In Conversation

Drum and bass producer DJ Krust does an exclusive interview with dublab at Club Vinyl.

John Girgus from the bands Aberdeen, Languis & Legendary House Cats had the opportunity to “interview” John Cooper Clarke for dublab. Here is what he had to say:

What hasn’t already been said about the great John Cooper Clarke? What already hasn’t been asked? More in the UK, but here to a degree, there has been no recent shortage of interviews with the original Punk Poet. So instead of a safe and formal interview, the idea was to try a get a more informal banter, something maybe any sensible fan would do if given the opportunity.

What I was admittedly a little too nervous to convey at the start of this phone call from the man who’s works span five decades, was that I grew up an inherent fan of punk, post-punk, more importantly big hair and black jeans (values I hold dear to this day). I thought I had most of Manchester’s major exports covered… Maybe partly due to the fact that he wasn’t really making records for the period I began buying them, I completely missed him. So when the the black clad mess of hair and shades graced the screen for the 2007 Joy Division biopic, ‘Control’ later on, I was an instant fan. The look and the style adopted by the icons of my formative years with intelligence and realism to which I can still relate. And I laughed at least every minute. Everything I have ever heard anybody say since, proven true in that moment. I Googled clumsy terms ‘spoken word control joy div’, and found handfuls of stray mp3s, videos, but even eBay could be scant. I listened to what I could find, and as they say, when you met someone who knew, they knew…

By then, from what must surely be a mix of pure will, luck, raw talent, and a great PR team, the poet was enjoying a full renaissance at home and recognition as a national treasure. He’s on tests, talk shows, and the Arctic Monkeys turned on of his well-known pieces into a #1 chart hit, and plays the Royal Albert Hall. Last year, when his first US visit in my lifetime touched down at Downtown LA bar La Cita (a place I’ve DJed) it was nothing short of a miracle. Lucky for us, that turned out not only to be a one time occurrence, and with an 11 date US tour, dublab’s Alejandro thought for some reason, the two of us might have an interesting conversation. After nearly chickening out (pun so intended), I instead just dialed the number with a degree of fearlessness deserved by someone who used to open punk shows with nothing but a microphone. A graciously casual conversation from the rackety Mob Museum in Las Vegas followed… I really couldn’t have hoped for a nicer legend to get the chance to chat with.

To coincide with the opening of the Mixing Colors Installation at Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center in Los Angeles & the announcement of ‘A Quiet Scene: LA’ film project in collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon, dublab welcomes Brian Eno and Roger Eno to it’s airwaves for a special interview hosted by Liz Warner about the Mixing Colours + A Quiet Scene projects.

Inspired by the Enos’ Mixing Colours project, the installation will feature 100+ short films to be shown daily at Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center in Los Angeles from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. (PST) from January 22 – February 21, 2021. The experience will transform Jerry Moss Plaza into a tranquil and meditative space. Visitors can enjoy the short films and ambient, soothing music from a safe outdoor location. This installation is free and open to the public. Masks and social distancing are required.

A Quiet Scene: L.A. is a free film project and screening initiative that encourages professional and amateur filmmakers alike to create a short original film that is an authentic reflection of Los Angeles during current times. Each short film should use one of the seven tracks featured on Roger and Brian Eno’s Luminous EP as its soundtrack and will be evaluated based on interpretation of “a quiet scene,” interpretation of Los Angeles, and creativity and originality of the work. Production quality and value will also be taken into consideration.

A Quiet Scene: L.A. provides a Los Angeles perspective to the highly successful 2020 public audio-visual project—A Quiet Scene—created by Deutsche Grammophon and the Eno brothers in 2020 in support of their Mixing Colours album; this program featured short scenes shot by people from their newly found confined spaces at home in the first wave of the global pandemic.

The competition/screening project is presented by The Music Center, Los Angeles’ performing arts center, and dublab, a community supported radio station based on Los Angeles, and in collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon.

For those who are unable to see the installation in person, Join dublab and The Music Center for a special 72-hour livestream of Brian and Roger Enos’ A Quiet Scene global video collaboration from the comfort of your own home, starting on Friday, January 22,2001,at noon (PST). Access the stream at

Learn more:

About Liz Warner:

Damo Suzuki, best known as the former lead singer of the German krautrock band Can, is interviewed on dublab. Suzuki also plays some music off his latest record. Tune in!