Dave Angel: pure jazz behind 'A Time And Place'
The legendary UK techno producer shares the 10 jazz classics that inspired his new album, an emotional work far from the dancefloor featuring family and heavyweight collaborations.
Dave Angel, the UK techno legend, has picked 10 jazz classics that inspired his new album 'A Time And Place'. No coincidence there: his father was a jazz musician and his childhood was almost entirely soundtracked by the genre. He started playing percussion at eight years old and moved into reggae as a teenager.
His uncle ran a reggae sound system called Sir Gooden's Hi-Fi, and he played mixtapes by Yellowman or Sugar Minott at school lunchtimes. When acid house swept the UK, he built a breakbeat-hardcore remix of Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams' that charted. Then he spun on the pirate station Phaze One alongside Fabio and Grooverider.
The techno turn came via Detroit: "I felt the whole Detroit thing was a mirror," he recalls, citing support from Underground Resistance's Mike Banks, a studio visit from Juan Atkins, and a connection with Kenny Larkin and Carl Craig. Later came 'Tales Of The Unexpected' for Island Records in 1995, then 'Globetrotting' shortly after.
The new chapter is a different beast: "This new album 'A Time And Place' is not a dancefloor album, it's very emotional for me. A lot of love has gone into this album." Jazz musicians Steve Waterman on trumpet and Merv Carswell on guitar took part, plus his daughter Aurii Sky singing on 'Do You Feel What I Feel' and Robert Owens on 'Harmony Serenade'.
The producer shows jazz remains his compass. An album, he says, made with a lot of love.
