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Given John Digweed’s considerable impact on electronic-music culture, there really is no better fitting name for his label than Bedrock.
Talk to any artist who spent their formative years clubbing in New York City around the turn of the millennium, and chances are they’ll cite Digweed’s monthly residency with Sasha at Twilo as a major influence on their careers. Coupled with the pair’s seminal Northern Exposure mix compilations, it’s no exaggeration to classify their work together as legendary. Simply put: it laid a foundation upon which much of the electronic music world built itself.
However, it’s 2016, and Digweed’s solo career in the 15 years since Twilo’s shuttering has been just as groundbreaking as the era leading up to it. Continuing to explore and expand upon that deep, dark, progressive house sound he helped pioneer, the Hastings, England-born jock remains a staple on both the club and festival circuit.
Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour once expressed her disdain for the fashion industry’s overuse of the word “journey,” a sentiment that’s certainly relatable for anyone who’s heard seemingly every DJ set described as such over the past few years. However, if there’s anyone in the dance-music realm still doing that word justice, it’s John Digweed. Well-known for his marathon-length extended sets that dip, dive, rise, and trip for hours and hours and hours, Digweed is more than just a master behind the decks: he’s both a musical Svengali and precise technician. He simply must be heard to be believed. Need a primer? Look no further than the recently released Live In Montreal mix compilation (on Bedrock), which chronicles his epic, 11-hour performance at Stereo nightclub over a whopping six CDs.
Beyond the decks, he’s proven an astute curator and tastemaker as co-founder of the aforementioned Bedrock Records label with Nick Muir. Since its inception, the imprint has become a de facto institution of the club world’s deeper end, routinely churning out top-notch tune after top-notch tune for years on end.
We caught up with the club stalwart this past May, right before he took to the main stage of Detroit’s Movement festival to discuss his storied career, his views on DJing today, and the true, unabridged tale of his Twilo residency.
DJ Times: You’re about to play at Movement Electronic Music Festival. There’s a story of you playing here in a torrential downpour—when did that happen and what exactly happened?
John Digweed: It was 2013. I turned up really excited about playing, and they brought me from the hotel and was thinking, “Well, at least the stage is going to be covered, so I’m not going to get wet.” They weren’t expecting the rain, so the stage wasn’t covered and the rain was coming in sideways. Maceo Plex was on before me absolutely soaking wet, and I’m thinking, “Fucking hell! I’m going to get absolutely soaked. I might as well be out there with the people.” Literally, everyone on the stage was soaked. They were holding tarps over the decks to stop them from getting wet. I started playing, and it was nuts! It was a great experience.
DJ Times: Sounds dangerous…
Digweed: How I didn’t get electrocuted when the water was like that on stage—I’m surprised I didn’t blow up! It was just magical. Even though it was cold and wet, the crowd stayed. No one left; they really stuck it out to the end. If I’d been using a laptop, it would’ve been game over. It was a testament to this festival: their perseverance, their passion.
DJ Times: What is so unique about the festival and Detroit that separate them from any other festival and location?
Digweed: Firstly, it’s the birthplace of techno, so there’s a lot of history. The city is super-welcoming; they embrace this festival and are really supportive of it, which is a big plus. Sometimes cities don’t want festivals in their town; they try and think of everything not to have them. To have a festival like this really supported by the city, the people come here are super-friendly. It’s just a pleasure to play. It’s a pleasure to walk around. It’s a nice vibe, and I think they get it right.
DJ Times: How’s that?
Digweed: They book all the best electronic/techno acts from around the world and showcase it here. And when you say, “How do you compare it to other festivals in America?”… you can’t really because it’s the only one like it. There are lots of other festivals that incorporate techno, but they’ve got EDM and this and that.
DJ Times: Your residency at Twilo with Sasha is cited as an influence by seemingly everyone and anyone who went to it or even heard of it. I’d love to hear the oral history of it from your own lips.
Digweed: At the time, we’d come out to support our Northern Exposure album in 1996, and we’d done a series of gigs across America. One of them was at Twilo. Later on that year, I was talking to the owner Phil Smith, who said, “We had such a great reaction to you and Sasha playing, you should come do it again.” I said, “Yeah, every month!” And he said, “That’s a good idea!” We started talking about it, and we ended up signing this deal to go there once a month.
DJ Times: What was the musical atmosphere like then?
Digweed: At the time, we were massive in the U.K.—three gigs a night sometimes. We were busy, so there was no need for us to go off to America during that time. New York didn’t really have international guests then—Junior [Vasquez] was there, Danny [Tenaglia] was there, Jonathan Peters was there. It had more of a New York sound to it. I think we came in on a Friday—when they weren’t doing anything at Twilo—and we started up the night. It didn’t start off packed, but month after month it got busier and busier. I think when we left, a lot of the U.K. publications were like, “They’ll be back in a few months with their tails between their legs.” No one before had gone out and made a success of it, but after a while everyone was seeing this amazing buzz and reaction coming this night. It was organic. It was before social media and websites. It was just word-of-mouth. People just talked about it: “There’s this night on a Friday with these European DJs playing music you’re not really hearing in New York right now.”
DJ Times: It was something new.
Digweed: We attracted a different crowd. It just got bigger and bigger and bigger. I can’t really put my finger on it; I think it was right time, right place. The club was amazing. We’d play from 12 a.m. to 10-11 the next day, and it just became one of those go-to clubs that, if you were a fan and you wanted to hear Sasha and me play, that’s where you would go. It almost became this sort of magical place that you could hear us play for 12 hours on the best sound system in the world in New York! It just ticked all these boxes. It was a vibe, and it was incredible.
DJ Times: It remains mythic.
Digweed: I think because it was before social media and camera phones—you can’t find videos of Twilo if you try. People were just there dancing! They weren’t texting people. For the first few years, the DJ booth was in the corner, and no one even looked at the DJ—they looked at each other. To this day, it was the best club experience I’ve ever had. They just got everything right.
DJ Times: From your view, how has New York nightlife changed and what sort of state is it in now?
Digweed: After Twilo and then Tunnel got shut down, there was a clear out there. Everyone kind of went, and then they opened Crobar, which—at the time—was sort of like the wind had been taken out of the clubbing sails of New York of the time. No one really wanted a big club; it just really didn’t seem to work. Whereas, I think if Crobar was open now, you’d be filling it with all the DJs. At the time, it kind of came and didn’t really click.
DJ Times: And now?
Digweed: I play Output regularly. I love their policy: no VIP, no bottle service, no cameras. They try and make it about the experience of just going there to dance and have a good time! That’s got to be applauded, really, because it would be an easy decision to start doing tables upstairs. They just want people to go there to enjoy the music and the DJs, and I think they’ve stayed around is because they’re doing something other clubs aren’t. It’s a tough business running a nightclub: getting your music policy right especially when you’ve got so many choices in New York.
DJ Times: It feels like the New York clubber is a very different beast than those of other places. What characterizes the crowds there?
Digweed: I think they’ve got a lot of choices over the last few years in terms of clubs. You’ve had Space [Ibiza NY] open, Flash Factory—it’s one of those things where they’re spoiled for choice. Going back to when Twilo was around, there was a lot of choice then, but it was promoted all through word-of-mouth. Now it’s all hyped. Quick, get a ticket, it’s selling out! Everything’s social media; everything’s Facebook. It’s pushed in a different way, so sometimes now, it’s like, Who’s going? We’re all going! There’s a hype machine. With Twilo, I don’t think they even did advanced tickets. You wanted to go, you had to stay in line! You had to get there at 9 or 10 at night and queue up.
DJ Times: It feels like a business model has come to New York and that’s what everyone’s focused on.
Digweed: Now you’ll always get people asking, “What time do you play?” Don’t just show up when I’m playing and leave when I’m done. There’s other DJs playing; go and hear them! Go to the club to experience the night, don’t just go to a concert to turn up, see the main act, and leave. That’s the thing – you’ve got to make the club. Clubs need to have that friends-and-family [vibe]. You should see the same people every month because they’re fans. It’s about supporting it, and maybe there isn’t as much of that now because they’ve got so many choices.
DJ Times: You and Sasha are reuniting for a gig together at The Social in the U.K. later this year. How did that idea hatch?
Digweed: Basically, we met in Japan last year and spoke about doing a possible date. Nic Fanciulli runs The Social, and said, “Look, I’d really like you guys to play.” We thought about it. We hadn’t played together in six years, so it would be a nice time to do it. We snuck in a gig at Ministry of Sound for my Bedrock anniversary party on Easter back in April, and kind of set the Internet a bit crazy. It was nice because it was an organic way of doing something, rather than announcing it. We just played, and people were like, “Wow, I’m in the club and now Sasha is playing.”
DJ Times: It was recreating the magic of the clubbing experience of the past.
Digweed: It would’ve been easy for us to announce what was happening the day before, but the club would’ve been fuller than we wanted it. What we did was make something really creatively feel special for the people that were there. The night was great and, suddenly at 4 a.m., it happened. It was a brilliant way to play social media. We didn’t put anything out; we just let the fans do it. It was nice! Normally, you get a PR person, let’s get this planned, etc. We didn’t do any of that. It was an organic thing, the crowd did their thing, and that was it.
DJ Times: What led to the original formation of your label Bedrock?
Digweed: I kept getting tracks given to me while I was on the road travelling by DJs and producers, saying, “Here is my unsigned track. Can you think of a label to release it on for me?” I was also disillusioned with the labels out there for my own releases, so it made total sense to start my own label up and act as a platform for new and exciting artists. That was back in 1998, and we have not looked back since.
DJ Times: How has it evolved over the past 17 years?
Digweed: We have seen a lot of changes, with the biggest impact being when the vinyl sales completely bottomed out and the digital side of things had not really established itself properly, with the likes of Beatport. There was a moment when we wondered where this was going, as illegal downloads were killing us and vinyl sales had dropped by an incredible amount. Luckily, we held our nerve and slowly and surely figured out how to make it work.
DJ Times: What do you think has been the secret to keeping it fresh and relevant over time?
Digweed: It’s all to do with the passion I have for music and the people involved. From the label managers to designers, we have all been working on the label for a long time, so we feel very closely attached to it. We are always moving with the times, yet staying true to ourselves. We have true fans that support the label with each release, as well as the merchandise. When I travel the world now, it’s great to turn up and see half the crowd wearing one of my shirts. It almost becomes a badge of honor and travelling fans have an instant connection if they see someone wearing one of the shirts—conversations are started and friendships are born on the dancefloor. If you have that unity on the dancefloor, it really does make the party pop so much more.
DJ Times: The quality of the label has never dipped. What’s the A&R process like?
Digweed: The same as it has been from day one: DJs and producers handing me or emailing me links of their tracks for inclusion on the label. We only do about 12 to 14 single releases each year now, so the tracks have to be really special. I get so many tracks sent to me on a daily basis, so you really have to test the good ones out in a club a few times before making the decision. It’s about finding those tracks that have that extra element of detail that makes them stand out from the crowd.
DJ Times: Where does Bedrock go from here? How has the change in music formats affected it?
Digweed: I am happy with the way the label is going at the moment. The Live in… albums have done incredibly well in a market of free streams and downloads—it shows if you put something out that is quality and well-designed, people will want to own it as a physical product. Of course, the shelf life of CDs is getting shorter, as most products are designed now without a CD player in them. They’re trying to force you away from that format. If I’m being really honest, streaming brings in such poor revenue. It’s a shame that labels opted for the “It’s-Better-Than-Nothing” approach, rather than, “This product has a value and is worth something more than just a few cents after all the hard work that’s gone into it.”
DJ Times: How do you view something like Native Instruments’ Stems? Are technology advancements like this going to radically change DJing?
Digweed: [DJing] technology has come forward so much in the last 10 years. It’s mind-blowing. All of these new developments—if used properly and creatively—can really enhance a DJ’s set, but overuse can sometimes take away from the beauty of the original track. Years ago, if two records did not sound right when mixed together, the end result would sound awful. With the technology now, you can bang a square peg in a round hole with enough looping, filters and effects. Is this a good thing? It might get you out of a fix on the odd occasion, but the beauty of going to see a DJ is that he should know his music inside out and will choose tracks that work well together.
DJ Times: What sort of DJ gear setup do you prefer?
Digweed: I love the Allen & Heath’s Xone DB4 mixer, plus the new Pioneer CDJ-2000s. It’s a set-up that I feel really comfortable with that still allows me to beatmatch and have the effects from the DB4 to do some slight FX. I try and play records that can stand up by themselves without having to add loads of stuff on top of them—they are great tracks, and I want people to hear them in full if they are that good.
DJ Times: Since mix compilations like Northern Exposure, the methods of release for mixes have expanded with SoundCloud, podcasts, etc. How do mix-compilation releases like Live In… remain significant events?
Digweed: It’s so strange to me how the Live in… series has become so successful, as it was never my intention to have a series like this. We just did a one-off as a showcase for the gig in Argentina, and the reaction was crazy. I am very lucky that I have such a loyal fanbase that supports the label and the artists. It’s the fans that really decide where the next release is from, as nothing is ever planned. It’s all based on the party and how well the gig went, so the better the crowd, the better I play.
DJ Times: Do you record all your sets?
Digweed: Yes, so there is never pressure that this gig is going to be the next release. It’s all about the party and the final mix. We hadn’t even planned to release Live in Montreal, as we had just released a Re:Structured CD in December and had no plans for another release until the summer. After going back and listening to the Montreal set, I knew we had to go for it—even though it was a February release. Something just felt right about it.
DJ Times: People connected to it.
Digweed: We sold out before the actual release date and had to re-press. Then people were asking about the last three hours from the party, so we went ahead and cleared the final part of the set. Even that sold out before the release date. It’s crazy how we had no plans for any albums before the summer, and we have already done two before the end of May. It’s also nice that it’s the fans that are asking for releases like this.
DJ Times: You’ve seen a lot of trends and patterns over the years when it comes to the dance music. Does the techno scene feel larger than it has in the past?
Digweed: The techno scene has always been big and had a strong following. It’s just now there is a lot more focus on it and main stages are being filled by techno guys, which is great. The quality of the techno tracks is fantastic as well at the moment, which is also attracting more people to it, as the dancefloor seems way more interesting musically.
DJ Times: With so many methods of music consumption available now, what’s the duty or job that a DJ has? Exposing unheard sounds? Creating a vibe?
Digweed: When everything went digital and anyone could upload their tracks onto the net, it removed the filter that was in place when vinyl was around. Yes, there were still a load of crap records that got pressed onto vinyl, but it was an expensive process, so it did restrict the amount of releases out there. Nowadays, there are so many records released every week that it’s hard to keep up with everything. My fans know when they hear me play in a club or on my radio show that I have spent days going through hundreds of tracks to bring them the best music I can find. If the crowd doesn’t like your music, they will stop coming to hear you play, so you have to be on it every gig.
DJ Times: What was it like playing on the Resistance stage at Ultra Miami this year? What’s your take on seeing such a big-room EDM-focused U.S. fest devote such a massive production to “underground” sounds?
Digweed: The Resistance stage was great this year. It was packed and they put in a lot of effort with the structure, which gave that arena its own different vibe. Ultra has slowly been pushing the more underground sounds across several stages over the last few years—giving a crowd that have gone to listen to EDM a choice to hear something completely different is a very smart move. The crowd won’t always be into EDM, and as they get older they will search out for different styles. By doing this, you stand a good chance of keeping those festival goers from 18 to 30 if you appeal to their changing musical tastes as well as pushing the boundaries on different stages.
DJ Times: From a technical perspective, festivals are becoming larger dates in terms of significance. Festival sets are usually shorter than club ones—what sort of effect does that have on DJs coming up today?
Digweed: It’s really important that DJs play a wide range of gigs and not just a 60-minute festival set of bangers. Being able to play a sunset set, boat party, and 4-to-7 a.m. underground club set will all widen your approach to how you play each gig and make you think about your music so much more and make you play so much better. I understand why most festival sets are shorter. People have so many choices spread over different arenas and they want to try and see as many acts as possible, so you are not going to give a DJ the same amount of attention if he is playing four hours. Instead, they’ll go 90 minutes, which allows them to go and see someone else. I am always gutted to play such a short set—especially when the crowd is going bonkers—but I am lucky I get to balance the shorter sets out with extended club ones.
Still Bedrock: John Digweed Transcends Eras by Delivering the Underground’s Best
Talk to any artist who spent their formative years clubbing in New York City around the turn of the millennium, and chances are they’ll cite Digweed’s monthly residency with Sasha at Twilo as a major influence on their careers. Coupled with the pair’s seminal Northern Exposure mix compilations, it’s no exaggeration to classify their work together as legendary. Simply put: it laid a foundation upon which much of the electronic music world built itself.
However, it’s 2016, and Digweed’s solo career in the 15 years since Twilo’s shuttering has been just as groundbreaking as the era leading up to it. Continuing to explore and expand upon that deep, dark, progressive house sound he helped pioneer, the Hastings, England-born jock remains a staple on both the club and festival circuit.
Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour once expressed her disdain for the fashion industry’s overuse of the word “journey,” a sentiment that’s certainly relatable for anyone who’s heard seemingly every DJ set described as such over the past few years. However, if there’s anyone in the dance-music realm still doing that word justice, it’s John Digweed. Well-known for his marathon-length extended sets that dip, dive, rise, and trip for hours and hours and hours, Digweed is more than just a master behind the decks: he’s both a musical Svengali and precise technician. He simply must be heard to be believed. Need a primer? Look no further than the recently released Live In Montreal mix compilation (on Bedrock), which chronicles his epic, 11-hour performance at Stereo nightclub over a whopping six CDs.
Beyond the decks, he’s proven an astute curator and tastemaker as co-founder of the aforementioned Bedrock Records label with Nick Muir. Since its inception, the imprint has become a de facto institution of the club world’s deeper end, routinely churning out top-notch tune after top-notch tune for years on end.
We caught up with the club stalwart this past May, right before he took to the main stage of Detroit’s Movement festival to discuss his storied career, his views on DJing today, and the true, unabridged tale of his Twilo residency.
DJ Times: You’re about to play at Movement Electronic Music Festival. There’s a story of you playing here in a torrential downpour—when did that happen and what exactly happened?
John Digweed: It was 2013. I turned up really excited about playing, and they brought me from the hotel and was thinking, “Well, at least the stage is going to be covered, so I’m not going to get wet.” They weren’t expecting the rain, so the stage wasn’t covered and the rain was coming in sideways. Maceo Plex was on before me absolutely soaking wet, and I’m thinking, “Fucking hell! I’m going to get absolutely soaked. I might as well be out there with the people.” Literally, everyone on the stage was soaked. They were holding tarps over the decks to stop them from getting wet. I started playing, and it was nuts! It was a great experience.
DJ Times: Sounds dangerous…
Digweed: How I didn’t get electrocuted when the water was like that on stage—I’m surprised I didn’t blow up! It was just magical. Even though it was cold and wet, the crowd stayed. No one left; they really stuck it out to the end. If I’d been using a laptop, it would’ve been game over. It was a testament to this festival: their perseverance, their passion.
DJ Times: What is so unique about the festival and Detroit that separate them from any other festival and location?
Digweed: Firstly, it’s the birthplace of techno, so there’s a lot of history. The city is super-welcoming; they embrace this festival and are really supportive of it, which is a big plus. Sometimes cities don’t want festivals in their town; they try and think of everything not to have them. To have a festival like this really supported by the city, the people come here are super-friendly. It’s just a pleasure to play. It’s a pleasure to walk around. It’s a nice vibe, and I think they get it right.
DJ Times: How’s that?
Digweed: They book all the best electronic/techno acts from around the world and showcase it here. And when you say, “How do you compare it to other festivals in America?”… you can’t really because it’s the only one like it. There are lots of other festivals that incorporate techno, but they’ve got EDM and this and that.
DJ Times: Your residency at Twilo with Sasha is cited as an influence by seemingly everyone and anyone who went to it or even heard of it. I’d love to hear the oral history of it from your own lips.
Digweed: At the time, we’d come out to support our Northern Exposure album in 1996, and we’d done a series of gigs across America. One of them was at Twilo. Later on that year, I was talking to the owner Phil Smith, who said, “We had such a great reaction to you and Sasha playing, you should come do it again.” I said, “Yeah, every month!” And he said, “That’s a good idea!” We started talking about it, and we ended up signing this deal to go there once a month.
DJ Times: What was the musical atmosphere like then?
Digweed: At the time, we were massive in the U.K.—three gigs a night sometimes. We were busy, so there was no need for us to go off to America during that time. New York didn’t really have international guests then—Junior [Vasquez] was there, Danny [Tenaglia] was there, Jonathan Peters was there. It had more of a New York sound to it. I think we came in on a Friday—when they weren’t doing anything at Twilo—and we started up the night. It didn’t start off packed, but month after month it got busier and busier. I think when we left, a lot of the U.K. publications were like, “They’ll be back in a few months with their tails between their legs.” No one before had gone out and made a success of it, but after a while everyone was seeing this amazing buzz and reaction coming this night. It was organic. It was before social media and websites. It was just word-of-mouth. People just talked about it: “There’s this night on a Friday with these European DJs playing music you’re not really hearing in New York right now.”
DJ Times: It was something new.
Digweed: We attracted a different crowd. It just got bigger and bigger and bigger. I can’t really put my finger on it; I think it was right time, right place. The club was amazing. We’d play from 12 a.m. to 10-11 the next day, and it just became one of those go-to clubs that, if you were a fan and you wanted to hear Sasha and me play, that’s where you would go. It almost became this sort of magical place that you could hear us play for 12 hours on the best sound system in the world in New York! It just ticked all these boxes. It was a vibe, and it was incredible.
DJ Times: It remains mythic.
Digweed: I think because it was before social media and camera phones—you can’t find videos of Twilo if you try. People were just there dancing! They weren’t texting people. For the first few years, the DJ booth was in the corner, and no one even looked at the DJ—they looked at each other. To this day, it was the best club experience I’ve ever had. They just got everything right.
DJ Times: From your view, how has New York nightlife changed and what sort of state is it in now?
Digweed: After Twilo and then Tunnel got shut down, there was a clear out there. Everyone kind of went, and then they opened Crobar, which—at the time—was sort of like the wind had been taken out of the clubbing sails of New York of the time. No one really wanted a big club; it just really didn’t seem to work. Whereas, I think if Crobar was open now, you’d be filling it with all the DJs. At the time, it kind of came and didn’t really click.
DJ Times: And now?
Digweed: I play Output regularly. I love their policy: no VIP, no bottle service, no cameras. They try and make it about the experience of just going there to dance and have a good time! That’s got to be applauded, really, because it would be an easy decision to start doing tables upstairs. They just want people to go there to enjoy the music and the DJs, and I think they’ve stayed around is because they’re doing something other clubs aren’t. It’s a tough business running a nightclub: getting your music policy right especially when you’ve got so many choices in New York.
DJ Times: It feels like the New York clubber is a very different beast than those of other places. What characterizes the crowds there?
Digweed: I think they’ve got a lot of choices over the last few years in terms of clubs. You’ve had Space [Ibiza NY] open, Flash Factory—it’s one of those things where they’re spoiled for choice. Going back to when Twilo was around, there was a lot of choice then, but it was promoted all through word-of-mouth. Now it’s all hyped. Quick, get a ticket, it’s selling out! Everything’s social media; everything’s Facebook. It’s pushed in a different way, so sometimes now, it’s like, Who’s going? We’re all going! There’s a hype machine. With Twilo, I don’t think they even did advanced tickets. You wanted to go, you had to stay in line! You had to get there at 9 or 10 at night and queue up.
DJ Times: It feels like a business model has come to New York and that’s what everyone’s focused on.
Digweed: Now you’ll always get people asking, “What time do you play?” Don’t just show up when I’m playing and leave when I’m done. There’s other DJs playing; go and hear them! Go to the club to experience the night, don’t just go to a concert to turn up, see the main act, and leave. That’s the thing – you’ve got to make the club. Clubs need to have that friends-and-family [vibe]. You should see the same people every month because they’re fans. It’s about supporting it, and maybe there isn’t as much of that now because they’ve got so many choices.
DJ Times: You and Sasha are reuniting for a gig together at The Social in the U.K. later this year. How did that idea hatch?
Digweed: Basically, we met in Japan last year and spoke about doing a possible date. Nic Fanciulli runs The Social, and said, “Look, I’d really like you guys to play.” We thought about it. We hadn’t played together in six years, so it would be a nice time to do it. We snuck in a gig at Ministry of Sound for my Bedrock anniversary party on Easter back in April, and kind of set the Internet a bit crazy. It was nice because it was an organic way of doing something, rather than announcing it. We just played, and people were like, “Wow, I’m in the club and now Sasha is playing.”
DJ Times: It was recreating the magic of the clubbing experience of the past.
Digweed: It would’ve been easy for us to announce what was happening the day before, but the club would’ve been fuller than we wanted it. What we did was make something really creatively feel special for the people that were there. The night was great and, suddenly at 4 a.m., it happened. It was a brilliant way to play social media. We didn’t put anything out; we just let the fans do it. It was nice! Normally, you get a PR person, let’s get this planned, etc. We didn’t do any of that. It was an organic thing, the crowd did their thing, and that was it.
DJ Times: What led to the original formation of your label Bedrock?
Digweed: I kept getting tracks given to me while I was on the road travelling by DJs and producers, saying, “Here is my unsigned track. Can you think of a label to release it on for me?” I was also disillusioned with the labels out there for my own releases, so it made total sense to start my own label up and act as a platform for new and exciting artists. That was back in 1998, and we have not looked back since.
DJ Times: How has it evolved over the past 17 years?
Digweed: We have seen a lot of changes, with the biggest impact being when the vinyl sales completely bottomed out and the digital side of things had not really established itself properly, with the likes of Beatport. There was a moment when we wondered where this was going, as illegal downloads were killing us and vinyl sales had dropped by an incredible amount. Luckily, we held our nerve and slowly and surely figured out how to make it work.
DJ Times: What do you think has been the secret to keeping it fresh and relevant over time?
Digweed: It’s all to do with the passion I have for music and the people involved. From the label managers to designers, we have all been working on the label for a long time, so we feel very closely attached to it. We are always moving with the times, yet staying true to ourselves. We have true fans that support the label with each release, as well as the merchandise. When I travel the world now, it’s great to turn up and see half the crowd wearing one of my shirts. It almost becomes a badge of honor and travelling fans have an instant connection if they see someone wearing one of the shirts—conversations are started and friendships are born on the dancefloor. If you have that unity on the dancefloor, it really does make the party pop so much more.
DJ Times: The quality of the label has never dipped. What’s the A&R process like?
Digweed: The same as it has been from day one: DJs and producers handing me or emailing me links of their tracks for inclusion on the label. We only do about 12 to 14 single releases each year now, so the tracks have to be really special. I get so many tracks sent to me on a daily basis, so you really have to test the good ones out in a club a few times before making the decision. It’s about finding those tracks that have that extra element of detail that makes them stand out from the crowd.
DJ Times: Where does Bedrock go from here? How has the change in music formats affected it?
Digweed: I am happy with the way the label is going at the moment. The Live in… albums have done incredibly well in a market of free streams and downloads—it shows if you put something out that is quality and well-designed, people will want to own it as a physical product. Of course, the shelf life of CDs is getting shorter, as most products are designed now without a CD player in them. They’re trying to force you away from that format. If I’m being really honest, streaming brings in such poor revenue. It’s a shame that labels opted for the “It’s-Better-Than-Nothing” approach, rather than, “This product has a value and is worth something more than just a few cents after all the hard work that’s gone into it.”
DJ Times: How do you view something like Native Instruments’ Stems? Are technology advancements like this going to radically change DJing?
Digweed: [DJing] technology has come forward so much in the last 10 years. It’s mind-blowing. All of these new developments—if used properly and creatively—can really enhance a DJ’s set, but overuse can sometimes take away from the beauty of the original track. Years ago, if two records did not sound right when mixed together, the end result would sound awful. With the technology now, you can bang a square peg in a round hole with enough looping, filters and effects. Is this a good thing? It might get you out of a fix on the odd occasion, but the beauty of going to see a DJ is that he should know his music inside out and will choose tracks that work well together.
DJ Times: What sort of DJ gear setup do you prefer?
Digweed: I love the Allen & Heath’s Xone DB4 mixer, plus the new Pioneer CDJ-2000s. It’s a set-up that I feel really comfortable with that still allows me to beatmatch and have the effects from the DB4 to do some slight FX. I try and play records that can stand up by themselves without having to add loads of stuff on top of them—they are great tracks, and I want people to hear them in full if they are that good.
DJ Times: Since mix compilations like Northern Exposure, the methods of release for mixes have expanded with SoundCloud, podcasts, etc. How do mix-compilation releases like Live In… remain significant events?
Digweed: It’s so strange to me how the Live in… series has become so successful, as it was never my intention to have a series like this. We just did a one-off as a showcase for the gig in Argentina, and the reaction was crazy. I am very lucky that I have such a loyal fanbase that supports the label and the artists. It’s the fans that really decide where the next release is from, as nothing is ever planned. It’s all based on the party and how well the gig went, so the better the crowd, the better I play.
DJ Times: Do you record all your sets?
Digweed: Yes, so there is never pressure that this gig is going to be the next release. It’s all about the party and the final mix. We hadn’t even planned to release Live in Montreal, as we had just released a Re:Structured CD in December and had no plans for another release until the summer. After going back and listening to the Montreal set, I knew we had to go for it—even though it was a February release. Something just felt right about it.
DJ Times: People connected to it.
Digweed: We sold out before the actual release date and had to re-press. Then people were asking about the last three hours from the party, so we went ahead and cleared the final part of the set. Even that sold out before the release date. It’s crazy how we had no plans for any albums before the summer, and we have already done two before the end of May. It’s also nice that it’s the fans that are asking for releases like this.
DJ Times: You’ve seen a lot of trends and patterns over the years when it comes to the dance music. Does the techno scene feel larger than it has in the past?
Digweed: The techno scene has always been big and had a strong following. It’s just now there is a lot more focus on it and main stages are being filled by techno guys, which is great. The quality of the techno tracks is fantastic as well at the moment, which is also attracting more people to it, as the dancefloor seems way more interesting musically.
DJ Times: With so many methods of music consumption available now, what’s the duty or job that a DJ has? Exposing unheard sounds? Creating a vibe?
Digweed: When everything went digital and anyone could upload their tracks onto the net, it removed the filter that was in place when vinyl was around. Yes, there were still a load of crap records that got pressed onto vinyl, but it was an expensive process, so it did restrict the amount of releases out there. Nowadays, there are so many records released every week that it’s hard to keep up with everything. My fans know when they hear me play in a club or on my radio show that I have spent days going through hundreds of tracks to bring them the best music I can find. If the crowd doesn’t like your music, they will stop coming to hear you play, so you have to be on it every gig.
DJ Times: What was it like playing on the Resistance stage at Ultra Miami this year? What’s your take on seeing such a big-room EDM-focused U.S. fest devote such a massive production to “underground” sounds?
Digweed: The Resistance stage was great this year. It was packed and they put in a lot of effort with the structure, which gave that arena its own different vibe. Ultra has slowly been pushing the more underground sounds across several stages over the last few years—giving a crowd that have gone to listen to EDM a choice to hear something completely different is a very smart move. The crowd won’t always be into EDM, and as they get older they will search out for different styles. By doing this, you stand a good chance of keeping those festival goers from 18 to 30 if you appeal to their changing musical tastes as well as pushing the boundaries on different stages.
DJ Times: From a technical perspective, festivals are becoming larger dates in terms of significance. Festival sets are usually shorter than club ones—what sort of effect does that have on DJs coming up today?
Digweed: It’s really important that DJs play a wide range of gigs and not just a 60-minute festival set of bangers. Being able to play a sunset set, boat party, and 4-to-7 a.m. underground club set will all widen your approach to how you play each gig and make you think about your music so much more and make you play so much better. I understand why most festival sets are shorter. People have so many choices spread over different arenas and they want to try and see as many acts as possible, so you are not going to give a DJ the same amount of attention if he is playing four hours. Instead, they’ll go 90 minutes, which allows them to go and see someone else. I am always gutted to play such a short set—especially when the crowd is going bonkers—but I am lucky I get to balance the shorter sets out with extended club ones.
Still Bedrock: John Digweed Transcends Eras by Delivering the Underground’s Best
He agrees with me on so much 
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