there’s a reason for us meeting in the casino, and it isn’t that we’re about to play baccarat. Skinner discovered Les Ambassadeurs while looking for locations for his new feature film, The Darker the Shadow, the Brighter the Light. The film, which he wrote, directed and acts in (yes, he also did the music), is about a DJ called Mike, who gets drawn into various non-DJ activities: financing and messing up a drug deal, romancing a rich woman, solving a sort-of murder. Though much of the action takes place in clubs – the scenes where the dance crowds go mad are the best parts of the film – the story also moves between Mike’s rubbish flat and his rich girlfriend’s life. And he needed a swish casino for a couple of scenes. Once he came across Les Ambassadeurs, with its huge chandeliers, wide balconies, swathed curtains and silk wallpaper, he was in.
So, us meeting here is a sort of celebration: of the film itself, but also of the film being finished. The Darker the Shadow has dominated Skinner’s life for the past decade, and even last week, he was still tweaking it – the music, the effects – staying up for three nights straight adjusting and editing in post-production. But finally, he had to let his baby go, and the premiere was a few days ago, in east London. He had a brilliant time.