On the up: interview with Andy Rise
Reported by K8-e
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Submitted 23-08-06 02:40
Andy Grundy is part of a nu-breed of rising stars. Playing under the name Andy Rise, this talented young man from Blackpool is injecting his own brand of enthusiasm and energy coupled with his trademark scratching into his dj sets. With a recent CyberKitten residency in the bag and an upcoming party to celebrate (1st September @ Fever, Northampton) I thought I’d take the time to introduce HarderFaster to the world of Andy Rise.
CyberKitten vs Lashed Euphoria @ Fever August 2006
Andy welcome to your first HarderFaster interview. How has 2006 been for you so far?
2006 has been amazing so far, I’ve been to some awesome parties over the last eight months and met some wicked people along the way. It’s flown by though, I don’t remember time always going this fast!!
Let’s start at the beginning, when did you first get bitten by the hard dance bug? Did you always want to be a dj?
The ‘Hard Dance Bug’ bit me in late 2000 just after leaving school. I personally blame Mixmag and The Lashed CD and after hearing that I got a few different tidy CDs. When I got my first decks in 2001 I started mixing a bit of hard house and a bit of commercial trance/club music but it didn’t take too long to turn fully to the dark side. After first getting a taste of hard house clubbing in 2002 I knew this was something I would like to try to do.
You haven’t always played out under the name Andy Rise, why the change and how did you chose your name?
I used to play under the name Mr Grundy when I first started playing out in 2003, I decided to change my name at the beginning of 2005 when I started getting more regular gigs outside of the North West. I wanted something short and punchy as a last name and the rest is history.
What sort of style do you play?
I like to play a bit of everything. At the moment I’ve been really getting back into the old Untidy Dub style tracks. Digital Kid has been making some really groovy old school sounding tracks. But I also still really enjoy playing more NRG hoover-filled hard house. I like to be able to adjust my style to whatever time I am playing on the night.
What’s your current top 5?
Princess S.K.B. — ‘Why’ (Mud)
Bonzo — ‘Go Dj Go’ (Cdr)
Steve Gillen & DMF — ‘The Damned’ (Flashpoint Digital)
Steve Maynard & Alex Calver — ‘In Trouble’ (Flashpoint)
Andy Rise & Booth — ‘Break It Down’ (Nosebleed) — that’s biased though!
Do you have a tune that never fails? If so, what is it?
The Alien Thing — ‘Beaver Express’. It’s my favourite track from Vicious Circle. There’s loads of little breakdowns building up to the final kick in. It always puts a smile on my face hearing it out.
What’s the most unusual request you have ever received as a dj?
I’ve had a couple of people ask if they can MC over my set a few years ago when I was playing in Blackpool.
Has anything really bad ever happened behind the decks? What’s your worst dj’ing moment?
Touch wood, nothing too bad has happened to me behind the decks. Last year I had a nightmare situation of getting my bag of clothes with my passport and various other things for my weekend stolen whilst playing a gig in Bristol. I had to go to London the next day with just my records and the clothes on my back and do some shopping before I was playing at Future.
You mentioned Digital Kid earlier with regards to the sound you’re loving at the moment, definitely one to watch in my opinion as well. What other artists are floating your boat at the moment production-wise?
I’ve always been a big fan of Riggsy’s productions. All Steve Gillen’s recent productions have been superb. His latest track he’s done with Hypervixen & DMF called ‘Don’t Stop Control’ is unreal, a quality bit of Nrg. I’m also a big fan of MDA & Spherical’s work.
And when it comes to your own productions, how’s that all going?
My production from home is something I’m working on at the moment. I still really enjoy making up cheeky bootlegs for when I’m playing out. I’ve got a few samples of some of the tracks I’ve done on www.myspace.com/andyrise. I’ve been in the studio once with a close friend of mine, Booth, with Digital Kid engineering and the end product is called ‘Break It Down’. It’s due to be released in the next month or two on Nosebleed Records.
You’ve played at some pretty impressive parties this year (Frantic and CyberKitten to name a few), what’s been your most memorable gig to date and why?
That’s a hard question! The Lashed Euphoria Tour at Cyberkitten a couple of weeks ago was one that won’t be forgotten in a long time. With Lisa being my favourite dj when I first started getting into hard dance it was such a buzz to be added to the lineup. Also the Cyberkitten room at the most recent Storm vs Frantic, I really enjoyed playing b2b with Nasty Neil E, he’s a wicked dj and we really seemed to click together musically when we played. I’m looking forward to our next b2b set! My first Frantic gig and playing the Bulldog Bash Hell’s Angels biker festival also both stand out at the front of my mind for memorable gigs.
I also hear congratulations are in order for your new CyberKitten residency! For those not familiar with CK tell us some more about this party and how you first got involved?
Thank you very much! It’s an honour to be made a CK resident. The atmosphere at CyberKitten events is always immense. Whether it’s one of the tour nights hosting rooms for other promoters like Frantic, Wildchild, Heat etc or their own mad events in Northampton, it’s always a quality party. CyberKitten prides itself on giving the fresh new generation of djs, like myself, a chance to shine. It’s truly exciting to be invited to be part of such a dynamic team!
I think CK’s steady progress in our scene comes down to the relentless dedication and passion of its inventive promoters Yojo and Col Davies. They back up their new concepts with a solid old skool way of thinking, actually caring about the scene and its clubbers, valuing talent, treating people with respect . . . in my books, they’re pretty unbeatable in that department. That kind of vibe rubs off and you can feel it at every party they run.
I first got involved after Yojo contacted me asking me to send a demo cd down to her. I sent a couple of cds down and went to there next party to say hello and give Matt Pickup some conversation on the journey down. Shortly after that I got asked to play b2b with Matt at Storm Vs Frantic and since then I’ve been a regular guest at various different events. It’s given me the chance to play a lot of different styles in back2back sets. I’ve played b2b all but one of Ck’s residents, it’s always good to see how another dj works/clicks behind the decks.
Your residency party will be on September 1st, tell us more about the line up and what you have in store for the CK faithful?
Yes, the next CK party will be my residency party! You can catch myself, Steve Gillen, Hypervixen, Lucy Fur, Nasty Neil E and of course your good self all playing solo sets, so it’s looking to be some serious battle of the sex shenanigans. I’ve got a couple of things planned for my set and I’ve mixed a new demo of which I will be bringing a load down for the clubbers on the night.
CyberKitten vs Storm vs Frantic @ The Emporium, Coalville, 2006
What do you get up to in your spare time?
I am usually spending time with my girlfriend and daughter. She is growing up so fast and I don’t want to miss any of it. She started preschool a couple of months ago and always has stories to tell me! I’m also a huge fan of Pro Evolution on the PS2.
What’s in your CD player at the moment?
Lily Allen’s album has been getting played quite a bit and I am well into The Scratch Perverts at the moment. Their Fabric CD is unreal. There’s too much talent between those 3 djs!
So, where can we catch you playing soon?
Well coming up this weekend I have Frantic’s 9th Birthday. I love the August Bank Holiday and it’s the week after my birthday so every excuse to party. Then the weekend after (1st September) it’s CyberKitten with my residency set. I’ve also got gigs coming up at Let’s Ave It in Hull, Kinetic & Rush in Bristol, Digital Fusion presents Terminal in London and various other Cyberkitten events.
And a few quick fire questions:
Favourite sandwich filling?
Mattesons Smoked Pork Sausage and Tomato Ketchup.
Favourite film?
The Rock
Cats or Dogs?
Cats all the way.
Vinyl or CD?
Both but if I had to pick one I would have to unfortunately say CD.
Favourite alcoholic beverage?
Stella or Jack Daniels & Coke
Many thank for your time Mr Rise!
Photos courtesy of Andy Rise, Colin Davies and Jeremy Lee. Not to be reproduced without permission.
Catch Andy playing next at Frantic 9, 27th August @ The Renaissance Rooms and then his CyberKitten residency party, 1st September @ Fever, Northampton.
FRANTIC presents...9
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On:
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Sunday 27th August 2006
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At:
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Renaissance Rooms [map]
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From:
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21:00 - 06:00
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Cost:
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ONLY 100 x £8+BF Early Bird Tickets on SALE NOW as we go back to the ticket price of the first ever Frantic on Aug15th 1997! These will SELL OUT in Hours!
Saver Tickets £14+BF
Standard Tickets £18+BF
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Website:
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www.f-h-h.co.uk
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Ticket Info:
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£8+BF Early Bird Tickets will SELL OUT in 24hrs!
Saver Tickets £14+BF
Standard Tickets will be £17+BF
More on the door.
Ticket Outlets:
24 Hour Credit/ Debit Card Hotline: Call 08700 600 100 or book online at www.ticketweb.co.uk
Cash Sales with a Group Discount of 1 FREE for Every 5 You Buy: NeverEnough Tickets Call Maria 07813 684 399
Credit/ Debit Card Hotline with a Group Discount of 1 FREE for Every 5 You Buy: Clubtickets: Call 0870 246 1840 or book online at www.clubtickets.co.uk
Cyberdog Camden Market: 020 7482 2842
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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Isn’t it time Hard House had its very own Festival?!
We think so and what better time to start than by celebrating Frantic's 9th Birthday at the venue Frantic is pioneering to be the new Camden Palace!
This is The HardFest!
Frantic 9 is making the Renaissance Rooms into a FESTIVAL! The Renaissance Rooms will have 5 Rave Arenas AND not 1 but 2 gigantic outdoor Arenas! This is London's biggest outdoor Rave Experience since the glory days of the 1990's!
Frantic 9's HardFest has an even bigger line up than Supernova or Tranzmission! As always OUR MUSIC MAKES US STRONGER! Where else can you see the NuChampions, the NuHeroes? As well as breaking new venues and creating the first Hard House Festival Frantic is leading the way in promoting new DJs! Where else will you see DJs doing something different, breaking the mould and rebuilding Hard House before your eyes?!
Official PreParty: Summit on Sundays @ Inigo in Clapham with Cally Gage and many more/ 1pm to 9pm!
MASSIVE FREE AFTERPARTY AT HIDDEN with Andy Whitby vs Kevin Energy and much, much more! Go to www.hiddenclub.co.uk for more details!
Don’t forget Frantic 9 has ONE BIG SECRET!
Can you guess the Secret?
Email willfrantic@yahoo.co.uk if you think you know the secret and you could win FREE Entry for you and 5 Friends and a chance to join Andy Whitby on his Ministry of Sound Radio Show for a live mix!
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Flyer:
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