THIS year there has been a huge focus on bands reuniting and past albums being reissued. It poses the question that if everyone is looking back, who’s looking forward?

Who better to discuss the future of music than Clint Boon. The keyboard-playing, DJing, Madchester hero has been in the business for over 25 years and knows a thing or two about new music.

After exchanging pleasantries and finding a seat in the packed Clone’s dressing room, we wasted no time chatting about the state of the industry.

O: So Clint, generally, what do you see as the future of music?

C: I think it’s safe to say that the future of music will always be based on the history of music. If you look at the best new bands of today, the likes of The Vaccines, their sound is so retro. Another example is Jake Bugg; you can hear early Bob Dylan in his work. Overall, I think the future of music will always be inspired by what has already been.

O: Is that always the case though?

C: You’ll get some artists who will exist within their own little bubble. The XX, for example, don’t sound like anybody else. It’s hard to think of band who you could say they were inspired by, they’re so unique. Occasionally, you will get pioneers like this but sadly they tend to drift off the radar until years down the line when a new artist cites them as an influence.

Discussing everything from the Pixies to Nirvana, we continued to chat about our own  favourite pioneering bands from throughout the years.

O: You’ve mentioned a few names already, but who are you listening to at the moment?

C: It’s hard to say really because I’ve got so many things going on with Xfm show and my own sets. I’ve been listening to the Inspiral’s first album to get familiar with it again for the tour next year. Other than that, I’ve been listening to Chase & Status and Jake Bugg’s album.

A clear favourite for the Manchester man is Oasis. Personal friends with the Noel Gallagher, Clint chatted about how the band defined an era and created something that no one else had done before.

O: We’ve talked about new music but you mentioned the Inspiral Carpets’ tour next year, what’s been going on with them?

C: The past year with the band has been great. We did quite a lot of gigs with the tour in Spring and festival slots throughout the summer.

O: You’ve been playing the first album Life in it’s entirety, have you got any plans for new material?

C: The band’s been writing new music all the time. The sets at the gigs will probably be Life and few other classics, then we will try out some new stuff as well.

It was obvious that Clint is in love with the business. We could of talked for hours about influences and favourites, however time wouldn’t allow it.

At 53, Clint is showing no signs of slowing down and his passion for music gives hope for the future of the industry. If you’re not familiar with any of the artists we discussed, I recommend you give them a try... you never know, you might stumble across you’re new favourite band.