Neville Watson is one of those figures of UK dance music that has never achieved huge fame, but whose role has been vital to the scene’s development. As a producer in the late 90s and 00s, he reflected and refracted the British acid house tradition that enveloped him, as his first introduction to electronic music. As the long standing resident of Checkpoint Charlie in Reading, Watson was one of the bastions of all things house in the UK, and, like fabric’s Craig Richards, one of the last grand-masters of the resident DJ role. In spite his dedication to house music, his musical past isn’t so linear. We asked him about his other unlikely influences ahead of his set at Subterranea on Saturday.
Your earliest musical memory?
My mum singing Irish folk songs at family gatherings.
The first record you bought?
“RAH Band – The Crunch”
A record that made you pick up an instrument/play music?
“Separate Minds – 1st Bass”
A tune from your teens?
“The Blitz – Razors in the Night”
A record that changed your music taste?
“A Guy Called Gerald – Voodoo Ray”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emDEFtJIjy0
A lyric that sums up your philosophy?
” “Never trust a hippie”, Sex Pistols”
A record you hate?
“Hate’s a strong word and I try to avoid using it, but there is surely a special circle of Hell reserved just for Galway Girl. Fuck it, anything by Tory boy Ed Sheeran.”
An unlikely influence?
“The Dubliners”
A current influence?
“Ambivalent”
A record you want played at your funeral?
“Joey Beltram – Energy Flash”