JOHN DIGWEED - BEDROCK INTERVIEW
So what's been happening in the world of Bedrock and John Digweed?
Things are great at the moment, the label is firing on all cylinders. We’re having a great year. We’ve had some fantastic releases and the profile of the label seems to be at its best for quite some time. We’ve been doing nights all over the globe but we’re very selective to make sure we do the right gigs around the planet.
What have been your highlights of the year so far?
Highlights would be the first time I have played in Belarus at a big festival there, they had an amazing crowd reaction. That was definitely one of the best gigs I have done this year.
Does it make you feel proud to see that Bedrock is still a prominent on the clubbing calendar?
Yeah, you work hard with something over the years you want to see it do well and maintain its potential. Our fan base has been very loyal. Our nights provide quality music, good DJs and a friendly up for it crowd, which is what most people want. They want to go out and see smiley faces in the room.
Do you think it’s that crowd that keeps Bedrock so successful over the years?
A club is only successful as the crowd that come to it. 12 years on and there is still a lot of people that came to the first night that are still coming to the nights we run now. It shows the strength of the night.
What makes the Bedrock crowd so special?
I think the fact they are very open minded they want to listen to good music. They trust my judgement with the people we have performing. I try to be creative with the line-ups and who I think should play and try to bring something new and diverse each time we put on a show.
What memories do you have of the first Bedrock in London?
Well I’d played Heaven quite a few times before we started doing regular nights there. It was always one of my favourite venues and it was one of the first venues I went to in London so doing monthly nights there was a dream come true. I never thought it would take off the way it did and the fact it was so successful for such a long period of time. We worked really hard and put on a good value for money night, the line-ups were diverse on a monthly basis. I think if you put on something that’s good people are going to go.
What night would you consider as your most favourite Bedrock night?
I’d say one of the birthdays when we had Rabbit in the Moon play. It was the first time they had ever played in the UK. They put on a fantastic show. And for the people who hadn’t seen them it was a pretty mind blowing experience. So from that aspect that’s one of the nights that stick in my memory.
What were your original aims of the night when it first started?
The aim for the night was just somewhere for me to play on a regular basis and to invite my favourite DJs to come and play alongside me. It just grew and grew. The reason we chose a Thursday night is that I really wanted to bring a crowd out for this night. I didn’t want a crowd that was going out on a Saturday night already, so you had to make the effort. I think people made the effort and that really showed with the energy on the dance floor.
What was your DJ setup twelve years ago and what is it today?
Just two turntables and a mixer, now it’s two CDJs and a mixer and an EFX Unit - it’s only changed slightly, but the music’s changed as well.
So do you miss playing vinyl?
Yeah. There is something really nice about flicking through your record box choosing a record putting it on a turntable. There’s that whole aspect that I enjoyed for many years. But the fact you can be in Greece or Buenos Aires and download a remix from one of your colleagues and play it an hour later is amazing. You just can’t beat that feeling of having so much access to music at your fingertips.
I do miss vinyl but I don’t miss the fact that if you’re on the road you’re limited to how much new music you can introduce to your set.
How do you think your sound has progressed over the past 12 years?
I think I’ve tried to move with the times. I don’t jump on the band-wagons, I just play music I like in a way that suits me. So I take the best of techno records I like, and the best of tech-house, deep house, and the best of progressive if it sounds good. For me it’s about not trying to play one sound, it’s about listening to all aspects of music and putting that into a set.
Carl Cox was a very special guest at the Bedrock12 party. Please give us your thoughts on Carl?
Carl is a definite legend. He’s one of the very few DJs to carry that legendary status. He’s pushed the boundaries musically over the years and it was a great pleasure to have him play on the night. He really brings the party every single time.
Your Structures compilation is currently dominating the Beatport chart. What was the concept behind the mix?
We released the Bedrock 11 LP last October and there were some fantastic tracks on there, some of which had only just come out, so we had a few of those remixed and there was going to be a remix package to start with. Then I signed some more original tracks and had some more remixes done of new tracks that were not on Bedrock 11. So it kind of made sense to put out a new compilation, but I didn’t want to call it Bedrock 12 or 11.5 so I thought lets try and think of something else.
So the way the album was structured together with me structuring different pieces it just seemed like a good title to call it. This time we’ve done a bonus DVD with a documentary of my last South American tour and it’s also got my first ever commercially available live mix, recorded at the Bedrock night at the Vagabond Miami. So as a package it offers fantastic value for money. We just wanted to put out the best showcase of the label of where we are now. And by judging on the reaction from Beatport and ITunes people are really enjoying the album.
How is Structures different to your previous mixes?
It has different records! I just think we’re trying to incorporate new artists and new remixes. We have Vincenzo on here for the first time doing a track. It’s important for us to keep introducing new talent as we go along.
Bedrock records have been extremely busy in the recent months what releases are upcoming?
We have a new release from Nick Warren, which is due out at the end of October, and Pete Heller’s Nu-Acid single is just out, with an amazing remix by Robert Babicz.
To celebrate Bedrock’s 12th anniversary, I’ve compiled 21 exclusive tracks and remixes from established and new artists to form the Bedrock 12 album which showcases the sound of the label in 2010, deep house, tech-house and techno.Who are you favourite producers at the moment?
Robert Babicz is making some fantastic music, as is Vincenzo. Guy J sent me over some bits from his new album and it sounds fantastic. I like Luis Junior who is from Madrid, and Ian O'Donovan from Dublin is a new face carving his way in the industry.
Are there any producers that you’d like to work with that you haven’t had the chance to?
At the moment the schedule for remixes is so tight. Nick and I have just remixed a band called Mr Fog. We’ve also just done a remix for Tom Middleton, which is out soon. We’ve got another project we’ve worked on with a really well known producer, which I can’t talk about yet which is coming out pretty soon. But production wise, I’m really happy working with Nick.
Is there a record that you just can't stop playing in your sets right now?
I’d say Chemical Brothers ‘Swoon’ (Boys Noize Remix). It’s a bouncy, up for it track that’s my end of night record.
So what can we expect musically from John Digweed in the next 12 months?
The radio show on Kiss celebrates 10 years in September, I’m really excited about that. The label will have more releases, more remixes with Nick and more shows across the planet.
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Nice interview...great to see how things have changed/progressed over the years and John Digweed is a perfect example of that....
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