While we all anxiously await the release of Renaissance:Transitions, the new mixed CD from John Digweed, a few of us dancemusic.about.com writers had a viewing party for the Delta Heavy DVD. Needless to say, we had to chat with Digweed about the tour and documentary.
DJ Ron Slomowicz: Whose idea was the Delta Heavy tour?
John Digweed: The tour was the idea of Jimmy Van M and then we all
came together to see how we could make it work. It was a big deal for
Sasha and I to do this in the USA, so we all had our takes on how to
make it work and what we wanted to get out of it.
Pete Kay: Was the DVD a part of the original idea for the tour?
Digweed: Not really – that was something that I think we figured we
could do part way in to the tour. I think it really shows what it was
like to take on a big task like this.
PK: As someone who often flies from gig to gig, what was living on
the bus like?
Digweed: It was interesting, to say the least. We were all worried
about living in such close quarters, so I think we were extra
conscious of it. It was a bit cramped sometimes and not an experience
I'd like to do for longer than 2 months, but an experience
nonetheless.
RS: A tour like this seems like an invitation for big time
debauchery. How do you explain the relative calmness/maturity of
those involved?
Digweed: Remember, there's a lot that didn't or couldn't make the
DVD. Plus you have to pace yourself on a two month tour or you're not
gonna make it past a fortnight.
PK: The DVD brought back a lot of nostalgic feelings for fans; they
haven't seen you use vinyl in some time. How do you feel about the
new digital age?
Digweed: I love it. It means the music is more accessible and fluid
in terms of its movement. It's got its failings, but they're generally
down to poor policing than anything else.
RS: How big of a part did Jimmy van M play on this tour?
Digweed: Jimmy was central to the whole thing. It was his idea, he
planned it, played it, and took care of most of the logistics. Without
him it would never have happened.
PK: How important was the visual/video aspect of the tour?
Digweed: Very important – because of the scale of the thing we were
setting out to do this with rock gig-size production. So the visuals
were key, as you have to reflect that scale in what you're trying to
do with the music. Obviously it makes the DVD more engaging too and
rounds out the idea of what we are trying to do. We spent a lot of
time looking for the right person to do it and we talk about that
quite a lot in the DVD.
PK: Going off the Delta Heavy, Brancaccio & Aisher (aka Suicide
Sports Club) has been your newest project. Tell us about the
direction you're going with the B_Rock label.
Digweed: The B_Rock label allows us to do something more
band-oriented- with its own sound. These guys' music is amazing and I
hope it's something that gathers pace and takes off for them as
there's potentially a big audience out there for them.
RS: Talking about a big audience, Miami was a big part of the DVD -
but it seemed like y'all were a bit disappointed. Do you think
launching the tour during WMC was anticlimactic?
Digweed: I don't think we were disappointed – maybe just really
tired, as that week we'd already played several gigs and it was a big
week! It was a massive venue and unlike anything we'd done before, but
it was the perfect launch pad for the tour.
RS: What date did you enjoy the most?
Digweed: It was difficult to judge between them, from really small
venues to big arenas. Anywhere I got the chance to crowd surf was a
laugh though.
RS: What surprised you most about the US that you learned from being
on the tour?
Digweed: Travelling across the States like we did, you really get a
feel for its size and how the people are different. It was amazing to
think that all these people were coming out for a night with us
playing though.
