During WMC, I had the luck of running into Nick Warren during the Global Underground pre-release party for Sasha's upcoming Involver 2 CD. Always the friendly DJ, Nick chatted about his upcoming projects, his respect for Sasha, new music from Way Out West, and his long-term relationship with Global Underground.
DJ Ron Slomowicz: You are spinning tonight for Sasha's Involver 2 CD pre-release party.
Nick Warren: Yes. As a DJ, Involver was the one album by a DJ that I
actually took some notice of. Sasha's always ahead of the game.
RS: What's your relationship with Sasha?
Nick Warren: Sasha and I have known each other for the last fifteen
years, we were friends, like brothers.
RS: How many CDs have you had on Global Underground?
Nick Warren: Seven so far, and we're just signing the new contracts
to do two more. I'm a very loyal person and we've worked together
well. There's been great offers from other companies which I've
thought about but I always turn down- because are like family.
RS: And once you're at the best label, why go anywhere else?
Nick Warren: Yes, exactly.
RS: I read that you're the best selling Global Underground DJ.
How does that make you feel?
Nick Warren: It's great, but then again so many DJs don't see it as
long-term and that's always been my goal. When I started DJing it
wasn't about me being number one DJ, it was about me doing this as a
career and so I needed a company that number one I would trust and
number two I would believe in. You get what you put in, and for
Global underground it's like everything.
RS: I heard you had a funny Prada experience lately.
Nick Warren: Yes, it was just an amazing thing. On the last Global
Underground CD, there was a downtempo CD that has been played in many
places like chain stores and record stores. I walked into the Prada
store in New York and I saw a jacket and I thought, that's a flipping
great jacket, and they had it for seven hundred bucks. I was like I
can't afford to pay seven hundred bucks for a jacket. Suddenly my
album comes on and I'm like OK, I'll buy the jacket.
RS: Do you think they recognized you from the CD?
Nick Warren: They're not stupid. No, I don't think they did. I was
very- I had sunglasses and a hat on and so I went in incognito.
RS: You have a new CD coming for Global Underground. What's the
city behind it?
Nick Warren: It's Lima in Peru.
RS: What's the musical idea?
Nick Warren: It's going to be very uplifting and fairly clubby,
four-four all the ways. I've done lots of downtempo CDs for GU but
then I didn't see the point in doing one again. So it's going to be
good.