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Features
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Twisted AIR Preview - Interview with Andy Farley
Reported by Sharon B
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Submitted 22-04-04 13:01
Over the last 5 years Andy Farley has risen to the very top of the DJ world with his driving sounds and hard beats entertaining and wowing clubbers both in London and all around the globe. Having recently been voted 54th in DJ Mag’s Top DJ’s list it seems that all of his hard work has finally paid off with the recognition that he truly deserves. On May 1st London clubbers will again get the opportunity to witness his definitive style and expert technique as he plays out at Twisted Air at the Fridge in Brixton. Sharon B managed to catch up with Andy Farley to put a few questions to him on his up-coming set, his career so far and plans for the future.
Sharon B: Over the last five years your career has taken you to the top of the DJ world – how have you managed to cope with the escalation of your career and did you ever believe that you would come so far when you first learnt to mix?
Andy Farley: It’s been a fantastic last few years for me I have to say, they’ve just flown by! When I first bought my decks in 1988 I never perceived that my hobby would take me playing in countries as far afield as Australia and Japan or be at the level where I am now. One thing I’ve always done though is keep my feet on the ground and not get swept away with it all, and never take it for granted. It’s been a long slog to get here, but I’ve enjoyed every minute.
SB: What started it all off for you? What made you buy your first set of decks and get you interested in DJing?
AF: I’d been an avid record buyer ever since my days as a Mod from 1981-86. I had built up a large collection of 60s Soul & R&B, which had cost and was worth a fair bit. The first time I went to a proper dance club was in 1986 just as the early house music was hitting the UK. The club played a mixture of 60s soul, house, Def Jam style hip-hop and rare groove, and I started buying tunes from Chicago alongside early Beastie Boys and L L Cool J stuff. Then in 1987 I went clubbing in Birmingham to The Nightingale on a Sunday night and was taken aback by hearing music mixed together continuously. That sparked off my interest, and then not long after I went to The Powerhouse in Birmingham where they had a gay night on a Thursday. I was immediately taken with the music, most of which I had never heard before, and on the Saturday after went record shopping to find everything I had heard. This eventually led to me selling my 60s collection in 1988 for far less than it was worth in order to buy my first set of decks which were some belt driven Citronics and a mixer from Tandy and set to learning how to do it myself. I then traded these in to buy my Technics and I’d got the bug!
SB: What was the first genre of music that you initially played out and how do you feel your style has developed over the years?
AF: When I first started I played a mixture of Hi-nrg, commercial stuff and early house. I basically followed house music expanding through acid house to the early Belgian techno stuff in the early 90s. I then used to play either Hi-nrg or vocal house depending on which night I was playing, finally dropping the Hi-nrg in 1993. I then concentrated on a mixture of vocal house and what was at the time called ‘hardbag’ which essentially was what developed into the hard house sound. Over the past few years, I’ve introduced more techno into my sets, and buy anything from tough house and tribal music through to acid techno.
SB: Your first big break came when you played a DJ competition at The Nightingale Club in Birmingham and since then you have played out at some of the world’s biggest dance festivals headlining the 25,000 capacity Impulz & 4 Elements in Holland as well as Global Gathering, Creamfields and Dance Valley – what was your first large capacity event and how did you feel when you had to get up and DJ in front of tens of thousands of people?
AF: The first biggie would have been the opening day of Sundissential at Pulse in Birmingham in October 1996. This was a 2000 capacity club, compared to 500 the biggest before that. It was pretty nerve racking to be honest, and I was on last as well so had to wait for ages before I played as I got there pretty early. Thankfully it all went well and I was one of their residents right up until 2003.
SB: What has been your most memorable performance to date? Out of all your sets which one holds the most special memories and why?
AF: It’s really really hard to pinpoint one performance in particular, because I’ve really enjoyed pretty much all of the gigs I’ve done. I guess special memories go to Tin Tins in Birmingham from 1994-1996 which was an institution for so many people and where I cut my clubbing teeth properly. Sundissential bank holiday Sundays circa 1997 were just phenomenal because of the electric atmosphere. Playing Trade for the first time for 4 hours back to back with Emma Doubell for a Tony de Vit memorial and Dance Valley are certainly up at the top.
SB: You were recently voted 54th in the list of DJ Mag’s top DJ’s – how did you feel when you first heard the news that you had been voted by so many people as one of the best DJ’s in the world?
AF: I’ve bought Dj magazine for years and used to read the Top100 djs issues, but never dreamed that I’d make it in there myself, so being in there really is an honour. A big thank you to everyone that voted for me too!
SB: Internationally you have large followings in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Asia – when did you first become internationally recognisable and how hard has it been for you to achieve such a global status?
AF: It’s quite surreal going half way across the world and people recognising you and being excited about you being there! My international bookings took off in 2000 following my first few productions and compilation albums, and also I guess from playing on the London scene where there is a large Antipodean and South African audience this has also helped people get to know what I do.
SB: You are a role model and inspiration for many new artists on the scene – who were/are your roles models in terms of DJing and production and why do you find them so personally inspiring?
AF: It is such a nice compliment to hear that people get inspiration from me as I did from my peers. My main influences were Tony de Vit, for his ability just to take the roof off a club, Steve Thomas for his incredible ear for music and versatility. To be honest the whole of the classic Trade line-up, Alan Thompson, Malcolm Duffy, Steve Thomas, Tony de Vit, Ian M & Pete Wardman was such an inspiration to me. The programming of the music, and the way the whole night would progress really taught me a lot. Now I get a lot of inspiration from the techno field, people like Umek, Christian Smith, Ben Sims, Christian Varela, Carl Cox to name but a few, as it has helped me see things from a different angle and try different things in my sets.
SB: The clubbing scene has also been witness to a rise in the number of female DJ’s playing out with artists such as Anne Savage and Lisa Lashes reaching global notoriety and more and more events putting on “Girls Nights” - do you feel that the playing field is on a more level pegging these days or do you think that girl DJ’s are still a bit of a novelty for events?
AF: It’s great to see so many female djs coming through now as Djing has been a very male dominated area for a long time. I don’t think they’re a novelty, the music and ability is what shines through.
SB: Internationally you are renowned for your hard and driving sound, yet for your upcoming set at Twisted clubbers will be witness to you playing a classic set – does this mark a new branch in your career? Will you be taking on other genres from now on?
AF: Yes I suppose you could say it is a new branch! I’m hoping to be doing more techno sets over the coming months, alongside my harder sets simply to expand on what I do. It’s very easy to be pigeon holed as only doing one thing. Looking back at what I’ve done previously, my sets have always been about tunes from whatever genre. A good tune is a good tune whatever label you put on it. You only have to look over the past couple of years, some of the biggest tunes in hard clubs have been from the techno field like Raw 9, Hydraulix 9, Murder Was The Bass etc, so I’m always on the lookout for something that doesn’t fit the mould so to speak. I’ve always bought house, techno, hard house and trance, so from a personal perspective it’s refreshing to do something a little bit different.
SB: You have recently been signed to the Extreme Management – what changes in direction do you think will now occur with this change? What inspired you to change management and what are you hoping you will achieve through being with Extreme?
AF: I’d been with Nukleuz for 4 years, and they’d worked really hard for me which I’m very grateful for. The opportunity with Extreme came along, and has been great because it is enabling me to explore new things which being tied to a record label wouldn’t necessarily allow me to do.
SB: How important is it for DJ’s to encompass new sounds and play on a more national and international level? Do you think that it works to a DJ’s advantage to starve the market of their sound for a while to make a more marked return when they do come back? Do you feel that the London scene is perhaps suffering due to the saturation of up-and-coming DJ’s and the same artists appearing week in and week out?
AF: It is definitely a good thing not to be overplayed anywhere. I always approach each gig with an open mind as to what tunes I am going to play. A good dj should be able to play not just the big tunes, but also the big tunes of tomorrow. At the end of the day, the only way dance music has survived this long is by evolving. London did suffer from a saturation perhaps of the same artists, but if someone is in demand, then the crowd will want to go and see them. It is noticeable that the line-ups are starting to vary and be a bit more experimental though which is great. Variety is the spice of life after all!!
SB: You are also renowned for your production work – when did you first get into producing and how important is it for a DJ to be able to produce their own sound in terms of marketing themselves for events?
AF: I did my first single with BK in 1999 called ‘Concentrate’ and have worked with both him and lots of great people over the years. There is more emphasis on production these days, so a lot more Djs are getting tunes out there to promote themselves which is great because it expands the scene. It is important to develop your own sound so that people have an idea of what you’re about, but at the same time develop your sound, don’t put out a load of records that sound the same.
SB: Do you think that in today’s clubbing scene DJ’s need to move into production to get ahead?
AF: It certainly does help move things along, although if people have a special aspect to their Djing or a gimmick then its maybe not as necessary. It is a shame that Djing ability alone is not enough anymore though.
SB: What do you have planned over the next 12 months in terms of production? Will your change in sounds also be incorporated into changes in your production style?
AF: I’m going to be working with quite a few different people this year which I’m really excited about, as well as using my own studio at home which is finally up and running. I shall be doing some techno stuff too. I’ve always tried to keep a bit of a space between production dates, that way I hope each tune I do sounds different and fresh.
SB: Who would you most like to work with in terms of production and why?
AF: I’ve always wanted to do some work with Steve Thomas. We’ve talked about it many times but just never got round to it! I’ve always loved his production, very individual. I’m also going to be working with D.A.V.E. the Drummer again, Ant, Guy McAffer, Chris Liberator, James Lawson, and hopefully Dom Sweeten later in the year, all who’s productions feature heavily in my sets. As I mentioned above I’m always looking to expand and try different things, and this proved itself with the track M.B.S. by D.A.V.E. the Drummer and myself, totally different to what I’d done before, and sold 2500 copies in the first week.
SB: What do you feel about the developments in DJ technology over the last few years? With the introduction of CD decks in most clubs how do you feel the future of DJing and mixing will progress from here?
AF: CD decks have made playing new tunes so much easier. Going back only perhaps 3 years, a lot of clubs were without them, so I used to have acetates made of new tunes which at £50 a throw was an expensive game! The other advantage is for when you travel abroad, it means you have less arguments at check in over having too much baggage or trying to sneak a heavy record bag into the overhead locker! It’s great though because you can finish your tune in the studio, burn it on to cd and play it at the weekend, then go back in the studio and rebalance it if it needs it. It will be sad to see vinyl go, but I guess it’s on the cards eventually, especially with the advent of MP3.
SB: How has the club scene changed for you over the last few years? Some argue that with larger events having collaborations with smaller events and/or incorporating a number of different styles in one night we are witnessing a return to the initial rave scene whereby thousands of clubbers come together under one roof – is this a welcome return? Does clubbing need to go back to its roots in order to progress ahead again?
AF: To be honest I enjoy playing in a club with 300 people as much as club with 5000. The main thing I find about clubbing now is that it’s become so segregated. You have your funky room, your trance room, your hard room, your extra hard room etc etc which is a shame because it has taken away the together vibe and musical variety in clubs that used to happen years ago, but I guess this is inevitable with the way dance music has grown. It does seem to be moving more underground again which is a good thing, as people are looking for different sounds and ideas which is the only way to survive.
SB: Where would you like to see yourself in another 5 years time? What do you hope to achieve that you have still yet to achieve?
AF: There are so many places in the world that I haven’t played yet, so that is still a goal. 5 years time, hmm, still doing it of course! I’ve always said I’ll stop when I don’t enjoy it anymore, and that’s a long way off!
SB: Any last comments?
AF: Thanks for the interview and hi to everyone that has supported me so far!
Photo's Courtesy of Most Wanted
Twisted AIR
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On:
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Saturday 1st May 2004
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At:
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The Fridge [map]
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From:
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10pm - 6am
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Cost:
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£12 Advanced Tickets
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Website:
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www.twisteduk.com
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Ticket Info:
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Kate 0793 946 1173
Craig 0793 298 2233
Lisa B 0793 084 5738
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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Ian Betts is the biggest and most in demand trance DJ on the London scene. Over the past six years he’s built a hard core following through pure dedication and hard work.
On Saturday 1st May Twisted are proud to present an exclusive three hour showcase of the sound that has made Ian Betts the legend he is today. From the progressive melodic pumping sounds typical of a warm up set, through to the uplifting euphoric anthems and hard edged beats you’ve heard late in the night. This is your chance to catch this London legend while you can!
Join Ian Betts on his whirlwind tour de trance!
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Other Features By Sharon B:
What's it all about? Alfie! - Getting Technikal with Alf Bamford
Heat UK presents....SW4!!! - Interview with Damian Gelle
Interview with TWIST promoter Steve Darragh
Interview with Innovate Resident Nick Sentience
Interview with Ferry Corsten
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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Comments:
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From: Lucy Loo on 23rd Apr 2004 10:38.42
Looking good Mr. Farley!!!
From: Danny Gilligan on 23rd Apr 2004 10:41.10
great interview Andy!
From: Stevi D on 23rd Apr 2004 11:21.28
Kick as interview, and great answers from a guy that knows his shit!! Nice one Sharon and Andy
From: JP and Jukesy on 23rd Apr 2004 11:42.15
a true inspriration within the scene & a good laugh too
From: Paul Henry on 23rd Apr 2004 11:57.54
Legend!
From: carl nicholson on 23rd Apr 2004 12:09.22
Nice!
From: King Boogie on 23rd Apr 2004 12:57.12
Great interview. Really well thought out questions and some interesting answers. Heard reports of a couple of shady sets from him recently (at least by his standards) and I was worried he may be going off the boil a bit so its good to see he's still passionate about the scene and the music.
Well done Shazza - hopefully catch up with you soon hun xxx
From: Richard Launch on 23rd Apr 2004 14:12.05
A true legend of the scene. 
From: V.J. FX on 23rd Apr 2004 15:02.14
He is a real nice guy and a great DJ, keep it up Andy the skys the limit!!
From: Luckyfuka on 23rd Apr 2004 15:40.15
Simply the best. Andy is The King. :worships: :worships: Still has the title for my favourite ever set.
From: Rainey on 23rd Apr 2004 15:50.14
Great interview, and some great pics too!
From: Donna Birt on 23rd Apr 2004 16:13.18
Nice one Farley! xx
From: Red5 on 23rd Apr 2004 16:13.27
An absolute top bloke, always has time to chat to the average clubber. When I was in Sydney, EVERYONE was waiting for him to jump on the decks...the atmosphere was electric!
From: *cheeky chick* on 23rd Apr 2004 16:50.44
Andy your a star!
hope to catch up with you again soon x
From: Ricky Smirnoff on 23rd Apr 2004 17:51.14
DOGS BOLLOCKS
From: RussT on 24th Apr 2004 01:38.16
Legend! The best the scene has
From: Nikki S on 24th Apr 2004 01:42.27
Niiice one Mr F. Your an absolute legend. xo
From: Lady Bianca on 24th Apr 2004 15:48.13
Fab interview babe... your sho shuper!!
Ok, now here's the plan.....
xxxx
From: HouseGuy on 24th Apr 2004 17:18.17
Great one! Andy you are an outstanding dj...keep up the good work!!!
From: Anja on 25th Apr 2004 01:28.10
An absolute legend and always welcome in Oz!
From: HomesickInOz on 26th Apr 2004 06:06.18
BIG UPs to Mr. Farley from Perth !!! He signed my copy of Hardhouse Anthems 2 (one of the very best mixes ever on both discs!) and gave us a ripsnorter of a performance even though he was playing to a tiny crowd. (You can thank event management for that! He should have played at an underage event or at Rise or something.) Andy is such a good bloke too. Anyway, great interview.
Graham homesick in Australia.
From: Tin Tin on 26th Apr 2004 09:34.22
excellent interview Sharon,  top work Farley
From: Olly Perris on 26th Apr 2004 14:56.00
Great interview!!! Farley sir you are a legend!! Keep up the great work mate!!
From: Tom Foy on 26th Apr 2004 23:27.50
An utter, utter legend. Keep up the brilliant work Andy! Nice interview Sharon.
From: onthebass on 27th Apr 2004 10:22.55
An inspiration to so many. Some of my most memorable clubbing moments have been spent with Farley behind the 1200s. (and always welcome back to Oz;0)
From: Jennie B on 28th Apr 2004 09:31.05
Wicked interview guys! Can't wait to see Andy at Lashed!
From: Newzkitten on 28th Apr 2004 11:20.46
He's not playing at Lashed
From: icc on 28th Apr 2004 13:41.39
Niiice...belt drive citronics with Tandy mixer...memories are made of these
From: Gnasher on 28th Apr 2004 21:57.29
Fuckin leader, awesome guy
From: gav the try hard on 29th Apr 2004 08:52.26
lord farley has spoken, by far the best hh dj around
From: bunny on 29th Apr 2004 09:21.36
Great interview, great DJ
From: sweet_kelly on 29th Apr 2004 11:27.55
One word...AWESOME.
See u soon, Andy. Mwah.
From: MilkNBeansShaun on 29th Apr 2004 12:48.43
Brilliant interview! Brilliant dj, best hh dj by far!
From: Stacey on 2nd May 2004 18:16.09
Love you Mr Farely..xxx
From: JAY B on 6th May 2004 05:31.57
awesome interview .. "the king "
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