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An edited version of this interview appears in the Aug/Sept issue of ABTA Travelspirit magazine (UK only)...
You?ve got a busy schedule this summer and you must have been on the road for the past 10 or so years ? do you ever tire of travelling?
If I overdo it, then yes. A couple of years ago when I was promoting my album [Airdrawndagger] I was travelling non-stop for nine months. I did about 180 shows and a lot of it was jetting to America and back to the UK for weekends and the long-haul flights play havoc with your body-clock. I definitely overdid it a couple of years ago.
If you travel too much and do too many gigs it becomes counterproductive because you?re turning up at gigs and you?re tired and your whole life gets eaten up around it ? you?re don?t have a life. Nine months passes by and everybody?s doing their own thing and when you come back from tour it feels like you?ve been on a different planet. It takes a while to unwind and get back into a routine.
It can be draining but I get to the point now where I look at the gigs I?ve been offered with my agent and the travel agent becomes involved at that point so we can look at flight routes and stuff like that ? what time I?m going to finish DJing, how much sleep I?m going to get? because it?s really, really important. Whereas before we might just have booked all the gigs based on the ones that looked great, now we look at how the travelling is going to affect things. If I?m finishing DJing at 7 in the morning and I?ve got a two hour drive to an airport and then a flight and go straight to the next gig, I?m going to pretty useless. So the travel agent really does get involved.
Do you spend long enough anywhere to see the sights or get to know the place?
I try to, but I can?t get to do that stuff every place I go to. There are certain places I really make sure I get to see things ? last time I was in Buenos Aires I took four days off and when I was in Japan I was out there for five or six days after the gig. You have to pick and choose the different places, especially if you?re going to places for the first time. Something I?ve learnt though is that if I turn up three or four days before the gig in an attempt to see the city what happens is the jetlag means I sleep through the day and I?m awake all night and that?s counter-productive. If I fly somewhere, even if I get jetlag, then once I?ve done a weekend of gigs I can sleep pretty soundly and spend time then.
Where are your favourite places you?ve been to?
I think Buenos Aires is definitely at the top of the list ? I love it down there, I love the people, playing down there is amazing, it?s a fantastic city? Tokyo is an amazing city ? Lost In Translation really captured the whole jetlag experience. When I go to Tokyo I always stay in that hotel and I?ve sat in that bar at 5 o?clock in the morning smoking cigarettes wondering where my body clock?s gone. I can really relate to Bill Murray in that film?
Things are picking up now in other parts of Asia ? I?m looking forward to a trip to mainland China, I?m playing in Shanghai, as well as Vietnam and Cambodia which will be cool. The most amazing thing about the job is the travel. I?ve travelled so much in the last 15 years and I probably will do in the next 10-15 years that when I actually retire I?ll probably stay locked up in the house. Staying in one place for more than a couple of days is a real luxury for me.
So is holiday time for you just relaxing?
Holiday time is actually just being at home and settling back into some sort of routine ? that?s a perfect holiday, getting a bit of normality. I do tend to go for those sort of holidays where it?s completely relaxing. I?m not one of these people who goes on adventure holidays because most of my travel?s a bit of an adventure anyway. I like to go somewhere really remote and just lie on a beach and read a book.
Do you spend much time in Ibiza these days?
Yeah, last year I didn?t do much at all ? I just did the one date. But this year I?ve five or six shows and I?ve also got a bit of time in and around the gigs to stay for a few days. I?m looking forward to it, it?s such a fantastic place.
How do you think it compares to 10 years ago?
I think parts of the island have been developed in a good way. The standard of food and the restaurants outside of the tourist areas ? especially in the north ? have improved and there?s a lot of good hotels have opened and some amazing restaurants. It?s developed in a positive way. It?s difficult when it?s so packed in August but that?s when you can escape to the north of the island
Where?s the best club scene ? or your favourite scene ? at the moment?
I?d probably have to say South America again ? Buenos Aires, Chile, Peru, Brazil, all those places. It?s really exciting to play down there. New York?s getting back on its feet. There?s three new clubs that have opened [Avalon, Crobar and Spirit] ? Crobar is phenomenal. There was just wasn?t anywhere to play for a couple of years so it?s great to see New York back on its feet.
Is technology making a big impact?
Absolutely. It?s sad to say that the vinyl days are over now. Computers are definitely changing things quite drastically. With the invention CDJ-1000s it?s much more flexible and there?s gadgets and tools there to play around with the sounds. I think people are starting to expect that DJs don?t just play record to record but they can actually manipulate the sound when they do it.
Do you see yourself doing more producing and less travelling in the future?
I think gradually things will slide over ? I probably spend a third of my time producing and two-thirds DJing so it?ll probably shift in the other direction. Who knows where the DJ culture is heading right now, it?s an interesting time. Times have changed, faces are changing and the DJs who survive will be the ones who can evolve with that.
You?ve got a busy schedule this summer and you must have been on the road for the past 10 or so years ? do you ever tire of travelling?
If I overdo it, then yes. A couple of years ago when I was promoting my album [Airdrawndagger] I was travelling non-stop for nine months. I did about 180 shows and a lot of it was jetting to America and back to the UK for weekends and the long-haul flights play havoc with your body-clock. I definitely overdid it a couple of years ago.
If you travel too much and do too many gigs it becomes counterproductive because you?re turning up at gigs and you?re tired and your whole life gets eaten up around it ? you?re don?t have a life. Nine months passes by and everybody?s doing their own thing and when you come back from tour it feels like you?ve been on a different planet. It takes a while to unwind and get back into a routine.
It can be draining but I get to the point now where I look at the gigs I?ve been offered with my agent and the travel agent becomes involved at that point so we can look at flight routes and stuff like that ? what time I?m going to finish DJing, how much sleep I?m going to get? because it?s really, really important. Whereas before we might just have booked all the gigs based on the ones that looked great, now we look at how the travelling is going to affect things. If I?m finishing DJing at 7 in the morning and I?ve got a two hour drive to an airport and then a flight and go straight to the next gig, I?m going to pretty useless. So the travel agent really does get involved.
Do you spend long enough anywhere to see the sights or get to know the place?
I try to, but I can?t get to do that stuff every place I go to. There are certain places I really make sure I get to see things ? last time I was in Buenos Aires I took four days off and when I was in Japan I was out there for five or six days after the gig. You have to pick and choose the different places, especially if you?re going to places for the first time. Something I?ve learnt though is that if I turn up three or four days before the gig in an attempt to see the city what happens is the jetlag means I sleep through the day and I?m awake all night and that?s counter-productive. If I fly somewhere, even if I get jetlag, then once I?ve done a weekend of gigs I can sleep pretty soundly and spend time then.
Where are your favourite places you?ve been to?
I think Buenos Aires is definitely at the top of the list ? I love it down there, I love the people, playing down there is amazing, it?s a fantastic city? Tokyo is an amazing city ? Lost In Translation really captured the whole jetlag experience. When I go to Tokyo I always stay in that hotel and I?ve sat in that bar at 5 o?clock in the morning smoking cigarettes wondering where my body clock?s gone. I can really relate to Bill Murray in that film?
Things are picking up now in other parts of Asia ? I?m looking forward to a trip to mainland China, I?m playing in Shanghai, as well as Vietnam and Cambodia which will be cool. The most amazing thing about the job is the travel. I?ve travelled so much in the last 15 years and I probably will do in the next 10-15 years that when I actually retire I?ll probably stay locked up in the house. Staying in one place for more than a couple of days is a real luxury for me.
So is holiday time for you just relaxing?
Holiday time is actually just being at home and settling back into some sort of routine ? that?s a perfect holiday, getting a bit of normality. I do tend to go for those sort of holidays where it?s completely relaxing. I?m not one of these people who goes on adventure holidays because most of my travel?s a bit of an adventure anyway. I like to go somewhere really remote and just lie on a beach and read a book.
Do you spend much time in Ibiza these days?
Yeah, last year I didn?t do much at all ? I just did the one date. But this year I?ve five or six shows and I?ve also got a bit of time in and around the gigs to stay for a few days. I?m looking forward to it, it?s such a fantastic place.
How do you think it compares to 10 years ago?
I think parts of the island have been developed in a good way. The standard of food and the restaurants outside of the tourist areas ? especially in the north ? have improved and there?s a lot of good hotels have opened and some amazing restaurants. It?s developed in a positive way. It?s difficult when it?s so packed in August but that?s when you can escape to the north of the island
Where?s the best club scene ? or your favourite scene ? at the moment?
I?d probably have to say South America again ? Buenos Aires, Chile, Peru, Brazil, all those places. It?s really exciting to play down there. New York?s getting back on its feet. There?s three new clubs that have opened [Avalon, Crobar and Spirit] ? Crobar is phenomenal. There was just wasn?t anywhere to play for a couple of years so it?s great to see New York back on its feet.
Is technology making a big impact?
Absolutely. It?s sad to say that the vinyl days are over now. Computers are definitely changing things quite drastically. With the invention CDJ-1000s it?s much more flexible and there?s gadgets and tools there to play around with the sounds. I think people are starting to expect that DJs don?t just play record to record but they can actually manipulate the sound when they do it.
Do you see yourself doing more producing and less travelling in the future?
I think gradually things will slide over ? I probably spend a third of my time producing and two-thirds DJing so it?ll probably shift in the other direction. Who knows where the DJ culture is heading right now, it?s an interesting time. Times have changed, faces are changing and the DJs who survive will be the ones who can evolve with that.
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