Hi John. You have been playing in Northern Ireland for a number of years now and you will once again be playing as part of the Shine club series on July 30. What are your impressions of the club scene in Northern Ireland?
People in Northern Ireland really know how to party so its hard to have a bad gig there, to be honest. As a DJ you want the crowd on the dancefloor to be bang up for it and get the best out of you as a DJ and the crowd there always manages to do that.
How does Belfast compare to other UK cities for dance music?
Belfast has a really strong club scene that has been very healthy for many years; Shine has been responsible for leading the way forward with events and gigs since they started.
Shine will be hosting dance artist Yousef's 'Circus' as part of the event on the 30th. How will bringing the Circus brand affect the dynamic of the event? What is it like playing at Circus?
Circus have a great name in the UK and their club night in Liverpool is always a pleasure to play at. Yousef always has forward-thinking line-ups and the record label is always releasing great house and techno tracks.
How do you think such big promotional brands affect the dance music scene? Do you think they can be damaging to smaller local scenes?
Sometimes it takes a bigger brand to lift the scene in smaller places. When I started Bedrock in Hastings in the 90s there was no scene. I had to create something out of nothing. If people don’t like what’s going on event-wise they should try starting something small to get their own parties off the ground.
Huge global brands like Bedrock [now also a record company owned by Digweed] obviously take a lot of time and effort. How do you maintain your own solo career while managing Bedrock?
Bedrock has been part of me since the start so I always try to incorporate aspects of it into what I do as a DJ, producer, promoter, and the record label. If you have a good team working alongside you it can be quite an easy operation if everyone is on point.
What was the initial motive behind setting up Bedrock? How do you feel that idea has developed?
It was very hard to get bookings when I started so I set my own party up and booked DJs like Carl Cox, Grooverider, Eddie Richards and Pete Tong etc. Then used the flyers with my name on them alongside to show promoters what gigs I was doing. This really helped, plus I could use the DJs as references and every little bit counted back then. Nobody is going to knock on your door and give you a main stage gig – it takes hard work, dedication and a passion to keep on pushing yourself until you succeed.
How do you decide what kind of music gets released on Bedrock?
I want the label to be known for quality releases rather than just one kind of sound, so I choose records I really like and feel will appeal to our fan base.
Are you working on any new productions at the minute?
There is a collaboration with Darren Emerson, Nick Muir and myself called Fanfare out next month plus some remixes that Nick and Myself have been working on.
You've been DJing for over 20 years and have played at some of the world's best venues. Do you still get the same feeling while DJing that you did when you first started out?
I think I am enjoying playing now more than ever before as I feel I don’t have anything to prove. I give 110 per cent at every gig and enjoy the fact that after all this time I am still playing at such a high level and I have some of the best fans in the world. I love what I do and wanted to be a DJ from the age of 12 so I am living the dream and some.
What can we expect from you at Shine?
Well it’s always a gig I look forward to so expect me to be throwing down some of the best in house and techno.
:: John Digweed; Shine; Mandela Hall, Belfast; July 30. For tickets see shine.net.
