How many people can say that they changed the course of music at the young age of 16? Not many. But British DJ and producer Andy C (the moniker of Andrew Clarke) is among the chosen ones. He’s been pioneering drum’n’bass music and promoting it far beyond his native town of Walsall, England, for basically all his life—ever since he stepped to the scene back in 1992. Since then he co-created the mighty RAM Records label, evolved into one of the biggest forces of drum’n’bass and proved there are no limits when it comes to how many turntables you can get out on stage (he usually has three). We chatted with the DJ about his glorious past, ongoing projects and not wanting to write a memoir just yet.

How are you, where are you and what are you up to right now?

I’m good. Sitting outside enjoying a rare day of UK sunsine.

What’s a cocktail party five-minute version of your biography? How do you introduce yourself to people who managed to never hear your records?

I’m a drum’n’bass DJ. I make records and produce. I’ve got a record label. I’m pretty much music 24/7.

So are you creating music on holidays, too?

Always. But music’s not really a hard thing to think about. It’s fun.

How has the electronic scene changed in your opinion? Could you ever predict back in the early '90s that you’d still be playing in 2016?

It was never in my wildest dreams. I never thought I’d get in a position where I’d consider myself popular. That’s the beauty of music: it doesn’t matter where you from or who you are. The music talks many languages. With drum’n’bass we managed to turn a tiny piece of UK culture into a worldwide phenomenon. It’s pretty amazing to sit back and look on the journey that’s got us here. But it did change measurably. When I started out I was handing out flyers in clubs. We’d drive around London in a van with the records on the back of the van, these 12” records. I used to run in the stores and sell the records directly into the stores. And now you have the music being accessible 24-hours-a-day at your fingertips. The one thing that hasn’t changed is that people still want to hear the music and enjoy the parties.

So you don’t have to drive any vans to share your music anymore?

[Laughs] Yes, that ended a long time ago.

But that did sound like fun…

A lot of fun! You got to meet a lot of people. For producers to meet people and understand what people like and what records are selling is a very important part of your work. And you build up a network of people, a camaraderie, a family. I guess that doesn’t exist anymore in a sense for the producers. If they’re not going out working at parties and raves, where is the social aspect of their work?

On social media, I guess.

Well it is there, yes, but it’s not a face-to-face enjoyment, that direct connection.

Considering you’ve got so many stories to tell, did you ever think about writing a memoir or doing a documentary?

People have asked us to do a documentary. I don’t know, you have to figure out the way for it to be interesting. And writing literature is not really my forte, so somebody would have to write it for me. One thing for sure: I love talking about it. So if someone wants to write it all down, I’m up for it!

Okay, I’ll hop on a plane to record everything.

Let’s do it! Come out to the raves. I’m in Europe this week, Japan next week, so pick whatever works for you and let’s party. These are the kind of experiences you wanna talk about and share with everybody.

Any tips on making a perfect drum’n’bass record?

The key is not to stick to a formula. If it’s meant for a club, it’s gotta have impact. I’ve been to the studio yesterday and it’s always the same thing: you go in with the best intentions of making the best record ever and it doesn’t happen, you know. If I knew what the key way, we’d all be sorted. The tunes that I’ve been involved with and that got the best response have been the happy accidents in the studio. They would happen when you’d play the equipment like toys. Just push it to see what happens. Not quite understanding everything is the key. If you do understand everything you can be a little too clinical.

So how big is your playground/equipment base is then?

Currently in my studio I do it all in the box—at my Mac. I use speakers, MIDI controller, keyboard. It used to be racks and racks of equipment, lots of flashing lights and mixing desks. And as the years went by it all ended up in one computer which makes it easier ‘cause I can take it with me on the road.

What’s the craziest sample you ever used?

Back in the early days we used a sample in “Valley of the Shadows” of a lady talking about near-death experience during childbirth from a BBC documentary. She talked about how she was walking through a dark tunnel and then flying towards the sun. We put it on the track and it became this huge jungle hit all over the radio. Years later her daughter heard the song on the radio and recognized her mom’s voice and got in contact with us and wrote us a few lovely notes.

Tell me about the Andy C Alive project you launched several years ago.

That was a very fantastic experience. It came to a point where I wanted to try something new to blend the visuals and lighting in with the music in real time. We created that special set up that we would take on the road. We programmed it that it was fully freestyle. I could press certain buttons and they would trigger certain visual videos that would be perfectly in sync with the music. So as a DJ I wasn’t just mixing the tunes, I was also doing the visual experience. We did it in 2011 and then took it all over the world. It allowed me to take my sets to the main stages of festivals.

Do you plan to continue it?

Maybe. It’s a huge undertaking. And the technology moves very fast. I did a show couple of months ago and we had a huge upgraded set up of the Alive. But I wasn’t controlling all the visuals on this one. At the moment I'm concentrating in the studio.

What’s the idea behind using three turntables at once?

I enjoy the element of mixing. When I started mixing I bought the worst turntables and learned to mix on those. I love the vibe when I’m mixing. There’s no better vibe for me than two tunes together rolling out and making an impact. Introducing the third turntable was scary to be honest and I didn’t know what I was doing at the time. But it’s always nice to challenge yourself and I’ve spent a whole night trying to figure out how to use the third one. Now it’s my second nature: I’ve been using three turntables for 12 years. It lets me play so many tracks without sounding like I’m chopping them. If I’m gonna fly 12 hours on a jet to play music, I better work hard there and sweat a lot.

You’re known for your remixes as much as the original tracks. What are the tricks of making a perfect remix?

If I knew how to make a perfect remix, I’d make one. For me it’s emphasizing what the important part of the original was. I don’t remix the tunes that I don’t like. And when I do like it, I have to figure out why I like. And then incorporate these elements in my remix. But sometimes you can’t fight the differences in tempos and you can’t remix something.

What’s the most exciting part of playing a festival like Parklife?

I love playing festivals. It will be in summer, there will be thousands and thousands of people there. Everyone comes there with the same vibe. You can also pick up new fans there, who may not have heard about you before. Parklife in Manchester has one of the most incredible vibes. There’s something in the water that makes everyone go absolutely crazy all day and night. The people are amazing there, too.

So for the promoters of other festivals: what should they know about your rider?

I’m an easy guy. Just get the tickets right and maybe some nice bottle of vodka and we can have a good time. I don’t need PlayStations backstage or certain colored sofas.

What phone apps do you use the most?

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. No music apps—I do everything on my computer.

What are you excited about this year?

I’m excited to get the new music out there. And see some football, too.