de-VICE:

How did you get involved with IF? Records in the first place?

ALLAN:

Absolute bloody persistence - this guy Andrez [Bergen] was playing the best electronic music I'd　ever heard, so I hassled him with a bunch of wordy emails, but clinched it with music I burned to CD.

After the first Zoetrope party that I played at - which I "snuck on to" - I felt honoured, and wanted to be part of the only group of people looking beyond the trend and really into the music. It's got to the point now where I play people IF? musak, and so many are stunned with how cool it is, even though at the time a lot of it　was recorded [between 1995 and 2001], it was seen as being way out on the edge…

IF? taught me to ignore the trends, and to do what you do. This was particular for me; I was the one playing hard minimal techno - the cool thing at the time - while everyone else at IF? was playing electro-influenced stuff… which was considered so nerdy at the time).

But some people didn't like my infusion of jazz into it; others would never see it… IF? taught me to filter out all that shit, and just be it - all this emotional crap aside. I have never had more fun than being part of IF?, doing whatever we felt like, and in fact being told by a bunch of uni student hacks that we might have recording potential (after putting down 3 hours for SBS radio) was one of the best moments of my life! It was the jazz musician’s ultimate compliment…

de-VICE:

So what does IF? mean to you…?

ALLAN:

Music for music's sake... or is it for Japanese sake? ...Everyone involved with IF? was doing it because it was right, and partially for the beer-rider we’d get at gigs for playing... we all knew it was way too cool...

We hated it when [ Melbourne club] Revolver Upstairs put on a Voiteck versus Zen Paradox live gig about 3 years after IF? did it, but ultimately it proved IF? right...

I sit here now, surrounded by a seriously professional music studio, but IF? never cared about that .. I could have been beatboxing into a crappy microphone, but if it was good, it was worthy of IF?

At the same time that IF? accepted me, I was rejected by [fellow Melbourne label] Wet Musik… for not having enough gear. It was possibly the best thing that ever happened to me...

de-VICE:

Your advice to DJs?

ALLAN:

Hmm… DJs. Well, all I can say is give up playing other people’s shite, play what you want, you'll go in and out of fashion - but that doesn't matter. The most important thing (and here comes a cliche) is to have fun... have a sense of humour, don't take anything too seriously, and everything will work out...

Oh, and if this is DJ-specific, don't ever sell your records... you may hate some of them now, but you don't realise what gems you have...

Hmm… DJs. Still a hard issue for me. Apart from the odd sample on an MD, I can't do anything if I don't write my own bass-lines... So I guess if you are a DJ, remember that the techno scene started without DJ heroes; it started without live heroes.

The focus is the crowd... the audience. Shock them, play with their heads, but never ever put yourself above the crowd…

de-VICE:

Your current favorite alcoholic drink?

ALLAN:

Oh - now that's an iffy question, pun completely intended! I'll always come back to the Coopers Red... 

de-VICE:

Your current favorite music?

ALLAN:

Nup… I can't answer this question. My music taste varies from the time of day, the mood I'm in, what I've ingested...

I’m open to everything, and there is a favourite music for every mood... basically, for me if it's dark it's good. But what I love tonight I probably will hate tomorrow morning.

Not a fair question...