Danny Howells is a down-to-earth man who isn’t the slightest bit fazed about his celebrity … he is simply happy to be able to play his music and indulge in his musical passion … what better choice of DJ to pioneer Global Underground’s new series 24:7 – a series of compilation CDs exploring what it means to be addicted to music.
When I caught up with Danny he was taking a breather in a hotel room in Toronto, he was very excited to be there but had not yet had a chance to look around.
I asked Danny how has the 24/7 tour been received so far?
“It’s been mad! The official 24:7 tour started three weeks ago and I am now in the middle of one month in Canada and the States” he said. “Its relentless but its also been surprisingly excellent” he breathed down the phone.
He is excited to be playing a lot of mid-week gigs at smaller clubs. “We are trying to keep the ticket prices low and this is one way of doing it.”
“I particularly enjoy mixing big gigs and small gigs whilst on tour, it’s lots of fun! It means I can vary my style all the time according to the crowd and the style of venue. For example: when I am playing in Ibiza I play funkier, housier type things. If I’m doing an after hours gig in a small dark club then I get to play some of the more weirder techno stuff I like.”
“In New Orleans I got to buy some excellent jazz for my collection and do a Monday night club gig, it was excellent!”
“This weekend I had a 12 hour set in Montreal. I loved it! The weirder the music I pulled out of my box, the more the crowd got into it. I find sometimes with a long set there is a culture where people want to stay to the end and hear where you take them so they tolerate a lot more experimental stuff and want to see where you will leave them at the end of your set” said Danny.
Danny says he also likes to vary it for the punters who go to numerous gigs when he is touring.
So tell me about 24/7 and how it came about?
“Well it’s a compilation CD” Danny laughed.
“Basically it’s off the back of the Nubreed album I did a few years ago for Global Underground. I was very happy with that album and it got my name out into a number of different places” he said.
“I discussed a follow up idea with GU, something different to what had been done before, and here we are.”
Danny explained that the concept behind 24:7 is actually very loose. It explores the fact that music actually IS the life of a lot of DJs.
“This is a creative outlet to give them an opportunity to do something with a bit more depth rather than boshing out a club mix,” he said. “The format is flexible, each DJ can do exactly what they want with it. For example: if Lee Burridge wants to do a country and western style, well he can!”
Danny has included music that he listens to when he is not playing in clubs. It’s music he listens to when he is working around the house, or when he can’t sleep. Music he plays when he is winding down and things he listens to on Sunday afternoons.
He started with a vague idea – he had certain tracks in mind for the Day disc and was dying for an opportunity to utilise them. Examples of these tracks are: Telefon Tel Aviv – Sound In A Dark Room (Hefty Records), Static – Promesse De Bonheur (City Centre Offices), DJ Shadow – You Can’t Go Home Again (Island), and Funckarma – Noir (Funckarma Music). He had fallen in love with these tracks and wanted to “work with them”.
“I’ve only really aired these tracks in New York if I have an extended set” explained Danny. “Once I started working with these tracks, it all fell together from there”.
I asked Danny how the first CD – Day disc – came about, as it is very different to his normal style club sets and previous work with GU. 
“My particular style of playing has been developing and changing so much in the last few years. Incorporating things I have learnt by playing longer sets and from my residency in New York.”
Danny told me that now he can play the music he buys for home listening and hasn’t really been able play out.
“The Internet has helped as well, a lot of my club sets are available for download and meets the demands for my club style sets,” said Danny. “It keeps me interested and challenged having these types of projects.”
Danny’s playing style has changed quite a lot over the past few years, he gets bored playing same thing over again. He wants to feel excited by his music and says he will listen to anything and everything. He feels music is a never-ending quest …
“My goal is to listen to as much and hear as much as I can.”
Danny was looking for an outlet for his less obvious stuff and 24:7 was the perfect opportunity. What’s really encouraging for him is that most of the feedback is for the Day disc is very positive and it’s unlike anything else he has ever done before.
How do you feel about the fact that GU has chosen you to pioneer their new series?
“Very priviledged! I have never launched anything before, I was number two with Nubreed!” says Danny. “I’m challenged that someone has put their trust in me. It makes it much more exciting! There is more pressure not to let anyone down.”
Danny tells me that he totally immersed himself in 24:7 and spent a lot of time on it. He feels he has made something that he is proud of and feels he can take out. It’s a very personal effort and he hopes that people appreciate this.
How has technology influenced your production work?
“I spend a bit of time doing re-edits and making my own little versions of things. It gives them a longer shelf life and makes my music more unique. Then I can feel less guilty about playing it a bit longer” he laughs. “I like to have a few secret weapons in the box!”
Danny wants to get more into producing when it’s possible for him, but at the moment his schedule doesn’t permit that, so he dabbles a bit and releases tracks here and there. But, he tells me, he couldn’t give up playing in favour of production … “I get withdrawals from the discotech!”
Tell me about the Danny Howells Doll that is about to be released? How did that come about?
“Oh that’s really funny! It took a while for me to accept they were being quite serious! But once I accepted it was true then I thought I could have a bit of fun with it. It’s a once in a lifetime chance. I can give one to my god son and my grandmother!”
You are playing an outdoor set up on a Sunday in Sydney … how do you feel about that? Will you tailor your playing to suit that atmosphere?
“Well I wouldn’t feel comfy paying Jeff Mills or dark progressive house when it is sunshine and open air. It doesn’t feel natural to me! Funky percussive house feels better with more of a sunshine kind of vibe. Darker techno and prog is for more intimate venues.”
Well I, like many punters am looking forward to the Danny Howells experience and taking a musical glimpse of a day in the life of a very busy and talented man.
24:7 is out now through Global Underground/Shock. You can catch Danny Howells at the following venues in September:
Thu 11 Sep – Monastery, Brisbane
Fri 12 Sep – ANU Refectory, Canberra
Sat 13 Sep – Room680, Melbourne
Sun 14 Sep – Sounds on Sunday, Sydney
