"I was definitely less introspective back in my crazy party days" – Red Rack'em gets into it in our insightful sit down

·”I wasn't taking smack but I lived on Easter Road and hung around some proper gangsters”

We've long admired the expansive sounds generating from the studio of Danny 'Red Rack'em' Berman. Raised in a small Scottish fishing village by a Buddhist family, his musical meandering has seen him journey through various sounds and genres – from hip hop roots to drumming in bands, raved-up drum & bass to idiosyncratic house and far beyond. He's lived in some of the UK's most vibe-rich cities, soaking up sonics while honing his DJ and production skills as his career steadily evolved through grassroots scenes. He began his production odyssey just after the turn of the century, and by 2009 he'd well and truly arrived on the global subterranean radar, thanks to Gilles Peterson hand-picking him to play at the Worldwide Awards.

He launched his own Bergerac label in 2010 and moved to the cultural hub of Berlin a year later. After continuing to win esoteric admirers thanks to a string of high-grade releases and DJ shows, it was his 2016 dance floor destroyer – the appropriately titled 'Wonky Bassline Disco Banger' – propelled him from underground mainstay to luminous rising star, generating universal clubland love and selling an eye-watering number of units by today's standards. From there he continued to release distinctive and stylistically difficult to pin-down music and maintained a position as a key player on the international DJ circuit, releasing his second album 'Self Portrait' to critical acclaim in 2017, and hosted the excellent Smuggler's Inn podcast as well as shows for Rinse FM.

His recent Red Baron collaboration 'She Makes It Work' with Crazy P's Ron Basejam proved irresistible when it dropped earlier this year – receiving heavy rotation at Cosmic Tiger HQ and far beyond – and his new 'Overthinking EP' hit the shelves at the end of June.

We were thrilled to catch up with Danny to find out more about his roots, what he's been up to during this dreadful pandemic, and how he deals with studio-related procrastination.

Hello Mr Rack 'em, thanks for talking to us. Where are you right now and what were you up to before we interrupted you?

Hello hello! I am in St George, Bristol, UK on a lovely sunny Thursday afternoon. About to cycle to Bristol Sweet Mart (famous Indian supermarket) in Easton to buy some slightly more exciting veg like okra, daikon and Chinese cabbage. Before you interrupted me I was packing records I've sold on Bandcamp and having a slow day deliberately as it's been so hectic recently. I was away in Scotland for 5 days as it was my Mums 70th birthday (even I feel old now) - I got back on Monday night. Tuesday was Charlton Masterclass for my How I Program Music producer community. Then yesterday I had Bristol Jazz band Snazzback as guests on my SWU.FM radio show. It was the first time we've ever had a band in the radio studio live and it went really well but I am feeling a bit frazzled today as you can imagine. 

We understand that the new 'Overthinking EP' was inspired, as the name suggests, by getting lost in the mental labyrinth. It was interesting (and almost encouraging to know we are not alone in this) to hear that a producer as accomplished as yourself falls victim to studio procrastination and mixdown uncertainty. What, if any, mechanisms have you adopted to avoid this kind of “quadruple guessing”?

I think for me the easiest way to get music finished is to have a release planned so I know I HAVE to finish the music off. I am the worst person in the world for sitting on COMPLETELY finished music because I can't just say 'it's finished'. Case in point, I was in Edinburgh on Monday hanging out with Nick Linkwood in the Athens Of The North studio and I played Nick lots of my demos and he was like 'well that's finished' again and again. He said 'you've got 2 complete albums there' after I played him about 1% of the tracks I have on Soundcloud private. So yeah I would say for me a big issue is just sitting on finished material. I feel like I need a release manager if that makes sense. I love putting other peoples music out on Bergerac but when it comes to my own I can be a bit too uptight. And I also genuinely forget the music exists so it's often hard to remember all the music I've made. So a strategy I suggest for everyone to adopt is to let people you trust hear the tracks and if they say 'it's done' then put it out if you're happy with it too. I secretly know the music is done and pretty decent but it's often a bit of a safe space to just let it be in the digital ether. 'Just f*cking do it' is something I often suggest to people I am mentoring so I need to follow my own advice a bit more. It's far easier to advise other people than follows one's advice. Just look at how mad most therapists are. 

And does this overthinking extend into everyday life, or is it more of a studio-related nuisance?

Oh, it's completely prevalent in all areas of my life. I find it really hard to know what's 'right' and can get very stressed out about having to make decisions sometimes. I do believe in my taste when it comes to music but when it's things like business decisions or relationship issues with family and friends I can hugely overthink things and end up in a pretty rough limbo place sometimes for several days or weeks. I think I've probably got ADHD to be honest but I am quite nervous to go to the Doctor and be diagnosed. I guess if I found out there was something 'wrong' with me it would be an explanation but I would also feel some shame that I am not perfect if you get me. I know, I know. Who the hell is perfect eh... I guess being more comfortable with one’s own challenges can help one overcome them more easily. I hope that when people get to know me they understand that I am very good at some stuff and then also struggle with some other things. To be honest the overthinking has become worse since I became sober. I was definitely less introspective back in my crazy party days but unfortunately the lack of sleep sent me crazy so I think the current situation is better long term. It's harder to be impulsive these days though. 

While we're on the subject of the studio, can you tell us a little about your current set-up – for example, how has it evolved over time, do you incorporate any gizmos you're especially in love with?

I have a super minimal set-up which works really well for me. I have a M1 Mac Mini, a 35" widescreen BENQ monitor which I love as it's like a treat for my poor eyes after years of laptops, I use Logic Pro X as my DAW. I have a Korg Minilogue XD, a Korg Kaos Pad 3, a Yamaha full-size digital piano which I often use to record stuff in as audio rather than midi, my interface is the SSL 2+ and I have various live things like shakers and percussion stuff. I have a Rode NT2000 mic which is fine for recording stuff in. My monitors are really old but I love them - Dynaudio BM5 Mark 1s from the early 2000s. They are a bit of a secret weapon as I think they sound amazing and have never wanted anything since. Headphones are similarly old but I really like the sound. Andreas Saag recommended the Ultrasone Pro 2900 when we lived together in Berlin in 2011 and even though they are old and uncomfortable, I love the sound on them. They've been amazing for my autistic mix details which have become part of my sound over the years. The bass response on both the Dynaudios and Ultrasone is amazing. I also have a Squire Jazz Bass which I recently bought so I am learning bass guitar. Not really playing on tracks yet but enjoying learning fingerstyle rudiments so I can eventually play disco basslines. That's about it really. I also have a traditional vinyl DJ set up which I use to record samples and scratches but often I just sample off YouTube or digital files I get sent. 

In terms of how it evolved, I've kind of gone full circle as my first mac was a G4 desktop around 2001-ish. Then I had 3-4 macbook pros and an iMac. I've still got them all as they kind of operate as very bulky out of date hard drives for all my music over the years. So it feels amazing to have a desktop again. I've always used logic and although I get bored with it sometimes, I think that's more just about not feeling inspired rather than an issue with the DAW. Gizmos I am in love with hmmm - OK, so I LOVE the SSL Native plugin range which I got bundled with the SSL 2+. It was on a trial for 6 months but I've ended up with 6 for free and I paid for the X Saturator. I should really buy the full range but it's like 15 quid a month for 3 more plugins so I am tempted to just stick with the 7 I have. I put Crazy P onto them and Jim Baron was using them on our recent Red Baron studio session. The EQ (which I don't have) looked very cool so I am tempted to get the full range just for that. Argggggg.

'Train Of Thought' comes on like a compact, genre-spanning DJ set in the form of an extended track, we love it. Can you explain to us a little about what you were hoping to put across with the track and what your headspace was when you wrote it, would you say the whole pandemic played a role?

Glad you like it and yeah I guess it's kind of like a mini mix in a tune which wasn't my intention. OK, so it was originally called 'Train' as I found a sample on my iPhone voice recorder from my first tour of China in 2016. I recorded the female automated announcement on the train and used it on the track hence it being called 'Train' but then when I decided to call the EP 'Overthinking', it made more sense to call it 'Train Of Thought' as the track represents my issue with constantly jumping from subject to subject in my mind and on tracks themselves. I've never been good at making tracks which just do the same thing for 5-7 mins as I am never happy enough with an idea to think I can sustain interest for that long. 

In terms of what I wanted to put across, I guess I wanted to take the listener on a kind of movie like trip with lots of different vignettes and motifs throughout the track so that there's still a connection but it's constantly evolving. I wanted to test myself and see if I could hold someone's interest for the full length of the tune. What's great is that now it's finished it doesn't drag at all - obviously, DJs who want to mix in a tune every 2 minutes will struggle but I am not aiming my music at those people. I am trying to let the music speak rather than provide tools for someone to get attention with while they are DJing. It's all about being lost in the vibe and I hope people can follow where I am going in my music. The pandemic didn't really play a role beyond that I didn't feel any pressure to finish anything off which was nice in some ways but frustrating in others as I felt a bit listless without regular vinyl releases. So now it feels like things are opening up again but unfortunately, it takes months to make a record now so I should have got my ass in gear a bit quicker. Story of my life!

We loved your recent Red Baron collaboration with Ron Basejam. How did that come to pass, have you known each other long and is this the first time you've collaborated?

Me and Jim go back a long way in the Nottingham scene. We were part of an extended musical crew who had an absolute blast in the mid to late 2000s. I've always looked up to Crazy P as they've been smashing it for decades and I really respect their work and their openness respect for other artists. They have hugely supported my music since the late 2000s and I've shared stages and lineups with them for many years. Jim and I have wanted to work together for quite a long time but I was living in Berlin from 2011-18 so it wasn't so easy. We did make a start on some tracks before I moved back though and I've made 2 or 3 trips to Nottingham since I moved back and we've managed to write around 8 tracks together. Our first release 'Fascinate' just came out on our new Red Baron label and the response has been amazing. It's completely different from my 'Overthinking' record but I am happy with both of them and the DJ feedback on both has been insane. Our next record will be exciting as we have 6 tracks to choose from and the latest stuff sounds a bit like Ian Dury as I resurrected my Hot Coins vocalist persona and did some nonsense lyrics yelping which really adds to the tracks. This is the first time Jim and I have produced together but we've both remixed each other's work in the past. I also invited him to be on the Boiler Room when I released my Hot Coins album on Sonar Kollektiv in 2013. And we've collaborated many many times on late-night research missions into how good music can sound with your mates at some mad party. So that definitely informs the music we make.

Some artists we know have said that the change of pace the pandemic enforced had allowed them an opportunity to focus more on creating, while others reported a loss of studio mojo. Where does your experience of the various stages of lockdown living sit on this spectrum?

To be honest. I haven't really been focussed so much on producing as I've been really busy running a new online community that I set up to support up and coming music producers, DJs and record label owners with fulfilling their potential and navigating their way through an often discouraging music industry. I lost all my gigs from around Feb 2020 as I couldn't travel anymore. This was quite rough as I had tours planned of USA and Asia and I had paid for the visas already so I was pretty scared around Feb/March last year as I had no backup plan. But fortunately, I am a qualified teacher and I also have a lot of video editing experience as my first 'proper' job was as an Avid editor in a Liverpool cable TV channel in 1998. So I managed to create a new community which combined my love of supporting other artists and also my teaching and media skills. I used my editing skills to make video content to promote what I was doing and it's worked in an organic way. 

I made the scary but exciting choice to do an almighty pivot and started How I Program which has been really successful in providing a safe space for music producers to ask advice and test out their unreleased productions. At first, I offered one to one mentoring using zoom. I ended up speaking to something crazy like 50-60 producers in June/July last year which was exhausting but also great research. As this progressed, I created an online community using the membership site Patreon and used Discord for the chatroom aspect. It's been my main job since August last year and I've helped over 200 music producers during that time. I offer online music production courses and set projects around music production, artist development, marketing and content creation and I also give a lot of feedback to help my group improve their music. I also invite friends of mine who make great music to host guest masterclasses so we've has sessions with Cinthie, Adam Pits, Crazy P, Medlar, Atjazz, Rick Wade, Posthuman, Zed Bias, Jazzanova, Andreas Saag, Titonton and Charlton so far. You can watch clips of their masterclasses HERE and the masterclasses are available as archives if anyone has missed them when they were live. We also have a really active Discord community with group record labels, feedback channels to help people progress their demos and lots of advice about what equipment to buy and production tips. 

The group is a great mix of experience so there's new and up and coming producers mixing with artists who've been making records for over 20 years. There's even some pretty well-known producers lurking in the masterclass audiences but I never tell the group as it's cooler to not say anything I think! It's not all online too as I encourage the groups to start their own record labels and also remix each other's work. The first label from the group is called 'Select Committee' and I was proud to play a track from their first EP by Loop Solitaire on my SWU.FM show yesterday. Seeing people in the group setting up labels, getting Radio 1 play and getting their music signed to labels is very rewarding I must say. 

Did you get involved with any streaming gigs? If so, how do you feel about the format, do you think it will endure beyond eventual club re-openings?

I did some big live streams last year for charity and enjoyed it. I also did my own daily Twitch show in April/May last year called 'The Berman Sermon' which was actually what indirectly led me into the mentoring work. Learning how to broadcast from my studio and presenting a video stream daily for 2 months was a good training ground for the live zoom mentoring and presenting the masterclasses. I think doing live streams can be a lovely way to connect with people if you are feeling isolated. The community which sprung up around my Berman Sermon show was tangible and I definitely cheered people up. But it was sometimes quite tough if I wasn't feeling very happy and I still had to get on there and entertain. Good training for the Patreon though so it was worthwhile. I don't think things will ever feel the same again as things like masks, vaccinations and fear of catching Covid seem to have created as many divisions as they have solved problems. I can't wait to start playing in clubs again regularly but not everyone can access live events so I think streaming is good for people who live in remote places or who perhaps have financial or health problems. It's nice to brighten up their day too instead of it just being people who are able to attend live events. 

We understand 'New August' is a homage to your teenage love of jazzy hip hop. What artists from that genre were you digging back then, and do they still find room in your at-home playlists?

OK, so I've really got back into hip hop recently so I've been revisiting my old faves. I only play vinyl at home so I don't have playlists. My computer is what use to make music on so it feels much better to step away from that and stick some records on when I want to hear some music. I like the escape from the internet. OK so cool hip hop artists for me are Brand Nubian, Main Source, Black Moon, KMD, Jneiro Jarel, Madlib, Dilla, Jaylib, MF Doom, Ultramagnetic MCs, De La, Tribe, Jungle Brothers, first Cypress Hill album, first Nas album. I also love early Delicious Vinyl so Tone Locs first album is a heater. Def Jeff too. I also like the wonky beats type stuff from Red Nose Distrikt and Steve Spacek which is a bit more modern. 

What other sounds were you vibing to as a younger soul?

I loved Funkadelic, 70s Jazz Fusion so stuff like Weather Report. I am a huge Captain Beefheart fan so albums like Mirrorman, Clear Spot and Doc At The Radar Station were big with me. I was also into grunge so early Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Pavement etc were pretty big when I was a teen. 

Rave breaks permeate this release and you've described yourself as a “rave casualty” in the press release, can you tell us a little about how your journey into the rave unfolded – where did it start, when did you take up DJing and production, and approximately how did it evolve for you?

I was strictly into US hip hop and the live music stuff I mentioned until around 1992 I guess. Then I started hearing stuff on Shut Up and Dance like Ragga Twins and Nicolette. I didn't really understand what it was but it reminded me of 'Humanoid' by Stakker which I liked off my 'Deep Heat 89' compilation when I was a bit younger. I had a friend called Robin who lived in Bath so I started going on holiday to there and Bristol around 94 I think. Details are hazy as we smoked a lot back then. But I remember hearing a pirate station called 'Ragga FM' and them playing stuff like 'It's A Jazz Thing' by Roni and Die which had the Lonnie Liston Smith sample on the breakdown. I didn't really understand what Jungle and drum and bass was as I was from a Scottish fishing village but I loved the sample element as I was into hip hop from around 1987. I began to visit Bristol a bit more regularly and after seeing Metalheadz at The Venue in Edinburgh my mind was made up. I got a small inheritance for my 21st birthday in 1997 so I used that money to move in with my friends in Bristol. It was a huge culture shock after the Trainspotting life I had led in Edinburgh. I wasn't taking smack but I lived on Easter Road and hung around some proper gangsters. It felt like the right time to leave and I moved into a shared house on Ralph Road (which is actually on the artwork on my 2016 track 'Wonky Bassline Disco Banger') and got stuck into the drum and bass scene in Bristol which in 97 was about as peak as it could possibly be. My friends ran an amazing all-nighter called Apex. we had a grow on in the understairs cupboard and I began DJing in Bristol playing drum and bass and hip hop. I was very ropey on the decks in those days as drinking and smoking weed didn't help my mixing at all. I did have one highlight though when I was playing in the 3rd room at one Apex and Randall was severely delayed while he was driving from London. I was plucked off the decks in the really small room and put on in the main room in front of a few hundred people. I was absolutely shitting it (and coming up at the same time as I had no idea I would be playing the main room) and I remember MC Jakes shouting at me for a reload and I was like a rabbit in the headlights. Just trying to mix was quite a feat for me so things like rewinds were a bit beyond me! It's a cool story though. I think I played for about 35 minutes and I am sure I sucked but it was exciting and I got some respect for getting up there and saving the day as they literally had no one to DJ. 

The 'Rave Casualty' was kind of poetic license. Of course I raved hard but I don't see myself as a casualty. I was LUCKY enough to have some of the most powerful experiences possible as a very young person. Hearing the freshest dubplates being dropped week in week out on huge systems, leaving half your stash in the car at raves in case you got taxed, staggering around the bassbins trying not to step on some yardie's shoes - it was all part of the buzz. I am a bit sad I am not 21 anymore and living the dream but I was there and it was the most beautiful thing. If I hear the old tunes like 'Unofficial Ghost' by Doc Scott, 'See Red' by Jonny L, 'Angles' by Krust or 'African Chant' or 'Crackman' by DJ Ron - I am right back there with the hairs standing up on my arms. 

Are you still doing your Smugglers Inn radio show?

Smugglers Inn Radio is on ice. But it's always possible I can resurrect it. I had a regular show on Rinse from 2017- early 2020 but I couldn't go and do it live in London once the pandemic happened. But thankfully, I've been doing a regular show for SWU.FM since last November and I've been loving it. It's on the second Tuesday every month from 5-7pm and I've been absolutely loving doing live radio. The SWU studio is a really nice professional environment so I feel inspired going in there. I actually had the first live band EVER on SWU last night as Bristol Jazz band Snazzback came into the studio to do a live set. Having a 7 piece band playing on my show with good sound was like a dream so big ups to the band and SWU guys for putting it all together. You can hear my new show HERE.

What's next for Bergerac?

Bergerac has some killer stuff on the way from Tommy Rawson and Westcoast Goddess and more from me. The Rawson EP is a total summer festival tune - the A-side is 'Illusions' which is like a dance version of Brit Funk/Boogie tune. B1 'Sound Crazy' is tropical house and B2 'Ads Mood' is proper broken beat. The Westcoast EP is his trademark US detective show 80s movie house music. The main track 'Private Dick' is such a vibe so I can't wait until that drops. After that I guess more stuff from me. Plenty of choice! 

And what of Red Rack'em, are their more releases from you on the way, and are any gigs in the diary yet?

I have plenty of records on the way. Disco Banger 003, more Red Baron, some great remixes on the way which I can't announce but one is a really great Bristol Jazz band and the other is a bona fide Jazz Fusion legend. I've got stuff ready for another Bergerac single. I've got another Overthinking too. I've done a whole album of stuff as Direct Experience Network which I hope will see the light of day. Got some jazzy broken beat garagey stuff too. Got quite a bit of ambient stuff I made at Devon Analogue too. Also got some really tasty gigs which I can't announce yet either. I think everyone is seeing what happens so I don't feel like my DJing will be back to normal until next summer at the earliest. Which feels a little bit frustrating but you can't have it all eh! I am putting together a small venue/small town UK tour for the last 3 months of this year - I really feel like doing something really back to basics and playing small venues in smaller towns - people are always more up for it in smaller places I find. I am also considering organising some stuff in Bristol too but I am not sure - doing events can be very distracting but it's also great fun to book lineups and create a vision. 

Is there anything else you'd like to say today?

I've been buying and making an absolute shedload of fresh music during lockdown so I am mad keen to get out and play some records again. So if you've got a cool party you want me to play at get in touch with my agent simon@thefinaagency.com - and/or I also know some cracking DJs so if you have a budget and want some help with bookings then get in touch. I have ideas. Lots of them. Let's make something happen world...

Thank you so much Danny for your wonderful answers and best of luck with the new release.

Red Rack’em ‘Overthinking’ EP is out now, you can buy it here

Photography by Sean Delahay