John Digweed: Yes We Live In An iTunes / Spotify World But Who Cares? (interview)

Published September 26, 2013 | By skrufff

Bedrock @ Fire London (click for more)

“We’ve really pushed the boat out for this album with a limited edition foil printed box and embossed CD wallets and a beautiful 20-page booklet all created by Malone design who has done the artwork for the label since the start.”

The new album Bedrock chief John Digweed is referring to is called Versus, a new compilation CD featuring collaborations between him and his Bedrock partner Nick Muir with some of their favourite producers (mixed and unmixed) plus an extra CD featuring new downtempo productions made by the pair of them.

“We have a solid fan base who support the label and we try to put out a great product at a price that represents good value for money,” John continues,

“Some people still want to hold and feel a piece of work: Even more so if you make the packaging desirable.”

Though he says nothing about the producers they’ve collaborated with (including Carlo Liu, Ian O’Donovan, Pig & Dan and Guy J) he’s notably more forthright when quizzed about his – and Bedrock’s – latest musical passions.

“Where are we musically right now?” he pauses for thought. “We have reached that point in our career that it`s about time to start working on an acoustic album of all our big hits,” he laughs.

Skrufff: What inspired the album? how did you choose guests and how did the actual collaborative process happen?

John Digweed: “The album started originally as a remix swap then as time moved on we thought about a collaboration EP, then it just seemed to grow organically into this full length album. We would work up tracks and send them to the other producers and they would send back the track with their input, sometimes we would go back and forth just to get it right after road testing them out a few times.

While all this was going on we decided to work on a downtempo electronica style CD to give the project some balance from the more club oriented tracks. I then decided to do a mix of the collaborations and I could not believe how well everything flowed together.”

Skrufff: What do you make of the likes of the Sun supporting ‘underground house” what impact is all this mainstream coverage having?

John Digweed: “Well The Sun were selling smiley T shirts back in the day for a while then the next minute it was doing it’s best to get any Acid house parties/raves shut down. I really have no clue what music they are playing at the mainstream end of things, only what I hear at a festival when I am going past the main stage on a golf cart and it sounds pretty awful to me, but the kids are having a great time and that’s all that counts. I just focus on what I’m doing and the Bedrock events always have a very friendly crowd who are super up for it so that’s all that one could ask for really.”

Skrufff: Anything else to add?

John Digweed: “Get yourselves down to Bedrock at Fire, London on Oct 5th, it`s going to be huge!”

Julian Jeweil, Edu Imberbon, Dave Angel and Max Cooper appear at the upcoming South London party which also includes Digweed spinning an extended six hour set. http://on.fb.me/17TlxNg

Click here to pre-order the album.

https://www.facebook.com/bedrockrecords