The don of UK house music and one of the best mixers ever…continues to have it right off…
Interview by Rob Chadwick
Graeme a massive welcome back to DMCWORLD. How are you son? Having a good year so far?
Hey Rob! Nice to be back at DMC! The real eclectic selection of gigs I’ve had so far this year has been amazing. Every one different too. I’ve played disco sets, acid house sets, soulful house sets, deep and moody tech sets and all to a real variety of punters. Aberdeen FC seriously challenging for the Scottish Premiership title is incredible too. David Bowie’s untimely departure from this mortal coil was somewhat depressing.
How was the Hacienda show with the full live band at the Albert Hall? Some experience huh?
It was utterly incredible. Such a journey from start to finish. I’ve not had such a buzz performing live for years. We had many obstacles to overcome and months of hard work, so to actually take to the stage on the first night was overwhelming but ultimately gratifying. Mike Pickering and I couldn’t stop grinning to each other.
How much planning went into it?
The original idea was discussed in January 2015 but we didn’t actually start work on the project until August last year. It was a massive task to plan, prepare and ultimately perform the show from start to finish. The first thing was getting the concept right and then working out if it would work. I really wanted to recreate a continuous DJ mix with an orchestra so after Mike and I chose the 20 tracks we wanted to perform I then created the DJ mix. This was quite challenging as the 20 tracks we chose aren’t necessarily tracks you’d choose to to put together in a mix. I wanted to make sure the mix had highs and lows and was a journey for the audience. I also didn’t want to change the original keys so the whole thing became quite a challenge. Once it was created we discovered that it was way too long at almost two hours so I then had to edit it down to less than 90 minutes without losing too much of each song. After that it had to be scored and arranged for an orchestra and then the parts that the orchestra couldn’t play had to be produced. Choirs had to auditioned, vocalists too and guests approached. This process took us up to Christmas which is when we found out that orchestras don’t generally rehearse as they all read their score. As Mike and I aren’t using a score we had to persuade the orchestra to have a rehearsal so we could all work out what we were doing and whether or not our ideas were going to work. The orchestra agreed and we had one rehearsal four days before the first show. Thankfully everything worked and the first show was a success. The second show even more so.
What’s it like being an older guy in the scene – is it harder to connect with younger audiences?
Hey! I’m not that old! A lot of my peers are older than I am. I don’t find it hard to connect with younger audiences at all. I play a real variety of gigs where often the crowd can all be less than half my age and I get to play what the hell I like. They’re just there to hear great music. To be honest, it’s often harder to connect with older audiences who just want to hear the music they grew up with. It is quite irritating when the crowd is going crazy and the place is jumping and someone over 40 comes up to the DJ booth and says “come on Parky…get some proper classics on”.
What do you remember of 1988 and 1989? What stands out, what tune were big, what gigs were big?
1988 and 1989 were a blur. I started DJing at The Haçienda, the greatest club ever. That’s all I can remember.
What made the year and that period in general so special, do you think?
The people, the music, the cheap synthesisers and drum machines, the drugs…
Will it ever be rekindled? Is dance music as special now as then? Has commercialism squeezed the fun out of the scene?
Clubbing is always special if you avoid the commercialism, try to stand out and be different and concentrate on the music. There’s no point looking back unless it’s to celebrate. Look forward with nods to the glorious acid house era.
What sort of parties are your favourite to play now, is there anywhere even close to the spirit of the Hacienda?
Every weekend is different for me which is why I’m still DJing after 32 years. If every gig was the same I couldn’t do it. One week I’m playing to an older crowd, the next week a younger crowd, the week after a mix of ages, sometimes in a warehouse, sometimes in a plush, swanky bar, sometimes a festival or a private event. It’s the variety and not knowing what I’m going to be playing or where that keeps me going.
And what about Ibiza, do you like playing there, what are your thoughts on the Isle as it is currently?
This may surprise some, but I’ve never been a massive fan of Ibiza. I enjoy going once or twice a year and that suits me. Having said that I’m massively looking forward to my many appearances at Dance 88/89 at Sankeys this summer.
What else have you got coming up/are you working on or excited about?
Loads! Find out at http://thisisgraemepark.com
You can catch Graeme at Dance 88/89 this Easter and Ibiza all summer. Check this out…http://www.dmcworld.net/features/entry/features/dance-8889-the-summer-of-sankeys-love
