a brief chat with Albion

Staying on track with posts about expert diggers, Albion's superb 'Mixtura vol 1' release on Ambassador's Reception is moments away from landing in stores. Famous for his superior hunting and gathering skills, his mammoth 14 volume 'Mixtura' mix series and his taste for unusual, sexy, Psychedelic Euro & Italo Disco of the hard to find kind, Albion has now also compiled and mixed this serious party disc. It's a disc that will easily please record geeks and freaky dancers alike. Anyway Albion kindly took some time out of his to answer a few questions from yours truly...

Tell us about how u came to work on the Mixtura series?
I was working on the Astronomix series and when I had reached nr 18 I had so many dope records incoming I felt I had to change the name for my next mix. Actually I thought it would be my grande finale, I was sure I would never top the first Mixtura and was thinking of taking a break. But because of some nice response and my lack of self discipline I changed my mind, I just couldn't resist to keep on going. And that was three years ago, I've made totally 14 Mixtura mixes.

How does the Ambassadors Reception album series fit into the series? Is it made up of tracks you've had in the series so far or are these entirely new finds?
It´s mostly stuff that I´ve stumbled over but didn´t find room for in my mixes. Some of them needed editing and a few I like so much I wanted to put them on the album.

What city is your favourite city/town for digging? (Why?)
I was in Rome in October and was on a roll. I even felt sorry for the diggers after me. At the airport I discovered I had excess hand luggage so I even had to dump some records at the airport. So there could well have been another lucky bastard there.

Obviously your Step Dad's collection played a big role in introducing you to some of the sounds you're still interested in. Can you tell us a few of your favourite records, that he introduced to you?
A lot of early 70s swedish, icelandic and uk prog and folk music. I seldom return to these albums nowadays but when I was a kid it provided a golden opportunity into finding my own musical identity. Artists/bands like Pugh Rogefeldt, Traffic and Trubrot.

Which current producers/ record labels interest or excite you?
Actually I stopped listening to contemporary music a while back since I fell in love with disco.

What is it about Disco?
It was a music style that was omnipresent at a time. People in every corner of the world tried to make disco music. And you can trace every musical style in it, backed with disco beat. What I like is that it can go from very deep emotion to shallow and decadent. I guess it's the peak of party music of our modern civilization and we're still collecting pieces of the greatest party on earth. Every good piece we find is unique and beautiful as it is, and helps us understand the giant puzzle that is disco. Apart from the 99% that is trash.

Obviously Disco has been back on the underground for some time, and there are any number of variants. Disco House, Edits, Cosmic, Diggers etc. Where would you position yourself in the scheme of things?
I'm a disco DJ who believes that good music makes a great party.

Are you producing any tracks of your own at the moment? will there be any further Naked Ape records?
I'm just waiting to get inside a good studio and to record some. I would love to set up the instrumentation to create a proper disco sound, but still waiting for the right moment and the right people.

When did you start collecting records? do you have a significant other who moans about the fact that you have too many records?
I started seriously about 13 years ago. Many records together look like a bachelor pad for any significant other. But she's surprisingly cool. I think the trick is to try to make the record collection blend in naturally in the interior.

What are your plans for the year ahead?
Right now I'm working on a mix for Another Night On Earth and the Noncollective guys, then I start working on another album. I've got some gigs scheduled too. Life is just how I like it. 

I'll be doing a full review of this superb album shortly but in the meantime here's a little exclusive listen to but one of the tracks from the all killer no filler album. Cant be heard anywhere else at the minute... tune!!! Thanks for dropping by Albion!