I decided to call him Mister. Mainly because there is a certain impression one gets when Goldie, his own damn infamous self, describes The Dillinja as the “bass explorer of the nineties”. Grooverider, himself The GrandMaster, explains he is the GrandMaster. Those kinds of accolade are usually reserved for those who are at the top of their class. But when coming from the most undisputed, it carries with it some significant substance. He replies irritably but in jest at the same time “Why do people keep bringing up that stinking old Goldie quote? It’s time to move on!” Lets do it.

Mister Francis then, grew up in the robust Brixton. Home to Roni Size, himself a fairy tale, Dillinja was first inspired by reggae sound systems and electro. Progressing (inevitably?) to liking hip hop, he decided it was going to be about the scratch and the mix. As a connoisseur of all things new and exciting, he found satisfaction in house music in 1988-9. “I started getting into that as it was fresh and experimental. From there I started to like hip house and breakbeats and then decided I wanted to be able to make music myself. Now, all kinds of music inspires me, film music RnB, hip hop, classical, jazz”. Today, he is one of the most powerful proponents of a genre that may not be as popular as house, but commands an extended respect that few others could match. And how does he see his role in the greater scheme of the rewind? “I am an ambassador only through the music that I make. I’d rather let that speak for itself”.

Part of the evolution of beats into jungle and then into drum and bass (I think) has been closely related to that vibration that hits you in the chest when you walk into a well ordered gig. Indeed, the drums and basses continues to be all about the sound. Punters would get shitty if a massive anthem was playing on a set of clock radio speakers. “Me and Lemon D were sick of playing out in clubs where the sound system didn’t do justice to our tracks, so we decided to build our own system. The Valve Sound System is the world’s only, designed and built specifically for drum and bass -and its low frequencies. The 96K system made a mind-blowing debut at London’s Fabric in 2001 and now regularly tours all over the UK”. A sound engineer? No. A man who simply loves bass and built a system – “when I make a track I make sure that the bass frequencies are right, simple as that”. As for the music, he adds that the sound is “constantly evolving. The scene is shit when it becomes too focussed on one style. It’s at its best when it represents all styles of drum and bass”. Moreover he adds “it’s hard to educate kids and ravers that a jazz style track or a dub style track is good when they are used to the hard style which has been popular for the past few years. There are different scenes around the world which maintain a strong presence and producers from other places like Australia, the States and of course Brazil, who are all bringing something new to the music”.

That is why the so-called formula doesn’t apply to Dillinja. While he is one of the most prolific producers in drum and bass, he acknowledges that every production is different. “When someone asks me for a track I think about what they want me to do, like with Twist ‘Em Out or Grimey for example. The rest of the time I just make the music I want to make. Producing too, under different aliases Dillinja, knows the pressure artists feel to produce dark floor killers. “That’s not what I’m about, I need to have different aliases to put out a range of tracks”. Capone, Cybotron and Trinity mean that the Dillinja concept isn’t classified. Owner of Valve Records also, they have just signed DJ Friction to the label, another exceptional up and coming talent, both as a DJ and producer. “There is a track he made on Valve called Again and Again which will come out on Valve later this year which is an absolute stormer!”

In the near term, he brings his sound to Australia with partner in justice, Lemon D. Meeting through mutual friends years ago, they are still working well together. Even 10 years from now, you can bet there will be all manner of exceptional material being produced on Valve, backed up by a roster of successful artists on the label. “One day
I’d like to be able to give up DJing forever. Then I’d have my own club with the best sound system in the world!” For now, expect to hear the freshest sounds from Valve Records, the original Dillinja work and some tracks from new artists signed. And undoubtedly we await the unreleased to play host to an evening of rewinds.

Be sure to catch Dillinja and Lemon D on their Australian tour:

Thu Feb 26th – Sydney (BUY TICKETS)
Fri Feb 27th – Melbourne (BUY TICKETS)
Sat Feb 28th – Adelaide
Sun Feb 29th – Perth