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Features
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| 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! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | DJ talk with Psyrenzo ahead of his debut set at Tribal Village, the Steelyard this Friday 14th January 2022! | | TENZO aka Overdrive talks freely about launching his new act which will be showcased at Tribal Village, Steelyard on 14 January 2022! | | A long overdue catch up with JourneyOM ahead of his next Tribal Village party this Friday 14th January 2022 at the Steelyard, London! | | Goa based party animal and artist extraordinaire Nirmal talks punk concerts, metal sculptures, flying and rippin' it up on a High Tide! | | DJ Wired talks to us about the Rise of the Hope and parties, ahead of his upcoming set at Tribal Village on 14th January 2022! |
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Insekt preview: interview with George E
Reported by Toomz
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Submitted 07-12-05 21:47
Starting out with a residency in his native South Africa some 8 years ago, George E is still playing out every week and still as passionate about the music he loves to this day. Having played at some of the most prestigious venues here in London over the years, many would feel this is an accomplished career and be satisfied with their progress, but George is still very driven in where he wants to take himself and his co-promoted hard house/dance events. As these parties go from strength to strength, so do George’s productions, with recent releases spanning the Hardsounds and Feersum imprints, as well as a new overseas label which is showing some very promising forthcoming material. But we’ll leave George to tell us more about that and the rest of the goings on in his life, Insekt and more as we grab a few words with the man himself ahead of a very busy festive season in the clubbing calender.
Hi George. Last time we caught up with you it was the launch of Insekt at Fire. 1 year on, how has it all been going?
Hi there! Well it’s been pretty much a whirl-wind year which went by so quickly. We have had some amazing events with some class acts including the OD404 DJ set and the recent b2b from Justin Bourne & Dynamic Intervention @ Insekt’s 1st B’day event. Each of these events bring their unique characteristic and features only the finest in global hard house/NRG DJs and producers — it’s very rare to find an Insekt line-up where none of the DJs appearing haven’t produced/released records. Insekt have just appointed Ian M & Richard Toomz as Insekt residents, starting 2006, and we all look very much forward to having these guys on board.
We’ve just hosted a room with Convergence at MORE! (SE1) and we are hosting a room at Logic (to be held @ Hidden) on 9 December — all very exciting and it’s good to see such respectable promotions paying attention to what we are about or even wanting to work with us. To come to a conclusion it was definitely worth our while and all the hard work as Insekt is now a brand in it’s own right and has gained respect across the hard dance scene.
With the recent launch of the Sunday morning afterparty, you must find a lot more time being paid to the promotion side of the scene, not just the DJing. How are you finding it?
Strangely enough I have recently had a conversation with someone regarding the fact of being a promoter/DJ. Personally I fell into promoting as a matter of fact — I started off helping out Allen TG with Seed (which use to run @ Purple Turtle a couple of years ago). This lead to me becoming more and more involved with the promotion side of things and now me co-promoting Byte @ Purple Turtle alongside Insekt & Insekt AM. After all, the original concept of what we know as ‘Insekt’ was conceived on the dance floor of the Purple Turtle.
Personally I find it tough to focus 100% on DJing when you run an event, you always have a pre-occupied mind on whether everyone is having a good time, is the night running smoothly et al. Just the fact that your mind must be in 10 places at once, this could be tough going for the focused DJ — I like to think of myself as a DJ 1st and then as a promoter. Co-promoting 3 events and trying to carry forward a reputable image as a DJ/Producer is certainly not an easy task, but I really enjoy the challenges it brings with it and so far so good!
As you have mentioned, you also co-promote Byte every Sunday night at the Purple Turtle in Camden which has seen a lot of changes over the past few months, including new longer hours. Can you tell us more about what has been going on?
Yeah you can call Byte a ‘chameleon’ in its own right really! We have fiddled with the music policy over the past year a fair bit to get the right blend of hard dance in there. Therefore we have seen Byte go from trancey to hard as nails NRG to now more a merge of both the hard trance and the hard house/NRG sound. A real party soundtrack as such with even a very small element of cheese chucked in from time to time (now who doesn’t like a nice slab of cheddar on their burger ey?).
The Purple Turtle crowd on a Sunday is one of the most care free and up-for-it crowds around, but in the same breath also one of the most temperamental I have witnessed in London. You can literally by playing one ‘wrong’ track clear the packed dance floor at Byte, therefore we tend to stick to our Resident DJs (Dani D/Myself/Marc Johnson/Steve Maynard/Allen TG and Pete Rothy) who work well with our core crowd and know the dance floor — we then invite, carefully selected, guest artists who we think can incorporate the Byte sound well with what they have to offer! The DJs, the crowd and the staff at the Turtle are more of a family affair than an establishment, everyone knows everyone and this makes for a great party atmosphere which is second to none!
The Purple Turtle has just gained a license to have an extra hour (till 1am) on Sunday evenings and this will definitely make getting into work on Monday mornings much harder from now onwards, ha-ha! We are in the process of planning some great one-off events for this year’s Boxing Day (26 December) which, even though it’s a Monday, should be something special. Then we see the return of Byte’s New Year’s Day event Fierce, which will start on 7pm on NYD — this will be a free event and should boast a very tasty line-up, so watch this space. Last year this event was so popular that the Purple Turtle reached a capacity crowd within the 1st hour of us opening the doors.
You currently hold residencies for Torture Garden as well as Byte and Insekt. Do you bring the same George E hard NRG style to each or do you find yourself being more diverse with your tune selection for these different crowds?
If I have to generalise the ‘George E sound’ is like my personality/attitude towards life… dark and twisted but very energetic, at times in-ya-face.
However I do indeed have some lighter shades when called upon! E.g. at Torture Garden over the past 4 years I have played arguably some of my most pounding and dirtiest sets to date, however there has been occasions where I have also played my most grooviest/sexiest uplifting sets @ TG, even dropping some hard dance bootlegs of Kylie Minogue & Prodigy — all and all it depends on the mood/vibe on the dance floor for which I have built a feel for over the years I have been playing there. My next stint @ TG will be their Valentine’s Ball in February ’06 — Valentine’s Torture Garden is always a blistering event… expect the unexpected.
As for Insekt/Insekt AM, I mainly keep my sound to a strictly hard house/NRG policy and this may vary from playing uplifting, groove-ridden hard house through to the sound of white-knuckle NRG. Once again it is all about what the dance floor wants and not about personal preference. I am a DJ who likes to entertain rather than playing what is seen as the fashion or trend of now — I’ll blend the classics with the upfront tracks. It’s only a party where people come to have fun & dance or is it…
At Byte (Purple Turtle) I’m much more open-minded about what I play and you may hear anything from hard trance to techno to hard house to NRG, it all really depends on the time I play and as per usual the mood of the floor. There is much diversity in what I play these days, as in the past I was stereotyped as a ‘hard-as-nails DJ’ and it took me a while to shake this stereo-typical branding off. It is rather comical when people tell me “oh that was a tad fluffy” and just the next week to be told “gawd that was hard”, as the saying goes you can’t please everyone all of the time, it comes with the territory!
Which crowds do you find the most responsive and do you have a favourite event you have played at in your career?
It’s a flip of a coin between the Purple Turtle on Sunday evenings and Torture Garden… it’s maybe just that I have special sentiment towards these clubs/events as Allen TG really took me under his wing when I came over to the UK and he really pushed and supported me over the years — these clubs very much nursed my sound into what it is today.
The Purple Turtle on a Sunday has an atmosphere which can’t be forged or re-created anywhere I know of… when it goes off (which it does most Sundays) it goes off in an ever so large way. We have a good merge of Antipodeans, English, Brazilian and Eastern European crowd in there that really kick a true party atmosphere… once experienced never will it be forgotten! A very cosmopolitan vibe you can say!
As for TG, well maybe it’s a combination of factors that make it so memorable but I suppose I know what the dance floor wants @ TG — there is so much energy on a TG dance floor and my sound just seem to merge well with this. TG always leaves me in a state of “wow!”
We see you’ve been quite busy on the production front recently, working with a number of different artists from up and coming DJs to seasoned professionals. How has the George E sound been developing and what have we got coming up from the E?
Yep, I have done a few new tracks, most of them in collaboration with other producers. The most recent releases have been ‘Never Turn Y Back’ on Dan Madams’ Feersum Records and ‘Freakin It’ (Hardsounds 4) with rising star, Steve Maynard — this track also got cained by the likes of Ian M who tipped it his hard house track of ’05. Ian liked the track so much that he featured it on his latest Mix for tidy Weekender 8.
Fresh in the record shops now, you’ll mine & DMF’s ‘Hardache’ on Hardsounds 5 and I am delighted that I have just secured my first track (in collaboration with WMD aka Alex Calver) to be signed to a foreign label, ‘I Know You’re Scared ‘ (Infectious Records). Infectious is the sensational new hard house/NRG label set up by two American Lads based in San Fran’… they got some awesome releases/remixes lined up from the likes of Dave The Drummer, Mik Cree (aka Dynamic Intervention), Defective Audio and Marc Johnson.
Overall I listen to what other producers are doing and maybe sometimes you hear some interesting formulas/ideas and you try to adapt your ideas and sound in accordance — you can never copy someone else but you can learn a lot by keeping your ears open and speaking to other producers. Saying that, I am always true to my sound and my tracks are very much a mirror image of what you can expect of me when I am playing out.
Looking at your recent DJ diary we see you have been getting more gigs out of London and up north, including Housewives Choice and Toolbox parties. How do you find the scene outside of the M25 and is it more difficult to promote yourself to these places after playing quite regularly in London for so long?
The major things you notice outside the M25 is that the Mullets get more extreme as you go further up north, the clothes get more ‘trashy funk’ and that ‘chicken dance’ become more of a individual ‘boxing match’ than a dance, haha — nah, I do find the Northern crowd a fair bit different to London crowd for sure, the Northern crowds are very responsive to my sound and therefore I have built a fairly strong core following, especially at the likes of Housewives Choice (Leeds).
I think for me production was the key to get out of London. 9 out of 10 times, whilst up north punters will come up to me and have a chat regarding some of my productions. Clubbers up north seem a tad more educated/in-the-know when it comes to the music! Then again, I love the London scene and we can rock down here just as much as they do up there!
Those lucky enough to see you outside of the club scene have seen you sport a rather fetching pin stripe suit for work in the City. What do you do for a living that keeps you fresh in tunes and vests?
I was born into a family of businessmen and woman… my parents own a hotel (in the Wine Region of Cape Town) and a steel construction business. The rest of the family are either bankers, accountants or in some or other directorate. I had the option, after my 5 years at Uni (I studied Economics), to either run the hotel with my parents or do my own thing, I decided on the latter and started a career in the fund management arena — thus, London seemed to have great opportunities within this field, apart from the obvious musical side of things.
To date I have worked for a couple of the big investment houses (aka banks) in the City, but at present I am contracted to the biggest home improvement retail company in Europe as a Consultant, where I head up a team of people within their Retail Fund Management Dept. It’s an extremely challenging environment but I love the buzz and thrive in stressful situations so I do really love my job. I guess one can say business is literally in my blood.
File note: ‘the Vest’ is a recognised part of club-wear where I come from, ha-ha!
We hear you are a keen rugby fan after arranging some kick-arounds with forum members on Harderfaster. Do you play this a lot and what other hobbies get you through the week?
You got to remember that in SA the baby boys are born with either a rugby ball or cricket bat in their hands. Rugby Union is a big part of the South African culture and I am indeed a very big fan of the sports, especially the Springboks (SA National Team).
I studied at the University of Stellenbosch (in Cape Town) and it’s renowned for the number of Springbok players that use to be nursed from its University Rugby Union teams. I mean Bobby Skinstad, Breyton Paulse and Louis Koen (who have all played for the Springboks) used to be some of my team mates and we use to all be good mates at Uni — it was rather amusing to see these guys on the tele when they first made it big, same time I was chuffed the lads made it good. Due to a knee injury in my second last year at Uni I unfortunately had to give up Rugby Union.
Subsequently I wanted to remain active after quitting rugby and took to the gym for some serious work-outs, this continues until this day. It’s a part of my life rather than a chore — there is nothing better after a tough day at work to go to the gym and throw around some iron. In the past year I have started taking my work-outs/diet/supplements much more seriously and it is becoming more of a body sculpting activity than just mere exercise — all of course natural grade-A Saffa Beef. It’s definitely true what they say, a healthy body means a healthy mind for sure. Earlier this year I indeed got a few of the fellow HarderFaster’s together for a couple of social Touch Rugby matches and it was absolutely great fun and a very good laugh — surely to be repeated next Summer me thinks!
Other than working out, I am a sucker for good food and a decent bottle of red wine… thus having dinner/lunch at good restaurants is a habit for me which I do every week really!
What does the future hold for George E and Insekt? We hear of some very interesting parties over the festive season.
Over the festive season there are certainly a lot of activity on the cards for George E — I mean we have the Boxing Day event @ Byte to be held @ Purple Turtle, then there is the amazing line-up for Insekt AM on NYD (5am–1pm) @ Fire. This line-up boasts only the finest hard house/NRG DJs about including Glazby, Superfast Oz, Marc Johnson and Lucy Fur to name a few of the artists on this star-studded line-up. If this is not enough we have Byte Present Fierce @ Purple Turtle on NYD (7pm–1am). This will sure be kicking if the last few years are something to go by and certainly not to far to stumble after Frantic @ Koko on NYD!
I’ll be back in the studio in January and in 06 I will be looking to do some long-overdue, follow-on collaborations with the likes of Paul King, Nik Denton and Marc Johnson as well as some of some new solo tracks. Whether my sound will evolve over the next year is to be seen but for now it’s NRG for ever! Hopefully in 2006 I will continue to operate, as a DJ, more and more outside on the M25 and climb the ladder another notch or 10… time will tell!
In 2006 I wish to see Insekt grow from strength to strength and for Byte to become one of the most reputable small clubs/events (not that Byte isn’t already) in London — I have a few tricks up me sleeve for this one but more of that at another opportunity...
As for George the person… I’m afraid that the big three zero (age 30) is breathing down me neck and that it is time to settle the demons and ‘grow-up’, though I’ll always be a kid at heart. And hey who knows, you might even hear some wedding bells in the not too far future, watch this space?
May I take the opportunity to thank all those friends/clubs/artists who have supported and believed-in me and who will hopefully continue to do so in the future. To the clubbers — a big shout to you guys as without you the clubs the DJs won’t be anywhere, you make the scene tick guys!
Merry Festive season all!
Photos courtesy of George E, Laura Board & Vicious Circle.
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INSEKT
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On:
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Saturday 17th December 2005
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At:
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Fire [map]
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From:
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10pm-5am
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Cost:
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15 on the door,10 congession guest list
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Website:
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www.insekt.co.uk
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Ticket Info:
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For more info please contact:
Marc Johnson / 07946 311204 / marc@insekt.co.uk
James Nardi / 07779 634820 / james@insekt.co.uk
George E / 07961 942307 / george@insekt.co.uk
Chris Comben / 07866 626838 / chris@insekt.co.uk
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More:
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Wow, the first year has flown by and what better way to start our 2nd year than with an all out Christmas party, Insekt stylee.
This month we welcome our new Insekt resident for 2006...IAN M.
Ian will be playing a large part in the Insekt parties next year, so come and make him feel welcome.
The rest of the line up speaks for itself.
It's going be a cold winter, so come to the hotest club in town...
Insekt - "Let the music do the talking.."
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Flyer:
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 - 
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Region:
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London
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Music:
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Hard House.
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DJ's:
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[Main Room]
Ian M (New Insekt resident 2006)
Justin Bourne (Insekt/Short Circuit/Kaktai)
Marc Johnson (Flashpoint/Tripoli Trax/Insekt)
Paul King (Trauma Trax/Vicious Circle/Toolbox)
James Nardi (Aftermath/Insekt/Short Circuit)
[Firepit]
Jason Ireland (Contact/Red Rooms - Playing House music)
NRG EXUS (Poison/Poland)
Dani D (Byte/Romania)
Stefan (Torture Garden/Byte)
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Share this ::  :  :  : 
Follow HarderFaster :: 
Other Features By Toomz:
Insekt preview with Simon Paul & Housewives Choice.
Insekt preview: crowd rockin with Ben Stevens
An interview with Flash Point's quiet man Jupe.
From Oz to AM: a look at the past year & 2006 with James Nardi
An update on a Vicious year for Insekt’s early riser, Marc Johnson
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: djviticus on 7th Dec 2005 21:58.25
nice on man.. cant wait tell i am out there in 3 weeks to catch up.. keep on rockin
From: Matt Smallwood on 7th Dec 2005 22:22.50
Nice one George-E, a top bloke and always so passionate about his music! Well desreved and keep it up mate :o)
From: Raf E on 7th Dec 2005 23:59.11
George-E, you have control !!!!
From: Maria on 8th Dec 2005 01:24.38
Keep the hard work George. I'll see you on Sunday at Byte. Mwwhhhaaaa
From: dani d on 8th Dec 2005 01:50.56
Nice interview,top bloke, quality dj, definatley one of the hardest working dj's on the scene and deserves all the credibility he gets! Nice one mate and so glad to work with you every week at Byte and all the best for the future. 
From: Lx on 8th Dec 2005 09:23.38
go on George!
even though i dont like HH anymore i can say for sure this guy is teh bollox, seeing him rocking Insect on Sunday defo proves there are still great DJs with great skills!
From: Baynesy on 8th Dec 2005 09:57.01
Wicked to see ya laying down a Fevah Trance track in the 1st photo there mate.
From: Stakker on 8th Dec 2005 10:34.10
Good interview and good responses. Would never have expected it, judging him solely on his HF persona.
You have surprised me George. best of luck in your productions, that's defo where it's at.
From: Psym@n on 8th Dec 2005 10:37.34
george youre a top bloke ...keep up the good work mate and i hope life goes from strength to strength for ya ...
From: PTB on 8th Dec 2005 10:59.22
One of the nicest and most attractive DJs in Club land apart from my boyfriend off course. Keep up the good work George.
From: Marc Johnson on 8th Dec 2005 12:42.42
good reading Tarzan!!!!!
From: TheDon on 8th Dec 2005 13:00.42
Wedding hay, nice one. Clearly the piss will now be ripped, 30, you old man! :o)
Top work lad, keep it all up.
From: James Nardi on 8th Dec 2005 13:13.57
welldone mate, keep it up.
From: Richard Launch on 8th Dec 2005 15:15.38
All the best George! Keep pushing the envelope mate.
From: Tina Martin on 8th Dec 2005 15:56.56
Congrats to all you lads who've put so much hard work into Insekt.. here's to 2006! 
From: Perera on 8th Dec 2005 17:57.53
Nice Work fairy man..
From: Danny Gilligan on 8th Dec 2005 20:36.36
Big up ya chest bru! its all gravy mate.
From: Karl Schmidt on 8th Dec 2005 23:13.24
Top notch shit there bro!! Keep it rocking tsaana!!!
From: El Capitano Pete on 9th Dec 2005 00:24.58
Super interview - well done Georgina & Tozom! 
From: Steve Gillen on 9th Dec 2005 08:42.41
Great interview. Glad to see your getting the recognition you deserve. Keep up the good work
From: Redrum on 9th Dec 2005 12:43.23
Top Guy,deserves his success so far. May it continue.Great read also.See you on Sunday,George .
From: Allen TG on 9th Dec 2005 18:37.48
George Who????? Nice one George E, OK I let you play at TG again....Seroisly, good to see that you career go from strenght to strenght...heres too the next 5 years dude
From: Letty Bird on 10th Dec 2005 04:00.45
WOOOOOT!!! Nice interview sir! Looking forward to seeing you! xx
From: Mizz_behavin on 10th Dec 2005 14:50.40
Cool interview, c u soon hun 
From: Faster Toni on 13th Dec 2005 11:28.22
Good one Saffa boy.
From: Stevi D on 13th Dec 2005 12:35.49
Keeo 'em coming GEO!!"
From: bennett on 13th Dec 2005 12:42.04
nice one george!
From: George-E on 14th Dec 2005 14:25.06
Thanks for all the kind comments and see ya all on a dance floor near you. Wishing everyone a v. Merry Xmas and a prosperous 2006.
From: karl davis on 15th Dec 2005 10:16.33
great stuff ya big girl ha ha keep it rocking m8, great dj/ producer
From: Da Little Boy on 15th Dec 2005 15:55.54
Great dj and producer
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