Luke Vibert burst out of the late ’80s Cornwall scene with the likes of Aphex Twin and Tom Middleton and his forward momentum doesn’t seem to have diminished at all over the two and a half decades since. The man makes prolific a completely redundant adjective with more projects, pseudonyms and records than even he can keep proper track of. Coming up to the concluding nights of his latest Australian tour, we scored some time with the producer to see just how he plots the perpetual churn that is his creative output.

With all your aliases it’s hard to pin down how many albums you’ve put out, how many is it by your count?

Hm, indeed. Let me try to work it out. Vibert-Simmonds (2 albums), Luke Vibert (6 albums), Wagon Christ (6 albums), Plug (2 albums), Kerrier District (2 albums), Ace Of Clubs, Amen Andrews + Spac Hand Luke, Luke Vibert + BJ Cole, and Luke Vibert + Jean-Jacques Perrey all have one album. I think that’s it so it’s 22 in total I believe.

Tell me about your different aliases, do you reserve different names for different styles of music?

Kind of – although sometimes it changes a bit! I think it’s more like different names for different labels, or at least that’s how it started but it’s getting a bit messy now!

Disco and funk have been creeping back into the public eye lately don’t you think? Is there anything that can be accredited to?

I hadn’t noticed, but hope you’re right! If so, it may be because most new music is pretty robotic and sequenced so funky live stuff sounds more interesting.

Your new album 4, is out under the Kerrier District moniker. Does that mean it will be steeped in disco?

Yes sir. With some touches of electro, funk, house and techno too.

Ninja Tune once noted your favourite school subject as ‘unknown’. So what was it really?

I didn’t really have one. Dunno where that came from. If pushed, I suppose I’d say art was my favourite class, but only coz I’m a lazy bastard. [Laughs]

You’ve worked Funk, techno, ambient electro, house, hip hop, disco, and acid jazz. What’s a genre you haven’t tried that you’d be excited to try?

I don’t think like that, I’m afraid. I just make music, and it often surprises me how it turns out. I have no preconceived ideas before making a track.

You’ve been to Australia a couple of times, what are your memories like of the place?

Very good indeed. Although, I’ve been coming since the mid ’90s, which is perhaps before your time, so I know it pretty well by now. My sister lived in Melbourne for years so that became my favourite place, but in 2004 me and Aphex spent a few days chilling out in Margaret River after the Big Day Out – and that was really fucking beautiful. Plus there was lovely wine galore.

Tell us about that time you invented ‘Trip hop’

[Laughs] It was 1989 and I did a mix of the instrumental versions of Hip Hop 12″s I had and called the mixtape ‘Trip Hop’ as it seemed to fit nicely. I then forgot about it completely, and about 5 years or so later a friend of mine reminded me I’d coined the term and it kind of freaked me out a bit. Especially as by then, people were calling my music trip hop!

You can always tinker with tracks, is there anything that signifies to you that a track is finished?

Good question. No, not really, but it’s much easier these days to load stuff, back up and tinker with it which makes it even harder. In the past, unless you wanted to keep thousands of floppy discs, you had to finish a track before you could start another one, so you had to be more disciplined.

What was the last record you listened to that wasn’t yours?

I think it was by Kid Creole & The Coconuts- the one with ‘Stool Pigeon’ on it, the day before I left for Aus. Hardly ever listen to my own stuff though apart from when I’m working on it.

Do you like any Australian musicians, electro or otherwise?

Probably, yes but my brain and memory is fucked, sorry!

You’ve professed a lot of love for Reason, do you still use it? Is so, why use a less complex programme?

I’m a luddite with computers, I kind of hate them, so Reason seems to suit me. Those things like Pro Tools just really upset me. Way too complicated.

What accomplishment in music would make you die a happy man?

Nothing in the world would make me die happy as I really don’t want to die, but it would be nice to sell a few more records!

Luke Vibert is performing as part of the Red Bull Music Academy monthly Club Night Series at Boney, Melbourne on April 17 from 9PM and Goodgod Small Club, Sydney on April 18 from 11PM. Entry is free but requires registration – RSVP here.

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