“Put it this way; this is my 26th compilation so you would think I’d be able to do it with my eyes closed by now. Right? Wrong. It hasn’t got any easier. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.” 20 years after he helped launch acid house as both Mixmag’s first ever editor and as one of the first British superstar DJs, Dave Seaman remains at the top of his game, touring the world relentlessly, producing and releasing mix CDs. Writing on his blog last year, however, he suggested that his 2009 Renaissance Masters mix could be his last, admitting “the allure of just doing regular free podcasts grows ever more appealing”. He also complained about being frustrated about red tape and tracks being blogged instantaneously though chatting to ITM, he’s more ambiguous about compilations and the prospects of him doing more in the future.

“It’s become a lot more competitive as everyone is fighting for their share in a smaller marketplace and with more and more importance placed on digital downloads there are more rules and regulations to work within,” he says. “Almost every track is now uploaded somewhere as soon as it’s out there and it’s almost impossible now to release a double CD full of new and exclusive tracks though, to be honest, I don’t see that as a bad thing,” he continues. “I put less emphasis on exclusivity and more emphasis on longevity these days. I try to look for tunes that will still sound great in a few years and not get too caught up in current trends.”

Due back in the country next month to play as part of the Good Vibrations Festival tour, his mix for Renaissance last year was his 11th for the stable, and included a wildly eclectic selection of tracks from the likes of Agoria, Four Tet, UNKLE and Quivver, though Dave stresses he’s unconcerned about alienating older fans by straying too far from the progressive tag he’s long been tied to.

“It’s not an issue to me and I don’t necessarily subscribe to the idea that older fans would only like progressive music anyway,” he points out. “There are younger progressive fans and conversely, there are older fans who want to hear new styles. You’ve always got to keep an open mind,” he says.

Compilation talk aside, he’s also just released a genre crossing tech-house flavoured stomper of a track called Heyaah, co-produced with Josh Gabriel, a track he reveals came together in just three sessions.

How did the collaboration with Josh come about?

We’d talked about doing something together for quite some time as we had mutual admiration for each others work but our schedules never seem to match up. But then Josh moved to Amsterdam and I had a gig there in January so I went over early and we sat in my hotel for the day before the gig and managed to get a pretty good rough demo together. Then, in February Josh had a gig in London so I met him there and we did the same at his hotel. And then finally, we put the finishing touches to it while we were both in Miami for the Winter Music Conference so we could premiere it at our gigs there.

Who did what exactly?

We started with me giving Josh the percussion, flute and vocal samples and playing him a load of tracks so he could get a feel for the direction I wanted to go in. He’s very quick on the uptake and did a great job manipulating the flute through various effects to come up with the mutated main riff. From there it was really a case of not messing it up really. We had the hooks. We just had to get the arrangement right and flesh it out. The whole thing was a pleasure to do and we’re already planning another.

The Renaissance press release describes you as ‘a quintessentially British export’; what qualities do you possess as a DJ that could be linked to your nationality?

I think what they were trying to say was that the combination of Renaissance and myself had become a recognizable British export. We’ve done 11 albums together. To quote the dictionary definition of quintessential – ‘representing a typical example of quality and class’. But it was Renaissance that said that, not me. You better ask them! Hahaha.

French club Respect Is Burning told of a massive fight that broke out in the clubs DJ booth the other week: have you ever encountered aggression – or violence, in clubs?

There was a big fight at a party in Greece recently but it all happened before I got there so I can’t tell you much. The last time I can remember a fight breaking out while I was playing was about 5 years ago in Juarez, Mexico; a mass brawl with about 50 guys. There were chairs flying everywhere. It wasn’t pretty. And Juarez isn’t the kind of place you wanna’ be in that situation. But I’ve been back many times since and always had a brilliant time. That kind of thing could happen anywhere really.

How do you feel about DJ requests; still get them? What do you say?

Yes, I still get them occasionally. Sometimes you do get people asking for something completely out of sync with what I do, some Usher or Katy Perry or something. But if it’s something I’ve got with me that will fit into the set I’m playing then I’ll play it though to be honest, that’s pretty unlikely.

How often do you have ‘bad’ gigs: when was the last time a gig went seriously wrong?

I get them occasionally. Everybody does. Recently in Izmir, Turkey I ended up playing to about 25 people and the promoter did ‘a runner’ without paying me. It wasn’t my best night out and I still haven’t got the money.

Sasha told us once about being close to a hotel that was bombed in Russia: have you had any/ many scary moments on your travels: ever encountered any scary gangsters? Or been rubber gloved by customs?

I’ve never had the rubber glove treatment but I have met plenty of shady characters over the years. Actually, I had a bomb scare in a club whilst I was playing once. It was when I was doing my Capetown CD for Global Underground. The whole club had to be evacuated. I remember it was my birthday and everybody sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me in the car park. Then, once we got the all clear, everybody literally ran back into the club and the night exploded in a very different way to which the bomb scare had threatened.

You’re DJing year after year, country after country: ever get bored- or feel the urge to settle down and live a ‘normal’ life?

Occasionally, if I have a couple of bad gigs but the feeling never lasts very long. When you’ve been doing any job for 20 years, you’re bound to have some ups and downs. But I do love my job and realize how lucky I am to travel the world at the same time. But I have ‘settled down’ and to me this is ‘normal’. The only problem for me travelling so much is making sure that I spend time with my wife and kids. It’s always a challenge making sure I get the balance right between my career and my family.

For all your Good Vibrations needs, check out ITM’s Festival Page for loads of news, interviews and more. National dates below…

Sat 13 Feb – Centennial Park, Sydney
Sun 14 Feb – Claremont Showground, Perth
Sat 20 Feb – Parklands Showgrounds, Gold Coast
Sun 21 Feb – The Nursery, Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne