Interview with DJ Tank by buph.DJ Tank, known to his close friends as Matt, is a relative newcomer to the Adelaide dance scene. It all started at his first rave experience at Ignition. “Back then I was bored of the scene I was in and was pretty much into Rage Against The Machine. When my mate Piero said “why not come to Ignition with me?” I had no idea what to expect - all I knew was it was a bunch of ravers in the middle of no-where jumping around to tunes. I bought my first record a month later!” He and his mate Piero bought that first record back in April 2003. “Yeah, it was the track Turbulence by Subbo and Oddball. Then no more than two months later I started playing at Enigma. It was probably the CD by H-Bomb Dance with the Devil that first got me interested into playing Hardcore. I still love my Hardcore but would not mind getting into some HardBass also.”
Although a resident at Black Cat now for a while, work makes it hard for DJ Tank to play there every week. He’s also been doing some regular shows at ‘Ballistics” Hustlers pool hall, along with some bigger events. “I have also played at some major events; the most recent is ‘Unity’ where I played with H-Bomb. It was probably the best set I’ve ever played. Near the end I pulled off this wicked mix and when I looked up the crowd was just going nuts!! I couldn’t believe it. You know when you’re at a rave and you’re watching a DJ and you and everyone else around you is going nuts? Well, at Unity, that was me up there!!”
Playing with DJ Paul Elstak and Neophyte have been some of DJ Tank’s more memorable sets, a long way from where he started! “Yeah definitely, I mean my first set at a club was for a mate’s birthday (MC Divert) at St. Pauls. I was heaps nervous playing in the courtyard outside; even though it was only to a small crowd of say 30-40 people, nothing like the set at Unity. Still had an awesome time though, a few weeks later I played at Soda Room for another friend’s birthday (Kandii) with a mate (Piero) and from there have never looked back.”
What other moments in his career stand out? “Yeah there would have to be lots of memorable moments, I mean winning the Harcore Best and Fairest for 2004 is definitely one of them. Impressing Neophyte at one of the sets would have to be at the top of the list though. After my set Neophyte told me that when I dropped the track Fuck the Fame by The Playah, he sent a text message to The Playah saying that this young Adelaide DJ just dropped your track in and it went off.”
DJ Tank says his favourite venue in Adelaide is Surgery @ Heaven “I would have to say that the night I played at would have to be the best. The sound setup there is unbelievable.” What about his inspirations and influences in the dance scene? “H-Bomb has helped me in lots of areas and has been a great inspiration, but I would have to say Evil Dave and Cheeky B are the ones who kept pushing me to play. I was scared shitless but they kept nudging me and pushing me forward. Looking back on it, I would not be where I am today if it was not for the support and encouragement from those two, especially Cheeky.” Anyone he’d really like to play alongside? “Shit yeah, it would have to be ‘Korsakoff’…Coz she’s fucking hot!!”
Being a young and up coming DJ means embarrassing moments happen, what’s DJ Tank’s worst moment on decks? “Umm…would have to be when I fucked up in front of the Godfather of Hardcore DJ Paul Elstak. It wasn’t my fault though, the track was skipping all over the place and I could not cue it up properly, and so in the end the inevitable happened - the track ran out! The dancefloor was packed and in the recording you can hear the crowd all yelling yeah ‘wooo’ all sarcastically like!”
Hardcore is a focus for DJ Tank, but also says old school anthems tracks helped inspire him. “There were heaps of tracks that I used to listen to on Fresh FM, but I really can’t put my finger on just one….there are just too many good tracks!” As for his favourite all-time tracks “Hell No has always been a bench mark track for me, as it was the first track that I fell in love with. But Unleash the Beast would have to be my all time favourite, as it just has so much emotion in the track. It is just so powerful, out of all my records in the various boxes and piles scattered around the room, it would have to be the one that does it for me.”
Has being a DJ made it easier to pick up chicks? “I sucked at picking up chicks before I knew how to mix. Now that I have this skill they are everywhere. I guess it comes from the confidence thing and the fact that they actually want to talk to me now! It’s funny only because it is true!” Any other upsides to being a DJ? “It would have to be the fact that you can express your self creativity, and the friendships you make. Not to forget all the good times, and all the respect and recognition you receive. The only downside that I have is the fact that I’m a perfectionist and I am never happy!”
What’s DJ Tank’s opinion of the whole Rave scene at the moment? “Hmmm Unity was pretty awesome, and I’m looking forward to ‘Anthems’. But at the moment it is pretty fucked, I think it is going through a generation change maybe.”
Many DJs get involved with producing, but DJ Tank doesn’t see that on the cards just yet. “With work at the moment I just don’t have the time, or the resources to produce even though I wouldn’t mind giving it a go. So for now I am content with just mixing, I like to entertain people so I will continue to keep the kiddies happy!”
The final word from DJ Tank – what’s in store for us over the next few years? “Lots more fuck off Hardcore. There is no escape!”
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