Billy Nasty

You’ve got some great names lined up for releases on both labels, including a few familiar names from the labels’ histories. Can you tell us what we should expect in 2013?

Both labels with be relaunched with RadioNasty EPs. The first Tortured 12″ has got two killer remixes from Ben Sims. We’ve got future Tortured releases planned from Mark Broom, The Advent, Brendon Moeller, Inigo Kennedy and Tim Wolff amongst others.

Electrix is much further down the line with EPs already sorted by Carl Finlow, Sync24, Transparent Sound and Scape One, all with killer remixes from many of electro’s leading lights, but I’m keeping tight-lipped on those for the moment as it’s never wise to reveal all your cards at once!

It’s all really exciting stuff though. I pretty much got my wish list of artists to work with.

Any plans for more Painkillers releases?

I’m impressed you know about Painkillers. It was planned to be a Tortured remix label. The old catalog numbers were PAIN001, PAIN002, etc. I do have possible plans to remix some of the label’s finest past releases but at the moment I’m concentrating on the new material.

Finally, you’ve been involved in dance music since the late 80s. The trite question that journalists usually ask at this point is, ‘How much have things changed since you started out?’ That’s a bit too obvious. Instead I’d like to know what’s stayed the same. Are there any common threads which have run all the way through your career so far, either in terms of the music itself or the attitudes of people in the scene?

That’s a really good question! It’s interesting to see that a lot of the guys who are big news now are those that started around the same time as me, so I do feel that the skills you learnt through mixing vinyl give you something extra. There are a few of us still playing some vinyl, as it does have a different sound quality that digital just can’t capture. And, of course, the reason we all do this hasn’t changed – it’s about top artists making great music, played by great DJs for clubbers to enjoy. A bit of escapism is always good for the soul!

RadioNasty’s Breaking Bad EP will be released by Tortured on January 28th. Electrix will release RadioNasty’s Clave To The Rhythm EP on February 18th. Find Tortured & Electrix on Facebook.