 Nick Warren InterviewWith plenty of hype brewing regarding his upcoming GU installment, Nick Warren offers his remarks concerning an extremely active 2008 with him and the Way Out West project.
- Progressive-Sounds: Let´s start with a topic that´s on the mind´s of many a people at the moment: your upcoming installment for GU. Although it´s pretty
early at this point, are there any specifics that you can release at
this time?...but [Global Underground] will be a departure from the last two, with both CD´s on an uptempo tip this time" Nick Warren: No, haha! I havent mixed the CD yet, so I cant say what will be on it, but it will be a departure from the last two, with both CD´s on an uptempo tip this time.
- Progressive-Sounds:When word broke out that you you had signed on for another GU
edition, it seemed to have generated both excited and irritated responses. Excitement as to there being another Warren GU, but irritation that GU still hasn´t moved away from repeated Warren
installments, which in some eyes, should have been the case long ago.What are your thoughts on this?Nick Warren: Haha, why do you think that? GU and I have a long running
relationship that´s been very successful. They give me full artistic freedom. I´m a very loyal person and Andy is a good friend of mine-there´s a lot of mutual respect. I´m all for giving new talent a
chance, but today when you can download great DJ mixes left and right for free, it´s also important for a label to find someone who´s actually going to sell something.
- Progressive-Sounds: It seems you´ve always pushed the underground in some way, and for this GU comp, you sent out the message to people everywhere you were
collecting music. Have you been able to find some clever unknown producers?Nick Warren: Yes, it´s great to be able to support new talent and I have been
sent some amazing music, but as I say the mix is not done yet so would be unfair to mention names until they are on the album.
- Progressive-Sounds: GU Shanghai marked your offical "out of retirement," as it were. With Paris, and now Lima, it´s quite apparent that your return to GU wasn´t just a one-night-only kind of deal. Do you plan to maintain a consistent presence at GU?
"I need to feel I have something new to offer before I can sign a record deal..."
Nick Warren: This is quite funny, because the way it really went was that I was interviewed the day after finishing the Reykjavik album, and the interviewer asked when the next one would come out, so i said that at the moment I cant imagine doing another one. That then evolved into me supposedly saying it was my last. Bloody journalists, haha. I need to feel I have something new to offer before I can sign a record deal though, so you never know what will happen in the future.
- Progressive-Sounds: In a more broad sense, many feel that GU had peaked out many years ago, and that the series today has grown quite stale, especially in
comparison to consistently fresh and prolific releases issues via Fabric and Balance. How do you feel about the direction the series has taken, and where do you feel it may wind up in the future?
Nick Warren: I think the many you are talking about are the very few, typically
the message forum community. The sales of GU are very very strong. My latest album, Paris, has already gone silver in Europe alone. GU is very much a global brand, recognized and sold on every
continent...and Felix da Housecat is the latest fresh face among us GU faithfuls!
- Progressive-Sounds: Let´s talk about the recent activity goingon with WOW (Way Out
West), which is also a topic of great excitement. Tell us about the new album, and the process of putting it all together.Nick Warren: The album is well under way with a return to our roots on some
tracks: breaks, samples, big basslines etc. We have used some new vocalists, and a well known voice as well, but it is still all under wraps at present. More info will surface nearer the release date.
We´ve also done a track for Tribe presenter Bruce Parry, who is a good
friend of mine. The Tribe album will be out later this year, and all the benefits will go into charity. You can hear it in my Myspace player.
- Progressive-Sounds: Are you and Jody trying anything particular new or different? For example,with Don´t Look Now, you brought on a vocalist to join your team. Will she be involved in this new album as well?
The [Way Out West] album is well under way with a return to our roots on some tracks: breaks, samples, big basslines etc."
Nick Warren: We´ve worked with a male vocalist for the first time ever, and we´ve also had musicians playing live instruments in the studio - we´re really pleased with the way it´s sounding.
- Progressive-Sounds: Do you plan to put the "Nick Warren" project on hold for a good portion of the year while you promote and tour with WOW?
Nick Warren: Both of our Djing careers go hand in hand with the WOW project. Jody´s DJ career is quite rightly doing very well these days. I´m also going to be touring and promoting for the GU album. It´s going to
be a busy year!
- Progressive-Sounds: What kind of touring do you expect to be doing with WOW, and are there any dates in particular that you´re excited about?
Nick Warren: We´ll be doing sound system type gigs. Jody and I are especially looking forward to our Friday evening gig in Glastonbury.
- Progressive-Sounds: Do you intend to involve yourself in any other mix compilations separate from what you´ve been doing with GU, and are there any plans in the works for a debut artist album?
Nick Warren: Not at the moment, there´s simply no time
- Progressive-Sounds: How did WMC go for you this year?
Nick Warren: Miami was great! I turned down most gig offers, and only did the Involver 2 album launch party for Sasha and our own Hope Recordings 10
year anniversary night. The rest of the time was spent with my girlfriend and friends in the sun.
- Progressive-Sounds: What´s going on over at Hope headquarters? Are there any new acts that you´ve signed that are worth particular mention?
Nick Warren: We Have a great new release by Glenn Morrison called "cosmic
Flight, with a Nick Warren remix. Hybrid´s mix album ´Soundsystem´
will be out in June, and it´s sounding great. The first Way Out West
single in 3 years will be out in August.
- Progressive-Sounds: How do you feel about myspace and facebook where you are able to be directly connected with your fanbase?
Hybrid´s mix album ´Soundsystem´ will be out in June, and it´s sounding great.
Nick Warren: They are great, I get so many messages everyday it´s difficult to
keep up though! I try to answer to as many as I can
- Progressive-Sounds: Will you and jimmy van m get back into the studio in the future?
Nick Warren: We were very happy with ´One & Only,´ but at the moment, we´re both too busy
- Progressive-Sounds: What track or album do you think has not received the attention it deserves? Did you have a favorite sleeper hit from last year?
Nick Warren: Peter Hoorevorts "Birth" was sadly underrated
- Progressive-Sounds: Do you hold any ambitions to attempt something outside of the dance music spectrum, say scoring a movie soundtrack or producing an
album for a non dance related artist?Nick Warren: I am more than happy working in Dance music at the moment
- Progressive-Sounds: Has there been anyone in particular that you´ve been endorsing
through your sets over the past several months?
Nick Warren: Labels such as Great Stuff, and the new material by Alex Dolby.
- Progressive-Sounds: Could you tell us a bit about how 2007 went for you, touring for GU Paris, your residency at Mix Club there, etc?
Nick Warren: 2007 was one of the best years for me so far. I´ve been really
busy touring, and all the gigs have been great. I did a fair amount of gigs for smaller clubs and new promoters, because as much as I love playing in the established clubs, I think it´s good for the scene to have new movers & shakers. There´s also a lot of great upcoming DJ´s
that aren´t getting the recognition they deserve, which is a shame. I also took a lot of time off to spend time with my family and friends, and of course to fish
- Progressive-Sounds: By the time your GU gets released, you would have essentially
rounded out what will have been a very busy 2008. Have you made plans beyond that point, and if so, what do you think we can expect?Nick Warren: Next year will be taken up promoting the GU album and the WOW
project, and I´m also going to do some remixes for Hope.
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