Gearing up for a three month world tour, Perth’s veteran of drum and bass, Greg Packer, takes some time out to chat with Ele Williams about running a label, the tunes he can’t stop playing and some funny night called ‘The Weather Report’...
The last time the illustrious Greg Packer graced our Sydney shores was with his killer performance at the March Moving Through Air, back at the Off Broadway Hotel. Since then, though, he’s been very busy indeed. Tours, gigs and charity nights all seem to fall in a day’s work for this dj-cum-producer, whose absence from Sydney’s scene over the past few months he puts down to ‘bad timing’.
“I’ve had heaps of eastern state gigs throughout the year,” he says, ”[but] I guess the timing and promoters have something to do with it. Interphase isn’t taking up too much time.”
Now Interphase is the label established by Packer himself, following his growing frustration at a lack of independent drum and bass labels in Australia, and drawing inspiration from the great dj-turned-producers of the UK (LTJ Bukem, to offer a prime example, in Packer’s case). On the shift from dj’ing to producing, he adds:
“It’s made things more interesting. I feel like I’m contributing to the scene a lot more this way and it’s a great way to promote your own music.”
Not that Packer’s music needs much introduction (least of all in his local Perth). Kicking it in the scene for well over a decade now, Greg started out, as most dnb heads do, with the old breaks-hiphop-jungle progression, which gradually evolved into an unequalled passion for drum and bass. Before it was even called ‘drum and bass’, that is. His music has seen signings by Hardleaders, Good Looking and Tangent labels; and over the years he’s been the number one support act for such international acts as: Teebee, Ray Keith, LTJ Bukem, Andy C, Bryan Gee, Suv and Total Science… to name but a few. With the imminent release of his latest single, Hot Pants on vinyl, and his upcoming world tour, is he feeling nervous?
“A little,” he admits, “looking forwards to it lots, though. It’s a great feeling to know people are prepared to book me in other countries- seems kind of strange. Not looking forward to living out of a suitcase for three months or the freezing cold weather!”
And speaking of weather, I was curious as to how Greg became involved with a new night being held here in Sydney’s Incc Bar, called the Weather Report (he’s playing next Wednesday, 22nd October).
“I turned on my computer one morning and got an invite to come and play. I’ve never met them in person, but I’m glad there are more people in Sydney than Break and Enter [Productions] that respect what I do enough to bring me across.
“Perth is full of clownstep at the minute, so any place outside Perth is like a breath of fresh air to me at the moment. Playing out of Perth I get appreciated more as I am the guest DJ, so the crowd’s responses to my tunes are a lot better.”
And it seems that this is something Greg will be getting used to over the coming months. Before he signs out, he lets me know that the top five tunes he can’t stop playing at the moment are:
1) Laroque- Goldfinger
2) Zephyr Timbre- Abstract Fusion (Greg Packer remix)
3) Kyoto Jazz Massive- Substream (Makoto remix)
4) Laroque- White Stone Angel
5) Bulletproof & Optiv- Camoflauge
You can catch Greg before he takes on the world next Thursday at ‘The Weather Report’, Incc Bar (old Sublime). Click HERE for more info.
