John Digweed is a man of few words and great tunes. Never known for his extensive or enthusiastic interviews, these days the tireless globetrotter prefers to answer journalists' questions by e-mail and gives the distinct impression he would rather just let his music to do the talking.
Which is fine when you have been at the forefront of the progressive house movement almost since its inception, and continue to push boundaries, envelopes and the limits of human endurance, with some 30 years on the job under your belt and a reputation for occasional marathon sets lasting anything up to 13 hours.
Digweed, 44, who took over the cavernous members-only Lyndhurst Terrace club Hyde last week, has made his mark on the electronic music scene, ranging from his groundbreaking early collaborations with fellow dance music titan Sasha, such as Renaissance and Northern Exposure, through to his latter-day progressive and downtempo excursions of the Structures series.
He is a fixture on DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs list, and peaked at No1 in 2001.
He has graced Hong Kong's shores on several occasions, from the heady early days of its rave scene to last year's John Digweed Live In Hong Kong @ StarHall International Trade & Exhibition Centre show. He even released his tribute to the city, Global Underground: Hong Kong, in 1999.
Just don't expect the man to wax lyrical or rapturous about the scene that has sustained him. He even defines his own music somewhat prosaically as 'consistent quality electronic music'. Of course his curmudgeonly way with words is no doubt due in no small part to the gruelling schedule of gigs he continues to accept, averaging almost a set every second night some years, and a lifestyle he defines as: 'Gig - hotel - airport - hotel - gig - hotel - airport'.