Interview: Mitch Greening
You’re bringing Weiss City to Egg London alongside Toolroom and Love And Other – your shows at the club have always been truly notable…have they been as memorable for you as they have for us and what sticks out in your mind?
Of course they have. It’s my first residency at a club as Weiss and it’s been amazing. It’s a real privilege to hold my residency at such a legendary London club and the reaction from the general public has been amazing. I’m truly grateful for that. When I dropped my new single “You’re Sunshine” the reaction was just immense. I was testing it out for the first time back in June at the club and the crowd responded to it really well. It gave me tingles down my neck and made me realise why I love this job.
As London is your hometown does it make it more special for you to play here?
I now live just outside of London in Surrey so going into London once every couple of months makes it that more special. I love the drive up to the club late at night or catching a train. Just the vibe you get is amazing and exciting – it always reminds me of clubbing back in the 90’s.
It seems like you and Mark Knight have a great relationship, can you tell us how you came to hook up and do you think this has been instrumental in your success?
We’ve known each other for quite a few years now and I’ve known the guys at the label since the start. He’s been a great friend and businessman at the same time and always giving me great advice on what to do next.
I can’t stop listening to your new track ‘You’re Sunshine’ on Toolroom and did you think reaction was going to be so strong?
Well I appreciate that. I wasn’t really sure to be honest. When I was making it I knew I had something. I’m not saying “oh my god, I have a future classic here” it was just really enjoyable to make and had a feeling it would sound good in a club.
Your breakthrough came in 2013 with ‘My Sister’ after B-Traits championed it on Radio 1 and going on to stay at the top 10 Beatport chart for 4 months! How do you think your tracks have progressed since then and have you got a particular favorite and why this one?
I think my music is always progressing. For me it’s all house music but being able to make different styles means I have no barriers and I’m able to think outside the box. I never go into the studio putting myself in a position where I “have” to make that particular style of house. It’s just not very enjoyable for me or exciting.
Do you still take the same approach when creating new songs now as you did then?
Definitely. I always got into the studio with a fresh outlook on what I’m going to make and I always try to think outside the box otherwise it just gets boring for me.
2014 was also another huge year for you as ‘Guitar Man’ climbed up the Beatport chart and ‘My Sister’ tore up Ibiza that summer. Radio 1’s Pete Tong also hugely supported your remix of Green Velvets ‘Robots’ and with so much going on what was this period in your career like and has it got even busier?
It was great because it felt like my music was finally getting out there to a bigger audience. Getting support from the likes of Pete Tong and B-Traits meant a lot to me and it did get a lot busier after that!
Do you have any advice for new upcoming DJs?
Always think outside the box! Never copy someone else. Yes it’s great to get influences from other artists but try to put your own stamp on the music you are making. It will make making music a lot easier if you just go with what you feel inside, not trying to copy other people.
How did you first get into dance/electronic music and were there any key influences and inspirations? Can you share some of your early memories of being excited about this?
Originally I was listening to Jungle and Hardcore during the early 90’s along with late 80’s house music but it really took off for me when my two older brothers had a house party while I was away with my mum and dad and they had some Technic 1210’s left at the house when we got back. I had a go on them and mixed my first record pretty well and was hooked ever since.
Your tracks always seem to have a lot of influences from different genres of music such as soul and funk and where do these influences come from?
Growing up from the age of 6 or 7, I would listen to Motown due to my mum playing it all the time. There was also a lot of old disco being played in my house too! So a lot of these influences are within my music.
You play and produce a mix of House, Deep- and Tech-House and Techno and how best would you describe your Sound?
I like to say my music is House music with balls. It’s very chunky and chopped up sample based with a fat groove.
You played for Eden, Space and Amnesia in Ibiza this year and so how have things changed on the island in the last 15 years? What have been your best experiences this summer?
I think it’s getting a lot busier again which is great for the island. The next generations of clubbers are really embracing the new House sound and not just the EDM sound that was going on. It was amazing playing these clubs but probably extra special as the sad news is Space will be closing down this year and I got to have one last memory playing at the club.
Can you tell us about your favourite gig you’ve played and why it was so special?
Apart from my home, which is Egg London, it would most definitely have to be Fabric in London also. It was a dream come true for me playing at the legendary London club and when I did the crowd were amazing. Such sad, sad news that we’ve lost such a place in London. Another one was playing at Revolver in Melbourne on the Sunday in the cage. For the people that know what I’m going on about they will understand it’s a special gig. I was supposed to play for two hours but ended up playing for eight.
If we were to look through your most played tunes this summer what would we find and what kind of producers?
Artists such as Francis Xavier “Slipped Up”, Mr. TopHat & Alfie “Bengan”, Marquis Hawkes “Feel The Music”, Dense & Pika “Edging Forward”, Floorplan “Tell You No Lie”, Vitalic “Ooey” and Dick Johnson “Get To You”
Finally what should we be listening to get us in the mood for Toolroom Live?
It’s always good to be eclectic when it comes to music… I’m going to recommend you listen to something that is not Dance music, so that when you walk into the club on Saturday you’ll be ready for some fresh House – I would recommend the Unkle – Psyence Fiction album. It’s from 1998 but a great album!
Weiss headlines Toolroom Live on the Terrace alongside S-Man Roger Sanchez, and Mat.Joe with Mark Knight joined by Technasia, Adrian Hour and Metodi Hristov on Saturday October 1st at Egg London. All info on www.egglondon.co.uk
