By Tamara Roper

If you’re a uni student who likes the lash or wrote your dissertation with a Majestic Casual playlist on loop, chances are you’ve caught TCTS playing on a line up near you. A chum of Bondax and Snakehips, and protégé of Chase and Status, Sam O’Neill has become one of the most recognisable names in current house music. We caught up with Sam to hear his thoughts on where house is going and what might feature in his Secret Garden Party set...

MTV UK: What’s the weirdest after party you’ve ever ended up at?

TCTS: Cardiff always spring to mind. I was on my own and really tired. I got there and they said, ‘You’ve got to check out our house party scene’. Next thing I knew it was 10am and I was in someone’s garden. I had to get the train back to my parents and then go and play at my mates’ wedding. I was sweating quietly behind the booth, nursing a gin and tonic.

'“Kink is one of those producers who never disappoints. I've been playing this one a lot recently; crazy good remix.”'

MTV UK: How about the most bizarre show you’ve ever played?

TCTS: I really wanted to go back to Glastonbury this year after I played the BBC Introducing stage last year. I didn’t end up getting a proper booking, but I ended up playing this disco bar, by the Pyramid Stage. I had to play just disco, straight up classic disco. There were mums and dads in there, and girls on before me going HAM with the feather boas, who made for a tough act to follow.

'“Always love putting Dusky in a set, especially at festivals. This new one's got an amazing, slightly tribal vibe in the drop.”'

MTV UK: What festivals do you get the best reaction from?

TCTS: Secret Garden Party is sick. They have this stage that’s in an amphitheater pit, where I played last year, before Chase and Status. Faithless finished just as I started, so this flood of people came and saw my set. I went quite deep with it and it still went off.

'“This is the one, because even though it’s pretty dark, it's weirdly accessible. I play this during most sets – when it drops back in after the breakdown, it’s definitely worth the wait.”'

MTV UK: Radio 1 have supported you throughout your career. How do you feel about radio? Is it a dying art?

TCTS: I was quite naïve about the whole industry coming into it; I never realised just how important radio is. I’m really lucky that my support has come from people like Annie Mac - she and Pete Tong are real tastemakers. Some people say it’s depressing how you always have to have radio in mind, but they are one of your main out-putters.

'“A perfect summer festival tune, super uplifting. In a way it’s got a similar vibe to Watermat's Bullit, but with a silky vocal from Years and Years.”'

MTV UK: What do you open and close your sets with?

TCTS: I like to open up with something quite accessible, maybe something off Defected Records, to try and prick people’s ears up. I always try and end up on a thinker…

MTV UK: The thinking man’s dance tune. What even is that?

TCTS: I reckon Gotham by Ten Walls. I love playing that when I get the nod that I’ve got two minutes left. I think, “Cool. I’m going to play a nine minute song”. By the time you’ve got to the end of the set you’re pretty relaxed and Gotham’s really nice to play with all the delays on the mixer. Anything Ten Walls is amazing at the moment.

'“An instant classic, Ten Walls and his horn sounds are so distinctive. This one is a staple in every set, either this or Gotham.”'

MTV UK: We really loved your Games video. What’s the deal with it?

TCTS: I’m really chuffed with that actually. I didn’t want one of those videos where it’s in a club and everyone’s dancing, it’s kind of been done now. I know Route 94 did a cool one, but it wasn’t what I wanted. I know ours was quite a cheesy concept, but he pulled it off quite nicely - the director was from Tokyo and has made videos for Chase and Status.

MTV UK: Do you think it’s important to have a stand-out video to go with a track?

TCTS: It’s an amazing thing to have in your arsenal. People are streaming more than they’re buying, so to have something that you can give to people when they go on YouTube is good. I guess it’s kind of the aesthetic that Eton Messy have; they have very photogenic pictures.

'“Only found this beauty recently; it’s all beeps and clicks and sweet vocals.”'

MTV UK: What do you think about Eton Messy being criticised for being chauvinists?

TCTS: I actually read something that said it wasn’t chauvinism, it was a reflection of the music style. The music is quite feminine, quite accessible, and in a way, quite sensitive. It’s not hard techno, if they put a hard techno track up they’d put it with a photo of something quite filtered and ambient. I don’t think it is chauvinism, I think it’s a quite an abstract way of representing the music, or at least the fan base- I don’t think thigh gaps is that though! I’m not backing thigh gaps.

'“New banger from Claude VonStroke with an amazing acidy bassline. Really looking forward to playing this one at Secret Garden.”'

MTV UK: What are the tunes you’re most and least proud of putting out?

TCTS: There have been a couple of remixes that I have been less enamored with. You do them to a deadline and you can get quite wrapped up in them. I’m never a fan of putting things out that you’re not 100% proud of. There’s one of mine that I won’t name that I really don’t like. I was quite new to the scene and it was the first thing I wrote as TCTS. I hadn’t found my sound; it was really heavy. It just sounds like Skrillex. There’s another track out there that I was so embarrassed of that I got the label to rename at as my ‘side project’, which was just the name of my cat.

'“Emotive, soaring pianos and a shuffling beat - amazing stuff from the Swiss producers.”'

MTV UK: Have you got much of a game plan? House music is having a bit of moment right now, but next year it might be different.

TCTS: I’m always keen to be pursuing all areas of music production. All I want to be doing is writing music, whether it’s for other people or myself. In the same way I’d like to get involved with the radio side of things. Saying that, whether it’s in the mainstream or not, house has been around for a while now and it’s not going anywhere.

'"Combining two producers of this calibre is always going to produce something special. Deep and old school feel to this one, with a big wooden bass line. "'

MTV UK: What do you think is going to come next?

TCTS: It seems to be old school trance-y vibes, and melody too. Which is cool. Hopefully it’ll be something disco-y, because after Glastonbury it’s all I can seem to write.

'“Just because everyone loves a good slice of disco.”'

MTV UK: Top disco track for someone who wants to get into disco?

TCTS: Old school, Upside Down by Diana Ross or Someone For Me by Whitney Houston. More currently, Todd Terje’s album is unbelievable. When I was playing the disco tent, I tried to weave in newer things, and every time I played Inspector Norse someone asked what it was.

MTV UK: What’s your fancy dress outfit of choice?

TCTS: I didn’t dress up for Secret Garden Party last year, but the promoters have emailed us saying it would be great if the DJs could get involved. The easy option would be to get one of those animal cagoules.

MTV UK: Final question. What does TCTS actually stand for?

TCTS: I’m definitely not telling you. It’s really embarrassing. My mate decided that it stood for ‘Too Cool Too Sexy’, so I’m going to go with that.

TCTS’s Games EP featuring the title track is out on MTA Records on August 10th. Pre-order now from iTunes and catch him at Secret Garden Party.