How did you come to dance music?
I loosened up my hips…and my mind followed...

Did you use to go clubbing a lot at the end of the eighties? What were your favourites nights?
In the 80’s..Taboo/Shoom/Sacrosanct/Heaven/Trip/Confusion/RIP/Spectrum to name a few

Do you still go clubbing a lot? Do you still DJ?
Yep, I DJ

After the massive impact that Ford Trax had on the underground scene, with Chikki Chikki Aah Aah and Oochy Koochy becoming legendary, were you pushed by Rhythm King, who were enjoying big success with S’Express. Bomb The Bass and the Beatmasters, to record a more song-based album?
Yes, but by then I had already been bitten by the acid bug. I think that’s why some of the earlier tracks were kind of mutant pop, with bits taken from songs that had been written beforehand and built around a house landscape and beat.

Ooo… The World was one of the very first acid house albums to meet commercial success. How did you react to it?
Playing live, touring, making more tracks… that was pretty much the schedule. The success of Oochy Koochy, Move On, Children Of The Revolution and Change meant doing loads of shows in the US, which led to a deal with Sire Records over there. It got more serious in a way. Then came BFORD9...

Looking back, do you think that Ford Trax and Ooo… have stood the test of time?
I don’t play them often but I have fond memories, especially with Ford Trax. It was the first album and I still love it.

BFORD 9 was a lot darker than Ooo… Was it your way to get away from over-exposure?
BFORD9 reflects a very low time generally, with the Gulf War business going on. It would also be the last Baby Ford album for Rhythm King. It was like the end of a phase somehow, but with a ray of light on the horizon. It was a great time nonetheless.

You lived in Germany for a while. Why did you leave Britain? How did this influence your music?
I rented a flat in Berlin for a year, near Samariter Strasse, just off Karl Marx Alle. While there, I recorded the first Birds album with Klaus Kotai and Jochem Bader. I was also Deejaying and working with labels like EMD and Perlon.

You’ve worked with Ian Loveday, Mark Broom and Thomas Melchior for a while now. How did you meet them, and why do you think these partnerships have lasted so long, considering the fast turnover of musicians on the dance scene?
I guess we all have a lot in common. Ian and Thomas live in the same part of West London, while Mark lives in Bethnal Green. We have known each other for ages. We all have a set up for tracks and we like to hang out and chew the fat. The underground techno and house scene here in London is a lot more limited than, say, Germany. Maybe this is also a reason why we stick together. The main reason though is to have fun and make music.

Sacred Machine is released as Baby Ford & The Ifach Collective. Does this denote a different approach to collaborative work than for your previous albums? This seems to be more in line with your 12” releases…
Yes, Sacred Machine is an extension of Ifach, like a collection of tracks that were never released. Klang Records helped to gel it together. The artwork is by Ata. I think because of these involvements, the record has benefited enormously more of a communal fee.

You’ve very much given up singing on your records. Is it because the music you produce now is more minimalist than around the time of your three first albums?
It’s true that I produce in a more minimal way now. On the early albums, the singing was recorded on tape. Now, they are more cut up. Actually, voices on tracks have always been part of the sound, but that’s all it is, part of a whole sound. I am not into putting in vocals when they are not really needed. They are like the icing on the cake.

You’ve set up Ifach with Mark Broom, Trelik with Ian Loevday and PAL SL. Why so many labels? 
As Ifach and Trelik grew, they developed in their own directions, and I didn’t want to upset the flow. PAL SL is more of an artist-orientated label.

You’ve released an album with Klaus Kotai and Jochem Bader as Birds on PAL SL. How did you get to work with them?
After meeting in Koln on a DJ trip, Klaus and Mo from Elektro Music Department asked me to play in Panasonic. It must have been 1996 I guess. From then on, we have played and worked together, mainly on the recording of the Birds album, with Kotai and Bader, in 1997 in Berlin. Klaus came over to London in 98 and we recorded the Midnight Caller EP at Ifach, which was later released on EMD. In short, Berlin has been a second home and I love it there.

This album was more downtempo than some of your earlier work, and possibly more intricate too. Where did you get the inspiration?
12” records are very inspiring to make, listen to and play on a dancefloor. It’s no wonder they are so popular again. Being involved in record, faith inspires, situations, scenarios, happiness, sadness, everything is a source of inspiration.

Was this project just a one off, or can we hope for more?
More, more, more…

What do you listen to? Who are you favourite artists at the moment?
I mainly listen to minimal techno house, mostly because that’s what I play out. I also like some older albums, anything from Iggy Pop to Lonnie Liston Smith, anything by Larry Heard. Abraxas by Santana is one of my all time favourite 70’s LP. My favourite 12” at the moment are the Other Planers EP by Falko Brocksieper and Needs’s Walkin’ Thru Circles EP.

What do you like to do when you come out of the studio?
Sleep!
 

For more information on Baby Ford, visit the Baby Ford web site.
Thank you to Peter.

© themilkfactory.co.uk 2002