Jon Marsh  

The interview

DS3:

The first record you ever bought was 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' by The Beatles. What was the last record you bought?

JON:

Although that is true i have to say i was press-ganged by elder siblings and, much as i loved the Beatles, i probably wouldn't have bought that by choice (aged 4!). among my subsequent purchases were "Ernie, The Fastest Milkman In The West" by Benny Hill, and a brilliant Rolf Harris double-a side "Jake The Peg Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport".

The last record I bought? - new Missy Elliott album (hugely disappointing) and 2 Bob Marley cds for my daughter who's obsessed with him. She's only three and has his poster by her bed...

DS3:

Your band, "The Beloved" is known around the world. In particular your album "Conscience" set a standard in the early 1990's for a synthesized based dance culture that managed to cross over to a commercial market without losing its underground roots. Is this something you're particularly proud of?

JON:

It's unusual to focus on that album. People generally talk about 'Happiness' as the trail-blazer. Either way it's very flattering to be thought of as some kind of pioneer, even if (truthfully) a lot of it was a distillation of the more underground music we were listening to. I never tried to copy other people's work, but I've never been afraid to acknowledge the myriad influences. All I've ever tried to do is be true to myself and make music I genuinely love. I think that is the permanent connection with whatever is perceived as "underground".

DS3:

Over the years you've remixed such artists as Roy Davis Jr, Blaze, Human League, Alison Limerick and Erasure. If you could choose anybody, who would you remix next?

JON:

Whatever is the next good record I'm offered. There's no game plan involved, but I've never remixed anything where I didn't like the original. The most recent track I've done is Blur's "Me White Noise" which I did in December. I'm still waiting for a response and I hope they like it because I asked to do it rather than the other way round.

DS3:

With a new album in the pipe line for 2004, what can we expect from the Beloved?

JON:

Well there's been a new album in the pipeline for the last 5 years! I just hope to get it finished or else i'll reach a point where I discard much of it through boredom and fatigue. This has already happened to a lot of tracks over the last few years. Not a good thing to do!

DS3:

In between studio work you've established yourself with a very creditable reputation as a Deep House DJ. Is this something you set out to achieve?

JON:

I'm not sure if I was chasing an ambition. I just wanted to play the kind of music i'm into, which wasn't flavour-of-the month when I started (1992) and, frankly, still isn't... I can't be doing with the concept of 'deep' house as noodly dad-house. To me 'deep' is mind-expanding - druggy, twisted, physical, trancey (in the literal sense) and definitely not for head-nodding. I love playing to an open-minded crowd. Nothing else I've ever done is as exciting as a really good gig. And I feel the same way about being on the dancefloor too. When it's good, it's unbeatable...

DS3:

Describe "Jon Marsh" to us in 3 words?

JON:

love, family, music.

DS3:

"You've Got Me Thinking" is one of my top 10 records of all time and in particular my favourite Beloved track. Do you have a favourite and why?

JON:

That's an unusual choice, and it's nice to have that song picked out. Very much the least synthesized track on that album!

I don't really have a favourite. Most of them I like a fair amount. A couple, in retrospect, aren't too hot!

There's something about "Deliver Me" that makes me hope it will eventually be made successful by someone. It's already been covered 3 times - Sarah Brightman, Sister Bliss, and David Crowder (an American evangelical Christian rock singer !) so I guess it has a resonance beyond our version (which pretty much sank without trace). I wish we'd released the Johnny Dollar mix of it (which you can download on mp3 from our website) but we were in such a bad relationship with our record company that we just gave up the ghost. Anyway, it's a song I'm very proud of...

DS3:

We can hear similarities in the Beloveds music to that of early works by New Order. Did they have any influences in making you take the direction you took?

JON:

Well our early independent stuff was ridiculously similar at times, but then between the ages of about 15-19 I followed them devotedly up and down the country so it's not that surprising. Their earleir stuff was amazing, especially live. Much spikier and raw compared to the albums which I felt sanitised all the excitement from the music. The "Temptation / Hurt" original 12" is the closest they got on record to the joyous nature of their early live electronica....

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