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Phil and Tara Reynolds - the Joint Interview!
Reported by Sharon B
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Submitted 16-06-03 17:06
With Phil Reynolds as one of Londons' best known hard trance DJs and voted DJ of the year in our 2002 Annual Poll and Tara recently achieving plenty of accolades with her hard edged style of DJing and production, the Reynolds' are comfortably the highest profile DJing couple in the scene today (although we're not sure if we should count the Tidy Boys in that category or not  ) Sharon B took time out to chat to the two of them in advance of their upcoming back to back set at 'Mr & Mrs'...
Sharon B: Mr & Mrs will be the first major night that the two of you have played back to back in quite while – is there any particular reason as to why you stopped playing out together and how are you feeling about your upcoming performance?
Tara Reynolds: It wasn't a conscience decision to not do any back to backs, although we do try to keep them to a minimum because it will lose its novelty if we do it all the time. Plus we have quite different styles so we're not necessarily a perfect match music-wise, although we do make it work by planning it out beforehand. We're both really looking forward to it because we always have lots of fun playing b2b.
Phil Reynolds: It’s been a while since we last did one. I’m looking forward to it, it should be fun and hopefully the crowd will enjoy it also.
SB: Your mixing styles are quite distinct from one another – was this a conscious decision or was it something that happened of its own accord as your mixing styles developed? What do you personally see as the differences in your styles that makes you both so unique individually? How do you think you influence each other’s styles?
TR: For me it was partly a conscience decision not to play the music Phil plays as I didn't want to be seen as copying his "winning formula" and wanted to be seen as a DJ in my own right. Also, although I love the music Phil plays, its not the music I want to play. I think the major difference is that Phil plays almost all hard trance whereas I play a mixture of styles. One of the biggest influences Phil has had on me has been set structure. I think this is something he's brilliant at and consequently I've always placed a lot of importance on it.
PR: I think its good that we don’t play the same style. It means that Tara has been successful by creating her own style. Tara plays much harder than me. It doesn’t worry me that people keep mentioning that fact as most of her really hard tunes I personally don’t like!!
SB: Considering that your styles are different, how do you feel that your back to back is going to work? Who will have to compromise their style more and is there any one tune that you both love and will be fighting over on your set?
TR: I don't think either of us will have to compromise our styles greatly. We will make it work by planning it out beforehand to make sure it flows. There's only a few tunes that we both play, i.e. Hostile by Paul Glazby, so we might fight over who gets to play that!
PR: It is important for us to plan out what we are going to play as it means we can build the set. We generally get the tunes together that we would like to play and then put them in order to make sure the set flows properly. I’ve been playing a bit harder lately so there will be a couple of tracks that we’ll fight over!!!
SB: What are your opinions of the apparent trend in the scene of returning to its Hard House roots? Will you be incorporating more Hard House sounds into your productions/sets this year?
TR: I think its great that things have got harder again. I don't think that should mean that hard trance falls out of favour though. When a sound becomes big and everyone starts producing that particular sound that's when you get overkill. I think its good to have hard house back again but producers should still continue to make quality hard trance also. As for me, I have always played hard house in my sets, right from the start, and I will continue to do that.
PR: I think that there has been too much hard trance being played in clubs. Because of this people are over it and are now looking for something else. I think its good that hard house is coming back as it means that clubbers aren’t forced to listen to the same type of music all night. At the end of the day the scene was founded on hard house and the trance sound was adapted to this. Hopefully there will be a nice balance between hard house and hard trance being played in the clubs and hopefully it will mean that the scene moves on from where it is at the moment.
SB: Tara – you are probably considered to be the uncrowned queen of the hard dance scene and the recent Frantic event Tara Time was a great success. Considering your relatively short time on the circuit how do you deal with this level of success?
TR: I think my rise has been a slow steady one so its not like I've all of a sudden been thrust into the limelight and have had to learn to cope with it. I have lots of great friends around me who keep me grounded and would never let me get big-headed!
SB: Phil, obviously you must be proud of your wife achieving so much, however what is your opinion on female DJ’s on the hard dance scene? Do you feel that perhaps there is a novelty to having female DJ’s and they are being offered more opportunities than up-coming male DJ’s on the circuit?
PR: At the end of the day a DJ is a DJ whether they are male or female. As long as they can mix well and please a crowd that’s all that counts. If you look at Lashes, Savage and Lisa Pin-up, they are all very popular with the crowd. At the moment there are a lot of opportunities for female DJ’s to become stars a lot quicker than males, because there are so few of them and promoters are looking to book females all the time. Maybe it’s a novelty thing. You would need to speak to promoters about that. Any how I think its good that there are more female DJs around. It keep everyone on their toes!!!!!
SB: You have both played major club venues both in the UK and abroad, yet you do continue to play smaller venues – which do you prefer and are there any venues worldwide that you have yet to play but would love to?
TR: Both have their good points. Small venues are wicked for being intimate and because you're right in amongst the action (i.e. the foyer at Hard House Academy). Big venues are amazing because they can be really spectacular. I would love to play main room Hard House Academy and the huge clubs in Ibiza would be pretty amazing too.
PR: I generally find smaller venues create a better atmosphere. On the bigger stage you never seem to get the same reaction to records that you know normally go off. Having said that I have had some great experiences at Hard House Academy and Creamfields. I’d love to play at Cream and at Slinky in Bournemonth. Outside of the UK would be the outdoor section of Space.
SB: What would you consider to be the highlights of your careers so far? What are your most memorable DJ moments?
TR: TaraTime was definitely a highlight for me, as was the last Hard House Academy – having the crowd chant my name was something I'll never forget! The Tidy Christmas Party last year was a highlight too – it was really special playing at The Republic.
PR: I guess playing in Japan was amazing and at Creamfeilds as I never imagined I would one day be playing there. The first Frantic at Bagleys was pretty amazing too, as when we first started Frantic we never imagined it becoming so big.
SB: You have both produced some great tracks over the last few years yet you have not collaborated on a tune of your own thus far. Do you have any plans for the near future to work on a Reynolds production? If so, what can we expect from such a tune? Which direction would you like to take it in?
TR: We actually started a tune together a couple of weeks ago. Its pretty banging and more hard housey so it probably sounds a bit more like me than Phil, although Phil was keen to diversify his productions so was happy to make a harder tune. We are going to finish it next week.
PR: It’s sounding really good so far. Maybe we’ll play it at Mr and Mrs if its finished.
SB: There are many smaller up-and-coming DJ’s now producing their own tracks and sounds in order to differentiate themselves from what many would consider to be a now saturated market. How important is it to create your own sound and would you encourage this trend amongst newer DJ’s joining the circuit? Is it worth the expense of hiring a studio/engineer etc or would you recommend building a following and creating a unique mixing style over creating a unique sound?
TR: I think right from the start of your career you have to sound different from other DJs, and you have to have something different, i.e. tonnes of charisma, the way you structure your sets, etc. For me personally, I think it’s a good idea to define your sound and build up a following and then concentrate on studio work. I'm sure some people would disagree with that and would say you need to hit the studio as soon as you can. You can't beat production for raising your profile and gaining respect though.
PR: If you are going to make a tune use a respected engineer because otherwise your tune might end up sounding really badly produced and that won’t help your profile at all. These days all top DJ’s produce tracks. My views on whether a new DJ should jump into a studio are the same as Tara’s.
SB: Who or what are your biggest musical influences and who do you look to/aspire to on the hard dance scene? If you could play one other musical style what would it be?
TR: My biggest musical influences are Paul Glazby, James Lawson and Phil – I play a mixture of their styles I think. Andy Farley is definitely my DJing hero – I know I go on about his mixing all the time but it truly blows me away and I aspire to be as good as him one day. James Lawson is also someone I look up to – he's given me so much good advice over the years – he's my guru! I would play house if I was going to change my sound, and I have in fact played a couple of house sets recently.
PR: Mine would be Steve Blake and Nick Sentience. Nick is such an amazing talent I’d love for my production skills to get as good as his [in my dreams!!!] one day. If I wasn’t playing hard trance then I guess I would be playing a banjo in a country and western band!!!!
SB: Which do you prefer – DJ’ing or producing? If you could only do one from now on, which would it be and why? What do you consider yourselves to be better at?
TR: I prefer DJing to production. That's what I would do if I was told I could only do one or the other. I prefer DJing because its more exciting and, although it’s a buzz to finish a tune, it doesn’t beat the buzz of having a room full of people screaming and dancing. I think I am better at DJing because I've had a lot more experience at it. I've still got so much to learn about production.
PR: I enjoy both. I prefer DJ’ing as you are getting a reaction from what are playing instantly. It’s even better if it’s one of your own tunes.
SB: If you couldn’t DJ, what other creative outlet do you think you would have followed, if any?
TR: I would love to have my own florist and create floral arrangements for weddings, corporate settings, etc. I'd also love to design and make clothes.
PR: I’ve got a degree in Industrial design so I guess I would try and put it to some use.
SB: Many people on the hard dance scene would say that it is receding back to a more underground status, where do you see the future of hard house/dance and indeed, where do you see yourselves going over the next 12 months or so?
TR: Its hard to predict what's going to happen. I hope that the music that's made over the next 12 months is diverse and everyone doesn't just jump on the bandwagon of whatever is big at the time. Musical styles will continue to evolve but hopefully they will stay diverse while they do. As for me, I am hoping to play more and more national and international gigs over the next 12 months, and to increase the amount of production I do.
PR: I think the music is moving more underground but the scene itself isn’t. If you look at most popular clubs in the country at the moment they are all hard dance clubs. Frantic, Sundissental and Goodgrief are doing really well at the moment. The scene needs some really good smaller parties to evolve. In London it’s a problem because there aren’t many good smaller venues. As for me well I’m going to be working closely with Nick Sentience and James Lawson. We have already started two tracks together. And I think we are aiming to perhaps start up a new record label together at some point in the future.
SB: How do you handle the fact that most of your time must be spent apart from each other with your hectic weekend schedules and Tara still working full time during the week?
TR: It can be difficult sometimes. We have to make a point of planning our time so we've got time together. I work in the evenings so we spend most days together – we go to the gym, go for lunch, go shopping, etc.
PR: It is difficult. But we do make time for each other.
SB: Where do you see yourselves in 5 years time? Do you have any plans to return to Australia?
TR: We're definitely planning to move to Australia. That's my home and that's where I definitely want to end up. "When" is the big question.
PR: I’m following her!!!!!
SB: What are your opinions on hard dance sites, like HarderFaster? Do you think they influence the Industry and do you look to them for feedback/promotion etc? How vital are they to you as DJ’s and broadening your fan base/reaching a wider audience?
TR: I think hard dance sites are an important part of the scene – people need a place to express their opinions about clubs, DJs, etc. However sometimes people can hide behind the anonymity of the internet and some of the things they write can be extremely nasty and negative. Everyone needs constructive criticism but sometimes it turns into personal attacks or really nasty rants about DJs/clubs/etc. I think some people who use these sites need to think about how the person or club they're attacking might feel when they read their comments. Some things I've read are incredibly hurtful – I would hate to be on the receiving end of some comments. I do check HarderFaster and other sites quite often as its interesting to see who's in and out of favour, and you can gauge what people are wanting to hear. You have to remind yourself though that it’s a small percentage of clubbers who go on these sites so their views are not necessarily representative of the clubbing population.
PR: I think HarderFaster is an excellent web-site. To tell you truth though I don’t really go on their very often. I think some of the people who go on the message page take there clubbing way too seriously. I’ve seen so many people being slagged off at one time or another on it. After a while you just get fed up of reading it. People be nice to each other and the world would be a much happier place. Constructive criticism is good, but unfortunatley 99% of the time it’s not, so you can’t get anything from that. For instance, I’ve just looked on the web-site and someone has posted “Phil Reynolds set was pants”. What can I take from that? They haven’t giving a reason to say why they didn’t like what I played. It’s just a slagging off. I guess people have the right to say what they feel and if it makes them feel better to slag someone off then you can’t stop that. The most important thing is that the web-site keeps clubbers informed of what is going on in the scene.
SB: What advice would you give to any up-and-coming DJ’s about the hard dance scene/Industry? What is the best bit of advice you have ever received?
TR: I think one of the most important things a new DJ has to do is to be different to everybody else. If they play the same tunes in the same way then they won't stand out and sadly probably won't get anywhere. They have to be prepared for knock-backs, to make sacrifices and they have to be really dedicated if they want to make it. The best bit of advice I've ever received was about how important it is to remain down-to-earth and to have the time to talk to people. You can be the best DJ in the world but if you're rude to people and act big-headed then that will eventually speak louder than your ability as a DJ.
PR: I agree with Tara. The main thing is to enjoy what you are doing. Too many new DJ’s seem to take it too seriously and forget that it’s meant enjoyable. You have to set yourself some goals and work towards them. Be realistic about them as you will learn that in the music industry it takes a lot longer than you expected to sometimes reach them. If you love what you do and work hard then you will in time be successful.
SB: What three tracks are you currently playing out that get the biggest cheers on the dancefloors? Are there any tunes that you play that you just can’t help yourself from reaching for the skies and grinning from cheek-to-cheek?
TR: Hostile and Motherf*cker by Paul Glazby always get me jumping around with a big smile on my face. I have been playing Motherf*cker for months and months now and I still love it. The Explanation by me and Ali Wilson also gets a good reaction every time, and its all the more satisfying because I co-produced it!
PR: Deeper by Rowland and Wright. Matt Williams and Jon Rundall’s Can you trust yourself and mine and James Lawson’s Rock n Roll.
SB: How important is stage presence? Some DJ’s really give it some welly behind the decks whilst others are more centred and focus. On a personal level, which do you prefer to see on a stage?
TR: Stage presence is hugely important. I personally prefer to see the DJ interacting with the crowd. I remember seeing Tony de Vit do it years ago, he was smiling and waving and gesturing to people in the crowd and I was so taken by it and just that one experience has been a huge influence on me. Its not always necessary to have a lot of interaction with the crowd to have presence though – there are DJs who don't interact with the crowd but still have enormous presence.
PR: I think it’s important for a DJ to interact with the crowd but at the same time you need to be concentrated on what you are doing. I think the crowd prefer to see the DJ enjoying themselves.
Phil and Tara Reynolds play 'Frantic Present Mr & Mrs' at the Camden Palace on 28th June - for full details click here
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Other Features By Sharon B:
What's it all about? Alfie! - Getting Technikal with Alf Bamford
Heat UK presents....SW4!!! - Interview with Damian Gelle
Interview with TWIST promoter Steve Darragh
Interview with Innovate Resident Nick Sentience
Interview with Ferry Corsten
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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Comments:
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From: Marky Boy on 17th Jun 2003 15:21.03
Good interview Shazza. Long, but very good, i like reading Phil Reynold's comments, he never seems full of himself.
Good luck Mr & Mrs R for your B2B set! 
From: Si² on 17th Jun 2003 15:27.11
Top Review
From: The Scene on 17th Jun 2003 15:32.01
"I’ve just looked on the web-site and someone has posted “Phil Reynolds set was pants”. What can I take from that?" 
Good interview Sharon
From: Stevi D on 17th Jun 2003 15:46.44
All the best Phil and Tara!! U both doing class A work!!"
From: Luckyfuka on 17th Jun 2003 19:03.36
Wikkid interview - Great to give them a chance to answer the critics as well!! Great Q&A's
Keep up the good work both of ya, and hope to see ya blow da roof at Convergence - BK edition 
From: Tom Foy on 18th Jun 2003 00:17.14
Great interview Shazza. Keep up the good work P & T!
From: Karl Alexander on 18th Jun 2003 11:38.30
Nice one - agree with the comments about Constructive criticism and people taking it too seriously.
From: Paul Henry on 18th Jun 2003 13:16.25
Phil is the best Banjo player I've ever seen too! hehe
nice interview, Phil and Tara are such wicked people!
From: bunny on 18th Jun 2003 18:59.46
Excellent interview SB + lots of help for upcoming Djs from Phil + Tara
From: Tiger on 18th Jun 2003 22:51.27
Woow, that's was a great interview! Well planned questions, very constructive answers!!
From: Paul Reeves on 19th Jun 2003 13:49.16
sharon, ur all over the show m8. wot r u like son!!!
From: shazzabazza on 19th Jun 2003 16:07.07
Cheers guys - glad you liked it 
Big thanks to Mr & Mrs R for their wicked responses and best of luck for their forthcoming event
From: Shaezel on 19th Jun 2003 17:01.04
Hey Sharon
Great interview. Well done!
From: RaW on 21st Jun 2003 01:53.09
Great interview shazza!!! Agree completely with the "taking it too seriously"... I always thought that clubbing is all about hacing a chance NOT to be serious.
Great to see you Tara at Milk and can't wait to see you both back home in Oz! You can count on my grinning mug to be bouncing down the front!
From: Gordon Darley on 22nd Jun 2003 21:21.33
Wikid interview
From: mrbicgit on 24th Jun 2003 18:39.02
love your work baby
From: Disco Diva on 25th Jun 2003 08:04.38
excellent interview!!!..........
would love to hear Phil play that banjo!!!!
From: DMX on 1st Jul 2003 04:35.23
That interview was pants.
From: bunny on 1st Jul 2003 16:53.27
Typical DMX... there's always 1 
From: chiwi on 8th Jul 2003 03:25.52
Shazzzza! Top interview sweetie! And Phil you my number 1 DJ! Ever thought about DJing in China one day?
From: DDK on 21st Aug 2003 13:40.14
Good one Mr and Mrs, wish you guys all the best for the party and can't imagine you settling into a house with the same setting as the aussie movie "The Castle", look forward to seeing again at the Cook!!!
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