Seminal DJ, producer, remixer, promoter and radio presenter John Digweed needs no introduction. Cemented into dance music folk lore, Digweed’s achievements have afforded him high praise and an avid fan base. Despite this, the unassuming UK DJ remains surprisingly down to earth. He took some time out to speak with Emma Krieger about his upcoming Australian tour.
Australian fans have had to wait a long time to see you play again. Why have you stayed away for so long and what’s prompted your return?
I came out to do New Year’s Eve two years in a row and after that I went on the Area 2 tour, the Delta Heavy tour, I was just kind of toured out at the end of 2002, so I just kind of scaled back. I was doing some film work, Stark Raving Mad; I did work on Spiderman the animated series. So a long haul flight just seemed like such a long way to go. I just want to stay in one time zone for a little bit, so I just did a lot of European stuff. That’s the reason really, it was nothing outside of that but I was just probably just a little bit over touring after the years 2001 and 2002 and I needed to kind of reset the body clock. I did stop in Sydney last December but only for two days. I would have loved to have come down to Melbourne and played. I did a small show in Sydney but I didn’t have time [to go to Melbourne] because I was going off to South America, so it was a bit of an unfortunate one. But I’m looking forward to coming back and playing this time.
What is this most recent tour about and what should fans be expecting to hear?
Just expect to hear good electronic music. I don’t want to pigeon hole it into any one genre. Bits of techno, bits of German house, bits of jiving house, bits of everything really. I think the key to a good DJ is the fact there’s a bit of variety in there and it’s not all just one sound but an entire fare. I think if you were to play just one level it would be boring so I try to encompass loads of different styles within the fare.
You’ve been credited as ‘pushing the envelope’ in terms of breaking new tracks and pushing music in different directions. How do you feel about this and is this your intention?
My intention is to play good music. The fact that I’m a high profile DJ I think helps the cause for records. If I’m seen to be playing a record then people may take notice, then I’m more than happy to carry the flag for good records that I believe in. If it helps the careers of producers or DJs that have made these tracks climb up the ladder because of this then that’s the best thing I’d like to do out of DJing. The fact that you’re promoting good artists and bringing them through is fantastic.
You’ve managed to maintain your popularity with both so called ‘underground’ and ‘mainstream’ audiences alike, how do you think you’ve managed to do this?
I think people see me as I am, they see someone who’s passionate about DJing, even though I’m serious about what I do, I entertain and educate at the same time. When people come to see me play they know its not going be the top twenty anthems back to back, they know its going to be good underground music, but that its not going to be underground ‘up its arse’ music. I’m not playing music that just makes you want to dance; I really focus on giving people a good time with music they may not have heard before.
Obviously DJing is at the forefront of your career but your producing efforts are also widely lauded – what made you initially branch out into producing?
I think it’s effectively a natural progression. Because you look at DJs, they go into a record shop and they can get 20 or 30 records to listen to and then choose maybe five or 10 records, and those five or 10 records could be the ones that really work on the dance floor. Whereas you could choose 10 of the other ones and they don’t work. So the fact that you’ve got a set of ears which allows you to really pick and choose what’s the quality and what’s the crap, I think you can express that very well into remixing and production. If you know what a good record sounds like when you make one you’re not going to make one that sounds like shit. I think it really helps you in the studio when you listen to stuff over and over again and go ‘yeah this is right or this is wrong’. The fact that Nick [Muir – other half of Bedrock] and myself, don’t produce that many records is because we don’t want to just churn them out one after the other, we take our time on our productions.
To a large extent you’re an ‘innovator’ in the dance music world and in turn influence other DJ’s. Who do you credit as some of your influences?
Early on, a lot of the US DJs – Frankie Knuckles, David Morales – these guys are just legends. I couldn’t wait to get their latest productions or remixes when I’d go to record shops. I definitely credit those guys as having been major influences on my DJing.
You’re coming up to five years on your weekly Kiss100 radio show which is renowned as one of the most successful dance music shows in the world. What is your motivation for doing the show?
There’s so much music I buy that I don’t play in the clubs because it may be a bit slower or a bit different, [the radio show] gives me an opportunity to play some of the weirder stuff that I buy. Also, it gives me an opportunity to showcase new music to people. If I play a track on the radio people go ‘oh wow John’s playing that, where can I go buy it?’, so that helps the young producers. It’s also a chance to showcase some of the best DJ talent, whether it be Sasha or Deep Dish, to up and coming DJs like Luke Fair. Take for instance Jonathan Lisle, we had his mix on Kiss and his DJ credence went through the roof after that because all these people heard it and they wanted to have him DJ in the clubs. So it not only offers the chance for listeners to hear great music but I think promoters listen out as well because they’re listening for future talent.
What are some of the more memorable experiences you’ve had DJing?
Obviously Twilo in New York was fantastic, a lot of the Bedrock parties in London at Heaven just because it’s a magical space, I just love it there. Australia wise I always have a really great time when I’m there, everyone is so cool and Melbourne is such a fun place too, it’s definitely good to hang out in.
For all the aspiring DJs out there, what do you think are the key characteristics that make a good DJ?
Number one, if you’ve got a great personality you’re going to go a long way. People like to work with people that they like. If you turn up and you’re an arsehole it doesn’t matter how good a DJ you are its going to effect your career. You look at the people that have come through recently like Luke Fair, not only are they fantastic DJs with great music collections they’re also top people. They’re just so excited about playing music and everything else but they’re just really nice down to earth guys. I think that’s what really helps these people is the fact that people want to book them, they want to hang out with them, I think that’s really important to succeed. Why carry on like you’re some superstar when you’re doing something that you love. Even to this day I pinch myself for the life I lead so I don’t think you should ever take it for granted.
A current issue in the music world at the moment is the popularity of iPods. Do the think the iPod and portable music/downloadable music revolution has affected the number of people buying your CDs and does it spell the death of vinyl?
I think the death of vinyl has been on the cards for quite some time. Once CD recorders and mp3s came out its not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when really. The fact that iTunes and the iPods have come out has revolutionised music, as its made it cool to buy music on the internet, whereas before people just wanted to download it for free off illegal sites. You’ve got to applaud iTunes really because they’ve turned it round which makes people think ‘yeah I’ll go buy that off iTunes’. That’s the future of technology. Kids coming through these days they’re born with a laptop in their hands, using mp3s, software and everything else is just a natural course for them. So you’ve got to look at it as, well vinyl has had a great run, it was fantastic but the new generation coming through want instant. They don’t want the guy standing in a record shop for three hours talking to them. They’d rather sit at home, print a few tracks off and go, ‘I’ve just sourced my music off that German record download shop’, which is something they couldn’t have done five years ago. I think its great the way technology has come along and there’s going to be a transition between vinyl and downloads, but at least people start to pay for it now.
John Digweed tours Australia this October, you can catch him at the following venues:
Sat Oct 22nd – Brisbane, Family
Fri Oct 28th – Perth, Ministry of Sound Annual Tour (BUY TICKETS)
Sat Oct 29th – Sydney, Sweetchilli at Home (BUY TICKETS)
Mon Oct 31st – Melbourne, Cup Eve at QBH (BUY TICKETS)
