A GUY CALLED GERALD

"Voodoo Rage" from Black Secret Technology (Juicebox)

Derrick May: Sounds very contemporary, I like it. Is this "Voodoo Ray"?

Yes, but a drum 'n' bass reworking of it.

Derrick May: Gerald to me is one of the unsung heroes of future music. He should command a lot more respect, but I think he was such a nice guy that people took advantage.

You worked together, didn't you?

Derrick May: A lot of people think that. I just did some remixes for him.

He used to namecheck you all the time as his main influence.

Derrick May: He doesn't need my influence. Now he says his main influence is Goldie, and that's like, what? Goldie is a very talented guy, but I think a lot of his talent is in bringing the right people together. Gerald is in another league, he's like an electronic shaman.

For me, Goldie's music has been a lot weaker since he stopped working with Rob Playford as his engineer.

Derrick May: I don't know about weaker, but it's different. Goldie needs to be more technical, more hands-on, to realise his dream of his music.

So you like this sort of stuff?

Derrick May: I do, I really like drum 'n' bass. I know a lot of Techno musicians don't, but when it's good, it's fantastically innovative. 

[Author: Mike Shallcross]