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"I'm surprised I made something so sexy and melodic," says Jay Haze with a chuckle. He's talking about 'Let The Love Flow' the new Fuckpony album out 26 October on BPitch Control.

Tracks like 'Orgasm on the Dancefloor' notwithstanding Haze has more on his mind than sex and techno. His ambitions stretch beyond the club, or the albums chart. Jay believes music can help save the world and he's leading by example with his charity project DJs4DRC (DJs for the Democratic Republic of Congo).

Jay has changed since he gave I Voice an unforgettable interview a couple of years ago, chronicling his chaotic journey from teenage jailbird to musical powerhouse. Then, he simmered with ideas and outrage, drawing a self-portrait of the artist as a bareknuckle brawler. Today he is equally sharp, still occasionally self-aggrandising, but he has the confidence and urgency of someone who is pushing towards the future, rather than meditating on the past. Here's what he has to say...

What's new with you, Jay?
I've been travelling a lot - Thailand, Brazil, all over. I'm working on DJs4DRC, trying to raise awareness within the club culture and motivate people to do something.

What is DJs4DRC?
It is a charity project I started by donating 100% of the proceeds of my Fabric mix to charities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is [the site of] the world's biggest peacekeeping operation right now. There are children being used as soldiers, women being sexually abused. It's bad. What I'm trying to do is kick people in the butt, remind that even small efforts can have big results.

What are asking people to do?
I'm donating 50% of all my DJ gig fees from September through December to the charity, and asking other DJs to donate 50% of their fee from one gig. Tiefschwarz, Tiga, Loco Dice, Luciano and DJ Sneak are some of the DJs who are contributing.

Where do those donations go?
In January I'm taking the money to the DRC. We're going with a film crew and we're going to shoot a documentary. We want to raise clubbers' awareness, as well as DJs and promoters. We want to create a picture of what is going on [to educate] club culture as a whole. Right now the face of club is one of ignorance.I want to represent dance culture in a positive way, through my charity work...

You've been running all this while making the Fuckpony album?
The album was finished last year, actually. I have always wanted to start a charity. That's always been my goal.

Does this mean you'll retire from music?
No! Music is my passion. I'll never stop making music. But I make music to express myself. I never made music to get a gig, never made music to be cool. I make music to feel. This is why I have so many musical styles. It's a forum of expression to me.

 What are you expressing with 'Let The Love Flow'?
I let a conscious stream of love flow through my body [when I was making it]. I kept a positive outlook the whole time. I was very happy. It was lovely.

This is your first album for BPitch Control - how did that come about?
Ellen [Allien] is a good friend of mine. She's a "do-it" kind of woman, a very strong woman. She knows what she wants. When I played her the album she freaked out, she just loved it. I wasn't looking for a label for this, though, really. I was more than happy to give my music away.

You gave away your Jay Haze LP 'Love and Beyond' as a free download - why?
I was in a production session in the States with some people involved with Outkast, in a studio with a bunch of guys who sing soul. I was embarrassed to play [the album] to them but these dudes freaked out. They freaked the fuck out. That's when I realised it's better to let people hear music for free. If I'd put it out for sale they might never have heard of it. It's better to let people make a judgement for themselves.

What about paying the bills?
Art and money should be completely separate. One is an expression of thoughts and feelings; the other is an expression of ego. We had over a million downloads and would never have had so many sales, so I'm happy.

What's next for you?
Just keep doing what I'm doing! I want to represent dance culture in a positive way, through my charity work. Through releasing what I believe in and doing projects I believe in. After we shoot the documentary [in DRC] I want to set up DJs4DRC as a foundation.

What kind of work will the foundation do?
I want to build schools to teach music in Africa, to promote peace through creativity. Tapping into my creativity changed my life, and I want to share that. I see my future doing music with children, with people from all different kinds of backgrounds. If people in conflict zones can go and put their mind into something creative it can have a huge impact.

What about people who say "they need food and houses"?
I'd say they need to be better educated about the problem. It is more complicated than that. There are thousands of organisations in the world devoted to feeding people and there are still hungry people. You can give people food - but then what? Music is a global industry, it can help people transcend local problems.

Dance music has a reputation for being self-centred - can you change that?
This industry is not filled with people who only care about themselves. It is full of people who don't yet know how they can help. DJs4DRC is showing a way they can.

Fuckpony Podact Here
Fuckpony 'Let The Love Flow' is out 26 October on BPitch Control.

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