Defected have interviewed Joey Negro this week, ahead of the release of his ‘House Masters’ retrospective compilation with them (out January 11).
The interview traces his career back to his formative years and time spent working for Rough Trade, through to the perils of commercial and crossover success.
“It’s great to be acknowledged for what you’ve done and all the hours of studio time you’ve put in” he says of his involvement in the hallowed compilation series. “[It’s] like a who’s who of house music, so of course it’s nice to be part of those albums and be there alongside Dennis Ferrer and Masters At Work.
“I try not to rest on my laurels and think ‘I’ve achieved this or that’. To a degree you’re only as good as your last record, even if you have had lots of music out over the years. I don’t want people to think “Oh I like the early stuff but not sure about now”. Occasionally someone will say something like that to you at gigs and it’s like “I know you’re trying to be nice but it’s not actually what any artist wants to hear”. Pretty much every record I’ve ever been involved in I’ve put 100% into; even if they turned out crap I tried my best with what I had to work with – if it was a remix. If it was my own song and I didn’t think it was up to scratch then I didn’t release it.”
Click here to enquire about Joey Negro via the MN2S booking agency.