One of the finest producers in the world now taking Special Requests
Interview : Dan Prince
Hey up Wooly, welcome back to DMCWORLD. Where in the world are you right now?
“Thanks Dan, it’s been way too long. Right now I’m having a coffee break from the studio at 6.16am…”
Well fuck me you’ve gone and done it again! Absolute carnage on the dancefloor thanks to your Buzz No.1 track ‘Untitled’. Tell us about the history of the track and did you know you had created something rather special straight away?
“The whole thing happened within 6 weeks. I made the track during sessions on the Special Request album – everything I was doing at that time was basically hardcore/jungle. I always knew I had a run of house records coming at some point, but this popped out of the ether. The whole thing took about 6 hours in total and immediately I knew it had to come out on Hotflush, a label I already had an excellent connection with. I sent it to Scuba and a small handful of friends – Skream, Eats Everything, Spencer Parker, Joy Orbison, Bicep and a couple more. It was on Radio 1 and Rinse FM the following week”
What we love about your Special Request project is that the idea has been brewing in your head for years, all down to your love of pirate radio obsession. Tell us about these ideas and why wait so long?
“Timing can be the most important key to the success of any record. You could make something jaw-dropping but if the moment is not right then it could easily fly under the radar and I’ve learnt over the years to pay close attention to the climate and spot the signs of scenes altering. The whole UK obsession with bass just takes me back to buying the first Warp releases and things on Network. Those records are all so close to my heart and when I started to connect with the like-minded and hear artists like the Hessle Audio crew playing records that I feel are almost in my blood – things like Unique 3 ‘Weight For The Bass’ – I knew that my obsession with hardcore/jungle could work in a new context rather than existing on the fringes. Of course the application of all this is like the second dial on the safe. Creating hardcore/jungle is something that has to have a degree of accuracy despite there being a lack of rules; it’s almost a paradox.To use a bad sporting analogy it’s a wide open playing field with a very narrow goal-mouth. There can be no artifice. I had some inspiring messages about the project from Doc Scott recently – in terms of innovation Scott has been as formative for me as Carl Craig, Derrick May and Richard James.”
Talk us through the new ‘Hardcore EP’ that is set to crash into the Buzz Chart next week…
“It shows different sides of the Special Request project from brutal heads down, low-slung warehouse techno to chaotic hardcore and beyond. It’s heavier than the previous white labels. Fabric’s new artist-led label Houndstooth are releasing it and the forthcoming album. Rob Booth & his team that run the label completely understand where I’m coming from and nurture the free reign that a project like this demands. I’ve never had so much fun making music and that has unlocked the rest of my creativity. I regularly find myself stood in the studio at 7am with the sunlight coming through the windows outside listening to what sounds like a rave at the end of the apocalypse. The project is just all out hedonism, nothing matters but the sensory…”
On remix duties we have Anthony Naples and Lee Gamble – why did you choose these guys and what was your take on their mixes?
“Anthony is a very promising young talent who lives in New York and he submitted 2 killer remixes – the second mix of ‘Mindwash’ he did is going to be on the forthcoming album and is all-out breakneck jungle. The first one is exclusive to the EP. Both are possibly not what some will expect from him as he’s been releasing mainly house/techno things so far. He sent me the mixes and I first listened to them in a hotel in Tokyo looking across the skyline on the 36th floor with tears in my eyes – it felt like someone had reached into my mind and just tweaked the cell that came up with the original. Incredible. Lee Gamble was someone I approached last year before his ‘Diversions 1994-1996’ LP came out on PAN. I actually read about the concept of the record and that in itself was enough for me to know I wanted to work with him. After a few months and some careful emails he agreed to get involved and supplied this psychedelic rework of ‘Capsules’ that sounds like a tranquiliser comedown after a very long weekend…”
It must have been like opening the floodgates when you started making the music for Special Request…how many tracks are gathering dust waiting to go?
“In total now there’s about 70-ish Special Request tracks but the project is ongoing. I still only release a small portion of what I write overall, the rest is archived and forgotten about.”
What are your thoughts on the state of UK radio in 2013? Radio 1 still can’t find a space for a dedicated techno show, it’s down to stations like Rinse and NTS to stick their chests out and move forward huh?
“I think Radio 1 should have a dedicated show. Techno is at the heart of so much modern dance music in some way, and yet we get the odd token track here or there rather than someone presenting the cream of the releases to the core audience. It’s great that Derrick May plays on BBC Radio6 every now and then but the richness of this music means that there’s more to be explored. Rinse and NTS both do a great job – I think what Surgeon has been doing of late on Rinse is especially good, as you would expect.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
1) SW ‘Reminder’ DJ Sotofett Remix (Sued Records)
2) Special Request ‘Hardcore EP’ (Houndstooth)
3) Skatebard ‘1979 Pace Int’ (Sex Tags Mania)
4) Paul Woolford ‘Untitled/Overload’ (Hotflush)
5) Geeman ‘Jam The House’ (no label)
6) Demdike Stare ‘Test Pressing003’ (Test Pressing)
7) The Mole ‘Lockdown Party’ (Sprinkles’ Crossfaderama) (Perlon)
8) Sabre ‘Nightdrive To Bolland’ (WT Records)
9) Greg Beato ‘Respect The 78’ (Apron)
10) Mr Tophat & Art Alfie ‘No Holdings’ (Karlovak)
A quote from you regarding trying to be a little cavalier when it comes to your music selection at clubs..”deep down many DJs are terrified of not conforming…the balance is struck in calculated risks”. How much of that belief is down to you worrying about being an artist who simply cannot be pigeonholed due to your wide variety of music genres you put out…?
“I really don’t think about it in those terms – I’m not actively trying to be someone who can’t be pigeonholed. I’m doing what I feel and only that. As an artist it is in your hands to be as free or as restricted as you want. If I feel a record I will try and find the moment to play it – obviously you need to choose these carefully if it is something more challenging but we have had a conveyor belt of beige, bland, predictable boring djs for years. This is why somebody like Ricardo Villalobos stands out, why Ben UFO stands out, why Dixon stands out. They are all people unafraid of drawing on the obscure. It’s in these moments where you can really see someone’s personality. The risk may not always come off but I would much rather get a jolt and feel alive, feel something from a DJ than feel nothing but numb predictable by-numbers bullshit. In terms of the studio, it’s the same principle – I just do what I feel and try and reflect the human condition somewhere within the work.”
As an artist releasing records on various labels, how does it work for you when walking into a studio on day one? Is there a blank canvas thing going on or do you sometimes think, right this is perfect for Planet E and completely go down that route?
“I try to be completely open psychologically at times but it’s hard not to know that something is perfect for a certain label sometimes. Untitled was obviously a perfect fit for Hotflush. The Achilles track was perfect for Planet E – but I try to zone out of the mindset of commerce whilst I work and after a period of time, if the session is going the way it should, then you are just right there inside it. You are creating by default and it just falls out of your fingers. That’s the most ideal state of mind for any artist. Tuned in but relaxed enough to be absent-mindedly creating. At other times you have a very strict idea of what you want and you walk in and make that happen but invariable half way through something happens and things change direction. It’s like Snakes & Ladders and on a good day you go right up there.”
Who are some of the up n’ coming producers cutting it right now you’re giving high fives to…?
“Fergus McClements who records under the name Guised is making some excellent raw UK garage material. Huerco-S in New York made my favourite record this year so far. Anthony Naples as I mentioned before – actually Huerco records for Anthony’s Proibito label. There’s a guy in Brighton recording as Etch who is really good. A modern drum & bass producer called Blocks who is excellent and runs the Narratives label. The L.I.E.S. label in Brooklyn has been exceptional for a couple of years now – their music is devoid of bullshit, no nonsense gritty records made from the heart. There’s no big marketing spend, it’s mainly on vinyl, it’s to the point.”
I know you are a million miles from the music they are playing, but what are your thoughts on the current dance explosion in America?
“I played at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami this year for Planet E so I’ve seen things first-hand and you have to hand it to our American cousins – they certainly know how to create a spectical. Some of the music coming from this “EDM” thing is appalling but then there are appalling records made across the board. Ultimately if it means more people have an entry point to dance music and then explore further beyond the immediately visible then I think this can be a good thing. The negatives are that some people will inevitably have a skewed perspective on what dance music actually is. It’s NOT about everyone dancing looking in the same direction staring at 1 person. It IS about communication and connecting to those around us. Overall, if more people get involved in our music and dig deeper inside then that can only be a positive thing.”
Let’s talk a little about We Love…at Space in Ibiza. Some people are made for a club – you just get the whole Hughes and Broadbent vibe. What makes this such a special club?
“Years of love and attention, a family at the heart of it all and what has increasingly been a more innovative booking policy. Who else has succeeded in bringing Aphex Twin to Ibiza? When was the last time Grace Jones played in Ibiza? They are the only club to book Dave Clarke in Ibiza. They pay close attention to what works whilst providing a showcase of other ideas that continue to alter the perception about what clubs in Ibiza can be.”
How has summer 2013 been down at We Love…towers…?
“Excellent – numbers have been increased to a level I couldn’t have expected. The second week we had 8000 which is when we usually have a dip after the fanfare of the opening. Musically again some bold moves with a range of new artists booked like Boddika, Disclosure, Jackmaster and many more. It’s been excellent and I’m itching to get back in the booth on Sunday.”
I was on the dancefloor the day Lottie missed her flight some 8 years ago, your set time was changed to 8pm-10pm and it seems you had the right tunes at the right time to really go for it. Was that the night you decided you really wanted that Space residency?
“That was the key moment – I actually asked Darren for the residency a couple of days later when we were messing around during a Manumission Carry-on. I just pushed my luck but he went for it and we shook on it there and then. The following year he gave me 6 terrace dates playing 3 hours sets for most of them. It was magic. We’d been friends from when he came over to Basics in Leeds and so I knew him and had a lot of respect for what he’d already achieved but that was a huge turning point, and also the start of a deep and enduring friendship.”
Tell us about your favourite day / night at Space…
“An impossible question to answer – but the opening this summer was really special. I think this Sunday will be something else as well actually – Scuba, Midland, Ben UFO, James Zabiela, Derrick Carter and Underworld live plus plenty more…”
Biggest record you have ever played to a dancefloor – and don’t say a 12”…
“Impossible to answer! One of my all-time favourites is Underground Resistance ‘Jupiter Jazz’ although it’s not necessarily the biggest, it feels enormous if you end the right night with it though…”
How is Leeds doing these days, where are the places worth checking out at the moment?
“It’s excellent. We’re really lucky in that there’s such a huge student population that there is a thirst for clubs that never drops. The choices are excellent but of course Basics is still flying the flag at The Garage which is a killer small venue with a record shop attached. The Mint club has techno sewn-up with an incredible system and a great team of people running it. The Warehouse is revitalised and again the owner of a ridiculous system, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg really.. It’s more vibrant than ever.”
It’s always nice to receive support from fellow DJs when you release a song. Who are some of the names that give you a glow when they give you some good feedback…?
“I’ve changed my approached to sending promotional copies these days so I keep to a very small selection of friends but for releases where there’s a PR company involved it’s just good to get feedback from anyone who clearly demonstrates they understand where you are coming from.”
What is coming out next from you studio wise…?
“The full release of Untitled on Hotflush is up next. I’m currently reworking Disclosure’s next single “Help Me Lose My Mind” , there’s something well under the radar coming from somewhere in Europe & then the Special Request double album is coming in September…”
And finally Mr Woolford, can you offer some advice to the thousands of aspiring Paul Woolford’s wanting to follow in your footsteps in the production world…
“Do exactly what you feel and only that, don’t compromise, don’t surround yourself with questionable people, be true to yourself, work like a fucking demon, treat your work like a living extension of yourself and give it the respect it deserves and you will crack it…”
