Louis Osbourne Interview

You might recognise him from a brief appearances in his family's TV series but over the past few years he's been gaining a mean reputation as a deep house/techno DJ.

How long have you been on-site Louis?

I got here about six so I'm getting into the groove and having a few drinks.

Are you planning to watch anybody else later?

I'd like to but to be honest I got here a bit late. I've actually got to leave tomorrow quite early because it's my niece's christening. So I can't have a completely mad one. Honest! I've got a lot of friends who I haven't seen for ages, who work at this place so I might have a mooch around.

Would you have changed anything with the Homeland's line up this year?

I think they've done a pretty good job already. Maybe a bit more techno, a bit more underground stuff. There's a bit of everything here for everybody. They've branched out more into the live thing this year and they've put on the alternative tent with the likes of Erol Alkan.

What have you got planned for tonight's set?

Every week I play tech-y, tribally house. I don't like this disco, namy-pamby stuff.

What's happened to your Birmingham residency (at techno mecca 'House of God'?)

I was doing the residency there for about five years, every month. I'm so busy working all over the place these days I don't have time to go back there and do it. I've got an album coming out in the states on June 11th  (Motion Audio Volume 1). I've got thirty-five dates in the states over two and a half months. So it's boom-boom-boom!

You've been playing over there quite a lot there lately, as well...

Yeah, I made a decision about three years ago to concentrate on the USA because I was finding it difficult to get breaks over here 'cos it's so saturated. I've got family over there, as you know, so I play there a lot. I've got a good manager over there and it's completely blown up in America for me now.

Do you think America's really down with the whole dance culture?

It kinda is. It's still not as good as here. I've been working hard now at it so I'm starting to get all the good gigs. I'm playing all the best places in America so it's good.

At the age of sixteen, you went along to your first rave alone. That must have been quite an experience?

I was a bit nervous. I didn't start listening to dance music or going raving because of peer pressure or anything like that. I went to boarding school when I was too young to be in the acid-house explosion but I'd always read about it in the newspapers. So I heard about it, heard about the drugs and the whole thing. There was this rave on and I was supposed to go with this mate but his mum wouldn't let him go in the end. So I went on a train, down to Exeter from Birmingham, got a taxi out to Westpoint and went to Fantazia, completely on my own. And it was my calling. That was it - yes - it's me. I then inflicted a certain amount of peer pressure onto all my mates and the next thing you know, it's, "Yeah, we've all found it." But I went there out of curiosity. I'd heard a lot about it. I'd read about it so I thought I'd go and give it a try.