We recently caught up with Robert James, producer and DJ hailing from Leeds that just keeps on coming up with the goods.  Now with a few releases on Hot Creations under his belt, this man has well and truly arrived in the world of underground house and techno, and doesn’t look like he’s leaving anytime soon.  2011 is set to be a big year for Robert James… get used to the name as you’ll be hearing it a lot more over the coming months.

Firstly we heard that you recently played live on Radio 1 in Sheffield warming up for Pete Tong. How was that?

Yeah it was really good; it was just a 20 min mix during his show on a Friday night. It was a pretty funny night, I ended up cracking my head open on my mates car boot 10 minutes before going on air. So I was trying not to let blood run down my head as I was trying to mix to about 2 and half million listeners.

How did this come about?

Mixmag put me forward as ‘One To Watch Out For’ in 2011, which I was really happy about. 2 weeks before I was on Radio 1 doing an Interview with Pete Tong and he played 2 of my tracks. So it was a really good start to the year.

What was it like playing to thousands of people?

Well there were only 200 invited guests for the live show in Sheffield but they have about 2 and a half million listeners, so the thought of that made me really nervous. Cracking my head open 10 minutes before didn’t help but I found it funny so I was cool with it all.

You started your set on Radio One with a track by ‘Pteradactil Disco’, how did this pseudonym come about?

We were all in London after a weekend of partying; I decided to stay down for a couple of days. So we all got in the studio and came up with Big Ass Biscuit, it was a few months after in the same situation we came up with Clives Alright. Expect some more tracks in the near future.

How did you first meet Jamie Jones and Lee Foss?

I met Jamie in Ibiza at DC10; he was mates with a lot of my mates out there. I  met Lee when he came up to play in Leeds for Louche, we had been sending each other tracks and chatting on line before then though.

How did you end up singed to Hot Creations? Did you approach them or vice versa?

I played Jamie ‘Connected’ at a villa party in Ibiza in 2009, he signed it straight away. After Ibiza I sent him some more stuff, one of them being ‘Sleep Moods’, which he also signed, so that was my first EP which came out in June 2010.

Did you come from a musical family?

Yeah I’d say so, mainly my Dad. He’s a massive music fan, which over the years has made me one as well. He was always listening to music rather than watching TV, his music collection is massive.

How did you end up joining the army?

It was always something I wanted to do from a young age; I didn’t do well at school. I was always in trouble and getting up to mischief, so when I left school there wasn’t a lot for me to do anyway. I’m glad I joined the Army though, it made me grow up and become more of a man.

If you hadn’t got into electronic music do you think you’d still be in the army?

No I doubt it but you never know. I joined the Army at 16, which for my opinion is too young. When I got to the age of 19 having been to Iraq, I was seeing all the fun my mates were have at Uni, so I decided on a change of career which was definitely the best option.

Do any of the lessons you learned while in the army also apply to your new career in dance music?

There are a few, I try to be on time and like to be pretty tidy most of the time. With regards to fitness that went out the window but saying that I’ve just got back in the gym so hoping that might change.

Where are you happiest? The DJ booth or the studio

I’d have to say the booth but I do love being in the studio too. There’s nothing better than playing the music I love to people who love it too and watching them have an amazing night or day.

Is there any one place that you’ve not played which you’d like to play the most?

There are a lot of places id like to play but id like to play the most at DC10. I’ve got a lot of good memories from that club, met a lot of good friends and lost a lot of memories too haha. It’s my favourite club in the world.

If you were programming the ultimate party who would you book to play?

Well saying that I am going to plan a few little parties in the future, more mates than anything. There are too many DJ’s to pick for the ultimate party I’m afraid, the list would go on and on.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Tough question, I’d like to have travelled around the world, met a lot of people have a really big studio, maybe my own record label and a really nice house.

What was your favourite track of 2010?

2010 was a really good year for electronic music so there were a lot of favourite tracks. I really liked the Crazy P Remix of ‘Suicide Girl’ on Hot Creations and some tracks by Lee Foss, Jamie Jones, S.A.S and Burnski to name a few.

And finally what have you got in the pipeline for 2011?

I’ve got quite a few things planned which I’m really looking forward to. The next EP after the ‘Big Ass Biscuit EP’ is the ‘Clockwork EP’ where, Art Department, Lee Foss and myself have remixed a track together. I’m starting to get some good DJ bookings all over the place and I have a lot of tracks that need finishing, so I’m hoping to get another EP out for the summer.

For more check out the mix he did for Data Transmission, and also check his SoundCloud.

Hot Creations, Jamie Jones, Lee Foss, Pete Tong, Pteradactil Disco, Radio 1, Robert James Blog