With an ever-mounting repertoire of remixes and productions to his name, Sydney whiz Chris Fraser is taking 2010 at a cracking pace. This weekend he’s set to go west to show of his decks-and-FX show at Electric Pop in Perth, and you’re sure to hear plenty of re-edits fresh from the studio. ITM caught up with the DJ as he gets his set locked and loaded.

Volume 4 of your Raw mix series is on its way. How do you go about selecting tracks for inclusion on those compilations?
Working on the tracklisting is probably the most fun part of the process. It’s like anything’s possible at that point – it’s all a blank canvas and anything could happen. It could be a compilation of polka house songs, it could be a country and western-influenced dubstep excursion, you just don’t know!

I go through what I’ve been playing over the last few months, look at what’s coming up from various labels and see what I like, and also try and build my remix schedule around what I’ll be able to use. This time that worked out really well and I managed to include a bunch of things I’d done recently.

Because the radio station’s involved as well, that gives it a bit more of an interactive vibe, because we can see what the requests have been and cater a bit for the audience’s tastes and look at what’s getting them interested. Disc two on the comp is designed to be more of a ‘hits’ package with that in mind.

Is there plenty of house music produced by Australians that you reckon stands up to the international heavyweights?
Fuck yeah! I think it’s beyond any doubt whatsoever that the music Australian producers are making is freaking sensational right now. You just need to look at something like the Aria Club Chart or even the Beatport charts and see just how many locally produced tracks and remixes are killing it. My day job is label managing for the Onelove label and I could talk all day about the amount of great local product I get to hear on a daily basis.

You have an ever-growing list of remixes to your name. Is remixing something that you still get a kick out of, or has the focus shifted more to original productions?
Yeah, I’ve been pretty busy on that front for a little while. Remixing is a lot of fun and as long as you pick and choose what you work on wisely (which I hope I have done!) it can be really rewarding. I’ve gotten to work on some great tracks by Cassette Kids and Drop The Lime lately, so just when you’re thinking it’s time to focus on the original stuff you get things like that you can’t say no to. But I’m really trying to knuckle down and start writing for myself again this year, big time.

You obviously put a lot of attention towards your DJ sets. Is that something you’re always honing?
I’ve never had more fun playing than I am now, actually. Just over a year ago I made the move to Traktor Scratch Pro, and I’ve recently started using the X1 controller for it. It’s taken a little while but it feels like I’m really tapping the full capabilities of the gear and it’s making things more creative than ever. The level of control over tunes now is phenomenal, and it really makes it all a new ball game. I’m really loving bashing the controller around and smashing the hot cues to bits. I think I’m going to need a new controller soon if I keep it up.

When is your preferred time-slot in a club? Do you thrive in the peaktime position or prefer the early morning sets?
Definitely peaktime. Having said that, getting a club warmed up and setting the tone for the night is a heck of a lot of fun and I really enjoy it. It’s pretty rare that you find venues or DJs that pay attention to warming a night up anymore, rather than smashing out ridiculous hits from the moment the doors open, so it’s good when it happens.

In your opinion is it important for DJs to be adept at the production side of things too if they want to get noticed?
Pretty much. They either need to be adept at it or have someone who is to make the tunes for them! I think that question got settled some time ago: successful DJs who don’t produce are pretty thin on the ground.

You’re heading over Perth next weekend to play Electric POP. Anything you’re looking forward to trying out on the crowd over there?
I’m really excited about this one! It sounds like a bit of a different night to what I’m used to, and seems to be shaping up pretty huge. Because it’s the start of the new CD tour, I’m working pretty hard on re-edits and mash-ups too, so there’ll definitely be plenty of that action going down. Perth’s always a bundle of fun too, so it’ll be on, big time.

Fraser plays Electric Pop at Villa Nightclub, Perth, on Friday 23 April.