Crasher Meets Fire it Up!

EDDIE INTERVIEW BELOW

Hi Eddie, Looking forward to having you back at GC1 on the 8th April for Crasher meets Fireitup – For those that have not had the pleasure of seeing you before ,what can they expect from you and the fireitup team?

To summarise it, plenty of energy, plenty of interaction and plenty of Fire!

What 3 words would you use to convince someone to buy a ticket to Crasher Meets Fireitup?

Fire It Up! Those 3 words explain it all!

You are well known for you technical ability with use of the efx1000 and all. How do expect to continue to impress and excite over the coming years, do you have any surprises up your sleeve?

I’m constantly checking out new technology and always enjoy incorporating fx units into my sets. On tour last year I started using the 909 mixer, but I don’t get to use it that often as many clubs don’t have it installed.

I obviously have sponsorship with Pioneer and to begin with I got quite a lot of the new equipment to try out, and as soon as they bring out something new I’ll be straight on it. I keep pestering them to make a 4 channel 909 mixer, as currently it’s only a 2 channel, but nothing has come up as of yet, so fingers crossed.

What do you currently use in your sets?

At the moment I use 3 CDJ1000s, Pioneer DJM800, Pioneer FX 1000 and the 909 mixer whenever I can get to use it.
I also still use turntables, to get that sound when scratching, which you don’t get with CDJs and also because it’s what I started learning to mix on and feel most comfortable with.

What do you have in your rider, anything strange and hard to find?

I let my brother sort that out for me, so if there is anything strange and hard to find, blame him. As long as the set-up is right, I’m not fussed.

What have you been up to recently?

Well there’s been plenty going on, I’ve just done a tour in Mexico, and been over to America on a monthly basis, as well as Australia, East Asia and of course the UK. I was meant to go to do a couple of gigs for the WMC in South America, but unfortunately had to pull out due to tearing my ligaments in my ankle.

How did you manage that?

Well I was at another fire it up gig and they had this Reebok steppa to elevate the DJs, and whilst in the zone and of course getting overly excited and jumping up and down, I fell badly on the side of my foot and was in absolute agony.

Did you carry on playing?

Well I had to, Sean Tyas was meant to be on after me, and we couldn’t find him for about twenty minutes. So I had to stay and play and hop around the DJ booth with one leg elevated.

Can you tell us something people wouldn’t know about you?

If they don’t know, they shouldn’t know, so I’ll keep that to myself!

You have recently added another skill to your C.V. - how did you get the Radio 1 job and what was your initial feeling when you heard about it.

I’m not really sure how it came about, I think it started really with doing the odd essential mix for radio 1, which then went onto the residency and then a weekly show. With every opportunity I like to give 100% commitment, so I think it paid off and I’m chuffed to have been asked to do it. It was simply building relationships with the people at Radio 1

You have been one of the residents for Crasher, what was that like and what has been your Crasher moment?

It’s difficult to pick one moment as there are so many and I had a fantastic time being the resident for Crasher. I learnt so much as well about adapting my style to suit different DJs and different set times. And of course it was massive exposure for me, playing at one of the biggest trance clubs in the world.

It has been reported that your career started at a night at the Howard in Sheffield. Is this true or just one of those romantic stories?

Well that’s not technically true. I first started playing out at a night at two clubs in Manchester. I’d had a few bookings and was then asked to play at The Howard in Sheffield. It was here, after a few gigs that I met Paul French who worked for Mixmag and he wrote an article on me. This was the first time I had been featured in big press, so that’s why a lot of people assume that my career started then, when in actual fact my career had started quite a few years earlier.

Thanks for your time today Eddie and we will see you on the 8th

Cant wait for this now, loads of us going down. :wiggle: :beer: :drunk:

Want 2 meet Oakenfold & Halliwell, hangout with the stars & get VIP entry 2 Crasher vs Fireitup on Bank Hol Sunday @ GC1??? Txt CRASHER MEET to 88010 (£1) x

I think you need to be clear that thats a competition and not a special offer

Yeah sorry, we're not giving it away for £1!

Want 2 meet Oakenfold & Halliwell, hangout with the stars & get VIP entry 2 Crasher vs Fireitup on Bank Hol Sunday @ GC1??? Txt CRASHER MEET to 88010 (£1) for your chance of winning x

That better!

Fire It Up Meets Greg Downey

1. Greg, you’re about to appear at your first FIRE IT UP event... How you feeling about the gig?

I’m over the moon and really can’t wait. Fire It Up have a great reputation for rocking events and I’m delighted to be involved, it will also be my first appearance at Gatecrasher so with both teams involved it is sure to be a top night!

2. Do you have any tricks up your sleeve?

I don’t have any tricks planned just yet but I have just started using Serato Scratch Live. It allows me to trigger off any track from my music collection at the touch of a button. Whenever I moved from vinyl to CD I found it very difficult to organise my music, my CDs would always end up in a right bloody mess! This way I have all my music organised exactly how I want it, I am still mixing through the CDJ's but the tracks are coming straight from my Laptop. I’m a very hands on DJ so his allows me to perform as per normal but with complete organisation of my music too, its great

3. What do you have coming up over the next couple of weeks?

Next week I am doing a new night called Digitized in Middlesbrough, its great to see fresh events popping up. Then ill be at Fire It Up vs. Crasher the following week, the week after I’m doing the re-launch of Serious at The Cross. In between this ill be keeping my head down in the studio working on some new material.

4. 2006 was a pretty big year for you, with the huge success of Vivid
Intent, how do you plan to make 2007 even bigger?

2006 was amazing; Vivid Intent has definitely played a strong part in that. For 2007 I have quite a few new tracks on the horizon and I recently did my first remix for Armin van Buuren's label Armada. I am also working on another driving trance track for the summer, its still early days with this but it is shaping up nicely! I just plan to keep working hard in the studio and doing my best at all my gigs and all being well everything will keep growing as it has been. There are some great gigs in the pipes too which I’m very much looking forward too.

5. If you were only allowed to play one song for a gig, what would it be and
why?

Good question! There are a few all time favourite tracks that I have but they are necessarily suited to a gig where you can only play one track! So the one id have to pick is Bedrock - Heaven Scent. Not only is it an all time classic but the pure emotion from this tune is unreal, totally epic. Its one of the few progressive trance tracks that is totally credible and underground, but has mass appeal as well, i love it. I’ve recently done my own version of this track for my DJ sets to bring it back up to date and the reactions have been great.

6. You frequently receive support from Eddie and the Fire it Up crew, how
does it feel to be involved with such a successful concept?

Its quality, Eddie is not only an amazing DJ but a top guy too along with everyone else in the Fire it Up team, I feel very privileged to be involved with such an exciting brand and long may the support continue!

7. Who were you inspirations when you were a bedroom DJ?

My main inspirations when I was a bedroom DJ were The Prodigy and Carl Cox. The Prodigy were the ones that got me into Serious dance music, I used to listen to more cheesy stuff when I was really young and then I heard No Good Start The Dance on Radio 1 and I was hooked!! From this I started buying Carl Cox mix tapes, he was playing hardcore back then, I was fascinated and from then on wanted my own decks and it progressed from there. From the minute I got into dance music properly I knew I wanted to be a DJ and nothing else, it’s a great feeling doing a job you love.

8. And finally, what can the crowd expect from you?

For my first two gigs at Fire It Up ill be playing an early set so I will be warming the crowd up nicely. Plenty of Tech House and progressive trance and of course some exclusive productions from myself thrown in there too. See you there

9. What have you got in the productions pipeline this year?

This year I have quite a few productions on their way. April will see the full release of my new Dark EP on Discover Dark featuring Jaws and The Instigator. These are two experimental tracks from me, Jaws is a techno themed tune and The Instigator is dark trance.
My first remix for Armada will be out in April too, the track is Paul Webster
- Corruption, reactions so far have been great so keep your ears peeled for that.
Me and Marc van Linden have a collaboration due to come out on Midway records in the next couple of months, its called "What The ---- Do You Mean?", its quite proggy with an electro feel to it. On The flip side to this will be my remix of Marc van Linden - False Sense.
I have recently finished a track called Grade A for Discover Dark, its banging tech trance and should be around in the summer. I’ve also done a cool trance remix for Discover, the track is Deems - Tears Of Hope and this is shaping up to be a big tune for the summer.
Finally I’m working hard on a new Greg Downey single for Discover; Vivid Intent was the track for last year so my time is being put into a follow up at the moment

Nice one. What you win them on?

nucastle.co.uk competition publicity hits an all time low

Gatecrasher "The crowd and the atmosphere is something I will remember for the rest of my life"
Paul Oakenfold on his Gatecrasher moment

"paul oakenfold"

should put out a public apology for the dire sets hes played

beats me why this goon still gets booked

looking forward to this only coz we aint been out for agesssssssssssss

when are you coming back to visit your lovely friends up here !

i hope your back for the digs birthday (first part)

Yeah, same here! Should be a good un!

1 day to go!!!!

Can't be doing that!!

¬