An Interview with Steinbeck aka The Muff1n P3rv3rt
Friday 10th Dec 2010 | Tags: Steinbeck, AfflictiveWe catch up with Steinbeck as 2010 draws to a close to find out some of the highlights of the last year as well as what he's got planned for 2011...
J - Hello mate! How's the muffin hanging!
S - All good thanks fella, although it's now ‘The Muff1n P3rv3rt’ haha, I'll explain that more in a bit!
J - Since we last heard from you in 2008, you've played all over the country at some huge events! Could you tell us about some of your highlights
S - Wow 2008, seems so long ago now, yet I still feel like a newbie! Think one of the biggest highlights has to be going out to Ibiza with Squelcher earlier this year. Getting to play in the Zoo was quite epic, and I'm fairly certain we were the first people to play Euro hardcore over there! Being a resident for Octane & Squelcher also has to be at the top of the list, every event gets bigger and better and the line ups are amazing so it's great to be up there with names that I've followed for years.
J - You've been a passionate supporter of the Harder Styles for some time now. What is it about the Harder Styles that does it for you
S - It's just the raw energy that I get from the music, you know it's a good track when you can feel it driving through your body like you've been given a shot of adrenaline, put the right track on and it would bring me out of a coma!
A few months ago I was struggling to find new hardstyle tracks that gave me that feeling, there seemed to be a dip into the lighter side which really didn't push the right buttons for me, hence I've been spending a lot of time with the euro hardcore sounds recently. Thankfully there are some producers out there who saw the gap in the hardstyle and have pushed out some quality tunes (most of them on Theracords!) and hardstyle is giving me that same old feeling again, I was nearly worried it had been lost at one point!
However I can't deny that the hardcore sounds have got me hooked for life, if hardstyle feels like a shot of adrenaline then hardcore is like sniffing all the coke in Columbia! Just for the record I'm not recommending anyone to try that! The sounds just give me so much energy; it's something that's hard to explain, but I'm sure anyone passionate about the same thing knows what I'm talking about. I've lost count of how many lampshades and God knows what else I've broken when I'm mixing at home and get a bit carried away!
J - 2009-2010 has certainly seen a rise in the popularity in the Harder Styles in this part of the country. What's your view on the current state of the Harder Styles in the South of England
S - If you look back a few years ago you were lucky if you got an hour at the end of the night that was even remotely harder styles. Now we have a good selection of events that are dedicated purely to the harder styles and a loyal following. More and more people are discovering the harder styles every day (and I like to think we do our part in that!), so now the ball is really rolling the only way is up! There's still a lot of work to do, but with the dedication in the scene at the moment it can only keep growing.
J - What DJs and Producers are doing it for you at the moment
S - Haha, as you know I've just come back from Masters of Hardcore so it's very tempting to just reel off the lineup! Tha Playah will always be at the top of the producer list for me, next to Nosferatu, Outblast and Angerfist. I hear Afflictive are the business as well... On the hardstyle side of it, Thera and Geck-o are bringing out some banging tracks which still fit with hardstyle and yet have a very unique sound at the same time.
J - You've been getting in plenty of studio time recently with D4rk, how's the production coming along?
S - We sure have, our first track 'Breadstick' will be out in a few weeks under the name ‘Afflictive’. We went over to Holland to Thera studios to get some 'insider information' on a few things and this track was the result of our visit! However I fear that our visit only means we are going to be spending even more time in the studio now we have refined our sound, we probably owe D4rK's neighbors rather a large fruit basket for Xmas!
I should probably explain now that Afflictive is the name we've chosen to use when we're working on stuff together, as saying Skullfuck3r and The Muff1n P3rv3rt can be a bit of a mouthful! There'll be plenty more where that came from as well as some mixes and most likely some sets in the not too distant future as well so keep 'em peeled for more updates!
J - In 2010, what's been your favourite set you've played and your favourite set you've seen?
S - There's been a few sets that have stuck in my mind this year, excluding last Saturday at MoH! Black Heroes was rather special to say the least! In all honesty I just enjoy seeing mates play out and ripping it up, we all know the people up the top of the flyers can smash it out, and if they don't we'll probably still cheer them on! Some of the sets that really spring to mind are Scottish in Ibiza, both sets actually, firstly for surprising us with something that was powerful, energetic and something I'd not heard before, and then for the more infamous set after his little trip out the hotel, the look on Sash's face was priceless! Your set at Octane and Squelcher back in march was a real blinder for me, I think you were closing the room and I was knackered by that point but you kept banging out tune after tune and I had to keep going! And of course D4rK at Transmission was just mind-blowing; he's definitely better suited to the bigger stages where he can really be let loose!
The one that really springs to mind for myself is right at the start of the yearend of last year, when Octane and Squelcher hosted a room at Future Frantic NYE. That was one intense night, the room was rammed from start to finish and I ended up playing 4 times! We'd been down there early to set up the room in true Squelcher fashion and then found out we were opening an hour sooner that we thought, so D4rky and myself made up the extra first hour. Then one of the DJ's was foolish enough not to turn up, can't remember who but my personal thanks go out to them for another D4rky and muffin b2b, then we obviously had our original sets to play, by this time I was starting to run out of tunes that I could think of to play! After a stomping night the room was still packed with people stomping the New Year in so we kept our room open an extra hour and guess who got the b2b! Skully and Muff1n to the rescue once more!
J - If you could play at ANY event, home or abroad, which one would you choose and why?
S - I feel like I'm constantly plugging the same names but, somewhat obviously, playing for Masters of Hardcore is right at the top of the list. The production they put into their events just can't be rivaled, you know you've done something right if you’re on their stage! On the quiet I would also love to play the main stage at Glastonbury festival one year, I was first taken there when I was only three months old and I've lost count of how many times I've been since then so it will always be a special place for me. Though I'm not sure the organizers would agree to having our sounds on the main stage just yet, as I said earlier, there's still a lot of work to be done!
J - Rumour has it that you sometimes like to incorporate some Bounce into your sets! The video of you playing at Bionic would seem to suggest so! Would you like to explain yourself ?(to view video, click here)
S - Oh dear, some things are just destined to haunt us forever! Let’s just say I was a little confused when the guy before me started playing full on donk style! In the time it took me to get some real music cued up and hit the play button, SOMEONE, managed to get their camera out and film me behind the decks while the bounce was still going! I've been trying to get him back ever since, but all I've managed so far is a video of him playing filth, doesn't quite equal what he done to me yet!
J - What are your plans as we move towards and into 2011?
S - Just recently I've been taking a bit of a back seat whilst training for a new job, but that should be more settled come next year so I'll be really pushing the music forwards on all levels. Obviously most people know me as Steinbeck and he'll be hunting out the proper hardstyle to give everyone that adrenaline shot we crave. Then there is The Muff1n P3rv3rt, he's my euro hardcore alias and will be running alongside Steinbeck every step, and probably a few more after that! Also as mentioned before, Skullfuck3r and The Muff1n P3rv3rt are teaming up to cause twice the mayhem they do on their own under the Afflictive alias, so there's going to be a lot coming from me soon, I hope you can all keep up!
J - Finally, yourself and all of the Sinistry DJs have been booked for the huge NYE event by Glowball, Squelcher & Freeformation. How excited are you about the event and why should all the Sinners be considering it for their NYE?
S - Now this is going to be one night for the history books! The venue is absolutely wicked, went down to check it out a while ago and we've been planning the decor ever since, trust me when I say it's going to look very special! The lineup is the biggest of it's kind anywhere round here with the likes of Kutski, Slideout, Yofridz, Squelcher freaks D4rk and Steinbeck, all the Sinners, I'm also looking forward to seeing Marc Smith, the guy absolutely ripped up the gabba at Freeformation a few weeks ago so will be quality to see that again! I can't think of any good reason why you would miss out on a night this big, it doesn't happen that often and it's gonna be well worth it!
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Catch Tom Cusden playing in the main room and Steinbeck, Kohl, Philly and Jester playing in the 2nd room! With some of the biggest headliners in the scene, this is going to be an amazing event so make sure you get your tickets now to avoid dissapointment!!
