Sussex, England. Speelt Saturday 12 July op Dance Valley.

Now part of the jet-setting DJ elite, John Digweed has paid his dues by working from the bottom up. He is now an in-demand name at clubs and events throughout the world and, along with occasional partner, Sasha, is synonymous with intelligent, progressive house music. In the UK’s DJ magazine’s Top 100 of 1998, Digweed was voted number 7.

Growing up in Hastings on England’s south coast, Digweed’s DJing ambitions began while he was still at school and he would spend evenings practising on two primitive turntables. Having left school, he secured a job at a hotel, playing for college parties. In 1987, he moved to London, unsuccessfully sending mix tapes to clubs.

Digweed improvised by staging his own successful “Bedrock” nights in Hastings. Eventually, in 1992, Renaissance liked what they heard and booked him. There, he worked hard, developing a slightly edgier sound than the “handbag” house that was becoming popular at the time. The media called it “epic house”. Since then, he has mixed many CD compilations, notably those for Renaissance, and has completed many remixes.

The first Renaissance compilation album, mixed by Sasha and Digweed, was something of a dance music milestone, critically acclaimed and bringing new credibility (and new audiences) to house music. He has released his own material under the Bedrock banner, notably 1995’s “For What You Dream Of”, which was memorably used in the soundtrack of the movie Trainspotting.

For several years Digweed and Sasha have had a monthly residency at New York City’s Twilo club and their Northern Exposure compilations and club events have been very successful. Digweed’s “Bedrock’ night at London”s Heaven club has been extremely popular and has been host to DJing luminaries such as Paul Van Dyk and Nick Warren.

The success of “Bedrock’, along with the Northern Exposure mix albums, have raised Digweed”s media profile to new heights and his face is frequently seen on magazine covers. In early 1999, he recorded a second Global Underground compilation in Hong Kong for the Boxed label and completed remix work for Danny Tenaglia and Terminalhead.

Later in the year, he was voted number 6 in the UK’s DJ magazine’s Top 100 DJs in the world, and enjoyed a huge club hit with “Heaven Scent”. Communicate, the following year’s Digweed/Sasha collaboration, reflected the new dark tech-trance sound the duo were playing at Twilo.

John Digweed is a craftsman and an artist whose passion for playing music emerged at the tender age of fifteen. Although relevant that he started so early it is a long time ago and a lot of water under the bridge. In the ensuing years he has become one of the most respected and revered igures of the international dance scene, and it is where he stands today that really matters to dancefloors and devotees around the globe.

He was recently (Nov00) voted at number 3 in the prestigious DJ Magazine list of Top 100 DJs worldwide, a feat all the more noteworthy due to the fact it is a genuine public vote. Yet it’s little wonder when you discover the respect he has for the people who listen, the music he plays them, and the manner in which he conducts his varied artistic pursuits.

Whether you cite the hundreds of thousands of mix CDs sold, or his globe trotting lifestyle, you cannot escape the fact that his low key approach to fame, and infatuation with the finest music, have combined to ensure a perpetual legacy of satisfied punters and promoters. “I do it because I love the music, not the spotlight. I like the honest expression of people enjoying themselves and knowing that I’m contributing to that”.

Under any circumstances the man will excel and excite the people that have learned to appreciate a performer who cares just a little bit more. On a stage in a field to tens of thousands of people, or to a couple of hundred in a decked out basement club, the atmosphere midway through one of John Digweed’s infamous extended sets is always a step beyond the standard dancefloor fervor.

Almost two years into a New York residency at Twilo, John Digweed stands as one of the very few to have created and maintained a successful Trans-Atlantic profile and he is a wanted man from Australia to Russia to South America and everywhere in between. In addition to his presentation of other peoples music he has made numerous noteworthy trips to the studio, resulting in critically acclaimed remix and original production work. From the sublime reworking of M-Peoples “Renaissance”, to his original hit “For What You Dream Of” under the Bedrock moniker, + Recently Bedrock “Heaven Scent / Voices”, John Digweed has an attention to detail that is evident in every beat.

He is versatile and exceptional in every aspect of producing and presenting music. His style is not only smooth but also second to none and while he is constantly changing he is best known for being consistently brilliant. Many DJs ‘want’ to be DJs. A select and very special few become DJs to share the exuberant passion for music that boils in their blood. John Digweed is one of the rare few. A talent who speaks through the music that he plays so well.

• Auteur: Max Beta
• Datum: 22 april 2008 04:14
• Categorie: Coverstories