When he’s not sharing the stage with the likes of DJ Shadow, Malente and Booka Shade, or getting thumbs up from Pharrell and Q-Bert for a sweet warm-up set, Agent 86 is busy residing at six of Melbourne’s finest nightclubs, hosting his own Roxy club nights, and travelling around the country. Heading to Perth in a few weeks for the new Destination? party ‘Nuage Blanc’, as well as appearing at Kiss My Grass in Melbourne on Australia Day, ITM thought we’d tie him down and ask a few questions.

You’ve been an active DJ for a long time now, how do you think the dance music scene in Australia has evolved during this time and where do you think it’s heading?

Since I first began DJing things have changed enormously. The sounds that were once only heard in a handful of clubs are now commonly heard on TV and radio, and they’ve become a mainstay of pop culture. Where is the Aussie music scene heading? I think Australia in general is being noticed on the world stage now; whereas once only a few producers were taken seriously, now there are many. My only hope is that the labels also broaden their horizons as the majority of them still “play it safe”.

You run your own club night Roxy at Melbourne club First Floor, what advice would you give to wannabe promoters on starting their own?

I don’t really run Roxy singlehandedly these days – Kiti is actually the main force behind it now. In terms of advice; it’s all about marketing! Whether you like it or not, there’s a lot of competition and if you want a successful night you gotta get your name out there. Posters, flyers, internet, mixes, radio shows, a team of promoters, all of that – it’s hard work and there’s no guarantees, but if you get a rockin’ night you tend to forget all of the hard work. For that week, anyway.

How would you describe your sound?

ElectroFunkTechnoRockUrbanBreaksHouseyHipHop aka Block-Party styles for
2008.

Major influences?

My life, my feelings, the music, the dance floor.

What’s one pleasant memory in your 19 years of DJing that you won’t ever forget?

Entering the ‘97 DMC competition. Nerve-racking but something I’ll never forget.

A nasty one you wish you could forget?

Oh yeah. A few of those…

If you could form a DJ group, who would you include as members?

Maynard from Tool, DJ Too Tuff, Scape One and a particular DJ from Hamburg whom I saw twice but never knew the name of. He was really dope. Far more entertaining than both Roger Sanchez AND Joey Negro.

With so many residencies and a club night you’re not showing signs of stopping just yet, what more can we expect from you?

A few proper releases this year. I’ve got something dropping on Vicious soon and a few more goodies in the bag. Maybe even an album if I can get my act together…

Don’t miss Agent 86 when he plays the following shows:

Jan 26 – Kiss My Grass at Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
Feb 1 – Nuage Blanc at Ambar, Perth