Full Intention In The House
Michael Gray steps forward for DMC…
Hi Mike, how are you doing?
“Doing well thanks, how is mum and dad Prince?
They’re good, dad is going through his third mid life crisis and now runs a digital TV channel called Wedding TV which is syndicated around the world and my mum and Auntie Susan run the DMC ship with some really cool staff – just had a great DJ World DJ Championship at the O2 run by Susan’s eldest daughter Sally who is the UK Queen of Hip Hop, so it is all good over here right now.
“Brilliant, send them my love. Tell your dad that is a really good idea. He has so much enthusiasm.”
Will do. Well, I think I first met you when I was running around my parent’s garden in school shorts.
“Ha. Well you would remember me turning up in your drive in an XR3i with go-faster stripes I loved the Bramley house with the sunken lounge, I have never been able to find one since.”
Mike, I bought the same car you had, three years later dude – with the same go-faster stripes…
So, you had a fantastic career working as a producer with DMC during the 90s, I asked the original team what they thought the best ever Full Intention mix was – and they all said your ‘Fade To Gray’ mix. But I think you will have a different answer…
“Probably our Duke ‘So In Love’ remix. Pete Tong was jumping over it very quickly. The funny thing about that tune was I first heard the original at the DMC Championships in Rimini. A lovely place to hear that record on one of your DMC boat parties and I just thought to myself, I have to remix this record. I think it was Guy Ornadel maybe, spinning it. An amazing record. The label couldn’t get into the charts, it had been out twice, but we got the mix on DMC and your label took it up to the next stage and we charted. There is a lot of DMC stuff I am very proud of we have done and I still get a load of emails from people saying ‘I’ve just found one of your old DMC remixes which they post me which saves me burning it from vinyl, which is lovely.”
Mike, a Croydon boy but you now live in Maidstone – a town with some big DJs drinking a pint at the next table now I hear?
“Yes I live in a village called Headcorn, which funnily enough is just down the road from Toolroom Records and the boss Mark Knight. I’ve also become quite a good friend with Nic Fancuilli who lives here too. I’m here with my wife and my three little boys, we wanted some more space, so we moved from Surrey and I’ve just built a new two floored studio that I converted from an old cattle barn “.
So where did you tear your trainers up at back in the day?
“Well I always used to head up to London, places like The Lyceum on a Friday night, which Greg Edwards used to do. It used to go out on Capital Radio, you’re still at school, aged 15 and you didn’t know whether you were going to get in or not chatting in the playground on a Friday… it was always a buzz.”
Mike. You still look 15. How on earth did you manage that one?
“Plastic surgery? No I used to dress up smart and get there early with my sister and her boyfriend, I don’t know how to this day they let me in, it was all so couple It was so exciting walking through the doors”
Fuck me Mike, I had to wear white suit jackets to make me look older to get in at that age…
“Dan, that’s not too far from what I had to do. But you know what, that’s what I miss getting into a club now. Now we can just swan in on a guest list, back then it was more exciting. Would we get in? Would we not get in? I’ve queued outside for an hour, let me in!”
DMC – A dance music company that has enraptured the world – from Slough to Sydney with your career… what do you put that down to?
“It’s funny really. DMC gave me so much good grounding without a doubt. I wouldn’t have been able to learn half of the production techniques that DMC gave us all. The studio equipment was also obviously twice the price of what us young producers were able to buy back then, it was so amazing to actually try it all out. And it was also so good to learn off all of the other brilliant young DMC producers wandering around the studios – the likes of Sasha, Nick Warren, Anthony Pappa, Scott Bond and Dave Seaman. Also, because DMC was created as a ‘DJ only’ company – it felt special and exclusive, just perfect. As I said, the best grounding I could have ever had.”
So a couple of big big things swirling round at the moment – Booty Love and Kash…
“Yeah, Booty Love is out on new the Hed Kandi album and we’re doing a few bits and pieces here and there with them, Kash is a new signing to Big Life and possible management, a young Asian guy from Norbury, south London.
What is the story about the new single with my best mate Paul Harris and your partner Jon Pearn on Phonetic?
“What a small world Dan. Paul is a top guy. Well basically, Paul, for about a year whenever we saw each other kept saying to me we must do a track together – so I said to him well let’s do it. I suggested letting Jon jump in on it. Rob Roar signed it. Basically, it’s a Miami WMC tune 2010.”
What were the artists you were listening to growing up, who were the influences that have made you into such a major international superstar?
“I was very into big dance producers such as Arthur Baker, Jellybean and writers such as Erick Matthews and people like Francois K – a lot of people don’t know that Francois was responsible for so many early 80 dance monsters – especially his D-Train ‘You’re The One For Me’ – he was very influential. I was a huge Jazz Funk fan.”
Proudest record you have been asked to work on as an artist remix wise?
“Wow Dan. Maybe Another Level – ‘I Want You For Myself’, a funny story here. Nick Raphael who we all know dug this out for us. What was special about this was they went down to do the TV show Blue Peter and the producers at BBC said “have you got something a bit more ‘uptempo’ of this'”? And one of the guys ran back to the office and grabbed our House Mix and had to plan a new routine there and then. Funny story. But the thing about that mix, production wise with Full Intention with the disco element, live streams, style but trying to make it all sound original, strings, hearing it on Pete Tong on Radio 1- it was hard, but it made you feel good.”
One of your middle names is Shefford – what’s all that about?
“Ha ha! Well that’s actually what my surname should be!”
Best ever Stress Records release?
Brothers In Rhythm’s mix of Bruce Hornsby’s ‘The Way It Is’ and all of the Hustlers Convention releases…”
What was your first break into the music world?
“I used to do kids’ parties at the age of ten. And then up to the age of 16 I used to DJ at the local church hall at parties, which my parents organised, which meant I could buy more and more equipment. That was at the time I was listening to your dad on Radio Luxembourg at eleven o’ clock at night with his Les Adams’ mixes – all so influential.”
Finest ever Ibiza club moment?
“The second time Jon and myself played there, I think it was 2000, Friday’s at The Ministry – everything came together. All our friends would organise there holidays around when we were there and it just clicked.”
What are your fondest memories of working with DMC?
The fondest? Bringing my monthly mix to the office and the anticipation whether it was gonna kick or not with you lot!”
What’s next from Full Intention?
Just done a new ‘Full Intention’ single with musical partner Jon Pearn releasing in two weeks, along with a DJ set for MN2S at ADE this Friday – (first time for
about 3 years!) – gonna be a big weekend! And an album that has been sitting on the shelf for the last six months at the label…’
The Michael Gray Current Top 10
1.Deep Swing ‘In The Music’ Adam K & Soha Remix
“I love Adam K & Soha productions – they always work”
2.Snap ‘Exterminate’ Michael Gray Remix
“This is on the new Snap Remixed album out this week.”
3.Joris Voorn ‘Chase The Mouse’
“Joris working the classic Georgio Moroder “The Chase’ Huge!”
4.Full Intention ‘Once In A Lifetime’ Remix
“Our new single and the first in 4 years out in November.”
5.Wolfgang Gartners ‘Latin Fever’
“This is the best rhythm I’ve heard in ages, makes you wanna dance!”
6.DJ Chus ‘That Feeling’
“Totally uplifting, we need more of this to balance the tons of dark stuff out there.”
7.Fedde Le Grand ‘Output’
“Groovy underground rocker.”
8.Saeed Younan ‘Backroom Honey’
“Wicked Latin Rhythm.”
9.Urban Soul, Roland Clark ‘Brown James’ Alex Kenji Mix
“This is so funky, love playing this.”
10.D.Ramirez, Mark Knight, Underworld ‘Downpipe’
Love the riff, love everything about it.
Michael Gray teams up with Kid Massive to launch the first “Audiodamage World Series Vol. 1” album due out November 23rd on Audiodamage. You can also catch the pair live in the mix with some back 2 back action at the Audiodamage World Series Vol. 1 Album Launch party at The White House, Saturday November 21st.
www.myspace.com/audiodamagetours
