"That's not true!," DJ Hype emphatically states in response to my query about whether or not his 'getting into drum and bass' was a natural progression from his early influences in reggae, hip-hop and dance music. He tells me that he sees his involvement with jungle drum and bass as something that just evolved. As he puts it - he has grown with the music and the music has grown with him. "There was no defining moment," he points out before explaining that, as he's been involved with breakbeat since well before it's inception he doesn't believe that he ever "got into" drum and bass - he was truly part of the embryonic stage of its growth.

And he was. Listening to DJ Hype talk is an experience in itself. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you an individual that is passionate about music, outspoken in his beliefs and furthermore, has the knowledge to back up his convictions. DJ Hype lives, breathes and (in his own words) "shits" junglist drum and bass and trust me, it shows!

When I finally get connected through to him at 12.40am in the morning, I am tired and so is he -but for different reasons. It's a school night for me - but he's onto his 5th interview of the day. His girlfriend and son have just returned from holidays and his son is asleep on the couch so he is trying to speak quietly and is somewhat subdued. His manner is pleasant though, however it's not until you get him talking about a topic that quirks his interest that he really starts to open up a little.

Early on I touch on the topic of historically defining events in breakbeat as I'm keen to hear his views on what events he finds important from his own perspective. He find this a little strange to answer, as being involved is different to having an outside perspective. He finally concedes that two events he finds defining would be the emergence of the radio station Fantasy FM in the late 80's and the development of what he terms 'jungle fever' spreading into the midlands and out of the city of London in the mid- 90s. Later in the interview I put to him that his residency at Fabric and the clubs worldwide musical influence can also be seen as a historically defining series of events. He agrees.

"It's the best club in the world!", he says of Fabric describing the crowd as a mixture of trendies, street smart people and tourists. "It's a healthy thing we've got goin' on here!" We move onto discussing the latest Fabric release 'FabricLive 03: Mixed by DJ Hype'. The DJ Hype release of the Fabric series, which is fast obtaining a reputation as one of the most quality CD release series on the market, contains tracks which are "the best he could get!" and "represents a good cross section of what's going on at Fabric". I query as to his reasons for doing the compilation and he quickly replies "Respect for the club!" The passion he feels for what he is involved in is obvious, not to mention catching. We also discuss the oddities of now being in the position of publicising, a CD that he worked on last November, in April of this year - he's since been working on any number of projects between then and now. "It's almost like you double back to promote it, having to remind yourself along the way what exactly you're promoting!", I say and he agrees.

DJ Hype is a busy man. He regularly travels internationally for various gigs, he runs his own label 'Ganga Records', there's his 'True Playaz' association with Pascal and Zinc, his radio show, his Fabric Residency and the other compilation and original work which he produces. There's also a new EP coming out soon, in addition to a 'Ganga Crew' CD set for release on BMG later this year. Historically he has also worked as a promoter, radio DJ, party DJ, A&R label rep and producer. I ask which role he favours most. "I like DJing because you just go out and do it! It’s a natural extension of what I do…I like producing too… but I like to make music for me!" he explains going on to say that he doesn't produce tracks just so Grooverider will drop it in his sets. He also indicates that he enjoys his radio work.

What does he like most about running his own label? He is quick to reply! "Not having to answer to anyone!", he states indicating that he really enjoys the freedom that running his own label offers in addition to knowing that he's not being "fucked over" by anyone. I bring up his earlier work with The Scientist, where his decision to stay in the background publishing wise meant that he ultimately missed out on a lot of the credit due to him for his part in the tracks they produced successes. He concedes that whilst it was in retrospect probably a mistake that he learnt lessons out of it, and wouldn't have the knowledge he has today had it not happened as it did.

"I haven't practised in over 6 years", he declares in reference to my query as to whether he still employs wacky techniques such as strapping weights to his wrists in order to improve his cutting and scratching skills for mixing. "My DJ sets are my practice". But don't expect to hear him cut and scratch his way through a set any more. In an earlier interview conducted a couple of years ago he said "Because of the way the breaks in jungle are all chopped up anyway…If I do it, the only people that are gonna notice are the DJ's who have bought the record anyway!"

We discuss challenges. "I don't necessarily ENJOY a challenge, but it definitely fuels me!", he says laughing, then concedes. "I work best in that environment!" I ask him what star sign he is guessing (incorrectly) that he's a Libran, but guessing (correctly) that he's an air sign - it's his birthday on May 24th. "Happy Birthday! It's my mum's birthday tomorrow!" I tell him. "Happy Birthday Mum!" he says. I tell him I'll be sure to pass this on! I then touch on his old nickname 'Victor Meldrew'. "What's THAT about?" I ask. "Nothing", he replies quick as a flash, laughing. "That's a name from years ago - nobody calls me that any more at all". There's more to this story but there's no getting it out of him right now…