The newest release from Car Crash Set is out today, and the man behind the tracks is Tricky Strutt. As you’ll see in this interview with Disco Droppings, I give the “Slugz/Hot Nightz (It’s In The Air)” release full support. This guy has the club tracks that get better and better with each listen. The above track comes in at about 1:50, via Rinse.fm. Congratulations to Tricky Strutt, may this be a launching pad for your future projects.

DD I receive promos from Car Crash Set and gave your new release a listen. Then I gave it another listen, and another, and another and another. IT’S SOLID. The crisp percussion sits perfectly in these new tracks, the vocal bits are trippy and there’s a consistent sexy atmosphere. You’ll be featured in my next dj set for sure, very hyped. I’m sure I’m not the only one supporting your tunes, I heard one of your tracks on Rinse.FM with Dominique Danielle! With your Slugz/Hot Nightz (It’s In The Air) release out now, how are you feeling?
 
TS First of all let me say thanks for the coverage.
 
The Car Crash set release is really an opener for what I’ve got planned, I hope it shows my two sides, that techier edge on “Slugz” is where I really come from in a dance music sense. Living in Ibiza for two summers really changed my life. However much at the time I wanted to deny it, Ibiza opened up a lot of doors for me, and gave me the opportunity to meet some great people. The Rinse coverage is really down to Georgia Girl of Act Natural Records, big love to her. In general I couldn’t be happier with life at the moment, I’ve just moved to Manchester, which is a big step coming from the south of England, but I had to take a risk and so far everything’s great. I have people I care for around me, and that’s really what life’s about, enjoying yourself with people you love, which I think shows in my music.

 
DD What sparked your interest in electronic music, and were you immediately interested in producing your own material?
 
TS I used to steal my older sister’s tape packs when I was just starting secondary school, listening to UK garage and seeing the scene be pushed out by grime. I started out with 2 turntables and a mixer at around 13, running Fruity Loops into the third channel, not really knowing what I was doing, but after a serious lack of grime music being pressed to vinyl my interest sadly faded for a few years. Then at 18, after watching my friend Anthony show me his tracks made on Reason 3.0, I was hooked. I had a copy within a week and was locked in everyday and have been since.
 
DD Who are your biggest inspirations?
 
TS I think I take inspiration more from my clubbing experiences, not people in particular. In terms of artists it’s all about Wiley, musically he’s untouchable. But it’s really the sounds and different scenes that influence my music. If I’ve been out to a techno/house party, then I want to recreate the sound that’s stayed in my mind when I sit down at the computer. Everyone has certain memories of each night, so if I’ve heard a naughty garage house sounding set that’s going to come across, same as if I’ve been out listening to some deep techno, that’s the vibe I’m going to be reaching for. Maybe this is the reason I’ve switched more to a 4×4 beat lately, for me good alternative music just doesn’t exist in the club world at the moment, especially for the more mature partygoer.

 
DD How would you describe your previous release, “Don’t Leave/S’all Bout You Luv” on Stun & Shock?
 
TS The Stun and Shock release I put out entirely myself, from the artwork to the distribution. I used a friend of a friend, Aran out in Madrid to do the artwork; in his first correspondence with me he asked what my Mayan animal sign was, I didn’t have a clue what he was on about, but it’s crazy stuff like that that I want to hear from people. In my eyes the tracks show my background in music. I didn’t note it on the artwork, but there is a third track on there, it’s grime, instrumental grime. 
I still think of my tracks like video game levels or something, everything has a stage, the intro and half time drop on Don’t Leave shows my love of synth’s, I can’t really liken it to many other tracks and S’all Bout You Luv is a jerky bubbly 2step track. I sampled the same vocal track in both tunes, so it seemed fitting to call it that. Big up to Mariah Carey for that haha!

 
DD You’re developing your own distinct mood with these songs, sounds to me like you have a strong vision of what Tricky Strutt can be. What do you hope to accomplish in 2012?
 
TS To be honest I really don’t know what’s going to happen with Tricky Strutt at the moment, I’ve got loads of Stun and Shock material to release, and I’ve been producing tracks with a guy Jay I met out raving in London. In January I recorded him singing for the first time, I literally met up with him at his house, recorded a track in his spare bedroom and flew down to BM Records Soho to show Eddie and Jimmy who both man the shop upstairs on Saturdays. If you’re shopping in Central London I can’t think of any two guys better to pull some dubs off the wall for you to check out, they know music. So if you don’t know about Jay and Tricky you will!
 
DD Last words? I hope to have you back here on Disco Droppings soon.
 
TS I’ve got to thank everyone that supports me, especially my mum, my dad and my sister, Tom (Goober) Holloway for bringing me and Jay together, Massive big ups to everyone at BM , my new flatmate Peter Carter aka Retrac, and all my friends and fam, you know who you are! Its synchronicity man, google it. And Oh yea, I gotta pocket fulla Goobers and I’m going to the club. Catch me dropping some tunes at The Deadbeat Society Producer Battle, 31st of May..

Tricky Strutt: Facebook Twitter Soundcloud

– Jimi Jaxon