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A legend of
the Australian dance scene, Stephen Alkins has been a prominent
and valued contributor for over 20 years. He’s one of the few
to remain throughout the constant changes to the club scene and
one of the true pioneers of dance music in Sydney and Australia.
Alkins has
played with plenty of the invading steel wheelers including Frankie
Knuckles(3 times), David Morales, Kings Of Tomorrow, Roger Sanchez,
Danny Rampling, Deep Dish, Armand Van Helden, Fat Boy Slim, Miguel
Migs, Johnny Vicious, Pickering & Parke, George Morel, Ballistic
Brothers, Dimitri from Delite, Chris Coco, Nicky Siano (studio 54),
Francois Kevorkian(twice) Louie Vega, Masters at Work, Kraze, and
parties for Ministry Of Sound and Renaissance, Gatecrasher with
Masters at Work Homebake 2001,Big Day Out 1998 and 1999(Hothouse),
National Big Day Out Tour-all cities(in the Boiler Room), .E-Smoove,
Felix Tha House Cat, Crazy Penis, Dick Johnson (Shaboom Records),
Adelaide Festival, Sydney festival.
However, it’s
the club nights and parties in Sydney that Alkins has really made
his mark with full impact. Two years ago he received an award for
his services to the two biggest and longest running dance events
in the southern hemisphere - the Sydney Mardi Gras and Sleaze parties.
Alkins has clocked in nine performances at each of them, a major
achievement in anyone’s book. He has also been a part of the
Sydney dance party scene - Mardi Gras and Sleaze aside - since the
early ‘80’s; from Rat to Sweatbox, Fun to Jamie &
Vanessa’s. At its peak in the late ‘80’s visitors
Pickering & Parke were amazed by the scene, Oakenfold loved
it and Alkins had always been playing it!
The Alkins’
club nights turned the whole city on. In ‘78 he started at
Palms playing everything from Aretha Franklin to Kraftwerk, then
to Stranded, Patches, Glamourworld, the brilliant Phoenix sessions,
the successful Class Act (where Deep Dish asked to play during their
‘98 visit) at Sublime, @ Home which became one of the biggest
nights in Sydney during the ‘98/’99 summer, then Gas and
more recently a return to the Phoenix for six hour sets.
So after all
this, what could he do next? Maybe produce his own track - his first.
Stephen had done some remixes with his late great friend Robert
Racic and he’d worked with the seminal Australian dance act,
the Rockmelons, more recently remixing works for Friendly, Icehouse,
Waldo, Vanessa Amerossi and Sub-Q - so what about his own material?
He felt now was the time. Stephen got together with Paul Mac (member
of influential Sydney duo Itch-e & Scratch-e) and produced a
club classic with a reverent nod to disco and other great dance
moments in a modern time. The “History Of Disco” was in
the grooves and [love] tattoo was the body and soul of it. The “most
influential person in U.K. dance” Mr. Pete Tong heard the track
and picked it up for his Essential Records and released it through
leading dance label ffrr. Superclub Home then gave Stephen a guest
spot at one of their parties on the island of Ibiza with Carl Cox,
the trip was extended to the U.K. and “History Of Disco”
by [love] tattoo was spinning everywhere - like the proverbial mirrorball.
On his return
to Sydney, Stephen continued to record tracks for the [love] tattoo
project with his new collaborator, local producer/remixer Justin
Shave. Following “History Of Disco”, [love] tattoo took
on another direction with the tribal vibe of “Drop Some Drums”
and the sublime groove of “The Bass Has Got Me Movin’”.
Both have become classic club cuts here and overseas and have already
clocked up a number of compilations worldwide, including Renaissance
Ibiza. They also caught the attention of almost every high profile
dj around the globe. A notable fan is Fatboy Slim who concluded
his recent Brighton beach party with “Drums”, not only
to an audience of tens of thousands on the beach, but to hundreds
of thousands in lounge rooms around the UK watching the telecast
on Channel 4.
In 2006 [love]
tattoo has returned to the dancefloor with a new single “Put
Your Body In It” and album “BODYWORK”.
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