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Back to Bedrock with John Digweed
Reported by benz
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Submitted 12-10-06 10:37
With Bedrock’s Anniversary round the corner, we thought it was high time that someone tracked down hand honcho John Digweed to trace back the club/record label/brand’s history and construct some sort of Bedrock timeline. It has been one of the most influential names in dance music for the past decade, making and breaking new djs and artists with its high-quality series of single and compilation releases, and global events. If it’s cool, quality, underground house music that you’re after, Bedrock is always one of the first places to look.
“The reason I started Bedrock [the club] was basically to get more gigs for myself.” John explains. “I soon learnt the satisfaction in producing your own event and controlling the music by who else played, but basically at the very beginning it was to get me exposure, pure and simple.” The Bedrock empire began in John’s ‘hood’ — Hastings in Sussex, on the South Coast of England back in early ‘90s at a wee venue called The Crypt. “Later we went to The Pier, which is where people seem to know of us best. It became monthly once we were established.”
John’s musical inspirations at the time were American djs like Francois Kervorkian (who held a legendary residency on Kiss FM in New York) and Derrick Carter. As the club’s reputation grew, Digweed’s name began to spread around the country, and by 1992 he was working closely with prog house pioneers Renaissance — which ended up with him mixing the first ever dj compilation with Sasha in 1994 for their label. This was a far cry from John’s struggles in the late ‘80s to get himself noticed in London. The move back to his hometown of Hastings proved to be a masterstroke.
After a good few years of legendary South Coast parties, Bedrock was ready to move on. The next stage in world domination was the move up the A23 to London in 1998. Bedrock became a monthly night at Heaven, a venue primarily known as one of the big venues on the gay scene. “We also had a first Friday of the month night at The Beach in Brighton. It was really just to make it more accessible and put it at the heart of the scene in England, London.”
As the London nights got into their stride, the profile of the club was growing to the point where the club was soon known all over the world. Digweed had already achieved fame and reverence with his legendary ‘Northern Exposure’ compilations with Sasha — still touted today as some of the masterpieces in the history of dance music. Bedrock’s London residency was a new chapter though, and the start of something massive that he could truly claim to be his own project. “I think my first Bedrock compilation [in 1999] was a big step as it came after ‘Northern Exposure’ and ‘Communicate’ I’d done with Sasha so this was a new avenue and people wanted to know more about it. Also I was booking djs with good reputations for Bedrock like Carl Cox, Fabio & Grooverider and Eddie Richards. That all helped when it came to showing other promoters who I’d played with and getting my name out on flyers.”
The calibre of his night and of his guests built upon his already solid reputation, bringing in demand from promoters all over the world for some of that Bedrock magic. “I can’t remember which was the first, but basically international promoters would ask if they could host a Bedrock party too. It’s like anybody who has built a community, it has a distinct feeling and people want to be a part of it by experiencing it first hand.”
Japan, Russia, Italy, Ibiza and the USA are just a handful of the countries where Bedrock has touched down. It’s two-way traffic though so to speak — with ultra-dedicated fans from around the world often travelling thousands of miles for Bedrock’s big one-off parties in London. “I think people have come from just about as far as you can come — Australia I guess. They’re often coming over anyway but I know loads of people who have changed their flights when arriving and even leaving the country to make a Bedrock night. People from South America, Japan, Oz — literally all over the world.” This quite clearly shows that Bedrock isn’t just any old club night. Few clubs have such pulling power the world over.
As all good things must do, Bedrock’s weekly parties eventually came to an end — a sad moment for all, but by no means the end of the Thursday night madness. “My international commitments made it increasingly difficult to commit to a monthly residency” explains John, “so we took the decision to have fewer parties but make sure that when we did they were real events that got people talking and made sure they had a good night.” Currently only taking place twice a year in London (Easter Thursday and the Anniversary week in October), the events at Heaven are proceeded by weeks of excited anticipation and careful planning by attendees to ensure that the next day is kept free to recover from the madness. Each Bedrock really is a special occasion, and although less people can now experience the magic of the event, those who do get to go truly appreciate every single second of it. The Easter event this year was an absolute roadblock, and one of Bedrock’s biggest parties yet — with 4 rooms in total.
The other arm of Bedrock is of course their quite superb record label. John set up the imprint in 1999, when trance was the strong currency. The first release was the immense ‘Heaven Scent’ — one of the most stunning pieces of dance music ever made, laden with deep throbbing bass tones and shimmering, beautiful euphoric synths. Even amidst the myriad of superb, memorable tracks around at the time that seemed ten-a-penny, this record stood out a mile as one that was just head and shoulders above the rest.
The general theme has been progressive house, with deep house and more uplifting moments along the way. There is also the occasional release on Bedrock Breaks, catering for the more proggy side of breakbeat music, and recently the label has touched on more electro, minimal and techy influences. “I’ve always tried to make it clear that the Bedrock label is about good music, pure and simple. It’s about exposing that music, whether it’s from somebody who is internationally known or somebody’s first ever release. The only criteria are really that it’s seeking to push things forward somehow and I generally know that from deciding whether I’m going to play it or not.”
When probed on his proudest signings to the label, its diversity shines through. “Danny Howells as Science Department, Suicide Sports Club, Luke Fair, Pole Folder, Guy Gerber — I’m proud of everybody I sign, I don’t do it lightly.” The label has also released tracks by the likes of Steve Lawler, Mashtronic, Brancaccio & Aisher, Lemon8, Evolution and of course John Digweed himself, creating some of the biggest progressive house (and beyond) anthems of the last decade. That’s not to mention their top-draw compilation series that has seen djs such as Desyn Masiello, Hyper, John Creamer & Stephane K, Jimmy Van M and Jonathan Lisle mix a variety of different CDs to critical acclaim. It’s always an exciting prospect to hear what the label will serve up next, with its continually evolving and surprising output.
The downsizing of the club nights and the slight slowdown at the label may have some die-hard Bedrock fans concerned, but Digweed’s not showing any signs of letting go of his baby just yet. “We’ll carry on having sporadic but solid parties but next year should be big for Bedrock all round. Global Gathering was particularly good for us this year and I’d like to build on that next year for example. Watch this space.” “Particularly good” is somewhat of an understatement — the Bedrock arena was by far the highlight of the Saturday night at the Godskitchen-run festival, with faultless production and a mouth-watering line-up that included a 2.5 hour set from the mighty Eric Prydz. The professionalism in the arena was tangible, and all those in attendance were simply blown away. More please.
Now with so much accomplished — the globally-syndicated radio show, the top 5 djs in the world spot, the world-wide tours, the impeccable record label, the superb club night — is there anything John has yet to accomplish that is on his wish list? When asked, he leaves the answer rather open-ended. “I’m always on the look out for new and exciting things. There’s plenty left to do....”
Photos courtesy of Bedrock and Heaven. Not to be reproduced without permission.
BEDROCK ANNIVERSARY!
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On:
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Thursday 12th October 2006
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At:
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Heaven [map]
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From:
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2100-Late
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Cost:
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Limited £10+BF Advance Tickets
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Website:
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bedrock-uk.com
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Ticket Info:
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450 Girls Tickets & 450 Boys Tickets
£10+BF in Advance
NO TICKETS ON THE DOOR
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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Bedrock returns to its spiritual home – Heaven – for a back-to-basics party celebrating its anniversary. It’s been an amazing year for John Digweed and Bedrock, with so much accomplished. His recent ‘Transitions’ compilation for Renaissance was met with critical acclaim and saw him make a long awaited return to the original DJ mix series that he and Sasha began way back in 1994 with the 10th Anniversary of their Renaissance album release. Bedrock’s Easter Party at Heaven was sensational, with an all-star cast filling the club to its capacity. The label has continued to impress and surprise, with artists as diverse as Terry Grant, Mistress Barbara, Mashtronic, Lutzenkirchen, and Digweed himself supplying original cuts and reworks. Bedrock’s Arena at Global Gathering was seen by many as the highlight of the festival, with Eric Prydz, Hernan Cattaneo, Danny Howells, Josh Wink and others doing the club proud, while Digweed’s ‘Transitions’ radio show is now syndicated across the globe and finding a huge internet audience via johndigweed.com and myspace sites.
With so much accomplished and on such a massive scale, Bedrock’s Anniversary provides the perfect compliment to these global escapades. John Digweed plays a rare, extended set that will remind the Bedrock faithful what made the club so special in the first place – also to be his final London appearance of the year. Ample support coming from bright new hope Neil Quigley – one of the most exciting DJs around at the moment, whose seamless blend of deep, techy house has seen him become a regular for Renaissance, Prologue, Proton Radio, and of course Bedrock.
450 boys, 450 girls, 2 DJs, and the finest house music known to man. There’s nothing quite like Bedrock.
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Other Features By benz:
Introducing: Salerno - part of Chemistry's NuWave selection
Eat Static return for Lost In Space
Coburn bring their live show to UP^^
The return of The Colosseum
Modernism, Politburo and Sedition: Matthew Duffield’s manifesto
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: Jaffa Jim on 12th Oct 2006 14:30.10
Interesting interview about another father of the spinning scene.
Nice one, ben.
One thing though, are you sure that the Renaissance Vol. 1 is the first commercially released mixed cd? I always thought that JDJ 1 by William Nasty esq. held that particular accolade...
Any which way, nuff respect to Mr Digweed for making, mixing and nuturing much bona fide dogbollox electronic jiggery pokery.
From: Tim Davison on 12th Oct 2006 14:32.06
Simply doesn't get much better than Digweed and NE1 is still an absolutely seminal album for me. Nice interview Benz
From: Not Marcus on 12th Oct 2006 21:24.58
Nice work Benz, really interesting read.
From: Toxic on 13th Oct 2006 01:28.59
Simply amazing DJ. Cant wait to see him and Sasha play b2b here in Melbourne in 4 weeks time!
From: benz on 13th Oct 2006 10:29.24
JAffa Jim - I've read and been told many a time that Renaissance was the first one - could be an error but not as far as I know!
From: Jaffa Jim on 13th Oct 2006 10:58.34
Aha! One of those situations where both have claimed to be the first. I reckon discogs can resolve it...
I didn't get the Renaissance one immediately it came out (didn't like the artwork!  , but I'm pretty sure it came out after my last year at university as I remember seeing a big advert on a hoarding very near the Hacienda at Oxford Road Station. However, I bought the JDJ one soon after it was released (Nasty was my fave dj at that time) and that was in early spring of 1993.
Looking at Discogs: Renaissance came out in 14th October 1994 (http://www.discogs.com/release/100874 and JDJ Nasty came out in '1993'.
From: benz on 13th Oct 2006 14:52.24
ah fair play! Discogs isn't 100% but apologies if that is correct...the dance music community is misinformed!
From: dimitry on 16th Oct 2006 09:27.22
love his music!!!top man
From: Mike Harris on 16th Oct 2006 16:52.33
Digweed was the first dj to get me into electronic music, i still remember playing one of his sets on tape over and over, it was sooo good.
I still love his sets now, hes a total legend!
Digweed FTW !!
From: Garry Arctic on 17th Oct 2006 11:35.11
I think the Northern Exposure CDs with Sasha are absolutely sublime and unlike a lot of material from that era, really stand the test of time. Good article Benz.
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