This week Fnoob Techno was shocked and saddened to find out that fellow management crew member, Nick Davies (formerly Maidment), had died of a heart attack at his home in Cardiff, Wales. We were absolutely stunned by the news, not only because our friend and comrade had died, but because we only found out, some three months after his passing. Various factors contributed to our receiving the news late, but all of us felt pangs of guilt that we had not realised sooner.
Nick was a former Tuesday night schedule manager and no longer had duties as part of the crew, but he had done his time and in doing so had earned the right to stick around and have his say on how we do things in Fnoob Techno HQ. There were times following his leaving the schedule manager role when Nick chose to opt out of social media, something many of us do from time to time; the most memorable being when Nick was grieving both the death of his Mother and his step father and needed to sort out their affairs. It was obvious Nick loved his Mum deeply and was very saddened with her passing. One of Nick’s qualities was the capacity to love and he was deeply affected by his loss. Most people love their mothers, but Nick had difficulties overcoming her death, especially so close to that of his step father, and processing what life would be like without them.
Nick had many good qualities, those which stood out most were his generousity, his humility and his humour.
Nick was always happy to give his time or stick his hand in his pocket. At one point his financial donations to Fnoob Techno ensured we could afford server space and essentially keep the lights on. Similarly, as a schedule manager, he voluntarily gave up a fair proportion of his time on a weekly basis to find quality DJs whom he cajoled and badgered to ensure there was always music on a Tuesday night. This was coupled with ensuring those mixes were all lined up on the server and he would have to promote what was playing. He was also more than willing to cover his fellow schedule managers when they needed it.
Nick was never one to blow his own trumpet and was very humble about his own DJing, always preferring to champion others than promote himself; something very endearing given the role he took on for Fnoob Techno. He was also usually one of the first to make fun of a situation, difficult or not, he’d happily point out things weren’t too serious in the grand scheme of things. Nick was a good guy, a gentleman. We’re going to miss him. Our condolences our with his children Wesley and Ellie, his family and friends, and his dog Barnaby, who he himself took on from his mum.
Below is an interview we asked Nick to do as part of an article we wanted to write about those who have contributed to making Fnoob Techno what it is today, but whom no longer fulfil official roles within the management crew. The article is called “Standing on the shoulders of giants” and is yet to be published. Nick provided his responses two weeks before his death:
What did you do for Fnoob and how long for?
I did a few guest slots before becoming a resident on the 4 weekly rotation on Tuesdays, before I later took over as Schedule Manager.
How did you get into doing what you did for fnoob?
I first got involved with Fnoob in early 2014 after I did a few guest slots. People seemed to dig my vibe so I nagged Pete Moxon, who was Tuesday Manager at the time, for a regular slot and he (reluctantly) offered me early evenings around 6pm so I took it. Pete eventually relinquished Tuesdays after a long service to Fnoob Techno so I applied to take over and did so in late in 2014. I later passed the ‘reins’ to Lieve Daems back in mid 2016 as she seemed the obvious choice to take over after I took time out for personal reasons.
Were there any highlights?
The live events have been good, placing faces to the text/photos you see every day on social media. Meeting the managers based in Europe. There’s a real sense of community and belonging also. People from different countries and backgrounds all coming together because of techno, I live for that……just how it should be.
If you could do it again would there be anything you’d change?
Nothing at all. It happened the way it happened, happy with that.
What have you been doing since you left?
Being a geek as per, nothing unusual there. I love my toys. Currently water-cooling my ‘war machine’ and recently acquired a ‘new’ iMac for running Logic Pro X with Komplete amongst other things. All my decks and equipment are in storage whilst I renovate my house but they’ll be back out soon enough. Been busy accumulating other DAW software (Reason, Logic, Cubase, FabFilters, Omnisphere etc) and new techno tracks.
Assuming you still listen to techno do you have any recommendations for any tracks, producers or DJs?
I never stopped listening and never will. As far as techno goes, I do have a soft spot for artists like Rebekah, Cleric, 999999999, Perc to name a few. They are probably playing the sound I am most drawn to….hard hitting techno with welly. I am quite open-minded and listen to other genres as well, I think it’s healthier if you do.
Do you have any tips on anything in life for anyone?
I believe you should learn from your mistakes but never regret them and enjoy the good times while they last, cherish every moment especially with those closest to you. And never listen to tips from strangers on the internet……
This Friday Paul Cook AKA Audiopirate will be hosting a tribute show for Nick, Musicbox Therapy, at 9pm UK time 2200hrs CET. We will also be hosting a whole night in dedication Nick on Tuesday 10 November 2020, more details to follow.
Below is a banging mix Nick did for one of our fabled Technothons and some photos from a couple of Fnoob parties. Nick we salute you – Rest in Eternal Power. Huna mewn brawd heddwch
