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Danny Howells: Ready to rock
Reported on Tuesday, May 02, 2006. 15:51 by Nyquist_Theorem
There aren?t a lot of DJs that have what Danny Howells has. Maybe it?s the style of music he plays ? ?deepsexyfuturistictechfunkhouse?. Maybe it?s the paisley shirts he?s so often seen wearing, or the bit about having been a psychiatric nurse for nine years while building his DJ career. Maybe it comes from his being one of a tiny handful of DJs in the world to have been a superclub resident in both the US and the UK, or his having been chosen to mix the latest ?Choice? mix CD for Azuli records alongside such luminary dance music figures as John Digweed, Jeff Mills and Danny Tenaglia. It could of course be his international stature, having shown up at the pointy end of DJ Magazine?s ?Top 100 DJs? rankings every year since 1999. Whatever ?it? is, Danny Howells certainly has it, and he?s on his way to Australia to show it to us. ITM caught up with Danny on the eve of his Australian tour to talk about tequila, belt drive turntables, and more.
?Australia? yes, I?m really looking forward to getting back there properly?, Danny says, and with the emphasis placed on properly it comes out as almost an apology. Why would one of the world?s best DJs, who is well known across Australia for his consistent ability to rock a party come rain or shine, feel the need to apologise? ?The last time I was down, I was a bit jetlagged and very sick for most of it. I had the flu in Canberra, and was a bit homesick, too, having just flown straight from a tour of North America.? Having seen him play in Melbourne during his last tour ? and having witnessed the dancefloor carnage that ensued ? I expressed more than a bit of surprise at his comments. As the energy of Danny?s last Melbourne gig is still a living bit of dance music folklore in parts of Australia for its consistency, its quality and its party vibe, I asked for a bit more information. ?Ah, Melbourne was ok, yeah that one was alright I suppose,? he finally manages, and I begin to see the high standard that Danny Howells demands of himself ? the sort of standard that means every gig is a full-on party for the dance floor, even if the DJ is homesick, jetlagged, and fighting the flu.
And so what of this legendary ?party vibe? that Danny seems to inject into each and every one of his sets during his previous visits? If Danny truly is one of the most entertaining DJs on the planet, he certainly doesn?t seem to have let it go to his head. ?I have no idea why I?ve been so popular through Australia, to be honest. No clue. I mean, there have been the occasional quiet nights where I?ve followed on someone else or another international DJ has been in town, but over all I?ve been very well received by Australians.? I ask Danny if he?s got an explanation for his consistent popularity in Australia. ?I guess I?ve always tried to play the sort of set that I?d want to hear and create that kind of vibe.? And how does he know when it?s working? ?Tequila,? he states matter-of-factly. ?I think Tequila is the universal ?we are having a good time? message that I get my fans ? the better I do, the more of it they seem to buy for me.?
One thing that?s always struck me about Danny Howells? sets during previous trips to Australia has been the gathering of fans clustered around the DJ booth for the duration of his set, studying his every move. I ask him his thoughts on the ?chinstroking? phenomenon and how he finds DJing when surrounded by a mass of eagle-eyed fans. ?I don?t really get it, to be honest. I mean, I go to a club to have fun, to drink, talk to girls, you know, do normal things. I want to enjoy a good night, not stare at the DJ all
http://max.inthemix.com.au/adview.ph...nk&n=605392839night. I mean, DJs aren?t always the most interesting people to watch, if you know what I mean. I enjoy the attention and the feedback is always welcome, don?t get me wrong, but just like most people, I prefer not to be stared at all night, I suppose. Don?t stare at me, go and enjoy your evening!?
As has been said many times, Danny Howells is a DJ?s DJ, and as such the conversation quickly turns to tunes and technology. Despite being well-versed in audio technology, Danny?s not one to be constrained by the hardware at hand. While his most recent mixes have been done with a combination of vinyl, CD and Protools, I manage to find out a rather impressive bit of mix CD trivia when Danny tells me that his first four internationally released mix CD compilations ? each an impressive mix in its own right by any standard ? were recorded on his old clapped-out set of belt-drive turntables. ?Ah yes, a pair of belt-drive JB System Disco 2000s. They were all I had,? Danny ruefully admits.
And so, at a time when more and more international DJs seem to have traded in the traditional turntables for CD players for a laptop, Danny is still quite happy playing his vinyl records. ?I?d say I?m probably playing sixty percent vinyl, and forty percent CDs. I much prefer playing vinyl, of course, but I?m also doing a lot of my own edits and remixes, putting my own little stamp on tracks, and that means using CD sometimes.? And just what sorts of edits and remixes has Danny been cooking up as of late? ?All sorts, really. There was a time where I was doing two or three edits a day, some of them really basic of course, but I?ve probably got 150 or so in total now that I carry around with me.?
While Danny often shares his edits and mixes with close friends ? with mates Dessyn Masiello and Nic Fanciulli getting their fair share of them ? he has had a few run-ins with ?unreleased? tunes escaping in to the wild. ?I?d really like to do a proper EP of remixes in the near future,? Danny tells me. ?I?ve seen a few of my unreleased edits and remixes that have been ripped out of live sets and pressed up on vinyl, which is a little bit frustrating because the sound quality is often so poor. I saw the other day a pressing of Donna Summer?s ?I Feel Love? that I?d given to Timo Maas and that appeared on his radio show, and the sound quality was just terrible.?
Too quickly, our interview is nearly over. As a final question, I ask which DJ/Producers have been catching his ear of late. James Holden, John Digweed and Danny Tenaglia all get a mention, with a particularly enthusiastic focus on Digweed for having ?got his groove on again!? As I thank Danny for his time, hang the telephone up, and let the smooth-but-groovy melodic intro of Danny?s Global Underground 027 Miami CD1 wash over me for the umpteenth time, I reflect for a moment on Danny?s praise for Digweed, and decide for myself that if anyone in the house music scene is a qualified expert on groove, Danny Howells would have to be it ? and if the mind-blowing shows he played the last time through town are the sort of thing he feels the need to apologise for, then this time it would appear we?re all in for something of a treat.
Danny Howells tours Australia this month. Don't forget to also check out his latest mix album, 'Choice: A Collection of Classics', out now on Azuli/Stomp:
Fri May 5 - Melbourne, Room [BUY TICKETS]
Sat May 6 - Sydney, Kink 3rd Birthday [BUY TICKETS]
Reported on Tuesday, May 02, 2006. 15:51 by Nyquist_Theorem
There aren?t a lot of DJs that have what Danny Howells has. Maybe it?s the style of music he plays ? ?deepsexyfuturistictechfunkhouse?. Maybe it?s the paisley shirts he?s so often seen wearing, or the bit about having been a psychiatric nurse for nine years while building his DJ career. Maybe it comes from his being one of a tiny handful of DJs in the world to have been a superclub resident in both the US and the UK, or his having been chosen to mix the latest ?Choice? mix CD for Azuli records alongside such luminary dance music figures as John Digweed, Jeff Mills and Danny Tenaglia. It could of course be his international stature, having shown up at the pointy end of DJ Magazine?s ?Top 100 DJs? rankings every year since 1999. Whatever ?it? is, Danny Howells certainly has it, and he?s on his way to Australia to show it to us. ITM caught up with Danny on the eve of his Australian tour to talk about tequila, belt drive turntables, and more.
?Australia? yes, I?m really looking forward to getting back there properly?, Danny says, and with the emphasis placed on properly it comes out as almost an apology. Why would one of the world?s best DJs, who is well known across Australia for his consistent ability to rock a party come rain or shine, feel the need to apologise? ?The last time I was down, I was a bit jetlagged and very sick for most of it. I had the flu in Canberra, and was a bit homesick, too, having just flown straight from a tour of North America.? Having seen him play in Melbourne during his last tour ? and having witnessed the dancefloor carnage that ensued ? I expressed more than a bit of surprise at his comments. As the energy of Danny?s last Melbourne gig is still a living bit of dance music folklore in parts of Australia for its consistency, its quality and its party vibe, I asked for a bit more information. ?Ah, Melbourne was ok, yeah that one was alright I suppose,? he finally manages, and I begin to see the high standard that Danny Howells demands of himself ? the sort of standard that means every gig is a full-on party for the dance floor, even if the DJ is homesick, jetlagged, and fighting the flu.
And so what of this legendary ?party vibe? that Danny seems to inject into each and every one of his sets during his previous visits? If Danny truly is one of the most entertaining DJs on the planet, he certainly doesn?t seem to have let it go to his head. ?I have no idea why I?ve been so popular through Australia, to be honest. No clue. I mean, there have been the occasional quiet nights where I?ve followed on someone else or another international DJ has been in town, but over all I?ve been very well received by Australians.? I ask Danny if he?s got an explanation for his consistent popularity in Australia. ?I guess I?ve always tried to play the sort of set that I?d want to hear and create that kind of vibe.? And how does he know when it?s working? ?Tequila,? he states matter-of-factly. ?I think Tequila is the universal ?we are having a good time? message that I get my fans ? the better I do, the more of it they seem to buy for me.?
One thing that?s always struck me about Danny Howells? sets during previous trips to Australia has been the gathering of fans clustered around the DJ booth for the duration of his set, studying his every move. I ask him his thoughts on the ?chinstroking? phenomenon and how he finds DJing when surrounded by a mass of eagle-eyed fans. ?I don?t really get it, to be honest. I mean, I go to a club to have fun, to drink, talk to girls, you know, do normal things. I want to enjoy a good night, not stare at the DJ all
http://max.inthemix.com.au/adview.ph...nk&n=605392839night. I mean, DJs aren?t always the most interesting people to watch, if you know what I mean. I enjoy the attention and the feedback is always welcome, don?t get me wrong, but just like most people, I prefer not to be stared at all night, I suppose. Don?t stare at me, go and enjoy your evening!?
As has been said many times, Danny Howells is a DJ?s DJ, and as such the conversation quickly turns to tunes and technology. Despite being well-versed in audio technology, Danny?s not one to be constrained by the hardware at hand. While his most recent mixes have been done with a combination of vinyl, CD and Protools, I manage to find out a rather impressive bit of mix CD trivia when Danny tells me that his first four internationally released mix CD compilations ? each an impressive mix in its own right by any standard ? were recorded on his old clapped-out set of belt-drive turntables. ?Ah yes, a pair of belt-drive JB System Disco 2000s. They were all I had,? Danny ruefully admits.
And so, at a time when more and more international DJs seem to have traded in the traditional turntables for CD players for a laptop, Danny is still quite happy playing his vinyl records. ?I?d say I?m probably playing sixty percent vinyl, and forty percent CDs. I much prefer playing vinyl, of course, but I?m also doing a lot of my own edits and remixes, putting my own little stamp on tracks, and that means using CD sometimes.? And just what sorts of edits and remixes has Danny been cooking up as of late? ?All sorts, really. There was a time where I was doing two or three edits a day, some of them really basic of course, but I?ve probably got 150 or so in total now that I carry around with me.?
While Danny often shares his edits and mixes with close friends ? with mates Dessyn Masiello and Nic Fanciulli getting their fair share of them ? he has had a few run-ins with ?unreleased? tunes escaping in to the wild. ?I?d really like to do a proper EP of remixes in the near future,? Danny tells me. ?I?ve seen a few of my unreleased edits and remixes that have been ripped out of live sets and pressed up on vinyl, which is a little bit frustrating because the sound quality is often so poor. I saw the other day a pressing of Donna Summer?s ?I Feel Love? that I?d given to Timo Maas and that appeared on his radio show, and the sound quality was just terrible.?
Too quickly, our interview is nearly over. As a final question, I ask which DJ/Producers have been catching his ear of late. James Holden, John Digweed and Danny Tenaglia all get a mention, with a particularly enthusiastic focus on Digweed for having ?got his groove on again!? As I thank Danny for his time, hang the telephone up, and let the smooth-but-groovy melodic intro of Danny?s Global Underground 027 Miami CD1 wash over me for the umpteenth time, I reflect for a moment on Danny?s praise for Digweed, and decide for myself that if anyone in the house music scene is a qualified expert on groove, Danny Howells would have to be it ? and if the mind-blowing shows he played the last time through town are the sort of thing he feels the need to apologise for, then this time it would appear we?re all in for something of a treat.
Danny Howells tours Australia this month. Don't forget to also check out his latest mix album, 'Choice: A Collection of Classics', out now on Azuli/Stomp:
Fri May 5 - Melbourne, Room [BUY TICKETS]
Sat May 6 - Sydney, Kink 3rd Birthday [BUY TICKETS]
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