Tom Demac

After years of on-off producing and DJing, tech house talent Tom Demac has finally given up the day job to commit himself completely to electronic music. Having studied music technology at Salford University, he's since returned to the much quieter countrysides of North Wales. With a mulletover debut now in the bag, Data Transmission caught up with him to get his vitals.  
How and when were you first infected by dance music?
Had to be when I heard Roni Size’s Brown Paper Bag on MTV, and the early illegal raves in Wales; they were pretty special. Then the gradual progression made way into slower house and techno after all sorts of shameful experiences in electronic music; one as a guest MC in the Technodrome at Helter Skelter, many moons ago!  There are tapes circulating with me bleeting "c'mon time to party, make some noise, whistle posse blow, big shout to the Birkenhead cru" etc etc, not forgetting the obligatory MC mockney accent.
 
Superb! When did you start making music / producing, and how long was it before you started making tracks that you were really happy with?
I started producing properly when I moved to university in 2001, the first record I put out was a year later. Not one of my proudest moments but it hit wax, so all good.
 
What have been your personal favourite tracks / productions so far?
Has to be a toss up between Domestic Dimming on my label Electronique Audio a few years back or Long Way Down on Four Twenty in 2008. Obviously Crew Cuts & Curls on murmur is up there too!
 
If you weren’t a DJ, what else would you be doing, or like to be?
Something active and outdoors not sitting on my arse growing breasts! 
 
Which other producers and DJs and artists do you like?
Good question! Levon Vincent is really doing it for me at the moment, along with a long admiration of Jackmate / Soulphiction's music - can't not play and support his stuff
 
The Anti-Valentines Party was your mulletover debut, but you’ve worked with resident Geddes with his label murmur before. How did you come about working with them?
I think a mate of mine sent some music to Stuart (Geddes) without me knowing. He was on the blower pretty swiftly with a proposal.
 
With three releases out on murmur, and Crewcuts and Curls nearly half a year behind us, what else have you been up to since then?
I've just given up my day job to give this shit a proper crack, so been busy writing music. I've got something coming out on Liebe Detail over the next couple of weeks, a remix for Crosstown Rebels, a new EP on Hypercolour and more stuff with murmur in the pipeline too over the coming months. Supposed to be working on a new techno project with Glimpse called Dense, focusing more on our roots in techno, but we still haven't managed to get any shit together for it, keep your ears out for that though too, might be a while though with both our commitments.
 
While this was your first time DJing a mulletover, have you been to one of their parties before? And if so, how did you find it?
Yes, before I met Geddes I went there a couple of years ago, Efdemin was playing. I remember it well as it was one of the first parties I went to with my new girlfriend and all her mates. I thought I was on the guestlist so I swaggered up to the front gave the wrong name on the door and I wasn't on the list, and looked a right tit! "£15 please", gutted! The party was wicked though - I just remember getting a little too spangled and thinking my hands were a very convincing set of Bill Oddie's binoculars!
 
When you’re not behind the decks, what kind of dancer are you?
When I'm dancing I suppose I'm one of those who thinks he probably looks super cool and sexy (you know who you are), but to everybody else I actually look as graceful as a stomping a rugby player doing the Haka; something like that. 
 
What can we typically expect from one of your live sets?
Well it's 'live'. I bring a synthesiser along and you can definitely hear it through the sound-system. So it's always pretty raw and different to this functional looped up stuff going on at the moment.
 
You’ve been remixed by, and remixed quite a few big names yourself over the past year. Who’s been your favourite DJ to work with?
Well I haven't worked with him directly, but the Luke Solomon remix of my track Crewcuts & Curls is bang up my alley. Analogue, raw, warm, depth, blah blah....quite refreshing actually, too many remixes are rushed with no soul or effort what so ever - some bongos, vocal snippets and some sample CD bass-line - this remix however really cuts the mustard!
 
Who do you most want to work with in the future?
Good question. Besides the dream choices - Theo, Carl etc...I think Kink would be good, I think our sound compliments each other really well. We're going out on an EP together this month on Liebe Detail so definitely a possibility in the future.
 
You’ve been used to big metropolitan cities; Manchester and Barcelona, how has your return to North Wales affected your production and DJing?
Well one thing really, no distractions! There really is nothing to do except making music loud, check out the sheep, vacate charity shops and meet people who want a fight because of your accent or the fact that your hair doesn't look like a loaf of bread, so it works well. When I get bored I pop in the car up to Manchester where I 'live' and have some fun if I'm not away at a gig.
 
Finally, what are you most looking forward to in 2010?
Some fucking sunshine!