John Askew

iVibes October 09

First off, many thanks John for taking the time to answer a few questions from www.ivibes.nu.

1. You have been a very big name on the scene for past few years now and have covered a fair few air miles on your DJ travels. How did you first get into the scene and what would you say was your big break that thrust you into the spotlight?

I honestly don’t want to appear rude but I am bored out of my mind with that question “how did you get into the scene”. I have answered it so many times in the past already (including for ivibes in my last interview) so I hope you don’t think I am being impolite by not answering it again. I think how I got into the scene is already well documented but in terms of what my big break was I guess the two major things were: 1) becoming resident for Ministry of Sound in 2000 and
2) starting up Discover records in 2001.Those two things were responsible for opening up a lot of other doors.

2. It’s been another fantastic year for dance music with so many brilliant new records and club nights appearing across the globe. How has 2009 been for John Askew?

It’s been a great year so far.

3. After two very successful artist albums and a current of hot new productions around at the moment what’s currently in the pipeline from John Askew the producer?

Well I have a new single coming out in November called “Bad Apple” which I think the Discover fans are going to like. That comes with 3 excellent remixes from Sly One vs Jurrane, Tillman Uhrmacher and Danny Powers. I’m also working on my next single for Discover Dark which is called “F*cking Caps Lock” which will be out in early 2010. There are a couple of remixes I am trying to complete and then I want to start working on my next artist album early in the new year.

4. Your latest single release ‘Beirut’ was quite chilled compared to your usual thumping paced productions. The melody was outstanding although. Are there any plans for a full throttle Askew club mix for the track as it really cries out for one?

That’s kind of you to say about the melody. “Beirut” though was not really a single – it was a track from my last album that we decided to put out again with some new mixes on our off-shoot label Discover White which focuses on remixes of Discover releases and other one off rarities. I think the Xgenic remix is pretty full throttle and hopefully therefore delivers the goods on that front.

5. You have just released a remix from a track off John O’Callaghan’s latest artist album ‘Never Fade Away’ called ‘Don’t Look Back’. How impressed are you by the success that John has had in a relatively short space of time with his productions and live mixes?

I think John is hugely talented, hard working and honest – so he deserves all the success that he is now getting and I hope that the level of success continues to grow for him. It may seem like John has had a lot of success in a short period of time, but in reality there has been many years of hard work and dedication to get to where he is today.

6. What have been your favourite club nights from this past year?

I loved my gig at Privilege in Buenos Aries back in April and also the SAMC last month was amazing. Digital Society is always a highlight and I absolutely loved the gig in Sydney on the Trance Energy tour. I’d say the gig at Privilege was the absolute highlight.

7. On the back on the Digital Society night, which has been one of the most successful new club nights in the UK, you have just mixed their second compilation release ‘International Volume 2’. How did the opportunity to mix the second volume in their compilation series come about?

The conversation came up and we all thought it was a good idea – simple as that. I had already started putting some ideas for an album together which was scheduled for Discover but then when this conversation happened and so I changed to DS/Enhanced because I didn’t want to pass up on being part of what will surely become a great series of albums from my favourite club night.

8. Having had a look at the tracklist, there are a lot of tracks to fit in over the two discs. How did you managed to fit in that many tracks onto just one CD?

I think it was just a case of using the best parts of tracks and not the full length 7 or 8 min versions. I edited and reworked a lot of the material on there and so some tracks I only used for their driving bass lines and drums and then other tracks I only used the breakdowns from....I want people to listen to it as a single piece of music as opposed to a collection of tracks mixed together. Although I hate to use this cliché – I wanted it to be a journey into my favourite sounds at the time that the album was put together.

9. Would you approach a mix like this differently than you would do a DJ set or is the basic formula the same for both?

The two are completely different because there is a hell of a lot more you can do on a studio mix than a live mix recorded in a club – where you are restricted to only 3 or 4 audio channels at any one time. On the studio album you could have 3 or 4 tracks playing at once at the same time as a bunch of fx and other percussion loops. The possibilities are far more varied and flexible in the studio but I think the next album I do will certainly be a live one.

10. You have also mixed a ‘Live’ compilation on Discover Records ‘Live As....’ series in the past. For me those compilations really do capture the energy that you get at a live event and when preparing for a mix recording like that do you pre=pare especially or just let rip with what you would normally bang out at a live event?

Actually I think I have done 4 or 5 “Live As...” albums and the approach has always been the same – license say 45 of your favourite tracks and then decide which ones to include on the night – depending on what the crowd are like. You can’t pre-plan your set as such – in case a particular sound/style doesn’t work.

11. What makes nights like Digital Society stand out from the other bigger club nights you would play at?

It’s the best club in the UK for Trance. Nothing else comes anywhere near it – including the big names with far bigger capacities. Digital Society has a main room of say 600 capacity and it is this intimate sweaty vibe with the excellent venue, sound system and line ups that make it so special. In fact I would say that the main thing that makes DS stand out from the other nights in the UK is the crowd. You can play other great nights in the UK at big clubs with a good crowd who are responsive and energetic, but the people who go to DS are fucking insane. They go absolutely crazy.

12. Do you prefer the smaller, intimate club nights to that of a big festival experience or are the two very different in terms of atmosphere from a DJ’s point of view?

I prefer smaller clubs with intimate vibe and killer sound system.

13. You’re due to play at an Amplified gig in Derby next month which has teamed up with Digital Society for the night. What can me, or indeed other clubbers who have not had the pleasure of a John Askew live experience expect?

A rapid fire rotation of hard energetic trance and techno.

14. Do you specially prepare tracks and edits that you only use in your live sets like a lot of other DJ’s seem to be doing in recent times?

Yes. There are some tracks you get sent that are great but just too damn long so you edit them down from 9 minutes to 5 and a half and then there are others that are great but have a really cheesy breakdown so you take that out or maybe write a new breakdown to replace it. And then there are some tracks that have 1 or 2 great elements but lack power and energy – so you take those one or two elements and completely rework them to fit in better with your sound.

15. What is your method for performing in these times of digital media, laptops and live keyboards? Do you still stick to using CD’s or have a more complex setup?

3 CDJs and a mixer.

16. What direction will the DJ be moving in come the next few years as it seems digital media is becoming more part of the industry and taking over from the traditional media formats?

I have no idea.

17. Moving back into the music, how do you think Trance has evolved over the past 12 months as it seemed to have a bit of a re-birth in 2008?

I never read any dance press so I have no concept of “what’s hot and what’s not” in the eyes of the dance publications. I can only go on the music I get sent and what I see at the clubs I play at.

18. Would you consider yourself a Trance DJ or a lot more than just that? You do have a broad range of styles in your production and it’s a well known fact that some DJ’s, Paul van Dyk for example, see Trance as a dirty word these days?

I don’t see trance as a dirty word. I love trance and I would classify myself as a trance & techno dj predominantly but the at the same time I can see PVD’s view point as he does play an incredibly varied range of music in his sets and therefore doesn’t like the classification of being know purely as a trance dj – which is a restrictive categorisation by default.

19. What DJ’s have impressed you over the past year or so?

All of these were really really impressive.
Aly & Fila at the Brisbane show on the Trance Energy Tour was amazing.
John Digweed at Matter.
Carl Cox at Space.
PvD at Tall Trees
Stanton Warriors at Glastonbury
Sly One vs Jurrane at Arena in London
Ben Gold at Arena in London
Activa at Digital Society
John O’Callaghan at Digital Society.
Adam Beyer at The Glade.
Patterson and Tyas back to back in Perth on the Trance Energy Tour.

20. Who do you think will be making the big impression on the scene in the near future as there are a lot of great new producers coming through?

Activa, Gary Maguire, Sly One vs Jurrane and Adam Foley will all be massive and I really hope to see more releases from Gate 42 who has always been one of my favourite producers.

21. Are there plans for a third John Askew artist album in the pipeline? What sort of musical styles and influences will you be putting into your next artist collection?

Yes there will be another album in late 2010 or early 2011. There will be some breaks, some progressive but mostly it will be the styles I love most – techno and trance.

22. Finally, we like to round things off here with the ‘Quick Five’.

23. Where are you right now?

At the office.

24. What was the last piece of DJ kit you purchased?

A Slappa backpack with new CD wallets.

25. Who was the last person to buy you a drink?

Seid van Riel.

26. What was the last magazine you read?

Guitarist Magazine - the latest issue with Jerry Cantrel from Alice in Chains.

27. Where are you playing this weekend?

Godskitchen at Air.

28. Many thanks for the interview John and i:Vibes looks forward to seeing you at Amplified meets Digital Society in November. Be sure to give us a wave!

No problem – thanks for the support.