Ahead of the eagerly anticipated second Balance Festival in Croatia this summer, I recently spoke to Mixmag Adria about all things Balance, the early days of Progressive House & Mixmag, the way social media and technology has changed everything for artists, plus messages from the future and being confused with my goalkeeping namesake. Read the full article here…

1. Hi Dave. For starters, let’s pretend time travel is possible and you go back in 1988, meet yourself and say: ”I’m from the future! This music that you like will become a global phenomenon. You’ll travel the world DJing. Some of your friends too. And Mixmag will become a huge international magazine!” What would 1988 Dave say?

Ha! I’d think it was all crazy talk. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the early days of the scene turning into the behemoth it’s become. At the time, the UK used to create cultural youth movements on a regular basis (Mods, Rockers, Punks, Goths, New Romantics, Football Casuals, etc) and the cycle tended to usually last 5 years or so, so I think a lot of us thought Acid House would follow suit. But the music just kept on evolving, as did the fashion that accompanied the movement and really spread right around the World like wildfire. The music transcended language and cultural barriers. So, I’d make sure my future self told my 1988 self what a lucky boy I was to be living through this incredible era and to make sure I enjoyed and savoured every moment.

2. Seriously, it really seems like you had some advice from the future – you were developing Mixmag while the DJ scene was in still in early development. How was that? Did you follow a business plan or you made decisions on the fly?

Ha! There was no real proper plan no. We were really making the rules up as we went along. It was the Wild West! We were in the eye of the storm and just trying to make sense of it all. Incredibly exciting times to live through.

3. Back in the days, Mixmag’s thing was also creating the terminology used in electronic music and club culture. You were among the first to write about the second wave of house music in the UK, comparing it to progressive rock. So, is it true to say you coined the term progressive house?

No, I can’t take credit for that. It was the dearly missed, late journalist, Dom Phillips who coined the term. I first employed Dom as my regional Mixmag reporter for his hometown of Bristol and he went on to become a very influential chronicler of dance music throughout the 90s and beyond and indeed, eventually the Editor of Mixmag himself. His observations about the early days of the ‘Progressive House’ scene came largely from what was happening at clubs like Renaissance in Mansfield, together with the output of labels like Guerrilla Records and artists such as Leftfield. This swell of UK based underground percussive synth-led dance music that was really embracing the new production technology of the time.

4. You’re among DJs mostly associated with mixed CD compilations that were a must have in the 90s and early 00s. When did you realise the impact they’re having in shaping musical tastes around the world?

I think when Global Underground and Renaissance started to do tours around the world in support of these releases, we started to understand just how influential they were. We’d turn up to cities and be blown away by the turnout and response. Like I said earlier, the music was spreading like wildfire right across the planet, and as this was all before the ubiquity of the internet, these mix CDs were a key source of music discovery for those that were just getting into the scene. I’ve heard some crazy stories about the extraordinary lengths people would go to to get the hands on these CDs as they were released.

5. So, being a player from the early days, you must have an opinion on how technology, the internet and social media changed the game of producing, performing and promoting music today?

Of course, the internet and social media has changed everything, not just in the world of music but for the whole of humanity and just as there are many positives to this, there are negatives too. Part of the original Acid House dream was that it democratized music-making. You didn’t have to be a trained musician or have big financial backing to release your tracks. There were suddenly a new wave of producers making music in their bedrooms thanks to the advent of new technology. For me though, this dream has turned into a bit of a nightmare as now there are hundreds of thousands of tracks being released every week as anyone and everyone can do it and there is no filter when it comes to quality control. The scene is so oversaturated now that’s it’s increasingly difficult to find the prize catch amongst an ocean of mediocre. Having said all that though, the flip side is, as an artist, you have access to tap into a worldwide audience like never before. Like I said, there are pros and cons.

6. Do you ever get mixed up with David Seaman, the goalkeeper?

Ha! Not so much as I did back in the ‘90s when he was at the height of his playing career, and the England goalkeeper for many years. I remember ringing up travel agents to book flights and getting asked if I’d like them to alert the press that I was leaving the country! And it certainly opened a few doors when trying to book a table in a restaurant where it was difficult to get a reservation!

7. Do you have anything more to say to 1988 Dave?

Enjoy that hair while it lasts!

8. When you think back at last year’s Balance Croatia, what stands out to you – or what makes it unique from other festivals?

It was a very special event. It felt like a validation, the best version of the Progressive House movement today. A gathering of like-minded people all there to share the music and be in the moment. There were no bells and whistles, no bombastic pyrotechnics and diverting visuals, just quality music in a stunningly beautiful setting with happy smiley people. The core of everything that we hold dear.

9. You’re returning to Balance Croatia in 2026. What are you most looking forward to this time around?

More of the same to be honest. Even if it’s only half as good as last year, it will still be one of the highlights of the summer. But I have a sneaky suspicion it may even surpass itself. It’s the only time that almost everybody from the Progressive House family are all together in one place at the same time. At times last year, it felt like a school reunion!

10. Anything else you’d like to share that you have planned for 2026?

My main focus right now is on my first ever artist album which is out soon on Selador. It’s crazy it’s taken me this long to release an album like this, but it finally felt like the right time. Everything I’ve done previously has either been mix compilations or individual singles and EPs, but this is a collection of all original productions and is actually kind of a ‘Best Of’ with lots of things remixed from the past 20 years or so, plus a few new things thrown in for good measure. For some reason, I felt the need to draw a line under the first quarter of this century and curate an album featuring some of my own personal highlights, all reworked into one cohesive piece of work. It’s scheduled for later this year.