MAD 'Patrick' P. The voice of Topbuzz, a legend in his own right and a very exclusive interview since his MAD P has returned to the stage.

Not only has it been 2 years since JungleTechno has been conducting interviews but this was also my 25th birthday today. What a way to celebrate by going down to London town and meeting up with Mad P to carry out this interview and what an honour it was!

I headed down to London on a miserable monday morning and met up with Patrick at Euston station, from there he took me to his house to conduct the interview. This gave me a chance to actually meet Patrick rather than Mad P we all know on the stage.

He took me on a voyage back through time reminiscing about the old days and he showed me his books which contain all his lyrics. There are 13 of these books in total, each of them containing many favorites of mine i felt very privileged to read from these especially as he showed me book number one which was where it all begun.

This was a real history lesson as Patrick explained to me were some of his lyrics actually came from as they are true stories. He talked to me about his love of Tottenham football club, he was a regular at White Hart Lane and that even Murray Beetson of Dreamscape had his own box there too.

1. Mad P, the voice of 'Topbuzz.', from where does the name 'Mad P' originate?

Mad P, were did I get that from? ..I started calling myself that as it goes, I was originally in the House and Blues dance thing with Mikey B, I started on the mic there so I had to have a mic name. I got another nickname but only close friends that know that.

2. Why did you originally decided to start MC'in? What gave you the urge to pick up the mic?

The urge was when I got drunk one day, I was at Mikey B’s Funky Express, I used to write then. Tell a lie, my dad used to have a system when I was a kid, had a ragga and blues dance, I just liked the mic. I liked to entertain then. It was good, it started from then, and from that to the acid scene the rest is history. I just picked it up, then and got more into it.

3. Playing an essential part of the original 'Topbuzz' along with Jason & Mikey B. How did you guys first meet up back in 1989?

I knew Mikey from the Funky Express and we met Jason, we got talking and certain things and linked up from that. Found out everyone was into the same thing.

4. Where and when did Topbuzz, as a trio, receive their first booking?

I can’t remember…. We was on the smaller club circuit, I can’t remember the first club we all played at, it was a small club & we knew the promoter. I really can’t remember the first one to be honest.

5. Way back in the early 90's you began using the term 'Jungle Techno'. What does it mean to you and were did it originate from?

Jungle Techno,do you know what its like ? ‘Kiss the sky’, that’s a classic example of a jungle techno record. If you wanna get dark and moody, you can, and if you wanna freak out like a whizzkid, you can. Electrify and intensify. You can get into the techno side. That’s where it comes from. Back them times, that’s how the music was.

6. As part of the original rave posse of 91-92, Topbuzz received all the major bookings playing at Fantazia, Obsession, Quest, Amnesia etc...
Where & when were your most memorable bookings and why?

Memorable booking, god!!! There was a few of dem, one of them being a big promoter. Had good times at all of them. There was never one that stood out the most, if you’ve had only one memorable night, then you aint been raving! You know what I mean!?! Basically that’s what I gotta say you aint been nowhere! There’s been too many good nights!

7. In the summer of ’92 you MC’d at the Legendary Amnesia House ‘Book of Love' party at Brayfield Stadium. At this unique event the promoter and his bride were married live onstage with Grooverider as best man. How did it feel to MC to a crowd of over 25,000 people?

A bit disappointing, coz I reckon I done more. I’ve mc’ed to more than that. If they could of sold more tickets for the venue they would of. Should have been more, was a big place. Though it was wicked, absolutely wicked, respect to Mickey, the noise was horrendous that night when they got married, the whistles, the noise.

I got in the crowd. We played before they got married. We played early, some crazy time. I was on the stage but when the vicar came out I was in the crowd, the crowd was buzzing! I was wrapped up with some bird, you know Mad P!!

Biggest crowd was probably 60,000 somewhere in London I’ve been to enough raves to see a sea of people.

8. When were your favourite years, be it the music, events etc.. and why?

Right from when we (Topbuzz) started, till we split. The best years probably when we was a duo, the first a duo. No disrespect to Mikey B but that’s when Topbuzz made its name. Best years were when it was just me and Jason.

9. Were does the inspiration for your lyrics come from? They have a deep and powerful meanings behind them, were you conscious of the message you were sending out at the time?

Do you know what influences my lyrics? If I want to be up there and chat the mic and chat about one thing, that’s life, and i try to send a message in my lyrics. It’s Rhythmic American Poetry, it’s a poetic thing, don’t let no-one fool you. Know matter how they say it, it’s a poem and at the end of the day it’s supposed to be a poem and it’s suppose to be a message.

Throw in the odd funny one coz life is life, in all kinds of life and chat about life simple as that and nothing and nothing else.

10. With so many rhymes, how do you manage to remember them all? Which would you say is your favourite lyric?

If you know Topbuzz Mad P, you know Mad P has got something in his hand. All they are is titles. That way I put the title down, boom keeps me going, boom, I remember the rest.
My favourites are probably ‘I can make you feel good’, ‘The Alphabet’ their good lyrics ’Never Trust a girl’, ‘Sally bed hopper’, ’Sexy girl’. There’s a lot, a lot of them are good and they all have their times right time for them and when people pick up on them there a lyric.

We all make an impact. From out there doing the mcing were making an impact from the dj were all making and impacting. Enough man’s say they get inspiration off me. My sound is all about a message they understand what I’m saying.

12. What is your opinion on today’s standard of mcing?

Do you know what, I listen to the music, at the end of the day everyman's out there doing there thing. To me it’s a message. The more people try the better, its entertainment as well man, it’s supposed to be? Don’t start with ‘the drum and bass, the bass and the treble’ now you’re really messing with my head! As I’m not hearing jack, I’ll tune off. Not being disrespectful. Maybe I’ve made people tune off, but at the end of the day I know I’ve made a lot of people tune on.
It’s supposed to be entertainment ‘Music is the key of life’, I’d never die away from it forever.

13. ‘Living in Darkness’ is a timeless classic produced nearly 15 years ago. Did you ever anticipate how much of an impact it was going to make? How much input did you have into the production of Living in darkness?

I think it was just me and Jason you know and the remix, I think Mikey was away I remember Neil was the producer it was absolutely wicked. It was dark, that tune was the boom, it’s the shit, I love it, not being big headed as we made it. That tune like you said is a timeless classic, simple. Those beats are so simple it was dark but it was commercial, it was commercial dark.

It’s a timeless classic enough people loved and enough love to remix it there’s room for remixes there’s a remix of it now by Phantasy. I’m still getting paid so it’s a timeless classic and I’m not going to complain about that tune one bit!

When it first come, at that time it was that speed it was the boom that speed. We had it for seven months before we could give it out. That’s not being horrible, we knew we had a winner. We had it for seven months, nobody had it, not one other DJ. We gave out about 10 and then somebody signed us to their record label Basement Records. That was one of his first tunes. It was good for him, he was the only supplier, love Phil, we had some help in that way. He was the only man, still dealing with us to today. Yeah we did know we had a classic when we made it.

14. Last year you and Jason got back together, what was the idea behind getting back together after all these years?

I done a couple solo, Jason said he going to get me on a booking agency and she started getting work for two of us, ‘Would Jason and Patrick do a Topbuzz set?’ Me and Jason started talking again, I haven’t got nothing against Jason, me and Jason are cool, what we went through we went through man, we brought up that name.

They went onto do the house or garage thing, whatever!! That’s why I started making up those lyrics ‘House music is strictly for the gay boy, House music is strictly for the fraud!’

16. Do you think Mikey B would/could be tempted to return to the rave scene?

No, he’s not interested.

17. How much has the scene changed for you since your return?

It’s changed a lot. Where there’s a will there’s a way. It’s the government. If they could of got that tax! That’s what it was that killed the scene, as they started clamping down. It’s now gone into the clubs. It’s the club culture that’s the biggest change. We’ve only done a few big ones since we got back together. We’ve been abroad. We’ll persevere.

18. How does it feel hearing your lyrics being recited after all these years, by older and younger ravers?

That’s good you know. The younger ones know the lyrics. I know they were having it, but they were having it indoors. Through brother’s sister’s friend’s bigger friends playing that stuff when they were growing up as youth. They were listening to the music daily, they had caught on ages ago. Just they couldn’t be present at certain things they were hooked long time. They grew up on that shit!

19. Are you working on any new lyrics?

Yeah mate, I’m not working, I’m always working I don’t tune off. You know what, I’ve lost loads of lyrics. Mainly because I’ll be out and just don’t have the time to stop to jot down ideas. I’ve had Dictaphones, I’ve lost them so I gave up that idea. I’ll come home with scraps of paper were I’ve stopped somewhere and I’ll come in and write a lyric. Even in the back of my books I’ve got lyrics that I’ve practised.
I’ve lost a lot, maybe they weren’t meant to be kept?

20. To anyone new to Topbuzz, how would describe ‘Topbuzz’ to them?

Rolling back the years.
Everywhere we’ve worked since we’ve teamed back up, 99.5% of the times we’ve been back, the event has been good. It’s been nice to see nuff people wid smile pon faces again, getting the same amount of kisses.

21. What advice would you give to anyone wanting become a MC?

Know what you’re saying, learn what you’re saying, say something good, and say something people can relate to. Say things that relate to life, can’t beat it. I’m the 1, 0000,000,000 person to talk about life, all entertainers talk about life, continue to talk about life you can’t go wrong

Top ten tunes in any order?

I’m not a DJ I can’t really remember names of tunes. All I know is the beat of the intro.

Shout outs to everybody.

I'd personally like to thank Mad P for inviting me to his home and taking time out to conduct this very Exclusive interview.