DIGGIN’ DIGGERS
John Digweed. Prog house DJ legend, innovative visionary and friend of JUICE. Busy as John always is, he’s got the new Bedrock album up his sleeve and we find out more…

What has been keeping you busy?
Finishing the Bedrock Eleven album and touring all over the place!

You’ve been DJ-ing since you were a teenager – what is it about the job that keeps things constantly interesting?
I am doing something that I love, travelling to amazing parties every weekend and playing to some of the best crowds in the world.

Was there a period of dance music that was special for you?
I loved the whole Twilo NYC era (1996-2001) the dance culture was just starting to break in the states and everything seemed so fresh and exciting over there.

Tell us about Bedrock Eleven: what was the track selection down to?
I wanted to release a album that stood out with the majority of tracks being unreleased, I have spent the last eight months signing tracks to the label so I have 28 exclusive tracks out of 38 – giving the album an extra edge! Look out for new releases from Mutant Clan (Timo Maas and Santos’s collaborative project), Marco Bailey, James Zabiela, Rowdent and Alex Dolby, just to name a few.

Does the mix reflect a particular sound or concept?
It’s the future sound of Bedrock. I think the album has a very contemporary sound with tracks that will work on many dancefloors around the world, I have been road testing a lot of these tracks for months and the reactions have all been fantastic.

Eleven years of Bedrock – what have been some of your highlights?
Well, the fact that we are still here! The music industry is a tough beast and a lot of labels have folded over the years so I am happy to keep releasing great tracks every year and finding new talent to showcase.

As a label owner, what do you make of the digital revolution?
I took a while to get going but sales are much better now than at the start, I think people like the fact they can get tracks straight away and play them that night, the cost are not as high to release in the digital format which means less risk, We still sell vinyl on every release which is still going well.

How is Bedrock adapting to this new technology?
We have been selling Digital downloads since the start and make the most of our online presence to market our tracks.

What do you make of the direction that electronic music is taking now?
I think it is in a great place, there are loads of fresh producers and DJs coming through which keep the scene moving in a fresh direction.

Where are we likely to find you on a Saturday night?
In a club somewhere in the world doing what I love.

www.johndigweed.com

 
Text: Wayne Lee
Interview courtesy of: Zouk