Joe Theobald, aka DJ Captain Wormhole, Looks at all things vinyl 

I WON’T lie, I’ve not invested much time in Drum & Bass. I like the rolling bass lines and high pace but ultimately I’m a House man, as was my father before me. The scene has an image problem too, a sweaty topless aesthetic and MCs who sound like the late great DJ Derek doing a car auction in Alabama.

Swindon has always had a dedicated DnB following but it was no exception when the town’s club scene bottomed out under the weight of global recession.

Liquid:Garden is part of a resurgence and has been on my radar for a while, so when I saw their next event billed as a vinyl-only party I cast aside any prejudice and made contact with Alex Platek, aka Xcessive, aka XD, aka the man behind the bash, and we met for a couple of beers and a chin-wag:

CW: “Lets get some of the stock questions out of the way first, how long ya been DJ-ing? What do you play on now? What’s the day job?”

AP: “15 years. I’ll play on anything, CDJ’s, vinyl, USB controllers but it’s mainly Serato these days. Nationwide.”

CW: “Cracking, how long have you been doing Liquid:Garden then? What’s the night all about?”

AP: “We’ve been going for about two years and two months now. It’s an outside event so we run from May through to October and it’s a laid back Summer DnB vibe, no heavy stuff, and you can drink, dance and smoke all in one place. I want to make it an atmosphere welcoming to everybody we get.

CW: “How do you pick DJs for the night?”

AP: “I only have one rule: Give me a mix, if it’s good I’ll put you on. I’m pushing good music played by good people in this town. We’ve got some really exciting events lined up. In June we’ve got the guys from V Recordings coming down: Bryan Gee, Fabio, Jumpin’ Jack Frost, Paul T & Edward Oberon are all in the house to celebrate Donovan Bad Boy Smith’s 25 years in the game. October is going to be a big one too... The main goal is to get [Liquid Garden] so big that people are hitting me up. You know you’re doing good when the headliners are coming to you.”

LG15: Liquid Garden Vinyl Edition is this Saturday at Suju 11-5am with DJ’s Antix, Flashback, DSDJ, Lawman, Unknown Element and XD b2b Dektekdee all hosted by MC Chrissy B and MC Mello D. £3 before 12, £5 before 1.30 and £7 after.

Next week: Magazines.