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Features
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Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! |
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Extreme Euphoria - When Anne met Andy!
Reported by Anne Savage and Andy Farley
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Submitted 14-12-04 20:49
When it comes to Titans of the scene they don’t come much bigger than the King and Queen of clubs. Anne Savage & Andy Farley are colossal figures in the Hard Dance community. Part of the elite Top 100 DJs in the world they have dominated virtually every major line up over the past 5 years, be it Creamfields, Global Gathering, HardHouse Academy or the mighty Tidy Weekenders!
As well as colleagues on the weekly DJ circuit they are firm friends and are held in the highest regard by their peers and fans alike. Before they take their places in the block-rocking line up at the Extreme Euphoria Christmas party, where Anne will also launch her new album, the two huge personalities braved the cold on London Bridge to chat about everything from music to American Pie to roasting chestnuts on an open fire. The result is as follows:
SAVAGE ON FARLEY
ANNE SAVAGE: If I had the money I’d open a pub called Bar Humbug- I’ve got a huge family, nearly all of them are ungrateful rugrats – it costs me a fortune every year and I only ever get sh*t presents back that don’t even make it half way down the M1. Do you like Christmas and if so - why?
ANDY FARLEY: I enjoy roasting my chestnuts in front of an open fire and spending Christmas Day with my family just generally stuffing our faces and drinking lots, but apart from that I don’t get excited about it anymore. Lots of running around spending for one day which is gone before you know it.
ANNE: Have you ever pulled a decent Christmas cracker?
ANDY: I’ve had a few p*ssed snogs on Christmas Eve if that counts.
ANNE: I was genuinely guttted to miss the opening of your new night ‘Blue’ at Turnmills (cos I was playing elsewhere) which was a roaring success. It’s more techno orientated but with proper warm ups which reminds me a lot of what Trade was about. Are you fed up of following ‘warm up’ DJ’s that finish off at 150bpm at 11pm at hard house clubs up and down the country and is that why you decided to start ‘Blue’?
ANDY: The main reasons for Blue were for me to have the opportunity to play different music from what I normally do. I play a lot of techno in my sets anyway, but this gave me a chance to play 4 hours of funkier techno into harder techno which was great. I started my set at 141bpm and finished at 145bpm! I must admit its great to have a good warm up dj playing before you because you get more scope to be able to play different sounds in your set.
ANNE: Why the name Blue? Are you depressed or is it a secret message to Duncan?
ANDY: It was after my sparkly blue eyes ha ha ha. No Blue has always been my favourite colour and we tried different connotations of using the word Blue but settle for something simple!
ANNE: My Nan used to give me a placcy rain bonnet and a hanky every year for Christmas (you can ask our Jane if you don’t believe me). What’s the worst gift you’d give someone if you despised them -but had to?
ANDY: I’m going to show my age now, but all those crap Ronco things that always used to appear at Christmas like a roller for getting fluff off your jacket or something from Poundland. Failing that a Cheeky Girls album.
ANNE: I have to say you’re very modest about the undisputed fact that, in my opinion you are the most actively forward thinking dj in our scene at present , someone who is confident in who they are and not afraid to smash and mingle genres. The incredible success of Blue is obviously due to your huge popularity and respect, as though people trust whatever you do will be good. It’s encouraging that our scene can move on, people may like intelligent hard music and perhaps it won’t become stale as is predicted by the press? Do you aim to take us with you, or is techno a way out? What are your thoughts on you own future in hard dance?
ANDY: To be honest the way I’m looking at it is that I’m expanding on what I’m doing rather than trying to escape from any scene or anything. If you think back to when we first met, our sets would have been a mixture of trance, hard house, and tough house, whatever. It’s only since the advent of all different labels for music that clubs have become segregated. I used to remember going to clubs and hearing Tall Paul, Tony de Vit, Oakenfold, Sasha and so on all in the same club, where would that mixture happen now so much? I love playing very hard sets as much as funky techno or house sets which I’ve been able to do this year. Any dj has to develop and expand musically otherwise they get bored with what they do. Hard dance has evolved greatly over the last 4 years and is a very broad term now which is great. I hope people will still enjoy what I do, whether it be a banging hard set or a more laid back one!
ANNE: Your new label, if it’s anything like the success of ‘Blue’ at Turnmills is an exciting prospect. What do you have in store for us in the New Year with the label, and line up wise at Blue?
ANDY: The labels done really well so far. The third release ‘Follow Me’ by Michael James & Riggsy should be out later this month (shameless plug I know). I’m very excited about having my own label as it gives me a chance to experiment more with my sound, rather than making a tune and having to think how it will suit the label that I am doing it for. We’ve some great tunes for the New Year including collaborations between myself and James Lawson, D.A.V.E. the Drummer, Ant, Guy McAffer and some tracks that I’ve licensed in too.
ANNE: Are you looking forward to playing at Extreme Euphoria on Boxing Day, and what style will you be throwing down?
ANDY: Boxing Day will be my first hard set in London since June, so a nice up for it set as long as everyone isn’t too full of turkey! Going to drop in a few nice surprise classics too.
ANNE: Quick fire round: You’re favourite…
A: Film moment
Hmm perhaps American Pie the wedding when Stiffler eats the dog sh*t, don’t know many people I heard gagging in the cinema
B: None dance album
The Gift or Sound Affects by The Jam
C: Fav city to play in
London or Birmingham
D: Read…..
Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series
E: All time favourite tune (only cos I get asked it and hate it……ha ha)
It’s My Life by Talk Talk
OK MY TURN NOW…..
ANDY FARLEY: We all know that Santa only comes once a year and generally fills your stockings. What would you like Santa to fill your stockings with this year and why?
ANNE SAVAGE: It was a sad day when I found out that Santa was actually my mum in fake beard and cheap rented suit – I busted her when I was about 7. Since then as punishment she only filled my stockings with lemons, so I’d actually like to fill my own stockings with well toned slim legs without having to go to the gym.
ANDY FARLEY: What is the worst present you’ve ever been given at Christmas and do you still speak to the person that gave it to you?
ANNE SAVAGE: Well let’s just say it was from an ex of mine. He was pretty damn well off, and I put up with some serious grief from him thinking that the pay out, come Christmas would be worth it. I got an electric blanket. I’ll leave you guessing if I still speak to him.
ANDY FARLEY: You’ve recently done two of the discs on the new Extreme Euphoria album, which was your favourite one to do, the classics one or the new one?
ANNE SAVAGE: I actually preferred doing the current music one – I’d like to do 3 CD’s of current music so I could lay down all the music I’m into – squeezing your whole sound on one CD is near impossible and quite frustrating, but I respect the fact that the Euphoria brand has to satisfy a huge range of consumers – they know what they’re doing – that’s why they are the market leaders and sell upwards of 100,000 copies and use 3 contrasting cd’s on the one comp. I did enjoy compiling the classics one too – there were some brave choices but my brief was to choose tracks that weren’t necessarily obvious, but influenced the sound of hard dance that we all love today.
ANDY FARLEY: You will be playing the Extreme Euphoria Boxing Day gig at The Fridge alongside myself, any surprises in store for us? (for example like playing Schoneberg) hint hint
ANNE SAVAGE: Should I play it? Maybe if we can get the decks up to +16!!!
ANDY FARLEY: So Miss Savage what are your plans for 2005 then?
ANNE SAVAGE: To be brutally honest, I’ve just moved to a new management company who are 100% behind me. Prior to this move I was lacking confidence as a result of my previous agency’s shortage of enthusiasm for my djing abilities and career. So I’m really excited and energised about my future again. I will be doing loads more productions and trying out lots of different sounds. I have made a track under a pseudonym which is unwittingly being played by the likes of James Holden, Timo Maas and Adam Freeland!!!! How cool is that! I’m still going to bang out the hard stuff which I still love the most though.
ANDY FARLEY: What about Internationals…You’ve played in many different countries around the world, which one would you say is your favourite and why?
ANNE SAVAGE: I love travelling I really do, but I have to say that djing wise I love the UK the most – at the moment- because the audiences know me so well and they trust me. It actually makes me feel like I can be more experimental for that reason.
ANDY FARLEY: We first played together in 1997 when I warmed up for you at Sundissential and your first tune was ‘Flash’ by B.B.E. (how’s about that for a memory!). How do you find the clubbing crowds and music now compared to then?
ANNE SAVAGE: I can remember the first time I played with you at SS. I wasn’t really a ‘hard house’ dj back then and I was nervous to say the least because I’d heard the horror stories of clubbers bringing sleeping bags to the club and sitting cross legged on the dance floor in protest if they didn’t like the dj. Fortunately they liked what I played and I went on to be a ‘regular’. But listening to your mixing, where every bassline was followed by the next was an inspiration to me. The crowds today – in the UK are even harder to please. Invariably they have their own decks and can all mix, but there is a plus side to this, they get off on the subtleties like a decent long mix etc. Its become a whole different vibe.
ANDY FARLEY: You have done a lot more production this year, is this something you are looking to pursue more? Could we perhaps be seeing an Anne Savage appearance on Top of the Pops? And if so can I be one of the dancers in the background….
ANNE SAVAGE: Is Top of the Pops still going? If so then yes but I don’t think my new Uber- Derelicte-Grunge-house will go down that well with the BBC.
ANDY FARLEY: OK corny question now, any New Year’s Resolutions?
ANNE SAVAGE: Don’t believe in them ;-)
ANDY FARLEY: Quick fire round now.
Holidays – beach or activity? Activity
Music – Beatles or Elvis? Beatles but only post 60’s
Kebab – Doner or Chicken? Doner
Intimate - Chocolate or sex? Sex
Are u – Morning person or nocturnal? Ha Ha Ha Ha Haaaa!
ANDY FARLEY: And finally of course that good old all time favourite tune question!
ANNE SAVAGE: Changes weekly – at the moment ‘Irish Rover’ by the Dubliners.
Can we get off this Bridge now pleeeeeeaaaasssseee!!!!
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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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