Going more than 10 years without releasing an album project seems like an oddity in the image-driven DJ world, for Baker though it was all about timing. “I like to do things when they feel right naturally. I feel I now have the experience to put an album together that isn’t just straight up banger club tracks.” Traces, which came out in February, represents his musical journey so far and his growth as an artist and performer. “I didn’t want to make an album of just straight up dance floor music,” he says adamantly. “I have been there and done that. Making the album was a much more natural process for me.” Unlike the instant gratification of rocking a live DJ set, the album-making process can be a thankless task, something big Simon found out first hand. “It’s a pretty nerve wracking position to be in, after a year of hard work in the studio, something you have created and put all your heart and soul into, then it goes to the critics for their opinion.” Being free of the constraints of a typical club set was a benefit though. “I didn’t have to think about the breakdowns and about how the crowd might react to a certain part of the track. This was more about emotion and writing music in a much more organic way.” Lucky for him both fans and industry compatriots have shared the enthusiasm for his latest career venture. “Pretty much all the reviews the album has got so far have been positive,” he says happily. “So that means I must be doing something right.”
The rest of 2011 will see the globetrotter touching down in Paris, Ibiza and of course Australia. Speaking on his past visits down under, Baker says excitedly, “I love it, I have been several times for different reasons, but this will be my fourth tour I think.” Along with the people and culture, Baker raves about the food, expecting more “happy days” when he returns. Before that let’s rewind back to 2004’s Liptrick EP, his first ever release. Since emerging from the vibrant UK underground with his white label singles, Baker has built a sizable amount of his reputation with remixes. “It’s a mixed feeling with remixes for me,” he tells us without a hint of irony. The maestro behind reworkings of Watussi and Stop, Space, Return finds remixing to be a hit-and-miss affair. “I usually prefer making original music over remixing. I don’t do that many, just for friends and usually a few labels and artists I support.” Baker has his own dance floor fillers, like Kaskazi, under his ever-expanding belt. While that track always goes off, he admits “not everything you make hits the spot.” A common practice for some DJs is to try their new material in front of a crowd, not so with Baker. “I don’t test my music out enough in clubs, I really should but I struggle after I have heard them so many times in the studio,” he says with a world-weary tone. “More often than not I will ask DJ friends to help with this and get feedback that way.”
Even with all the mind and style expanding, Baker has maintained that deep house sound. “I think it’s still pretty deep, I’ve pretty much kept that element along the whole journey, but I love all styles of house and techno so never ever wanted to limit myself.” Keeping an open mind is also extended to his means of production, choosing to use a combination of analogue and digital gear. “When making tracks and my album, I still start a lot of ideas on this hardware unit called a Yahama RS7000, which is kind of a drum machine and synth and effects all in one box.” While he enjoys the warm sound and familiarity that comes with the classic keyboard, he says that things vary from day to day. “Sometimes I start an idea in the computer, the next I will use an outboard synth for a bit of inspiration. [That’s] probably why my sound varies quite a bit.” The means are nowhere near as important as the final result for Baker, who before buying any gear used to tap out drum beats all day in his head or with his hands. “I would hear music in my head, so I needed to put it down somewhere. That’s when I went out and bought a drum machine.”
