digweed story

[guest]

BORN
“I was born in Hastings sometime in Spring. I don't remember too much about it really.”

FAMILY
“I was the one that was really into music. The main reason I got into clubs was a guy called Martin Wong. He worked for my parents and was the flatmate of a local DJ, Terry Johns. He was a dancer and would give me these mixes from events. So while all my mates were listening to Madness I was listening to all these mixes from UK clubs. That’s how I got my influence. He also got mixes from Kiss FM in New York featuring DJs like Francois Kevorkian, and Shep Pettibone, playing loads of Prelude style tracks etc. I was fascinated by the fact that you listened to Radio One and there was a DJ talking between every record, and you heard these other mixes and it was continuous music. At a very early age I was just fascinated by this new music that you couldn’t hear anywhere else, and the way DJs joined all of it together."

MUSICAL ROOTS
“I was into Heaven 17, New Order, Talk Talk, Electro and Hip Hop, and before that a little bit of radio chart stuff, but I was never fanatical about anything. I just had a tape recorder and would grab bits off the radio. The more I got into club music I started buying Record Mirror and chasing down imports, finding someone that was going into London to grab them for me. I always wanted to find stuff that others didn’t, stuff that was going to be big, and play it months before others. Getting started, I bought a cheap Denon turntable that didn’t even have a pitch control, a second hand Technics that did, and a little Realistic mixer. I used to work doing gardening and odd jobs so that I could buy my records. I had to work out the BPM’s of every record, so that if one was faster I could still go into the next. I used to work in clubs in Hastings. I was DJing there when I was 16. They allowed me to do the early sets/warm ups, so I used to do the first hour or two before the main DJ came on. At that time DJs really played the whole night. You were there at 8pm checking the lights and soundsystem… almost everything was your responsibility then. If you were the resident DJ at the club then you were the only person that played there, and you were there four nights a week. My beginnings were not as glamorous as some might assume. The club in Hastings was called Saturdays, and there was a DJ there called Barry Page. He was very influential for me. He was mixing, and scratching, and throwing a capella’s, and it all just blew me away. He was one of these guys that would mix in New Order or The Cult, and mix it with club stuff, and it would make sense. Listening to someone for five hours a night, playing such an eclectic set, made me think that you could tell a story with your music. I didn’t earn enough from just DJing, so I was an assistant bar manager at the time, working in Hastings. I moved to Brighton to work in a club called Savannah, which was owned by the same group as Saturdays, then later in 1987, I managed a bar in the East End of London. I used to go to Delirium at Heaven on Thursdays, and Love at Wagg on a Tuesday night. I can still remember going to see Frankie Knuckles at Heaven at his first UK gig. As for raves, I’d go to, and play at, some of the parties in the countryside. I can remember how excited everyone was as we drove down small country lanes getting lost, and finally finding a crazy party in the middle of nowhere completely going off.”

FIRST PROJECTS
“The main reason for starting Bedrock was because I couldn’t get regular gigs, so I started my own night. I got Fabio, Grooverider, Eddie Richards, Carl Cox… and I used the flyers with my name on next to theirs to persuade promoters to book me. You have to be actively pushing yourself, making things happen. I think it was extra difficult for me as nothing really ever went on in Hastings. Launching Bedrock was really tough to start with. When Carl Cox first played not too many of the locals had heard of him. Yet he was playing to 25, 000 people at the Sunrise party the week before. Most of the crowd came from out of town for the first few events, but as the word spread we gradually grew a strong local crowd.”

LABELS & PRODUCTION
“Bedrock has been running for over five years now. It’s great to pick up tracks from producers and DJs from all over the world, and then see their careers take off. I’m not into signing people for seven albums, and locking them in. I just like to pick good records, sign them, and try and give people a stepping-stone to the next stage. The first track I made was ‘For What You Dream Of’ in ’92. I was DJing at Rage (Heaven), and I got introduced to Nick Muir through a mutual friend. He suggested working on a project together. That was the first track that came out, and we’ve worked together ever since. I think the Bedrock clubnight is something that I want to continue doing because the reputation is strong, and it also helps create a platform for the newer DJs that I’m into, which is really satisfying.”

DJING
“I take each gig differently. In one week I could be playing to ten thousand people in Bulgaria, and then the following week it’ll be five hundred people in Brighton. You can’t just say ‘this is what I’m playing’ regardless of all else. You have to think about each circumstance. Bigger gigs sometimes need bigger records, but it all depends on the soundsystem, the set-up, the lighting, what time you’re playing, who’s on before you, how late or early it is… There are so many things that you have to take into account. That’s why I take a lot of music with me, you have to be versatile instead of going in there blinkered, and not caring what people have done before or after you. I think long and hard about each gig and I'm very professional. Attitude is very important to me. I want every aspect to be right. The scene needs good gigs all the time. Every time there’s a duff party and people walk away from a gig in disappointment, it not only reflects poorly on the promoter, but also the scene in general. People lose confidence. You want them going to clubs and parties week after week, thinking its fantastic. I’ve never understood those DJs that say they’ll play their two hours and that’s it. If the party’s great, you've got the crowd in your hands, why wouldn’t you want to play more than two hours? Sometimes I have to be pulled off the decks, I just don’t want to handover. The first time I went to The States to DJ was in 1989. I got off a plane and went to the club, and Mark Farina and Derrick Carter were playing before me. I walked into the DJ booth and Derrick Carter had three records going on the turntables, all in the mix, and was looking through his record box for another. Talk about in at the deep end! I went three or four times after that and it wasn’t until 1993, when I did a big party in Orlando, that it kicked things off for Sasha and I. The kids there were really into it, whereas you could have gone to any other state and they wouldn’t have got it. The Twilo residency started in 1996, and it solidified our standing in America. No one could wish for a better place to play, with a better reputation.”

FABRIC
“I was taken around it when it was a building site, up and down little ladders, and I remember thinking ‘how are they going to make a club out of this?’ It was a pile of rubble. When I saw the finished thing I couldn’t believe it. The design is one of the best in the world. From a DJing point of view, the booth is right in the middle of the dancefloor… it’s like the eye of the storm. Everything around you is chaos, but you have this inner sanctum where you’re left to your own devices. You aren’t too far away and you don’t miss out on the energy of the crowd. I’m not a fan of being on a stage with loads of lights on me. The thing I like about Fabric is that, because people can’t really see you, they’re listening. A DJing performance is still about the music, not the DJ. I think [Owner] Keith Reilly’s vision is that ‘this club is about the music, and you come here to listen to it.’ The crowd trusts the bookings policy, so you don’t need to look for some kind of signal from the DJs; you know whatever’s coming out of the speakers will be good. It’s always a pleasure to work in Fabric.”

THE FUTURE
“More studio production, and DJing all over the world. I’ve been doing a lot of club gigs which has been great, going to new places in Eastern Europe and China, etc. I have two radio shows, one on KISS 100 (Sunday Mornings) and a syndicated show called Transitions, which is being broadcast in America, South America, and all over Europe. I’m very fortunate. I do what I love, travel around the word, meet amazing people… I am very lucky.”

[Anonymous]

isn't Digweed an aussie DJ?

[Anonymous]

or was it Deep Dish  :shock:

[Anonymous]

FUCK no u stupid!!!! he's not aussie n he's not deep dish!!  if u don't know digweed then u're not belong in dance scene or u're a trash that make dance scene ugly!!!  I'll tell u what, like SASHA, digweed is the master.. their sound are what dance music should be like!!

[Anonymous]

kasian kali temennya ga tau, jadi jangan dimarahin...
Justru mustinya elo memberikan informasi buat orang yang tidak tahuuu...

Jadi gini loh... Digweed itu adalah salah seorang dj rookie indonesia, dia seangkatan sama marquee juga kok... Yahhh, salah seorang pemain muda berbakat produk lokal lah....

Hahahaha.....  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

[Northern Exposhure...!!!]

Digweed itu adalah salah seorang dj rookie indonesia, dia seangkatan sama marquee juga kok  <<-----huahahahahahhahahahaaaaa.....gokil....... :lol:  :mrgreen:      :mrgreen: GOKIL...zzzzzzz...

[Anonymous]

oooo.. ya sorry la... kan gua belon begitu tau tentang indo djs.. only been in the scene here for 2 months.. sorry guys don't need to scold me

PLUR

[Anonymous]

Ahahahahaa,
Digweed emang tinggal di jakarta..ibunya dari Purwokerto bapaknya dari Klaten,nama aslinya Jono Sudigweed. tp setelah jadi DJ namanya jadi John Digweed. Jadi kita harus bangga dgn produk lokal kita yg telah pernah menjadi DJ No1 di dunia beberapa tahun lalu...hahahahaha.

Sokiiil Juooo...

[john digweed]

lho..lho..apaan neh nama saya kok dibawa - bawa !?

[Anonymous]

Lhaa..kok km sy tunggu di warteg ngak nongol Jono?? Km sombong dah jadi Deje sekarang...lupa sama teman sekampung..hahahaha

[Anonymous]

Km temennya Indro warkop??

[Sasha]

masa owooooh...masa sama partner gw pada enggak kenal sih...pasti kalian newbie...
kita itu yg partneran bikin Nothern Exposure & album terakhir kita tuh RENAISSANCE, THE MIX COLLECTION, SASHA & JOHN DIGWEED, remastered 10th Anniversary Edition Triple CD...

[Anonymous]

Nah..sy taunya Indro Warkop???

[guest]

mp3 track yg sama sasha di wmc 2005 closing party ada nggak yg peunya..mooo duong

[NUNUNG]

Cool man... ada SRIMULAT di ravelex... hehehehe biar ngga tegang mulu liat forumnya....

[fika]

utk summer 2006 kalo 50.000 us $ kemahalan nggak Digweed?

[Anonymous]

MUSICAL ROOTS
Â"I was into Heaven 17, New Order, Talk Talk, Electro and Hip Hop, and before that a little bit of radio chart stuff, but I was never fanatical about anything. I just had a tape recorder and would grab bits off the radio. The more I got into club music I started buying Record Mirror and chasing down imports, finding someone that was going into London to grab them for me. I always wanted to find stuff that others didnÂ't, stuff that was going to be big, and play it months before others. Getting started, I bought a cheap Denon turntable that didnÂ't even have a pitch control, a second hand Technics that did, and a little Realistic mixer. I used to work doing gardening and odd jobs so that I could buy my records. I had to work out the BPMÂ's of every record, so that if one was faster I could still go into the next. I used to work in clubs in Hastings. I was DJing there when I was 16. They allowed me to do the early sets/warm ups, so I used to do the first hour or two before the main DJ came on. At that time DJs really played the whole night. You were there at 8pm checking the lights and soundsystemÂ... almost everything was your responsibility then. If you were the resident DJ at the club then you were the only person that played there, and you were there four nights a week. My beginnings were not as glamorous as some might assume. The club in Hastings was called Saturdays, and there was a DJ there called Barry Page. He was very influential for me. He was mixing, and scratching, and throwing a capellaÂ's, and it all just blew me away. He was one of these guys that would mix in New Order or The Cult, and mix it with club stuff, and it would make sense. Listening to someone for five hours a night, playing such an eclectic set, made me think that you could tell a story with your music. I didnÂ't earn enough from just DJing, so I was an assistant bar manager at the time, working in Hastings. I moved to Brighton to work in a club called Savannah, which was owned by the same group as Saturdays, then later in 1987, I managed a bar in the East End of London. I used to go to Delirium at Heaven on Thursdays, and Love at Wagg on a Tuesday night. I can still remember going to see Frankie Knuckles at Heaven at his first UK gig. As for raves, IÂ'd go to, and play at, some of the parties in the countryside. I can remember how excited everyone was as we drove down small country lanes getting lost, and finally finding a crazy party in the middle of nowhere completely going off.Â"

FIRST PROJECTS
Â"The main reason for starting Bedrock was because I couldnÂ't get regular gigs, so I started my own night. I got Fabio, Grooverider, Eddie Richards, Carl CoxÂ... and I used the flyers with my name on next to theirs to persuade promoters to book me. You have to be actively pushing yourself, making things happen. I think it was extra difficult for me as nothing really ever went on in Hastings. Launching Bedrock was really tough to start with. When Carl Cox first played not too many of the locals had heard of him. Yet he was playing to 25, 000 people at the Sunrise party the week before. Most of the crowd came from out of town for the first few events, but as the word spread we gradually grew a strong local crowd.Â"




.Â"

maen di main roomnya embassy asik juuga kali nggak ?? :idea:

[Anonymous]

utk summer 2006 kalo 50.000 us $ kemahalan nggak Digweed?

nggak jelas

[Anonymous]

MUSICAL ROOTS
Â"I was into Heaven 17, New Order, Talk Talk, Electro and Hip Hop, and before that a little bit of radio chart stuff, but I was never fanatical about anything