Andy: Oi Nick, where are you from and why are you here?

Nick: I was born in England, the Midlands to be exact and I grew up in a Surrey suburb about half an hour by train to the center of London.

Andy: When did you start TISWAS and what other parties have you done / are you doing?

Nick: The first party I started was called NW1 and it was a monthly party at Coney Island High. I spun the main floor and Todd Youth from Murphy's Law spun dub and ska in the basement. We had bands like Spacehog play too. At the same time a couple of friends, Kym and Nadia started a similar party called Bullseye. We combined the two parties and started TISWAS (named after a Saturday morning kids show from Britain) on a very wet Thursday night in the Fall of 96 at Coney Island High. After a while Nadia left and later so did Kym so I bought in different promoters including Steve and Pedro from Shout! until Justine joined me just after we moved to Don Hill's. Other parties I have been involved with include ON! at Life, Wednesdays at Spa, a very successful Tuesday night at the now defunct Wax, I did a soul night for about a year and numerous other little parties over the years as well as corporate stuff. I also spun at a lot of fashion-y Soho lounges like Spy and Sway. I now spin every Wednesday night at Hiro (366 West 17 Street, btw. 8 & 9 Aves.) at The Maritime Hotel. (For those of you who don’t know, Coney Island High was a great venue on St. Marks back in the day. R.I.P.)

Andy: So TISWAS was the first of it’s kind to gain a wide popularity, setting the stepping stone and “copy cats” for many others. How do you feel about all the other similar parties that are around these days?

Nick: It is flattering that TISWAS has been as successful as it has and I would like to thank all those who have helped make it what it is. I feel that if the similar parties are good then more power to them and if they are not they will not be around for long. Unfortunately I do not get to go to most of them so it is hard to comment. If TISWAS has been influential then I am happy that there are more places playing great music than there were when we started.

Andy: I know that you are a fan of smokey clubs, how do you feel about the smoke ban and it’s effects on NYC night lives and especially TISWAS?

Nick: It is not that I am a fan of smokey clubs but I believe it should be up to the owner of the venue rather than the government. When the ban came in our door and bar went down over a third and from what other friends and acquaintances in the business tell me that is across the board. New York is not Los Angeles, its fucking cold in winter and pushing people into the street is not the way to go. Why can't they bring in a smoking license and only have smoking at the bar. If the powers to be are so concerned with air quality then why aren't they worried about the affects of thousands of cars pumping carbon monoxide into the air or the pollution from industrial plants? Both are more harmful than second hand smoke. The smoking ban had a significant impact for TISWAS. After the ban came in people changed their habits, suddenly it was house parties instead of going to a club. That’s turning around slowly but it was disheartening. I moved to New York, the capital of the world where anything goes, not Disneyland. I also hate the cabaret laws but that is another rant.

Andy: You have been doing this for a long time now, a true old school DJ of this rock dance party phenomenon, how do you feel about the changes in the scene? How are the kids different than the earlier days?

Nick: The scene consistently turns over. When I started TISWAS it was basically spinning tunes that we grew up to back home in Britain. A large part of our original crowd were Brits and we pretty much knew everyone in the club which has changed. A lot of our original crowd have either moved away, got married and had kids got demanding jobs, gone crazy or something. New York is a transient kind of town, people show up for a while and then move on. As far as how the kids are different from my earlier days, well, they are younger and I am older!

Andy: True enough… I feel the same way my man. Your fliers and poster are truly collector’s items. Where did you get all these hot chicks for your design? And who’s the artist behind the beautiful fliers?

Nick: Thanks for the compliment on the flyers and posters. I get the images from a bunch of different places, from my collection of 60s Playboys, old photography books from the sixties and seventies and record and single covers I find in charity shops as well as fashion books. I do the TISWAS posters and the lovely Stephanie Hughes, whom I miss dearly, originally designed the passes but she moved so Charles Wallace (from Headquarters and In Light Of You Design) has taken over and is doing a wicked job. He also does the website - www.TISWASNYC.com.

Andy: What are few of the songs that really get the kids going? What are your personal favorites?

Nick: Generally New Order and The Cure always fill the floor. My personal favorites to spin include Happy Mondays, Primal Scream, the Chemical Brothers, Blondie and you can't count out the Stones! As far as new stuff right now I am digging the Franz Ferdinand, British Sea Power and Ambulance Ltd. albums but I have a stack of new stuff which I have yet to listen to.

Andy: My last interview with DJ Jess, he gave you a fat shout out as the most underrated DJ, the man who’s keeping the Indie night life going for 8 years. Who are some of your personal favorite DJ's, bands, songs?

Nick: I appreciate the shout out from Jess. Alex Malfunction and Jess do a great job at Trash. Other DJs I like include the Soulwax/Too Many DJs guys and Erol from Trash! (the London night). In the city I like Tony Fletcher and of course Justine D. is fantastic! There are too many bands and songs I like to name. That is one question I can never answer.

Andy: Any future plans for TISWAS or other new parties?

Nick: I have no plans for a new party at this time. We have some great acts coming up at TISWAS as well as guest DJs and some other stuff which we will announce soon.

Andy: TISWAS is also a Record Label. Tell us a bit about that please.

Nick: I started Tiswas Records a few years back. The first band we recorded was The Realistics, then Stellastarr* who, after we released the EP Somewhere Across Forever, were picked up by RCA who bought the album off us. We are now working with The Twenty Twos. There is a four track EP already in the can which is going to press as we speak and we are in the final stages of mixing the album. It sounds amazing already, I can't wait until we get it out there for all to hear. We are also negotiating with another act which we cannot talk about right now as the lawyers are still doing their contract thing.

Andy: How do you feel about NYC?

Nick: I love NYC. I would not want to be anywhere else. Sometimes I feel like it is getting a bit too gentrified but when all is said and done NYC has it all, art, music, theater, shopping and I love the fact it only takes 15 minutes to get anywhere in Manhattan, that you can go out at five in the morning to get a sandwich and a six pack, not that I do that -- I just like to know it is there…

Andy: What do you like to see different about NYC?

Nick: Maybe some of the stupid laws could be changed, the no dancing thing is ridiculous -- this is New York City, not a bad eighties movie.

Andy: Any last words?

Nick: Thanks to all those who have and continue to out and support TISWAS and all the other nights I have done over the years. Cheers -- much appreciated, hope to see you soon.