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The name T.M.S.1 came about in 1984 when a mate of mine (Leon a.k.a MC PRISM) was making up a rap about a
little crew we had and the name I had at the time didn't rhyme with anything so he gave me the name T.M.S.1,
simple as that, lol. The name T.M.S.1 stands for THE MUSICAL SCIENTIST which is another name I go under on
Battlemaster when I do more of the mellow/funkyer side of drum n bass. By the way, MC PRISM features on the
d+b remix of intergalactic, you can hear him on the mic saying "make some noise for the dj cuz you know say
he's bustin some serious stuff". He says that just before I start scratching.
You're a top player in the drum & bass scene and you have your own record label. How did it all start?
It's good to hear that I'm a top player, lol.
I consider getting voted in various DJ charts continuously for the past few years a top player :)
Well it started when I began to get into DJ'ing way back in the early 80's when the hip hop / electro scene
blow up over here in the UK. I started learning to scratch on an old cheap pair of decks, then around 89/90
when the house/break beat & early dnb scene was about, I started to play on pirate radio stations such as
Cyndicut, Dance Zone, Pressure & Twilight FM. As long as there was a set of decks and some breaks I was as
happy as a pig in shit! Then around 1992 K-Dub brought a Roland W-30 (with a 24 sec sampler) keyboard round
and I got an old Atari ST-1040 and we started to learn how to make our own drum'n'bass tracks (big up K-Dub &
family!). Then around 1994 I bought myself an Akai S3000 sampler, and all I had as a studio back then was an
Atari 1040 computer, a little 8 track phonic mixer, an Akai 3000, ooh and my 1210's and out of that set up I
came up with a track called
"Trick of Technology" which was my first release on Fresh Kutts.
How did remixing Intergalactic come about?
I think Grand Royal sent the track Intergalactic to a few drum and bass producers (myself included) and my
remix was picked out to be the one they wanted to roll with! yyyiiippppeeeeee
An acetate has surfaced which featured your original mix of Intergalactic with the vocals included. What's the
story behind this mix?
I'm glad you asked that because that is the original remix I did for Grand Royal and it's the best mix! After
I did the full vocal remix I did an instrumental mix just for the DJ's who don't like loads of vocals in their
tunes and when I submitted my remix to Grand Royal I sent the instrumental mix as a bonus track! I couldn't
believe it when they chose to go with the instrumental mix to put on the single? I still don't understand the
reason behind that decision.
Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) was quoted as saying that his second favourite
track of 1998 was your original mix of Intergalactic. That must have been pretty cool coming from someone of
his stature at the time.
What can I say! The man is a living legend. I wanted to frame that on my wall, in fact I might still do that.
:)
Are there any other unreleased Beastie Boys remixes by POT that we haven't heard yet?
No... Not yet! If your reading this (Beastie Boys) please send me some vocals to play with!
What are your top 3 Beastie Boys tracks?
Not in any order.. Root Down, Sabotage, Intergalactic
What do you think of the other Intergalactic mixes that were released (both commercially & unofficially) ?
I can only comment on the Fuzzy Logic mix because that's the only official remix I have heard and I loved it!
Wicked vibe!
[Intermission while Beastiemania send over some other mixes for review: Rayner, Alan Braxe, Colleone & Webb,
and DeeJay Punk-Roc]
What can I say... First of all, I don't think my comments (or anyone else's) mean anything. All tunes are
individual pieces of (art)work and it means something to the person who made the tune. For every person out
there who dislikes a record, there is another person out there who loves it! So one person's comments means
shit.
Well after that little outburst, lol, here are my comments :-) ... They're all wicked remixes, my favorite
remix has got to be the Colleone & Webb Remix #1 - it's fresh and its soooooooo funky (what more can you ask
for in a remix?)
Your mix was selected as one of those to appear on the Beastie Boys Anthology DVD. Getting your work out to an
audience that might not usually get to hear it - did the increased exposure change your work load or open more
doors?
I was soooooooo made up when I saw it on the Anthology DVD and on the limited edition album. As for the
exposure and doors opening, after the Beastie's remix, I did remixes for Buddha Monk (Wu Tang), N.W.A,
Freestylers, 187 Lockdown to name a few.
Your own record label "Fresh Kutt", created some highly successful tracks and then folded in 1998 - what
happened?
To cut a very long and depressing story short (and a costly legal battle) I had big trouble with people
involved taking the piss and I was tied down to a long contract (say no more). It all came to a head while I
was remixing the N.W.A track (Dope Man) which was the last remix I did on Fresh Kutts. If you listen to that
mix you can tell I wasn't a happy b-boy. So I decided to end it all and start all over again with Battlemaster
Records.
There were rumours that you were going to be signed to Grand Royal (back when it was running) - what's the
full story there?
Yes it's true! It was a six album deal, I nearly wet myself when they sent the contract through (another thing
I should frame on my wall) but as I said, there was loads of shit happening within Fresh Kutts and I wasn't
comfortable with the situation I was in at the time. So it didn't happen :( (shit happens)
Your tracks (and those of Battlemaster Records) are regularly in DJ Top 10 lists in the drum & bass scene.
What was the general reaction by people in that scene with you mixing a Beastie Boys track?
Yeah it was all good, it got loads of airplay and got wicked reviews!
You've remixed some great artists and tracks (Freestylers, N.W.A., 187 Lockdown). Which of your remixes are
you most proud of?
Oooohhhh, there's a hard question! Its got to be Intergalactic. I have listened to and loved the Beastie Boys
since I was a little b-boy, break dancing at my local shopping center with my crew and then to be asked to do
a remix for them! (dream come true)
For those who liked your Intergalactic mix but haven't heard much of your own projects, what would you
recommend?
Hhhmmmmm, I would recommend therapy? only kidding. That's another hard question because my drum'n'bass style
changes all the time, from one track to the next. That's why I go under different names on Battlemaster
Records because each track comes out different to the last one (no one knows it yet) but I go under the names
of "THE PRISONER OF TECHNOLOGY", "T.M.S 1", "THE MUSICAL SCIENTIST", "THE KANGAROO KID" and "THE KIDS OF
DEATH", I also make down tempo tunes (break beat/trip hop) and go under many different names as well, too many
to mention :)
What are you currently working on?
Well I'm just about to release Vol 6 on Battlemaster Records and I'm just building the Battlemaster label up
to where Fresh Kutt's was in 1998. I'm also working on some breakbeat / trip hop stuff, it's all good!
Last words...
Love & Respect's to ... Kelly (Fluff) Kitts, Mumma Mulak, David (Little Moley) Norwood (X), Nicky Blackmarket,
DJ Ribz, M.L.E (Ego Trippin), S.R.D (Distribution), Beastie Boys (Grand Royal), Big H, AstroBBoy and to all
those that has helped my get to where I am today (peace)
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