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Features Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records!

The Thirsty DJs Interview with DJChewy Reported by Tom Allen / Submitted 25-04-04 13:40 The Thirsty DJs have been steadily making a name for themselves over the past year as or so as one of the top house crews on the scene with appearances in the back rooms of a whole host of major hard dance promotions. Now breaking into solo events with their parties at the Southside Bar and with a monster forthcoming tie-up with the Heat crew in Ibiza as well as hosting a room at this weekend's Convergence vs XStatic (phew!), we exchanged a few words with promoter and resident DJChewy to see what other plans were in store for us... When, where and how did the Thirsty Djs concept first come about? The Thirsty DJs concept first came about mid last year when an opportunity came about at the Retox Bar, Covent Garden. I got together a few DJs wanting to play out from their bedrooms and since our first gig, we were offered a monthly residency at the last Thursday of every month and we called it Thirsty Thursday. The idea was to get quality up and coming DJs together for a good night out as a warm up for the weekend. We were offered a few gigs outside of Retox to host the funky house room of hard dance events HeatUK and Frantic as Thirsty DJs. Since then, Thirsty DJs are a collective of DJs in the scene where any promoters will be assured of a quality line up with excellent house music all night long :-). What made you want to get into the promotional side of things? The promotion side of things came naturally after being a clubber and DJ where I would like to give something back to clubland by knowing what the clubbers and DJs want from their point of view. This will ensure the DJs play the type of music from start to finish when and where the clubbers want to hear and enjoy themselves. I also try to ensure everybody has a fantastic time through out the night. At the end of the day, it’s about having fun and giving the clubbers a great night out. Brixton Academy (photo courtesy paulunderhill.com) You seem to have concentrated exclusively on hosting rooms for existing events rather than promoting individually (although Thirsty DJs @ Southside Bar was an exception). What’s the reason behind that ? This is not entirely true bearing in mind that Thirsty Thursday @ Retox Bar started first. Several promoters came down to a few of our nights and they were impressed by the unique sound and crowd we attract and hence the opportunity arose in hosting one of their rooms which complements the overall event. Since our debut at Turnmills for HeatUK where the funky room was rammed full of Hard Dance clubbers going off to a different style of music from what they are use to. The rest was history since then where we have hosted many other rooms at various clubs around London, like the legendary Ministry of Sound, Egg, Canvas, Brixton Academy to name a few in a short space of time. We have recently found a new home at the Southside Bar as our monthly residency on the last Friday of every month but still return to the Retox on special events like the recent Thirsty April Fools event. I do also play at various house parties and other events outside of Thirsty DJs on an ad hoc basis and this is also encouraged for the other Thirsty DJs residents as well. Do you see yourself running a higher proportion of events ‘solo’ in the future or sticking to the current successful formula ? Why fix it if it ain’t broke? The Thirsty DJs vs another promotion is another way of promoting it or perhaps a Thirsty DJs go HARD and also FUNKY or a combo in the near future. We will certainly be concentrating on sticking to the current formula for now by hosting the house rooms for other “bigger” promoters but will be running our events in the near future, so watch this space! You’ve also been tied mainly to events linked to the hard dance scene – is that for any particular reason ? There is no particular reason for this as I’ve been to most of the Hard Dance events, especially Frantic and HeatUK since arriving in the UK at 2000 and really enjoyed the atmosphere, vibe and crowd they pull over the last few years and have seen them grow organically and diversifying into different types of music to meet the clubbers’ every need. The opportunity came up after playing regularly at various bars and clubs and the offers never cease to end since we have received mainly positive feedback from both the clubbers and DJs. Having said that, Thirsty DJs are willing and more than happy to play for any type of event and are not going to pigeon hole ourselves. I would also like to thank Damo at HeatUK and Will & Dickon at Frantic for giving Thirsty DJs the opportunities to play at their awesome events and springboard the brand to another level. DJChewy on the decks Do you also spin hard tunes at home or is it just the funky stuff ? Yes I did play hard house about 2 years ago at Cynthias Club (now called Club Wicked) at London Bridge nearly every week just to get some experience playing out and also play at various house parties purely for fun but under a different moniker. I still collect classics and really hard driving house on labels like Vicious Circle, Nukleuz, Short Circuit and white labels plus also receiving promos/test presses just to keep up with some of the wicked tunes being produced. Since Thirsty DJs was set up, I am really into quality house music incorporating funky, electro, progressive, tribal, tech and breaks elements. Check out my monthly charts on my DJ page for some tune selection CLICK HERE!) and also tune reviews. As the saying goes, variety is the spice in life. A quote from the forum, “I think, no matter how hard your original dance music tastes are, that you will eventually come around to liking funky house”. Your comments ? I would love to agree with the quote but it’s not entirely true as there are different groups of purist in their desired genres. For me personally, I have been into house music since the early 90s and also oldskool hardcore around 88-92 when the dance scene evolved to jungle, drum & bass, acid, etc..and I really got into the trance and hard dance scene in the late 90s. Since going to Ibiza a few times in the millennium, I fell in love with house music again where the vibe and crowd was simply amazing. I have seen a few converts from the Hard Dance scene to loving funky house from clubbers and also more and more hard dance DJs playing both funky and hard recently due to the popularity of both genres and being more versatile to satisfy the clubbers’ desires. In conclusion, it’s a cyclical effect, from hard to funky or vice versa depending on the musical journey you have been through over your clubbing life cycle. Adam May at HardHouse Academy Do you see the crowds and vibe at the funky rooms at hard dance events being different to the “regular” house scene – by which I mean bars and dedicated events like Pacha and others ? Yes and no, you have all sorts of crowd at various events for both hard dance and regular house events and the vibe depend on the clientele the promoters bring in. It also depends on the clubs or bars the event is held. The cleaner and slicker the club with lush surroundings and atmosphere, the better looking crowd and vibe you get – imagine Pacha, Space, Amnesia, Bora Bora and DC10 at Ibiza! I have to say that I have seen some really glamorous people at the funky rooms at some hard dance events held at Ministry of Sound and the likes of Scala and the Egg club. There are also some grimey or less glamorous crowd at “regular” house events but the percentage is certainly lower. At the end of the day, a mixture of different types of crowd is desirable but more importantly, everyone should have a fantastic time at the end of the night without causing any trouble or problems. A few hints here and there have been dropped about your involvement with the crew from HeatUK at this summer’s Ibiza tour – can you tell us exactly what the Thirsty crew have in store for us on the White Isle? Yes we’re working very closely with HeatUK on their Ibizan Heat tour to Ibiza this summer from 19th-26th June where clubbers can choose the “Thirsty” package for the extras being offered exclusively like having a pool at their doorstep, free breakfast all week, free DVD and CDs, half price bungee jump and loads more! The co-promotion is called “Thirsty by the Pool & Beach” where a group of Thirsty DJs will be playing at various wicked bars in the While Isle as warm up parties for the main events throughout the day and night. There may be an opportunity to play at the bigger clubs/events as the finer details are being worked out. Last but not least, it is our first birthday and we are certainly celebrating it with style where all the clubbers, supporters and DJs will be guaranteed to have a fantastic time and experience on this magical trip. More details will be published and revealed at the Thirsty DJs website (www.thirstydjs.com) and our newsletter. There is also a thread at the Upcoming Events section in the forum – CLICK HERE! Thirsty DJs @ Ibizan Heat June 2004 As a DJ you have obviously played regularly at Thirsty events. Have you had a chance to play much elsewhere ? As mentioned in Q6, I played quite regularly at various bars and clubs prior to setting up Thirsty DJs as a collective. As a resident for Thirsty DJs, I tend to play regularly at most of the events but I still play out at various other parties and clubs (both hard & funky) as DJ Chewy or under different monikers. Where would you most like to play as a DJ ? I am really looking forward to Ibiza as it’s every DJs dream to play out there. Any bars or clubs in Ibiza is ideal and taking your favourite records and playing to the most up for it crowd will be an experience. Other international sets outside the UK like in Europe, US or back at NZ/OZ will be wicked too. What’s been the highlight of your DJ-ing career to date ? DJ-ing is still a hobby for me but it’s getting bigger and bigger and more serious each month since the inception of Thirsty DJs mid last year. However, the highlights were definitely playing at Turnmills (Farringdon) for HeatUK, Ministry of Sound (Elephant & Castle), Egg (Kings Cross) and Brixton Academy for Frantic. Having said that, Thirsty DJs at Ibiza will definitely be the highlight for 2004! What are the 3 big tunes that are really doing it for you at the moment ? There are so many good house tunes out there at the moment especially since the Miami Winter Conference at March. The big 3 are (1) Rocking Music by Martin Solveig (2) Lola’s Theme by Shape Shifters and (3) Hear my name by Armand van Helden. They will probably in every house DJ’s box this summer! Darz @ Retox Out of the high profile house DJs, who would you most like to see playing at a Thirsty DJs event ? Quite a tricky one as my list of dream DJs is endless but one could only dream as you will never know. We had Steve Hill play in the Thirsty DJs funky VIP room recently at the last Hard House Academy which was great and exciting since he came on after my last tune on the night! We also had Tom Allen, the Harderfather playing his funky house debut at Thirsty April Fools recent so it’s all very exciting. Other DJs I would like to see play for Thirsty are Sasha, Digweed, Eric Morillo, James Zabiela, Carl Cox, Chemical Brothers and I think I will stop dreaming now Realistically, any Hard Dance DJs in the current scene playing house music and for Thirsty DJs will be a major treat! Can you please give us a rundown of the current Thirsty residents, their background and playing style ? The current Thirsty DJs residents beside myself are Darz and Adam May. We have recently made Mike Devine and Rob Alexander residents due to their commitment and dedication to the Thirsty brand and willingness to play at every event with their fullest potential. All the residents have their own unique style and play a variety of house music with some electro, tech, funky, progressive and breaks infusion together with their excellent selection of tunes and flawless mixing. Most of our nights are also pre-programmed so we try not to repeat tunes and have a varied style from start to finish with the freshest sound in the scene. The residents are also proud and loyal to the Thirsty brand and try their best to promote it as much as possible. We also have around 10 DJs on rotation and special guests included Anil Chawla, Ben Green, Benz, Brad 212 Findlay, Eddie Santos, John Maxwell, Paul Henry, Richard Launch, Rod Towns, Steve Hill, Steve Soprano, Stu Scott, Tim Davison, Tom Allen & others playing at most of our events to keep the night fresh and unique. Afrotekno - XStatic's last party with Convergence at The Scala 01/05/04 What other rooms will you be hosting in the next month or two ? We have our regular last Friday of the month at our residency at the Southside Bar (30th April) with resident and special guests (click here for further details) and Thirsty DJs will also be hosting the funky room at the Scala, Kings Cross in association with Frantic the next night at 1st May. We are also playing for HeatUK at their wicked new venue at Clapham at 30th May. More gigs are planned before the big trip to Ibiza including a boat party, so please check our website www.thirstydjs.com for further details and regular updates. Where would you like to see Thirsty DJs in 12 months time? We would continue to do the best we can currently by getting bookings around London/UK and hopefully with a bit of luck and determination, internationally and get the brand recognition worldwide where possible in 12 months time. Furthermore, a Thirsty record label with some house production will be in the pipeline and also continue to grow and promote the ever popular Thirsty DJs residents compilation series. Any final words for our readership ? On behalf of the Thirsty DJs crew, we wish to thank all our supporters over the last year as we will not get here without your superb feedback. We would also like to thank the promoters involved in the hard dance scene we have worked with and for giving us the awesome opportunities to date. Last but not least, never stop believing in yourself and keep on partying like there’s no tomorrow! Life’s too short so live life to the max! For information and bookings for Ibizan Heat 2004, Click here. For this weekend's Convergence vs XStatic lineup, Click here Share this :: : : : Follow HarderFaster :: Other Features By Tom Allen: Hardhouse Academy Preview: Interview with Nuw Idol Lashed Preview 2: Interview with Charlotte Birch Interview with Nick Rafferty Interview with Jana PhilTime Preview: Interview with Phil Reynolds The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable. Comments: From: BrinnO on 26th Apr 2004 09:25.22 Chewy, you certainly have built a great brand in the last year, good work! From: Darz on 26th Apr 2004 10:38.43 Good words my man... bring on Ibiza!!!! From: Mike Devine on 26th Apr 2004 14:33.55 Great stuff Chewy, I see Thirsty growing MASSIVE... C ya on Sat... From: Zoelee on 26th Apr 2004 15:52.34 Oh, and don't forget Friday May 14th... Kurruption V's thirsty Djs @ Hammersmith Palais!! ... Nice one Chewy c u Fri.... From: Miss XS on 26th Apr 2004 16:29.23 Have a wicked summer guys From: TOMMY FOUR SEVEN on 26th Apr 2004 16:35.21 Nice one Chewy, Ibiza will rock, bring on May 14th! From: shazzabazza on 26th Apr 2004 18:06.21 Nice one Chewy - at all your achievements to date and all the ones you will no doubt achieve over the next year! And to Rob Alexander being a resident - that man is a talent to keep an eye on! From: Bungle on 27th Apr 2004 04:28.32 Bloody Hell. Nice work Rich, Thirsty keeps on growing. Who'd have thought in less than a year you would have gone from Retox Bar to playing Ibiza with Heat. From: timmyd9 on 27th Apr 2004 07:16.52 Great work Rich From: DJChewy on 27th Apr 2004 09:08.28 Massive thanks for your kind words all Forgot to mention Kurruption Vs Thirsty DJs @ Hammersmith Palais on Fri 14/5 & also back @ the SSB (Fri 28/5) All current and future gigs will be updated on the Thirsty DJs website (www.thirstydjs.com) and also on HF. C u @ our next 2 parties this Friday (30/4) @ SSB & @ Scala on Sat 1/5! ROLL on IBIZAAAA @ June From: Maria on 27th Apr 2004 22:32.38 Let's Funk this summer with DJ Chewy!!! From: benz on 28th Apr 2004 00:00.07 good stuff matey will have to rack my brains for my own questions now! From: Anil Chawla on 28th Apr 2004 08:25.52 A very interesting read indeed!!! Great work fella From: Saucy Flipper on 28th Apr 2004 12:02.08 FUNKTASTIC WORK RICHARD!!! Looking forward to have many of those thirsty times!!! From: The Scene on 29th Apr 2004 05:48.40 Nice work mate. Here's to Thirsty going on to even bigger and better things in the second half of 2004 From: bunny on 29th Apr 2004 08:29.05 Great stuff! Love the Thirsty DJs nights + your room @ HHA was on fire! Looking forward to the Southside Bar + have to agree that Rockin Music is one mean From: ThirstyDJs on 29th Apr 2004 10:08.58 On behalf of all the Thirsty DJs, we would like to thank all our supporters, fans and all the people we have worked with to date Also thanks for your excellent feedback and comments above and we hope to see you all in the near future for more Thirsty sessions Last but not least, a big thank you to Tom for his time on putting the interview together and also playing his debut house set with us - legend From: Tom Allen on 29th Apr 2004 15:24.23 Was of course an honour and pleasure to play at Thirsty - looking forward to raising the roof at this weekend's Afrotekno From: guyster on 29th Apr 2004 19:57.52 Nice interview From: Richard Launch on 30th Apr 2004 10:40.02 Well done Rich. It has been a pleasure playing for you and with the other DJ's over the last 7-8 months. See you in Ibiza boyz From: DDK on 6th Jul 2004 19:15.45 Very inspiring words...loved the label bit and looking forward to supporting you and getting my first Thirsty tune in my box!!!

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