Jeremy Williams-Chalmers, Arts Correspondent
Rusty Egan Presents
Rusty Egan
Photo: Peter Ashworth©
I've compiled a list of more than 250 tracks I played in the 18 months that the Blitz Club was open (until Steve Strange and I moved to a new night off Baker Street—Club For Heroes). We had to approach artists to see how many of those 250+ tracks we could license for this box set initially—some acts we thought would be very difficult to license, e.g., Kraftwerk—but they came through for us! Where we couldn’t license certain tracks for the 4CD and 4LP vinyl physical box-set formats, I suggested we could also have an overarching official Blitz Club Spotify playlist that includes everything we were unable to license; it runs for more than 22 hours, and people can now listen to that via my Spotify page or by scanning the QR code inside the physical box-set.
What is the secret to a successful mix?
As a DJ in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I found it challenging to use the equipment of that era. Additionally, the tracks were not specifically designed for DJs in those days, which made it challenging, but I had nearly perfected it by the time I began hosting my nights at Camden Palace. The ideas were all there in 1979. It took a while, though. I and Midge Ure created the extended dance mix of my band Visage's Fade to Grey for this new box-set, but Polydor Records UK refused to release it because they didn't consider it 'dance music' (at that time, dance music mostly consisted of soul and funk).
How did you discover the trip down memory lane while creating it?
I loved revisiting the tracks, and it has made me remember many moments when this new electronic sound convinced me we were doing the right thing in 1979–1980. How must Kraftwerk have felt, delivering so many classic tracks in the Seventies, only to have the mainstream ignore them and finally reach No. 1 with a 3-year-old B-side?
The music industry has changed massively over the years. What are the positives and negatives for you?
The positives are that we have all now learned about copyrights, ownership, and publishing splits.
Negatives are the gatekeepers and ownership of the internet. It would be so great if we could now look at the examples of MySpace and Facebook, take the model of OnlyFans, and create one new website where fans could join and enjoy daily contact with the artists: pre-order music directly, stream exclusively, and buy concert tickets, then share to the non-paying platforms after 90 days if you need exposure.
Your career has been very diverse. Have you ticked off all your ambitions?
Over the years, I have realised I have to be more upfront. I have always preferred to be in the background, whether in a band or as a producer, and I have found my input reduced by lawyers, managers, and agents. Now I’m finally happy to use the term ‘Rusty Egan Presents.’
You have worked with an array of talent; who has been the highlight?
The bigger the artist, the easier it’s been, to be honest. It’s always been about the music for me. When I have issues with an artist, it's usually because they don't understand or feel the same way.
Is there anyone you would not wish to work with again?
John Pitcher, from MRC Digital, has taken all the releases from Steve Strange under the name Visage and is now claiming to be Visage himself. Sadly, I was introduced to him by another dishonest person, and stupidly, I got lied to and deceived again. He successfully persuaded Steve Strange to steal everything, even after they had signed an agreement. His and Steve’s words were worthless, as were the copies they made to sound like Visage.
It’s important that whoever you collaborate with is as enthusiastic as you and brings better outcomes than you. For example, Midge Ure took our song ‘Glorious’ (from my last solo album) and really did make it glorious. We split the credit three ways—if we had done that for Fade to Grey, I might not be here! The money and success would soon have ruined me. I had lost everything by 1993, but I remarried and had three more children. Despite experiencing 20 years of love and family without any real money, we managed to survive, and I've had numerous beautiful summers spent with friends and family. Money separates you from reality, and when I had it, my head was in the clouds.
My forthcoming new music might well be my last, but the 100 tracks I have made since 2009 are equally as good, if not better than my 1979–1989 period. If readers want to check out what I consider to be my best work in the past few years, then I would direct them to my solo album Welcome to the Dancefloor and also Remix/Remix 2 Beach via my website, as well as my remixes of U2, B-Movie, Anne Clark, Mylene Farmer, La Roux, Moby, Space, and Boy George. I will release my new solo album 'Romantic' in early 2025, marking 45 years since the ©release of the Blitz Club.