You’d be forgiven for thinking that ATFC was a little bit of a geek. He’s (reasonably) well behaved, always delivers on time and usually gets an A for anything that he produces. So far, so relatively beige, but while all this may be true, there’s also a darker side to the funniest man in House.

“I’m expecting a formal ceremony at Simon Dunmore’s country residence” he says when asked about his feelings towards his new title of House Master. “Do I get a stiff-kit or a plaque for my front door?”. He’s joking (we hope), but we’d forgive more than a little self-assurance from the man who’s been voted Beatportal’s House producer of the year for the last two years running. And after dedicating the latest House Masters compilation to him alongside David Penn, what else could we expect? Thankfully, we haven’t got the worst of his new-found narcissism “I've also got into the habit of reminding my wife of my new title every night before bed.”

House Masters is an acclaimed series that compiles the best tracks and remixes from the very best producers in the game, and ATFC and David Penn have a disc apiece on the latest instalment. Listen to any classic House compilation worth its salt and ATFC will no doubt feature. For the last decade he’s had one foot in the studio, delivering stone wall club anthems; from the early ‘Bad Habit’ and ‘In And Out of My Life’, to the more recent ‘Bon Bon’ and the huge, sax-driven ‘I Called U (The Conversation)’. The other foot has been planted firmly behind the decks Worldwide bringing his main room sound to an army of faithful fans. Catching him in a relatively serious mood for a moment, we find out his true feeling towards all the fuss. “I'm very flattered and was a little shocked to be honest. When I look at the previous names in the series [Louie Vega, Dennis Ferrer, Sandy Rivera] it gives me a little warm feeling in my pants. One question though, who's this David Penn chap?” And he’s gone again…

One track feature that’s causing quite a stir at the moment is ‘I Called U (The Conversation)’; a cover of a Lil Louis track of the same name. “I may be stripped of my House Master title for this but I have to say I was never aware of Lil Louis original. All respect goes to him as all I've done is cover it. That said, when I had the initial reactions from a select few and then Pete Tong played it 3 weeks in a row I thought I may be on to a good one.”

Indeed; another ‘good one’ to add to the ever-growing category of first rate thumpers. Perhaps we should get him that plaque after all…

‘I Called U (The Conversation)’ is out now on Defected Records.

House Masters ATFC & David Penn is released on the 19th of October.