite all this musical graft he has found time to do us a most excellent favourite five.

Item of clothing

RRL neck scarf.

I seem to spend a considerable amount of time trawling about for music and clothes, I don’t dig fashion per se, but I like clothes and I’m interested in ”style” I guess? It’s a real part of what I am, and what I am essentially is schizophrenic, so I tend to get into something then try and get as many variations on the theme as I can. So this month I’m channeling some kind of Demob Biker explorer come ranch hand mountaineer, so I’m loving my rugged neck scarf vibes. I have a great RRL one that seldom leaves my neck.

Book

Turn Off Your Mind.

I’ve been having a decidedly mystical few months, I read ‘Turn off your mind’ by Gary Lachman, a brilliant insight into the darkside of the 1960’s, connecting musicians and key figures of the counter culture with esoteric mysticism and the dark arts. It got me into reading and re reading some tomes about those often bonkers individuals, I also revisited ”All Quiet on The Western Front”, war is bad, really bad. 

 Music

Cheval Sombre / Fionn Regan.

This is the toughest one. I am a incurable trainspotter, and as a result I don’t really have one particular favourite record. I certainly have a clutch of tunes I keep coming back to, but i often find myself going through phases, where i get obsessed by a particular sound. Recently I’ve decided that some of the Space Rock stuff I dug as a kid isn’t at all embarrassing, in fact i went to see Gong last week, and Daevid Allen at 74 has still got it, I’m also feeling the melancholy of sparse folk and general beard music, so I’m going to say ” couldn’t do ” by Cheval Sombre or ”Dogwood Blosom” by Fionn Regan, we’ve been talking about doing a Drone Folk project…

Art 

Geraldine Swayne.

As an antidote to vacuous money obsessed Brit art and ham fisted street artists, I’ve been digging some classic painting. I go to the Tate Britain once a month to get some Turner in me! some brooding terrifying stuff on display. I love Odilon Redon best at the moment, some fantastical and psychedelic moments in his work. Geraldine Swayne is my fave modern painter, she has a similar unsettling quite magical approach.

 

Something else

Monty.

My dog Monty, my second favourite living thing.

thedeadstock33s-justinrobertson.com

 

3 Comments

  1. Pingback: . Geraldine Swayne | Rembrandt's Dog

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  3. Swiss James

    Just listening to this Daniel Avery / Deadstock 33s track- quality stuff, sounds like the Phantom Band doing a road movie soundtrack.

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