James Zabiela once known as Sasha's protégée, but now making his own make for himself with his unique sound, mixing Breakbeat, Techno and Progressive House. And his turnatable skills are wowing crowds all over the world. In the build up to James coming over to Manchester to promote his new mix album at ShowNoShame, Marco Giannini managed to grab him to find how his Space residency has gone and to have a chat about his new album 'Sound In Motion'.

* You have been a resident at We Love Sundays& at Space in
Ibiza this year. How is it going?
Really good! The season started off a bit weird with Sasha not making it to the first gig. It put a bit of weird atmosphere in there & also the technical set up that night was not right for me (I use FX units and such) but it seems to get better every time I play there. Sometimes the crowd look at me a bit funny if I play breaks record haha! I guess it's not really the sound Ibiza is known for but like I said everytime it's getting better & crowd have been really patient with me. When I played there last Sunday, it was probably the best gig I've ever had there. Breaks, Techno, House the crowd seemed to jumping... as was I.


* Have you had any particularly special moments whilst you've
been playing there?
The last few times I've been getting a cheer as I finish playing and it's a real buzz to know that you've been appreciated. The one special moment that sticks in my mind is last year when I did my one guest slot there, Sasha & Darren Hughes (the promoter of We Love Sundays) were in the middle of the floor going for it whilst I was playing. A pretty weird sight!! Ha!

* As is the case every year. Some people are saying that Ibiza
is dieing on its feet, where as others are touting it to be the best year in ages. As someone who has been out there for a good part of the season, how do you think its gone this year?
It's been generally excellent from what I've seen. Space last week was packed beyond belief. The vibe is positive if you ask me.

* Obviously We love Sundays is bound to be your preferred club of choice in Ibiza, but where else do you think has been really rocking this season?
I never get to go anywhere else as I'm always flying in & out so fast so I can't really say but I heard plenty of nice things said about Pacha this year.

*You've just released your mix CD Sound in Motion. It is being raved about by the press and by music fans, not only for the tunes, but also for the mixing on the CD. How long did it take you to record that mix?
Too long!! Almost all my hair fell out & I have a load of that! I chose to mix it live which certainly took a few takes to get right. There were so many variables. I didn't just mix the tracks together but I edited the tracks live with CDJ1000s using hot cues & loops, plus a load of FX, scratching & other weird stuff made it virtually impossible to get it perfect. But I'm happy enough with the end result.

* So many people class you into so many different musical brackets. Be it Breakbeat, Progressive House and Techno. How would you describe your sound?
Hmmm, I never no how to answer this question but I guess it's dubbytwistedbreakytechnouse with warped sounds & melody. How'd I do?

* How did you get into Djing in the first place? How long have you been playing for? and just how did you learn to become so technical?
I got into DJing after doing my work experience in the local record shop that my Dad worked in, I also had a friend at school who big into Hip-hop & tunrtablism so I used to go round his house & watch him spin.

* The DJ Mag 100 nominations have just begun now. Many people argue that the chart is merely a flavour of the month competition, and is not a genuine basis for the top100 DJs in the world. Do you feel this to be true, or do you believe it to be a relevant basis?
It is at the end of the day a popularity contest & there are great DJs that don't get into the chart. But it is the only DJ poll where anyone can vote for their fave jock & I would encourage clubbers to vote for their faves. Vote Zabiela, you know it makes sense! Haha... I'll even lower taxes.. okay, maybe not.

* Are you optimistic to be in the Top100 yourself? Or does it not bother you where you stand?
I wish I could say "who cares" but it does change the way people see you. Promoters in particular, they use this as a guide to book DJs & being there certainly helps DJs to get bookings.

* So once Ibiza is over for 2003 and you come back to Britain. What is in store for you for the rest of the year?
A 2 week tour of America then a month playing gigs in the UK followed by a 2 week tour of South America plus a tour of South...ampton (where I live)... sorry, I was trying to be funny. I guess I should stick to DJing.