The subversive tunnels of our dance community never fail to twist and turn. Some twists lead to a world of bright fleuro colors and ever-changing fashions, where the only thing that seemingly remains constant is the artform of the DJ. Propelled by the throbbing rhythms of the music that we all know and love, such is the subway in which Junkbeats flows; a label that showcases and believes in original quirky minimal tech house music. As the main man behind this electronic collective, illustrious musical wizard Dave Basek remains at the very base of these provocative foundations.

Junkbeats amalgamates live instrumental performance with the electronic dance frame from a period in Australian music history where such a combination was barely heard, much less seen performed. Such innovation would pave the way to now, where such a fusion is lovingly welcomed and accepted. As a result of its remarkableness and steady revolutionist ways, Junkbeats has catapulted such names like Dave Basek, Phil Smart, George Sadlick and Mark Briais into the underground consciousness, emerging with a singular movement that influences the ungovernable heartbeat and serves as a siren call to the dissident rebel mind.

Claiming he was force fed on a diet of “classical music by over zealous parents”, Dave Basek’s musical mind was first absorbed by the rich bass tones of the cello. No doubt practicing hard on his pizzicato technique and stringendo musicianship, Dave’s impressionable and fertile mind was instantly swayed by the sounds of Rock Steady Crew and Iron Butterfly. “I have been doing house for quite some time,” Dave notes of his performance background “but I have always played around with other sounds. “I cut my teeth on old school dub reggae and I find myself trying different combinations of sounds all the time.” Dave was inspired at a young age to get behind a DJ rig where his ever searching and investigative mind sought to experiment with the instruments – both contemporary and classical – at his disposal. The result was “reel to reel tape deck, guitar and distortion boxes” linked together in an electronic instrumental widjet that would set his feet onto an eternal path of musical innovation and scientific quest into the digital future.

Dave notes, “I believe that vibration is the fabric of our existence. Music is just a transposed map of consciousness that via the limbic system in your brain can trigger vivid memories and emotional responses. This is something that is constantly being abused by the corporate driven music market – the irony of course that ‘popular’ is the choice of many.” As a side thought, Dave states “I can’t help but wonder how different the world might be if we idolised beautiful music rather than idols.”

Do you apply your classical knowledge to your music, I ask? Dave’s poetic answer outlines: “While I still understand music theory more often than not, I find myself switching off that part of my brain and listening to the sound and tonality rather than thinking about the musicality of what I am working on. I find that simply by closing my eyes I can switch off the distractions of the tactile world and focus directly on the music and in this state it is a lot easier to take control if your imagination.”

In a time when fusing live instruments with the electronic matrix was still a birthing process in the recording industry, Junkbeats was definitely seeking this as an avenue to expand their far reaching views. “When I started playing around with the idea of working with live musicians” Dave notes, “I was simply thinking about the limitations of a DJ playing pre-recorded music. I had been inspired by DJs that rolled up to a gig with two or three box’s of records and had no idea where they were going to go. I knew St Germain’s album Boulevard inside out and was determined that continuous beats could be played live and the melodies could be improvised with no restrictions on arrangements [as it is in classical]. The irony here for me is that when I started the 20for7 project I had to convince the guys that live was the way to go rather than recording and while that is very much the case now, back then it [seemed] just plain stupid. I guess we just got a super head start.”

As an equipment buff and inspector of technological gadgets, Dave enjoys seeking the right processes that produces the result of ‘beautiful music’. A professed love for electronic equipment coming from “the range of sonic mayhem that can be created with some ICs and circuits and some power totally freaks me out,” Dave affirms. “I should point out that I am just as interested by acoustic sounds from beautifully crafted instruments as I am with the sounds of nature and mankind alike. Without electronic equipment how would we share such experiences with each other?” he states simply. “As with any composer, the dream is to find a new sound that is completely different; that ends up inspiring other composers and leads to another shift in the music evolution. In the past I had a romantic vision of this happening instantly but the reality is that it can take a life time.” And it is this lifetime that Dave is intent, alongside that of the Junkbeats to present a unique form of instrumentally fused electronic musique. “As a collective,” Dave points out, “all of the Junkbeats artists well deserve more recognition for the outstanding quality of their productions. Already the Junkbeats sound is internationally recognised and awarded and I believe that this will become more wide spread both locally and internationally.”

How did the name Junkbeats come about, I ask, wondering if the name refers at all to a trash for treasure nature (being one’s man trash as another man’s treasure). “Well the name sort of arrived amidst a haze one Sunday jamming with Mako (from Floating Point) and Kenny Twist (of Friendly),” Dave reminisces. “We used to have these mad jam sessions with hip hop, drum and bass and a microphone. Mako actually sprouted the name and we all agreed on the concept of a unified collective dedicated to doing music that we felt and whilst none of us ended up as MCs I have kept the concept alive with the Junkbeats concept.” Cast from the 20for7 mould of Simon Baker on bass, Mark Spencer on saxophone, Zonk on horns and FX and Slade Gibson on guitar, many a night passed at Mybar amidst the haze of tequila and the sizzling concept that ‘this was hot’. Having performed alongside locals Affrodizziact and any others including Fred Everything, 20for7 continues to thrive under the lush conditions. Dave particularly notes the developments Junkbeats has enjoyed over the years.

“The Junkbeats crew over the last decade has changed tremendously and I believe that the crew we have now is set to push Junkbeats a lot further into the industry than we ever have. I think that before, we all held the belief that if the music was wicked then everything would just fall into place. Whereas now, we have a much more realistic approach to the business side of things. Whilst we all produce music and DJ, we have all taken on specific roles within the collective. Now we have Mark Briais in Brisbane looking after all our PR. In Sydney we’ve got George Sadlik doing most of our broadcast media. Phil Smart is our stylistic patriarch for everything and I look after a lot of the production side of things. Really for the first time we have a collective that fully complements each others strengths on all creative levels.”

Junkbeats has especially flourished under a climate seemingly specific to encourage such growth, particularly with the burst in current technology. “I keep thinking back to the days when I would wait a week or two to get my warped records in the mail and I laugh. It took a while to let go of the whole vinyl thing but I have played instruments all my life and while I still view turntables as an instrument, technology has offered us a whole range of way more advanced tools that take a simple DJ performance to a whole new level. When you work it out, to set yourself up with any of the available mediums for DJing it is going to cost you the same. I have followed the digital path as I view this music as a constant evolution and as such I really follow the technological advancements. The Digital market is without a doubt the future and not just for electronic music. For the first time in Australia we have access to all the music we want from the comfort of our own living room. Social media networking has given us an avenue to seek out music that previously was hidden in the shadow created by independent and major labels. In today’s digital market every artist has direct access to the listener. Bring it on I say!”

What do you think about Australian Electronic Dance?” I ask of Dave. “Australia,” Dave states, “is such an isolated nation both as a whole and between each city. In the States you can drive for an hour between two cities that have multimillion populations, [yet] here we have to drive 10 or so hours between any two cities. Electronic distribution gives us an amazing opportunity to network and collaborate within our own shores. I admire anyone that is independently successful in Australia no matter what genre they have chosen for themselves.

“I mean lets be totally frank here – look at all the popular acts in this country. The majority are either blatantly ripped off from a past artist or are strongly influenced by other successful artists. While in the past I believed that this was consumer driven, I now see that is has a lot more to do with the labels limiting the options available on the market to concentrate the earnings for the artists on their books. Really they (the labels) must a be slightly worried about what the future holds for them, as with the digital market we are no longer limited by their options anymore. Viva the originality revolution!!!”

However, Dave notes the biggest musical influences in his life. “Really, there are so many,” Dave muses. “Within the genre of house: without question Phil Smart, Craig Richards, Charles Webster and George Sadlik as DJ’s drive my inspiration – perpetually. Then I am also inspired by my friends that I have watched grow musically well beyond what I have achieved – like Ed Function, Jimi Polar and of course Kriece. I am also awed at the musical mastery of groups like Amphibian, Twelve Tone Diamonds, ESM, Natalie and Mitch Carey and I am constantly impressed by up and coming artists that keep showing up in the scene.”

Living in the fantasy-like dream glow of Byron Bay, Dave partakes the few cold bevies at BBQs with family and friends while also surfing the mysteries of the ocean and enjoying the entertainment value of his pets amongst seeing the odd film – though he laments that his time in gigging and producing has disrupted “some time out with fresh movie action.” Dave comes across as a PC nerd, though he stipulates he doesn’t mind using both PC or MAC as the platform to his creations. “My laptop blows me away,” Dave notes. “I can finish tracks, perform live and create bizarre sounds all on one cool little flip tip box that weighs about 3kg’s.”

It appears Dave Basek is a master of both the unpretentious dimension of earth and a beholder of the digital domain, flitting through both with all the artistry of a ghostlike spectre of an ambit traveller. Such an artist is perfect for the subterranean depths of the unchartered and the unplundered, and Dave, propelled by the combined forces of Junkbeats is determined to take the willing on a path of the experimental and the surreptitious. With the upcoming launch of the new Junkbeats website in December, Dave Basek’s meanderings between the slight lines between earth and the virtual will be all the more enhanced. Particularly, the upcoming performance for Friday November 16 at Drop affirms a showcase of incredible minimal tech house techniques to an excitable Empire audience. Here, Dave promises “original Australian dance music will be played with plenty of bass.”

Catch Dave Basek doing Friday November 16 at Drop