Dsico may fight like a girl, but since quitting being a bastard to pop stars around the world and moving from mash ups to original production, he has little need for fisticuffs.

With his new album, ‘You Fight Like A Girl’ out on his very own label, Spasticated, we see the true potential of Luke Collision emerging. The new album sits somewhere between new-wave pop and electro/rock-madness, and with killer guitar lines, next-level synth programming and infectious drum grooves, indie and electronica enthusiasts are sure to be thrilled. The album also features Dsico’s own vocals with intelligent and captivating lyrics morosely exploring inner-city life.

2004 saw Dsico flown to Moscow to perform, play at TINA, support The Presets and midnight Juggernauts and appear on compilations such as Clan Analogue’s ‘Doppler Shift.’ This year, things heat up for Luke Collison with an Australian tour in April/May, 12” releases on a London label, as well as a trip to tour Europe later in the year.

It’s an exciting time for Dsico, who pumps modular synth lines in his veins and should probably consider surgery to have a vocoder permanently installed into his larynx! ITM’s Bec Paton caught up with the pop princess to wax lyrical about the future, the new album and singing live.

BP: Your new release, ‘You Fight like a Girl’, is out now. I was surprised and delighted by the original new direction in sound. What was the idea behind the album and how did the change in direction evolve?

D: I just got tired of the whole bootleg, mash up, and plunder phonics thing. I had spent a couple of years mostly just doing mashup and odd remixes of other peoples work. There was just nothing left to do. After you’ve done a couple of ironic cover versions, stuck a missy Elliot vocal on a bunch of classic indie tracks and used DSP to mangle a few Kylie tracks, you get a little bored. I was looking for something new; maybe I’d picked up this affliction for pop music through osmosis after listening to Justin Timberlake too many times. I just wanted to do something else—something simpler. Ditch all the DSP wackiness. So, ‘You Fight like a Girl’ came out of that.

BP: You used your own vocals on many tracks on the new album. How did you find out you could sing and what do you think this lent to the overall approach and feel?

D: I was hanging out with Kevin Blechdom back in 2003 or so, and we did a track together while she was over here. It was a cover of ‘I Will Always Love You.’ At one point she said to me, “Oh, but everyone can sing,” and I think that’s stuck in my head. I don’t think I’d do to well on Pop Idol, but, what the fuck? I felt like adding some vocals and its just easier to do them yourself, even if they don’t sound that good. The bootleg stuff always felt like I was trying to appease a crowd. I was sick of it—thought I’d just write the music that I thought was good instead of finding some old classic that would go well with Britney over the top.

BP: Can we expect to see you sing in live performances? How do you reckon that will go?

D: I’ve been giving it a shot at a few gigs lately; supporting The Presets, Midnight Juggernauts, and playing at Electrofringe last year and down at Kooky. I think I’m still working it out… The shows are getting better but they still need work.

BP: Speaking of shows, what has been the wackiest thing that has happened at a gig?

D: Being flown to Moscow for a DJ gig was pretty odd… The fact that I only played for an hour or so, got trashed, interviewed by Russian MTV, and somehow stumbled back across Red Square to my Hotel in one piece, made it the strangest weekends ever.

BP: How long did the album take to write and did you find new ways of writing or new production techniques?

D: It’s taken about a year or so. Some of the songs I started working on over a year ago. I think I have learnt a lot more about production techniques over the years. Lately I’ve been doing a lot of cover versions and a few remixes where you tend to explore new techniques, as you don’t really have to think so much about the song.

BP: What does the future hold for Dsico and Spasticated? Any exciting things on the horizon?

D: Well there are a few plans afoot. I’m currently booking an Australian Tour for April/May 2005—trying to hook up as many shows as possible. That should be pretty wild. I’ve never really done the whole “tour” thing before. Then, over to Europe again later in the year, and possibly some 12”s on a little London Label. We’ll see—they seem pretty interested.

BP: Is ‘mash up’ a dirty word? Will you ever go back now that you are progressing on this tip?

D: Yeah, it’s over. A lot of the bigger commercial DJs around Sydney seem to be getting into it now, which I find absurd but quite amusing. Especially as most of the mash ups being made these days are utter crap. Mainly for the reason that all the good backing tracks have been used. I mean I see these kids doing mash ups of Linkin Park or some pop-punk band of the moment and think, “I wouldn’t even want to listen to that on its own, let alone some out of sync, out of tune mash up!”

BP: What music is killer for you at the moment?

D: The Emperor Machine’s ‘Aimee Tallulah Is Hypnotised’ is the best thing I’ve heard in a long time. Can’t get enough of it – 70s space disco krautrock freakout.

BP: I love Emperor Machine too – bloody wild and space-age! Is it wrong for boys to wear make-up?

D: I’ve never been a fan of make-up but maybe I’m just a prude.

BP: Damn – you’d be pretty!

‘You Fight Like A Girl’ is out now through Spasticated Records. Keep an eye to local guides for Dsico tour dates.