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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! |
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Cream of the Crop - Eddie Halliwell
Reported by K8-e
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Submitted 11-03-09 07:58
He's been described as the closest thing we have to a superstar DJ since Oakey and Sasha, Mixmag named him their DJ of the year twice and even Tiesto gave him his top vote in the DJ Mag Top 100 in 2007, speaking of which he has no less than four consecutive top 20 placings in that listing. A packed DJing schedule with gigs all over the world and a place in most people minds as one of the most technically gifted DJs to have sprung up in recent times Eddie Halliwell doesn’t really need much introduction. Ahead of Cream’s Easter Bank Holiday Special I got the chance to interview Eddie and meet the man behind the hype.
Funnily enough Eddie wasn’t actually someone on my “wish list” to interview, however when the opportunity arose I knew I couldn’t turn it down. Famed for his Mixmag “Bosh” CDs and all round generally wizardry on the decks I’d always been fascinated by his rise to fame without having to produce and as I started reading other interviews/researching his history I didn’t find the depth of answers I thought I wanted from an interview so I set about writing my questions.
I don’t do phone interviews all that often but when I do they are a nerve wracking affair – mostly because I worry they won’t get recorded properly and I’ll have to go back sheepishly to HarderFaster and the DJ and ask to do it again – I really hope that never happens! However this interview really was a pleasure – despite my technical worries. Immediately we got chatting I was struck by how friendly and down to earth Eddie is (my boyfriend who is also a Northerner says this is the reason - lol) and we managed to rattle on for a good forty minutes. It’s a pretty long read but there’s some great stuff in there and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.
This is your first Harderfaster interview for about 3 years so thank you very much for taking time out of your schedule. 2008 was another amazing year for you culminating in a gig in Rio to 1.5 million people – that’s some send off to last year - how was the rest of 2008 for you?
Yeah it’s been a fantastic year; I’m very grateful and thankful for everyone’s support. As you mentioned I did one of the best things I’ve ever done as a DJ playing on Barra beach to 1.5 million people with Paul van Dyk and myself, it was absolutely awesome.
It must be one of the things you dream about when you start DJing, doing something like that? Do you think anything can top that?!
I don’t think so, but even when you said dream about it, I don’t think it even entered or crossed my mind playing to an audience of that size. You couldn’t even imagine it, the sights that I saw; I could never even imagine seeing a crowd of that size. There were just people as far as you could see. Especially being in Brazil, the people just love life and they love music, they’re a great crowd to play to.
The noise must have been awesome, amazing even – not just the sound system but the noise from the crowd as well – was it overwhelming?
Yeah it was certainly overwhelming. They had a big firework display for New Years Eve and it was just an amazing experience altogether!
Fantastic! Taking it back to the beginning you started mixing at 15 – slightly too early to be in the clubs! Where did your love for dance music come from and who or what prompted you to learn the craft?
It was purely a general love for music that got me into DJing. Before I discovered DJing I’d always been into musical things and I was always more of a hands-on person mucking around with bits of equipment and stuff. I just got to an age, I actually at one stage thought I was a bit gutted I’d not got to grips with an instrument at 15. You don’t realise… well you look back at 15 and now you see you’ve got a lot of opportunities but at that age I thought I should have got to grips with a musical instrument earlier and I thought I’d missed my chance. As I got a bit older I discovered dance music and I realised that djing was something I could get into from a musical angle. As soon as I discovered it the technical aspect of DJing just grabbed me right from the start and I just heavily focused on that side of things and working with new technology, trying to doing whatever I could, learning new things and that’s where I heavily focused my time.
I didn’t really approach any clubs for quite some time because I was just happy practising while I was at school and college. It took about five years before I approached any clubs and then it just seemed to kick off in and around the Manchester scene. One of my first opportunities was for a club called 2Klub (at North) in Manchester.
I’ve seen you quoted as saying you never thought you could make a career out of it - when was the moment you realised you could?
Erm <long pause> I couldn’t really say to be honest. As I look back now and talk about your first opportunities you see now that’s where things started off. But I didn’t really think of it as a career or imagine you could really make anything of it, things just happened. Obviously I threw every bit of energy into every opportunity that came my way but if something wasn’t right for me I wouldn’t take it on. Like I said it took me five years before I even approached anyone because things did come to me in that five year period but I thought for whatever reason I wasn’t ready. Eventually when opportunities came my way I felt this was something I wanted to do and I wanted to perform to people but I can’t really answer the question about when I thought it could be a career really ‘cos it’s the people around me, my friends and family who sort of pushed me in a sense and said “Right Eddie we think you can do it!”.
I think it’s interesting you say that, a lot of DJs start playing out quite quickly these day, it’s not my interview to comment on the scene but I think some DJs (and I’ll include myself here) could perhaps have spent a bit more time in the bedroom before they unleashed themselves on the world..
Travelling around now and people giving you demos you can hear a lot of the time, well and people say, I’ve only been mixing six months, have a listen to this see what you think. And I sometimes think to myself back to when I first started after six months, especially these days now with how evolved DJs have become what with it being digital and everything what you can do, after six months, you have to be a genius if you can have learnt the craft within that period of time. When people ask for advice the things that I always say if you can, take a period of time and learn as much as you can before you put yourself out there.
I think that’s good advice. You mentioned the technical side of things earlier and obviously you are affiliated with Pioneer and your love of their stuff is well known. Was your first mixer a Pioneer, when did the love affair begin?
No, it wasn’t actually; I can’t remember what the name was.
I suppose you were quite young to afford a Pioneer, I had a Citronix mixer as my first mixer…
I remember what it was but I quickly ditched it, but I got it and remember it had a punch button…
Yeah? Mine had those too!!
That’s where I started learning exactly where to chop and how to scratch and chop certain sounds in and out and that’s where I started heavily focusing on the scratching and over time – well if I ever had an addiction I would say it was with mixers. I used to buy mixers all the time if one had a different feel to the cross fader, one that was tighter, one that had a slightly tighter curve. There were so many different aspects on the mixers, one did one thing and one did another and I just kept buying different mixers until finally – and this is where my relationship with Pioneer came about - I was buying mixers left, right and centre for their different features, effects and curves on fader and then when the 909 came out that’s where my relationship developed with Pioneer as I was onto them when I heard it was coming out I kept hassling them and hassling them to send me one, asking if I could have one before it hit the shops and they sent me one! I just got to know the people down there and then obviously as technology developed we’ve worked closely together. I’m working with them on some new equipment that’s due for release at the end of the year.
Can you say any more about that or is that a secret for now?
I’m afraid I can’t say anything about that until it comes out!
Booooo! Well you mentioned the 909 and on the Pioneer tour you did a while back you had 2 x 909 mixers in session back to back and two CDJs on each – is that your ideal setup at the moment – what’s the minimum kit you expect when you play at a club?
Well it was at one stage an ideal setup and I did the tour around it ‘cos obviously at the time when your working with the 909 that wasn’t readily available your working with more specialist equipment, the amount of gigs and touring that you do, unless you take it on the road with you, is very difficult to get in clubs. That’s why we decided to do the exclusive tour; I think it was 7 dates on the tour but now ‘cos obviously with all the travelling I do with gigs you have to keep the setup workable. I mean I always keep it workable for everyone else who’s around – you know respecting that. Sometimes certain places and countries you travel to can’t get the stuff you want, so you have to keep a certain level of consistency so you know what to expect. I’ve not gone overcomplicated on the setup. But now with the way djing is evolving there’s so many new bits of equipment that have been released my perfect setup is basically what I use at home which is why I’m going to be releasing a new concept in April which is using new technology and new pieces of equipment but obviously you can’t get it everywhere because you have to travel with the equipment on the road.
Is this the “Ed-It” concept I’ve read about on your Web site – can you talk about that?
Yes it is, yeah I can! It’s basically just a new djing concept, as you mentioned, obviously working with new equipment, Ed-It is about me working with new technology to enhance my DJ performance ultimately. It’s setting up a new platform for me to test out new equipment. We’re doing a 6-7 date tour with it and just seeing how it evolves. For quite some time now, for a few years I’ve been wanting to bring new equipment into my DJ setup but it depends how people see things, over time people using different pieces of equipment. It’s like when the CDJ came out it was a very volatile time within the industry and people didn’t accept it at the time so just to make a drastic change in the DJ setup one day – well it’s just a platform for me to test out new equipment and then bring it into my setup as time goes on.
What is your setup at home then?
My setup at home, well I’ve got various ones actually. One in the studio that I don’t really use as much with the 2 Pioneer 909s setup with 3 CDJs and a couple of turntables which I don’t use as much these days. I’ve got another one which has got a couple of CDJs, various midi-controllers, the laptop and bits and pieces rigged through it.
So the latter setup is the concept for Ed-It?
Yes various different bits of equipment and the Pioneer stuff that will be out the latter end of the year will be integrated into the concept. Also I’ve been working with a new company that’s all about using new monitoring systems in your ear which is also going to be introduced into it. I’ve basically got a prototype I’m using at the minute.
That sounds interesting… maybe not where you play, but a lot of places I play don’t often have the quality of monitors!
This is the thing isn’t it! I’ve been using earplugs for years – the ER15s since they first came out and I think it’s a thing people really need to be aware of. Obviously they’re amazing to be using but you are taking the frequencies out which means you aren’t listening to all the sound and even if you’ve not got earplugs in and you’re using club monitoring systems they’re that loud the quality of the sound you are listening to is terrible sometimes.
It was phenomenal when they put these things in my ears – you’ve got a top quality sound you’re listening to! I can’t really say some things about it that make it so good but they are part of the Ed-It concept and it’s a new monitoring system I’m buzzin’ about!!
Well it sounds quite exciting and thanks for giving me a taster on that. You mentioned your set up at home; do you spend much time on the decks outside of clubs?
Well djing is what I love doing, I am an out and out DJ and I treat that separate to production. Obviously being on the road you are away a lot and I’m putting all my time into djing but being on the road you aren’t in one place at one time for long and I’ve had to make changes in what I do to develop in other areas. I mean this month I’m actually taking some time off as I’ve been in South America for a month. I’m making changes like that so I can put some time into doing other stuff but when I’m on the road I don’t get as much chance to practise as I’d like. That’s why if I wanted to get into production I’d really have to take the time out, off the road and focus on that.
It’s interesting you day that because obviously you’re seemingly one of the few only superstar DJs who has built your entire career on the strength of your skills behind the decks rather than production. Do you think the industry has placed too much emphasis on production as a route to DJing these days?
I think they have to be honest in a way. If you roll the clock back like five, six, seven, years the producer and the DJ for me were two totally separate, different, worlds but these days now as I’m talking about the new concept that I’m developing there is certain equipment that is making a DJ the producer and producers DJs. I think they’re coming together now and certainly for me I see a vision in the future where you’re working on stage with your equipment and in effect reproducing your own sounds from other sounds that’s basically where I see me getting more involved in it but I think in the past they’ve been two separate worlds. If you want to get involved as a DJ you’re on the road constantly and obviously to produce people are working with engineers. For me to do that, because I love technology, I’d like to get involved myself and do that, rather than go in the studio with an engineer for a couple of days and produce a track. If I’d have done that five or six years ago the sounds I’d have been producing wouldn’t have come from me they’d have come from somebody else and could have actually hindered the direction I wanted to go in musically.
Obviously some people are successful from making a record and then getting out there on the road. But sometimes I think people go in the studio with someone and because their not that experienced they might produce something that’s just not for them.
Do you have ideas of how you would want a tune to sound?
Definitely! Over time I’ve listened to so much music I know… well I have loads of sounds going through my head, you hear things and you think “that’s perfect”. As I say though hopefully working with new technology things will come out when I put some time aside.
So these “Ed-it’s” that you do for your sets yourself – what are they done on?
I’ve been working with Ableton Live for years now; it’s a fantastic piece of software. It’s very DJ friendly and keeps you in the same DJ frame of mind when you’re on it.
I guess from reading your other interviews I was never sure that you actually wanted to produce?
I definitely do want to produce! It’s just the time required learning with some of the programs in the past has been too much. I’m not a producer, I’m a DJ. If that’s what I’m doing I’m actually doing this to get out on the road and I’ve been given the opportunity to get on the road so straight away that takes priority and I’ve been very fortunate to have the opportunities to carry on djing. But if I was actually going to sit in the studio it would be, if I roll the clock back I did a music technology course when I started, the pure reason behind that I was of that mentality that I would have to produce to get the opportunities to DJ and it didn’t work out that way. But now because of the way djing and the scene have evolved digitally I can see a vision on stage in the future where it’s both coming together. DJs can work with Ableton Live but still keep that djing mentality.
Cool! So speaking of production which producers do you tip for big things in 2009? Who’s floating your boat right now?
Marcus Schossow has been doing some great things last year and right now. We’ve had him on at a couple of our gigs.
And DJ wise? Do you get the chance to see much up and coming talent when you are out DJing; is there anyone you are tipping for big things?
There are quite a few DJs, but the new guy Jordan Suckley is doing some great stuff, he seems to be being really well received by people and doing really well
We really should talk about Cream now! Cream is of course one of the original, iconic super clubs – I actually remember going to Ibiza in ‘99 and seeing a guy by the pool with the cream logo tattooed on his arm which at the time totally bowled me over (that sort of dedication to a club I mean!) but I digress – how did you get involved with Cream and what makes the club special for you?
Obviously I’ve been heavily involved with Cream, Ibiza is the first thing that springs to mind but I did play for Cream over here before that. Radio 1 and Cream teamed up together to do a special Saturday five hour Essential Mix and I had the opportunity to do one of the hours there. That was the first time I played in Ibiza and things progressed from there with Cream over there. Playing for Cream at home and at the Festivals like Creamfields in Liverpool is absolutely fantastic. They are just amazing gigs and they’ve got such an avid following, that’s what makes the gigs amazing to play.
You are headlining the courtyard at the Cream Easter Special on Sunday Bank Holiday – what have you got in store for the crowd?
Full of fire! That’s what I always say.
Is it confirmed you will be back with Cream in Ibiza in summer or will we just have to wait and see?
Things are being sorted out at the minute but I’m hoping to be back on the White Island this year and really looking forward to it!
What are your favourite memories from 2008 on the White Isle?
The whole season seems to blur into one sometimes! You get to September and a lot of the workers just want to go home but I’m always really gutted, I can’t wait to get back. I stay very disciplined getting in an out, it’s a great place to meet up with your friends when you are out there but I’m usually shooting off elsewhere. I think a lot of people sometimes spend too much time there and perhaps regret it at the end of the season but I love all the time I spend there!
Obviously you have a massive online presence across the major portals but have been the first music industry artist to publish a myebook – cunningly titled “the ed-ebook” (I love your PR people!) – How has that been received?
Yeah this is a new concept; it’s a programme that’s obviously very early doors right now, in Beta testing at the minute. It’s basically an area where you can archive whatever you want as long as you set a template up. You can create your own pages quickly and easily and it’s allowed me to put the content from my Web site into this format allowing it to be more easily updated. If you’ve got something new that you are doing it’s as simple as “new page, new title” and put it up there. I think with everything that’s going on with the Web you see certain DJs are actually closing their sites down and relying on things like MySpace or Facebook or Bebo as obviously you’ve got great communities on there and its easy for them to keep the fans up to date but those areas are very limited with what you can do.
With the ebook its very easy for me to put stuff up there and its so much more user friendly than a page on MySpace because you can do whatever you want, drag and drop anything you want on there. I know you can do this with Web sites but if you don’t have the stuff developed you have to get your Web designers to do it for you and its just an easy, versatile way of putting stuff up there.
We’re releasing an archive section which has stuff from years ago that I didn’t have anywhere to put it. There are loads of things you can do with it. I’m buzzin’ I’ve come across it actually.
Check out Eddie’s “Ed-ebook”: http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=1331
And his new “Ed-itorial” ebook:
http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=1486
Given you are such a whizz with the Pioneer kit I’d assume you like your gadgets? What’s your favourite gadget and what one wouldn’t you leave home without?
I am a gadget man yes… but I can’t mention my favourite gadget – it’s the one I spoke about earlier.
Like George Formby and Sir Ian McKellan you come from Wigan, notorious in dance music as the home of Wigan Pier. Do you have a favourite Pier tune? Any tucked away in your collection?
I do actually like some old skool, I’ve got a good collection of what could be described as classic piano old skool. Actually my brother got married a few weeks ago and John Kelly came and did a set of old skool tunes – we were all buzzin! A quality job he did.
I was hoping for some secret bounce in the collection!! So just a few quick fire questions then:
Last film you watched? <long pause> I only really see snippets of films; I don’t really have time to watch films from start to finish.
Oh, not really very quick fire is this; I’m going to move on?! What’s on your ipod/in your car stereo right now? Some new promo tracks on a CD that I’ve burnt.
Favourite drink when DJing?
Vodka cranberry. Or whatever’s wet really.
The Golden Arches or The good ol’ Colonel when driving to gigs? Err... The Arches
Good choice! What have you got in store for the rest of 2009 – you’ve achieved so much – what’s next?
Just continuing to Fire It Up really!
Thanks Eddie for your time today it’s been a great pleasure!
Photos courtesy of www.geespot.net. Not to be reproduced without permission.
Cream Easter Special
 
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On:
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Sunday 12th April 2009
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At:
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Nation [map]
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From:
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10:00 - 6:00
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Cost:
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£23.50 + bf
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Website:
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www.cream.co.uk
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Ticket Info:
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Tickets are on sale now / £23.50+BF / Doors open at 10pm till 6am (Sawmill Bar open from 9pm) / Nation, Wolstenholme Square, Liverpool, L1 4JJ / Info Tel: 0151 707 1309 / info@cream.co.uk / www.cream.co.uk / Cream Ticketline: 0844 888 4401
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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Cream catapults itself into 2009 with a mouth watering line up for the first of three parties this year at its Liverpool home Nation. Taking place on Sunday 12th April Bank Holiday Weekend, parisian DJ/Producer du jour David Guetta is back by demand for Cream’s Easter Special. Coming No.5 in the DJ Mag Top 100 Poll, Grammy nominated Guetta is one of the world’s most sought after house DJ’s and Producers, with an arsenal of hits under his belt including ‘The World Is Mine’, ‘Love Is Gone’ & ‘Delirious’ to name a few. Having scooped the award for ‘DJ Of The Year’ in the House Music Awards and with a hugely successful Residency at Pacha in Ibiza that attracts the islands glitterati, 2009 is set to send him to even greater heights!
Joining him in the Main Room is Dave Spoon. Having landed himself a coveted show on BBC Radio 1’s ‘In New Music We Trust’, and having a reputation for producing dancefloor killers such as ‘At Night’ has made Dave one of the most in demand DJ’s in the country. Already championed by everyone from Deep Dish to Tiesto, we cant wait to have him back at Nation. Other Main Room attractions include Cream resident Gareth Wyn and from the white isle, we welcome Amnesia Resident Mar T.
Headlining the Courtyard is another highly sought after DJ that has been snared for the party…Eddie Halliwell, who is without doubt one of the most exciting DJ’s on the scene. With enough energy to light up a room, Eddie’s return is always a big one, just be sure to claim your plot before he comes on! And returning after a 3 year hiatus and jetting in from Italy is Mauro Picotto, who will be joined by Adam Sheridan and rising star Rob H.
Following Boxing nights proverbial mash up, house music once again takes over the Annexe. The Swedish invasion continues, as House Mafia don Sebastian Ingrosso heads up the bill, joined by fellow swede and highly acclaimed DJ/Producer John Dahlback who pops his Cream cherry on Easter Sunday! Making his debut will be Kim Fai who has been tipped throughout the press as ‘one to watch’. Kim burst onto the scene only a year ago and since then has showered the scene with an arsenal of twisted techy floorfillers, the biggest being his mammoth re-rub of Funkagenda’s Toolroom Trax smash ‘What The F***’, thus cementing his position as one of the foremost young producers on the scene. Arno Cost is another DJ making his debut, and lets not forget our unsung resident heroes, Andy Mac, Lee Ellis and Anthony Probyn.
This event will be broadcast live on Juice FM www.juicefm.co.uk
Cream Easter Special
Nation, Wolstenholme Square, Liverpool, L1 4JJ, Tel: 0151 707 1309 / www.cream.co.uk, , Tickets: 0844 888 4401, Tickets on sale now £23.50+BF, 10pm – 6am (Sawmill Bar open from 9pm), Strictly no sportswear, jeans & trainers ok.
Sunday 12th April Bank Holiday Weekend
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Other Features By K8-e:
The One and Only Eddie Halliwell
PunchFunk & Geushky Presents "Let's Make Rave" with Ian Void & Chris Vaux
Cream @ Amnesia - Ibiza 2010 - Reviewed
Pure Gold: Interview with Will Gold
Turning the Corner - Interview with IAMX
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: Kiko on 12th Mar 2009 20:43.35
Great interview with A true LEGEND in dance music!
Fire it up m8! 
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