The choice of the name Soul Central was a relatively easy one for Andy Ward and Paul Timothy. Calling Birmingham – the geographical centre of England – home, and creating soulful house masterpieces, we doubt there’s even been a more apt moniker. Responsible for the 2004 club smash-hit ‘Strings Of Life’, ITM caught up with Andy Ward ahead of his forthcoming return to Australian shores.

What was your reason behind becoming a DJ and getting involved in the music scene?

It was purely by chance that I became a club DJ. A friend had some decks in his house and one day I had a go on them, and found it quite easy and very much enjoyable! I had been into the so called ‘club scene’ since its inception, so I knew what music I liked and what I wanted to share with others. That has always been my motivation, sharing good music with others that care to hear it.

Describe the music scene when you started back in ‘93?

We had gone through the original acid house phase, and if I think back when I started DJing it was around the cross over period… where you were into either “rave” or “mellow”. The club scene was very healthy in Birmingham and was very gay orientated. I made quite a name for myself on the gay circuit. The early days of my Sunday morning parties at Marco Polo´s were frequented by mainly gay guys, and my vocal style suited them perfectly.

You are now regarded by most as the Midland’s number one soulful house DJ. How do you deal with a title like that?

When I had my Friday night show on Galaxy in Birmingham I used to see myself as a pivotal figure in people’s clubbing life… my show was very informative, updating folks on new artists, tracks and labels, as well as new club nights coming to town. I felt a big responsibility in sharing my knowledge and music. But now I live in Spain so I no longer think about it really. I am honoured to be seen in such a light though and am proud to have been a part of people’s clubbing history, and I look forward to carrying on for many years.

After warming up for Masters at Work you received a call from Louie Vega congratulating you on a superb debut, what was your reaction?

I always say the same thing, cliche as it sounds… I am just a normal clubber that got lucky and to have one of my heroes call me direct and say something like that, well, it couldn’t really get any better. I am now in the very fortunate position to be friends with some of the world’s most talented DJs and artists, and I owe all that to soulful house music. I still daydream sometimes about where I’ve been, what I have done and what we have achieved as Soul Central… it’s the stuff dreams are made of!

You were on the UK radio station Galaxy for 7 years. What were some of the positive and negatives, compared to club DJing?

Positives… you can play whatever you want without fear of clearing a floor, and you are able to break records that no one else is playing. Negatives; there aren’t any! I truly believe that any successful radio DJ has to have the connection with the dancefloor, in that he has to know what the people’s choice of music is at any time. Doing my show now on TKO FM in Spain is one of the highlights of my week (Thu 9-12 pm CET, www.tkofm.com).

Is there anything that you are still working to achieve?

There are still so many artists and collaborations I would bend over backwards to create music with, I am always looking to improve as a DJ and producer and am always looking for the next angle… I like to follow my heart and not worry about what the rest of the pack is doing. I am not motivated by success or money, if I continue to do what I love best and it brings either, then I will be truly blessed!

You’ve had several record deals in your career, like with Masters at Work, Henry Street, Soundmen on Wax and 4 Liberty records. Did you ever think this would happen?

Simply, no! I never imagined it, because I cannot play any musical instruments! Fate brought myself and Timmy Vegas together; working with such a musical genius makes my life so much easier and has made me learn a lot.

You are co-owner of Clean Cut Records, what is the next adventure for the label?

We keep trying to put new music out on it, but the big labels keep signing our records, so I honestly don’t think there will be anything else coming for a while! Another factor is that, although dance is so healthy at the moment, I just don’t have the time or inclination to care for a record label. But the sister label, 99 Carat, is still flying the flag and all new releases are available now via Traxsource.

How did you come about the name of Soul Central?

We strive to create soul, and we hail from Birmingham, the geographical centre of the UK!

You had without a doubt one of the biggest club tracks worldwide in 2004 with ‘Strings of Life’. What was your reaction to the commercial success?

Thrilled, surprised, honoured. For a few weeks running up to the release we were joking about how we were gonna react to getting papped everywhere we went after we became pop stars. Nothing changed though, that invite to Paris Hilton’s birthday party never did show!

Andy Ward tours Australia over the coming weeks:

Fri Nov 24 – Wollongong
Sat Nov 25 – Sydney
Fri Dec 1 – Parramatta
Sat Dec 2 – Melbourne
Fri Dec 8 – Brisbane