Are you Richard? Mummy s not here, but Daddy is. Mid-interview, Terry Francis has been interrupted by Hannah. While one of England s finest DJs looks for a pacifying biscuit, his chirpy three-year-old daughter commandeers the phone and fires the questions at yours truly. Luckily, before any in-depth interrogation can take place, Terry returns with a chocolate digestive.
Although he has just completed an exhausting American tour I was in Florida when the storms went off and my gig in New Orleans coincided with Mardi Gras. People started throwing beads at me and after a few minutes I looked like Mr. T! Francis remains relaxed and cheerful. Then again, the lad from Leatherhead has received more than his fair share of attention recently. Together with a loose collective of friends which includes London DJs and producers Evil Eddie Richards, Mr. C, Matthew B, Layo and Nathan Cole, Francis was last year s winner of Muzik magazine s Best DJ award, and has been identified as one of the main movers on the tech-house scene, a grey musical area where house and techno supposedly merge.
While Terry prefers to use the term tech-funk because the music has electro and breakbeat elements and is really funky the music media have been creaming themselves in the belief that they have discovered a new musical sub-genre. In an attempt to deflate the hype, Francis explains that the music he spins and his own DJing background are deeply rooted in the open-minded spirit of acid house.
I was originally a soul boy, but by 1986 I had started buying house records and going to clubs. No disrespect, but the media always need to look for something new to write about, and over the years my style hasn t changed much: I ve been DJing for ten years and have always played deep, funky house and techno, electro, anything that sounds good. In the early days, Eddie Richards was a great inspiration to me: he got me my first gigs and he has always had such a positive, helpful attitude. He has opened up doors for me and has made things happen I never thought would be possible, like playing in other countries.
When Francis and Nathan Cole decided to start their own night, Wiggle, in 1994 it was time to return the favour, and the pair installed Eddie Richards as a resident. Co-promoted by Cole and Francis girlfriends, the event takes place in obscure locations all over London, and, in these dark days of souless, corporate clubbing has a refreshingly intimate, familiar, one big family feel.
We don t advertise the night in magazines because people will just think it s the latest trendy thing and will kill it off, explains Francis. We put on DJs like Mr. C, Richard Grey and Matthew B, mates of ours and people we rate, but our residencies there are very important as well because we feel like we ve built up a relationship with the punters. The Wiggle crowd all know each other, we ve all grown up together. And seeing as the night takes place in the outer suburbs of London, people have to make an extra effort to get there. The parties take place in licensed venues and are a ticket only affair so we have no problems with the police. Generally, there isn t much of an underground scene left in London, but Wiggle reminds me of the old days when it didn t matter what you looked like or what clothes you had on. It captures the essence of acid house.
These good intentions would mean nothing if the accompanying soundtrack was below par, but a listen to Francis current Architecture mix-CD on Pagan is a perfect introduction for the uninitiated to the joys of tech-house . Featuring gems from House of 909 and Two Right Wrongans, Terry s mixing is smooth yet uncomplicated, allowing sensuous melodies to merge into skeletal grooves all of which makes for a flowing selection of distinctly British house music. Given the proper airing, this music has real crossover potential.
There is so much good music coming out of London at the moment, confirms Terry. Labels like The End, Reverberations and Surreal are releasing house and techno with a real experimental edge, and at times it almost seems like the market has been flooded with quality records. UK producers have taken American house and techno and have made their own funky variety.
The only reason this music hasn t become big is because most people haven t been exposed to it or have heard it properly. It s not in your face, and you have to spend time listening to it, but it can be as uplifting as you want it to be.
As modest as he is talented, Francis has also gained recognition as a producer, recording as under his own name and with Nathan Cole as Housey Doingz for Pagan, Checkpoint Charlie and his own Eye 4 Sound and Wiggle labels.
While he plans to continue spreading his own distinctive house gospel, Francis also wants to keep on diversifying. It may sound selfish, but I want to do more productions on my own because it s more satisfying and there s no compromise involved. I d like to get into writing proper songs and using a male vocalist.
Why?
Because there s too many female divas around!
But there s only one Terry Francis. n

Architecture is out now on Pagan. Terry Francis plays Charged, The Kitchen, Dublin on March 26th.