Q: Warner Music is distributing your most recent album, what does that say about the genre?
I was very proud of that album... and I wanted as many people as possible to hear it. When you work hard, you want people to hear your work, and I think that it was a good fit.
Q: You have been involved with house music for a while; when did you know that this was what you wanted to do?
I was involved with music, be it hip-hop or electronica or Chicago house... lots of different styles and sounds... early on it was The Beach Boys, New Order was a big influence... stuff like that, that was my sound, or soundtrack.
Q: What defines club culture?
Being with like-minded people who are at a spot to share the music together, it has a certain tribal feel to it. You know that something special is going to happen with people at the venue. You cannot put it in words, but when you are in a room and the place is going crazy -- that defines club culture.
Q: Do you prefer larger arenas or intimate settings?
I could be in front of 200 or 20,000 people and I still get nervous. If you do not get nervous, you do not care. If you are passionate about something, you will try to do better and hence feel nervous. Otherwise you become blas‚.
Q: Another thing that is fairly or unfairly associated with house music is the drugs. What are your thoughts on that?
The media puts the focus on that and it is a shame that club culture gets targeted for that. I'd rather talk about the positives...
Q: You had a residency at Twilo, which closed partially for drug-related reasons; was it used as a scapegoat by the NYPD?
It was a shame; it was an amazing club. The authorities did not want it to stay open, but when you have 2,000 or 3,000 people in a room not doing harm to anyone, you have to wonder why one would want to shut it down.
Q: You recently did the Delta Heavy Tour, and it was very successful. What else is around the corner, with or without Sasha?
We just did that big tour, so not much is planned for a little while... Sasha was working on his album. I think that people have this perception that we are joined at the hip, but we usually have our own schedules and do some shows together. What is unique about our relationship is that there is a strong bond and when people see our names together, the audience knows that it will be a busy night, with a strong energy. When we're together, it just adds that extra dimension.
Q: Lots of fans first became familiar with you through Global Underground; any plans to get back to that?
I have done three for them. I think that the album I just did is pretty good and I don't think that it makes sense to put out too many albums back to back, so we shall see.
Q: It was a good album to give to someone who had never heard of you...
It is good to have that signature, but you need to be able to draw from records of 10 years ago or stuff that was not even released... and make it gel. I did not want to take 10 records of the month and put them together.
Q: Who are some of the most underrated DJs?
I like Jimmy Van M.
Q: Yeah, I didn't think you would answer that one (laughs). Thanks for your time John, and keep on keepin' on.