Feature

Dave Lee (A.K.A Joey Negro): The Best Of Dave…

Dave Lee, the rather ordinary name behind a host of totally extraordinary ones in clubland, finds music festivals frustrating. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like them. In fact he’s playing a couple on the same weekend this month – one is called Vintage, a bold new addition to the Goodwood Estate’s highly celebrated calendar of annual events.

“Musically, Vintage is right up my street” Lee opens, the man who has enjoyed a phenomenal 20-something years at dance music’s top table as everything from Jakatta and Raven Maize to Akabu and Joey Negro, you name it…. “But it’s more than that, a lot of time and effort has gone into the planning and booking; it makes a real difference. Festivals can be frustrating, because promoters usually think they only need the cover stars of a few well-respected dance music mags and then they’re sorted. Maybe so, but then every event you go to or play at has the same line-ups; it’s not always that inspiring.”

Vintage is a completely different proposition, with its various stages and arenas based around specific decades of British music and cultural cool. Lee is down to play the ‘Roller Disco’ zone, which will offer two dancefloors (one for skaters, one for dancers) and aim to reflect some of the UK’s most influential disco club nights – nights, ultimately, responsible for today’s sparklin’ resurgence in all things mirrorball.

“It’ll be good to play to a crowd that is educated in disco, and has a deep appreciation of it. I should be able to play without compromise, which will be a lot of fun” Lee suggests. “It’s been said before but good soulful and vocal music always finds its way to the top. I speak to a lot of DJs and producers and there is that feeling that whilst more dance music is being released than ever before – a good thing – a lot of it is poorly thought out and a bit repetitive. A good vocal or key solo can really stand out, and make that connection on the dancefloor.”

Lee will be swooping into Vintage, by plane, from another soulful, disco-fied festival over in Croatia. The SUNceBEAT event, near Zadar on the Adriatic coast, is being hosted by the Southport Weekender guys and, with other names on the bill including Dennis Ferrer, Ron Trent and Kerri Chandler, it promises a similar mix of idiosyncrasy and soulful club quality. “Typical, it’s like buses isn’t it?” Lee laughs. “Two great events on the same weekend, but I wouldn’t want to miss either. They’re pushing the sounds we’ve been talking about, the right kind of vibes.”

Of course, as disco-driven as Lee is, his various production pseudonyms do allow a certain amount of sonic flexibility. For all the laidback 70s grooving of live project The Sunburst Band and the soul-house swing of Joey Negro, there’s plenty of mainstream pop sentiment via Jakatta and Z Factor, and edgy dancefloor depth thanks to Akabu. It’s a polished but refreshingly kaleidoscopic approach that has undoubtedly kept Lee at the top for two decades – marking the fact is a new 20 Years Of Joey Negro anniversary retrospective; a tour through some of Lee’s finest work as Negro and the rest….

“Having the different names has definitely given me freedom in my career and allowed me to ride changing musical trends” he admits. “I mean, my music is all house and disco-based but certain styles have come and gone over the years, and I’ve been able to tap in to that, make my mark, and still work on other ideas until the climate is right in which to release them.”

The next thing to bubble out of Lee’s funky laboratory will be a debut Akabu album, The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be. He’s been working on it for some time but expects it to drop, now, this autumn. Has the time and effort spent been worth it? “In some ways I think it could have been darker, more minimal” he confesses. “But whenever I try and do something like that; something like some of these new house guys are doing on Beatport, I just switch off. It’s just the way I’m wired, I have to have some kind of depth, be it a vocal or instrument solo. The album’s got an interesting house sound, kind of like old-school Kerri Chandler… elements of Underground Resistance and Larry Heard. It’s unique and I’m pleased with it but I hope the public likes it too….”

The reaction of Lee’s peers has to reassure him. DJ-producer Ashley Beedle, also at Vintage this year, is a big, big fan of the new material; Lee mentions a handful of other big names with a similar view. “I don’t know” he sighs, “sometimes you just get locked into a recording process for a while and it’s hard to step back constructively. It’s also hard to stop fiddling around with the music. I’ve found that more difficult as my career has progressed; the more you learn, the more you notice what is missing when you’re recording new music. You can go mad.”

But there’s no sign, thankfully, of Lee going off the rails. He’s clearly been a busy boy this year, completing Akabu’s debut, working on a forth Sunburst album (“I’ve nailed four tracks and the rest are going great”) and various new projects, including dubby Scottish outfit The Revenge and the jazz-licked JD73, a side project with Morcheeba keyboardist Dan Goldman. There should be a steady stream of quality dance music deep into 2011, and Lee’s already considering ideas for material beyond that.

“Sunburst is my priority now that Akabu is finished” Lee indicates. “I’m going for a different flavour this time round, kind of 1980s Quincy Jones if you know what I mean. But then I’m also looking for my next crossover single. Every now and again I think you need that lucrative mainstream idea, be it based on a big sample like Jakatta [American Dream] or whatever, just to keep everything else well supported. I haven’t got my hook yet, but I’m looking.”

And with the stature and firm grounding that 20 years in the business gives you, he can afford to take his time. “It’s an amazing feeling to have been here this long,” Lee wraps up. “I’ve worked hard but I haven’t killed myself. I think not having had a family has allowed me plenty of control. I might well do the family thing in the future and then will come new priorities; I know plenty of guys with families that have had to compromise, eventually, with their music.

“At the same time, I know plenty of guys that, over the years, have got bored of the music. I’ve always tried to see the bigger picture; it’s like being in a relationship… frustrating some times but then a few days later you can’t believe you even thought that. It can’t be great all the time, but it is most of the time. You work at it.”

That’s called devotion….

Dave Lee A.K.A Joey Negro can also be found in our 'DJ Heroes' section of our printed edition of Blues & Soul. For your further DJ delectation we also have interviews with Norman Jay, Tim Westwood, Danny Rampling, Snowboy and Colin Curtis. You can order your copy from this site today.
Words BEN LOVETT