From studying music at Oxford University, to starting one of the early live electronic acts (Beat Foundation) in the 90's with Andy Cato of Groove Armada, to writing a string of underground club hits on his label Playtime, Mike Monday has consistently stood apart from the crowd. As IDJ said, ?not a week goes by in dance music when you don't hear someone new trying to imitate Monday's trademark sounds.' "What Day is it?" was a Berlin anthem, raved about by DJs from Steve Bug to Josh Wink and Mylo to Rob Da Bank. “Tooting Warrior” hit #6 in the German dance charts. “ZumZum” was in the Beatport top 10 for weeks. “Bhalobashi” was a staple of M.A.N.D.Y. sets who included it on their Fabric mix and was described by IDJ as ?one of the top 100 essential dance tracks of the last 10 years.' Which is why he's been in high rotation as a DJ touring all over the world including headline dates at WMC and Sonar parties alongside pivotal figures such as Claude VonStroke, Jesse Rose, and Tiefschwarz.

With his debut album “Smorgasbord” he continued to develop his own unmistakeable style. ?An instant classic' said Ministry Of Sound.com. ?Album of the month' said IDJ - which also had Smorgasbord on their ?albums of the year' list. ?An LP we just can't put down' said DJmag.

And what he started with Smorgasbord, he has expanded upon with his next album "Songs Without Words - Part 1" due out on Om Records in September 2008. ?With Smorgasbord I only started to realise the potential of instrumental music as a medium for writing albums,' Monday says. ?Lyrics make music specific but instrumental music can mean completely different things to different people. This allows the listeners to take what they want from the music, making it more personal to them. When I'm writing I always visualise something, but all I give to the listener are signposts or clues in the form of track titles, which I intentionally keep pretty inscrutable.'

As a result “Songs Without Words - Part 1” is impossible to classify. From the emotive and entrancing opener “Grace”, through to the comical and catchy “Bad Wind (With A Touch Of Acid)”, to the weird and watery “I Am Plankton” Mike takes us on a journey through a myriad of genres and soundscapes. From house, funk and hip hop to disco, chill out and techno, Mike is at home in any genre and uses them to draw us into his unique musical world. So now he's completed the album what's next? With his monthly podcast "Monday Club", a regular blog "The Unanswered Question", as well as worldwide album tour DJ dates you wouldn't expect him to have much time for anything else. But he has decided to go back to his performance roots and come up with a live show. As Mike says, ?the music on Songs Without Words needs to be performed live, and I've got some great tricks up my sleeve which I'm desperate to try out in front of a live audience. And after all the years of DJing I'm craving the spontaneity and danger that a truly live show can bring. Forget about a boring laptop set - expect something very different.'

But then - what else but ?very different' would you expect from Mike Monday?

Mike is hosting a very special Beach party at 54::Mile End on Sunday in London so we caught up with him to find out the crack...........

1. What has been keeping you busy in 2008?

Until about a month ago completing my second album 'Songs Without Words - pt 1'. I was supposed to finish it in November, but it took another 6 months. Now it's done I've been working on a live show, as well as catching up with the remixes that have built up while I've been completing the album.

2. Being a budding producer I always ask this question. What equipment you have in your studio?

I work mainly in Logic on a Mac, although I've recently been moving away from soft synths and plug ins, and have been going back to using real instruments, electronic and otherwise. On the album I even play the saxophone and bassoon.

3. Who would you say your biggest musical influences are?.

Prince, Parliament/Pfunk/Funkadelic, Stevie Wonder, Jeff Buckley, Johnny Cash, Radiohead, Sonny Rollins, Jack Kerouac, Stravinsky, Messaien, Philip Glass, John Cage, Erik Satie, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, Realworld, Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk, Carl Craig, Jamie Liddell, James Murphy, Wighnomy Bros, Dr Dre, Burial, Tiefschwarz, Villalobos.

Moving onto the quick fire round….

4. Top 5 tracks at the moment?

In no particular order - and forgive the self promotion, but it really is one of my secret weapons right now...

Tobias - Can't Fight The Feeling/Beat Study One (Wagon Repair)
Cassy - Idle Blues (Cassy)
Mike Monday - I Am Plankton - The Glug Glug Club Dub (Om)
Jen Zimmerman - C30 (International Freakshow)
DJ Koze - I Want To Sleep (IRR)

5. Top 5 of all time?

You're evil! That's an impossible question, so I'm going to give you the 5 tracks I want played at my funeral.

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
The Upsetters - Bird In Hand
Radiohead - Paranoid Android
Prince - Controversy
Sabres Of Paradise - Smokebelch II (Beatless Mix)

6. Favorite animal?

Giraffe

Quick fire over…

7. What does Playtime have in store for us for the rest of the year?

A relaunch! Kicking off with a killer track from the wonderful Hannah Holland called "Banshee". I'm doing a remix as well. Even though I'm no longer A&Ring or fully involved in Playtime there's some really exciting stuff that Big Daddy's been working on, so watch this space...

8. What can we expect from your much-anticipated 2nd Album?

The unexpected. This album took so much longer than the last as I really pushed myself to the limit, and the music on it is the most honest reflection so far of what I'm all about. It spans all sorts of styles and genres and goes from being very serious and emotional to utterly ridiculous. But then anyone who knows me at all will tell you that's what I'm like.

9. What was the strangest place you’ve ever performed?

In an underground supermarket car park for a Halloween party in Kazakhstan. No really.

And last but not least…

10. Who came up with the idea of your Mike Monday logo?

A guy called Seb Godfrey who's company is called Drunk Park. He's an amazing artist and illustrator, and I really wanted him to do the art for he album as soon as I saw his portfolio. When we met up he took one look at me and came up with the little blue dude. We have a real connection, as he has an uncanny ability to express my music in pictures.

CHECK OUT MIKE MONDAY ON MYSPACE WWW.MYSPACE.COM

OR CATCH HIM THIS SUNDAY AT 54::MILE END FOR A VERY HOT SUMMER BEACH PARTY