Interview with MyVillage's new Bars & Music Contributor: Marcos Moret

Interview

Clapham local Marcos Moret is a busy man. As well as DJing every Friday as part of the Alma collective down at Bar Kick in Shoreditch every Friday, he also runs his own website www.knowtheledge.net covering music, the arts and contemporary culture. Not only that, but we at lucky old MyVillage have now bagged him as a Bars & Music contributor.

We chewed the fat with him about choons, the best nights in London and something called trans-galactic carnage...

When did you first get into music?
In the mid-eighties when I was around 10 - starting with stuff like the ’Breakdance’ Soundtrack and Gloria Estefan. By 1988 I was hooked on hip hop - Public Enemy, De La Soul and Jungle Brothers were my favourites at the time.

How long have you been writing about music/writing reviews? How did you get into it?
Not long at all. I’ve been DJing for around 7 years, but I got into writing after realizing that this, alongside my magazine-reading addiction, crate-digging, time spent as a web producer/content manager, and incessant concert/club/bar-going might give me a head-start. I developed my own site - www.knowtheledge.net covering music, the arts, and contemporary culture, and took it from there.

What’s the best gig you’ve seen recently?
This spring/summer (2002) I’ve seen some brilliant gigs - Susana Baca, Jorge Ben, Koop, Rodney P and Est’elle, Earl Zinger, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Cachaito Lopez, La Corte, to name but a few. However, I’ll have to say Gotan Project at the Royal Festival Hall in May - dramatic and original music combined with amazing stage design.

What’s the best club night you’ve been to recently?
Co-Op at the Velvet Rooms on Charing Cross Road, which up until recently was held every two Sundays. It was run by the Bugz in the Attic crew, consisting of people like Dego (4 Hero), IG Culture (New Sector Movements), Kaidi Tatham, Seiji and Afronaught. The night was a showcase for the West London ’broken beat’ scene, and when you were there you knew that you were witnessing the birth of something very new and very special. I haven’t danced that intensely in a long time!

How would describe your musical tastes and what do you think it says about you?
Black/jazz/Latin-influenced music. I always find it awkward to describe, but it means I’m into John Coltrane, Airto Moreira, Jazzanova, Eddie Palmieri, James Brown, Kool Keith, Fela Kuti, Susana Baca, 4Hero, Funkadelic, Photek, Irakere, Mos Def, Osunlade, and everything in-between.

What was the first record you bought?
There were two - Beats International ’Dub Be Good To Me’ and Lisa Stansfield’s 2nd release, the name of which I no longer remember.

What is the most recent record you bought?
Three of them - Quasimoto ’The Unseen’ LP, J-Live ’The Best Part’ LP, and 4Hero ’Hold It Down remixes’ 12".

What do you think is the best live venue in London/UK?
Cargo, Rivington Street, in London for the way they combine live performers with club nights to such effect - plus the venue itself is excellent. At the other end of the scale I have a soft spot for Ronnie Scotts in Soho for that very stereotypical jazz flavour, and Jazz Café in Camden because their range of great acts is unmatched.

What do you think is the best club in London/UK?
Cargo.

Who are your musical icons?
John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Public Enemy (back in the day). ’Future-jazz’ players like 4Hero and the Bugz, plus ’non-bling’ hip-hoppers like Mos Def and Talib Kweli are getting there also.

What is your favourite tune ever?
Either the whole of John Coltrane’s ’A Love Supreme’ or Public Enemy’s ’Don’t Believe the Hype’.

If you could throw the biggest party ever, what would it be like?
Trans-Galactic carnage.