James Ruskin rewrites the blueprint for Printworks night

Techno artist and Blueprint label boss, James Ruskin, says he never wanted to get involved in running club nights. But dig a bit deeper and he admits that on occasion – such as his fabled former nights at Cable in London Bridge – he gets excited to curate nights.

One of those occasions is coming soon. Speaking to Ruskin ahead of his new Blueprint night at mega club Printworks and he’s clearly buzzing. Alongside promoters The Hydra, he’s lined up an impressive strike force of techno legends to play the two rooms of the mammoth post-industrial club in Surrey Quays on Saturday 18th November.

His signature Blueprint event will feature Ruskin joining up with Clark, Marcel Dettmann, British Murder Boys and 65D Mavericks for a night of head-spinning music in the Press Hall. “It’s a far better use of the building than when it printed the Daily Mail,” he says with a laugh, citing the inglorious history of the building’s former newspaper presses. And while Regis and Surgeon are busy causing havoc in the Press Hall, it will leave artists such as Randomer, Mumdance, Broken English Club, Russell Haswell and Rommek to conquer the venue’s second room, the Charge Bay.

The night is set to honour the two decades Ruskin has spent running his Blueprint imprint and its acts that have been nurtured over the years. The releases may have been irregular and erratic, but the tunes have made a huge impact on electronic music – especially techno. “I’m always grateful to see a new venue spring up,” he says of Printworks. “Many places struggle in London – for so many reasons. But the club is a great space.”

The night will cap off a busy Autumn which has seen Ruskin hit Poland, Spain, Holland, Ukraine and Leeds. But he admits that coming home to London makes the event a little bit sweeter – and the pressure just a big higher. So, will he have anything special up his sleeve for the night? “Yes,” he says quickly. Before pausing… “Subconsciously I want to take things to a higher level. It’s in my hometown and it’s a Blueprint night, so I want to pull out all the stops. Yeah, I’m a bit nervous because I’m passionate about it. But it’s just because I want to get across my vision for the aesthetic and the musical idea. I love playing London.”

I joke that he is taking a risk in letting noisenik Russell Haswell or the British Murder Boys pranksters loose in any club. But it truly takes an iron stomach to let them both play on the same night. “You need the right people to create a thread that resonates to the listener,” he says with a wink. “At times it will annoy and enthral in equal measure. It’s all about the juxtaposition. I just everyone to play their own set. For me, that’s important.”

The Hydra present Blueprint at Printworks on November 18. Details here.