John ’00’ Fleming: Goa off!

John ‘00’ Fleming plays Two Tribes at the Spit, Main Beach on Friday.

Most bio’s and articles you read about Brighton based progressive trance disc spinner John ‘00’ Fleming bear testimony to his all round nice guy-ness, his sincerity and his down to earth qualities. From his several visits to Australia, a place close to his heart, he has earnt a reputation among promoters, journo’s and punters alike as a talented and intuitive DJ with the proverbial heart ‘o’ gold. With a career spanning close to 18 years, Fleming first caught the vinyl addiction as a teen with a keen ear for tunes circa 1984

“I collected records whilst a school,” he said recently. “(UK Club) Sterns were looking to do an under 18's night and the headmaster recommended me! I got taken on full time after that. I was there almost ten years as a resident!”

And thus was the start of Fleming’s ongoing love affair with putting dancefloors through their paces. The longevity of Fleming’s career meant that unlike many of the Twenty-something DJ’s of recent times, Fleming actually was there when house broke in the mid 1980’s (he was a resident at the seminal Fantazia and early Ibiza parties in 1987), he saw the gradual acceptance of the dance music genre and developed his own style at a time when no-one really perceived the impact dance music would have.

As a result, Fleming prides himself on his progressive approach to DJing, utilising a wide-ranging musical knowledge to tailor a set to an audiences needs.

“I love all the quality elements of all the progressive stuff, but I love trance, so I tend to say progressive trance. It's that fine line in the middle, not too progressive and not full on trance. I'm scared to say trance because it got such a bad name, but I'm trying to bring back the good name of trance and I'm working really hard. If I played a later set, then you would've heard me playing some really thumping Goa trance.”

A producer of note as well as a re-mix surgeon, Fleming has cut up the musik of Junior Vasquez (House of Joy), Erasure (Sometimes) and even Gloria Estefen (When Will This Moment End?) while he was living in the US, Fleming’s own releases for labels like React, Perfecto, Additive and Hook include the UK Top 40 release Free plus several DJ mix compilations, the biggest of which was possibly the Reactivate Volume 13 and 14 releases. A project closer to Fleming’s heart is his own Joof Recordings label, set up in 1999 with Russel Coultart of Floorplay notoriety, recent releases on the respected boutique label include Digital Blonde, Fusion (feat. Matt Hardwick) and Steve Porter, not to mention Fleming and Coultart’s own releases, like ‘99’s We Have No Reference Of Time and Make Me Feel plus the ironic re-interpretation of Simple Minds’ classic Belfast Child.

Fleming said at the time that the re-mix was “A complete accident. We were listening to the album in the background as we where setting up some new software in the studio. We heard it, then tried a putting a kick drum behind it and before we knew it we were remixing it!”

Of his own stable of talent at Joof Recordings, Fleming has nothing but glowing praise for his young protégés.

“Mr Blonde is on form for 2002, that’s why I signed him to my label. Matt Hardwick has to be one of the must underrated DJ's. Technically brilliant, programs his sets perfectly and doesn't steal the show when warming up. I reckon it will be his year in 2002.”

Fleming is equally enthusiastic about the direction of the scene over the past few years, no wistful reminiscing about back in the day, Fleming is probably happier now then he’s ever been. What is the most positive step to him?

“The growth of the dance culture. Before you only had the choice of Happy Hardcore or Garage. Now there's loads! Also the band thing has died away in clubs, when I first started playing the DJ was hidden away in a corner and the main feature was the guest band! DJ's seem to pioneer the way forward for music, we are in touch with what the people want, every weekend we are at the heart of the music culture, on the dancefloor.”

“It’s been pretty amazing really, I mean Ibiza was huge this year and really moved very very quickly, plus Trance suddenly burst onto the clubbing scene and also into the charts which was great to see, yet there were so many other variations of dance music emerging.”

Personally, John is onto greener pastures this year.

“You’re going to hear a slight move in direction musically for Mr Fleming in 2002. I'm moving back to my Goa roots, so expect some classy tuff Trance!”