Tinrib is a name that has well and truly stamped its mark upon the hard dance scene … there isn’t a hard dance enthusiast alive that hasn’t heard of the genre defining Tinrib label or witnessed the Captain’s live experience. For seven spellbinding years from 1995 through 2002 Tinrib Recordings pumped out the hard stuff to the ever-hungrier masses, with the Tinrib sound seeming to hit it’s peak around the new millennium. But if you ask the man himself, then you’ll discover that the label was well overdue to be wound down when it was … after all, it’s always good to end on a high!”
Tinrib had done its planned job five years before the label ended,” explains Jon, AKA Tinrib. “These things can’t go on forever. Who knows,” he continues. “The Captain may start another label, we’ll have to wait and sea!” And upon asking, why so long between productions after the label closure, it seems it was not for lack of passion, but for more personal reasons. “Yeah, there was about a two year break. This was due to son of skipper, Harrison,” exudes a very proud Captain. “The passion was always there, it’s in the worthy old sea dog’s blood … just had to have some time to build a new shipyard on the south coast of England!”
And when he did come back I think most people would agree it was with a bang. Although having produced the odd tune and remix (including a VC remix for The Alien Things, Beaver Express) prior to signing up with Paul Glazby’s infamous Vicious Circle label to knock out three of the best, it was perhaps these same three tunes, The Great Gatsby, Acid Gate Scandal with Max Alien and Found What We’re Looking For with Sol Ray that really said, ‘here I am, I’m back!’ “I met Paul at Heathrow airport after a flight from Los Angeles,” explains Jon of how he hooked up with VC. “We flew out together and did a tour of Japan about three years ago and have been friends and in close contact ever since. I produced a ‘three in a row’ for Vicious Circle as I felt that the label, and the music, was most suited for both Vicious Circle and The Skipper.”
A more recent offering to the hard dance world is the Tinrib/Sol Ray collaboration of Attack Of The 50ft DJ on Tidy Trax, which has been doing some serious dancefloor damage with it’s twisted synths and phat bass-lines. “I’ve known Sol Ray from Upfront Magazine for over five years now from back when Tinrib was in full swing,” explains Jon. “We planned on writing a track together for quite some time … the Skipper had the main line in the track worked out from his archives, Sol turned up with loads of other ideas and we came out with Attack Of The 50ft DJ.” And if you liked said tune then I can let slip that the follow-up, Amsterdamage (also a Tinrib/Sol Ray collaboration) is set for imminent release.
But if you just can’t wait to get yourself some Tinrib tuneage then I suggest you rock up to the live gig and purchase a copy of his latest Live In San Francisco mix compilation, which also includes a mix from Perth’s DJ Dr Willis of all the Tinrib classics. “It was planned and recorded in San Francisco back in October last year,” says Jon of the comp. “Dave (Dr Willis) wanted to also release it in the land of OZ so we’ve come up with the goods.” As well as the CD, you can expect the Captain to belt it out, live style, when he drops into Melbourne we’re told. “There’s some new unheard tracks in store for the element of surprise,” he adds. “Then of course there’s the best of the best for all the diehard Tinrib fans out there … the Captain’s live skills are getting quite crazy now, its all becoming frighteningly natural on the 20 faders and 31 keys!”
As the years have gone by the Skipper’s tastes have definitely matured … not only has his music gotten better and better, but also his taste in styles is broadening in a whole new direction as I found out. “I don’t really buy too many records, as when I’m not performing or working in the studio there’s not much time left. I tend to listen to different stuff … I’ve always been right into psy trance. I just got hold of Astrix’s new album Artcore, its one of me favourites at the moment,” says Jon. In fact I’m informed that the psy trance sound is the catalyst for a whole new direction for Tinrib. “The Captain is embarking on a new journey through time and space,” we’re told. “He’s gonna start DJing psy trance. He has always had a passion for the music … you’d quite often see him shipwrecked at some of these crazy underground parties. He has collected a whole fleet of music over the years, which he bashes out at home and at the studio in his spare time. Now it’s time for the masses to take it … Captain Psy-co-path! AKA Captain Tinrib at your service!”
Captain Tinrib is touring Australia in July, check guides for details.
Fri Jul 8th – Pharmacy, Melborne
Sat Jul 9th – Enchanted Forest, Adelaide
Fri Jul 22nd – Platinum, Gold Coast
Sun Jul 24th – Gas, Sydney
