NEWS
EVENTS
Interview With Denney from Hot Creations
Tuesday 2nd October 2012 | Hanna
First of all Denney, congratulations with your new release ‘Ultraviolet’ with Hot Creations! People have named it the track of the summer! A massive achievement, you must be buzzing! How did this come about?
Thank you very much, to hear someone say that is amazing! I am extremely buzzing and a bit overwhelmed with the response the records had. When I set out to make it I just sat in my studio and said to myself I wanted to make a record that was melodic but kept twisting and changing and was a bit different. When I actually finished it, I only sent it to Jamie (Jones) as I thought he might be into it and he emailed me straight back saying I had my first Hot Creations release. The job those guys have done on the whole release has been outstanding and I am truly grateful to them all.
You have a very distinctive sound with your mix of ‘acid house and techno’, are there any particular DJ’s that inspired this vibe or did it all just come together on your own when you first started out?
To be honest I have been inspired by so many different artists and DJ’s over the years it is probably a bit of a fusion of them all. When I originally started DJing, the people who I used to look up to massively were the likes of Roger Sanchez, Derrick Carter and Yousef. They were technically amazing and always knew how to take the roof off a party.
More recently I guess Back to Basics has been a huge influence on me, hearing countless amazing DJ’s play there and the residents are in my eyes the best in the country so the quality of the music has always been second to none.
Has DJing always been your number one priority? If you weren't a DJ, what else would you be doing?
I got my first decks on my 13th birthday and from that day I knew I wanted to be a DJ. The problem with me is that if something doesn't interest me I just can't be arsed and won't put any energy into it. I actually love working in the studio as much as DJing now, so I think I have found a healthy balance with the two.
If I wasn't a DJ however I would love to be an astronaut, space interests me so much. It would be a dream to go up there.
What is your favourite track to get the crowd going at your shows?
Most recently a sure fire winner has been Tim Weeks’ remix of a track myself and Ste Guthrie have done called “Turn My Back” forthcoming on Love Not Money records…Its big!
You have held your residency at FUTURE in the north-east of England and you have played the warm-up sets for some big-name-players in the underground house scene. Who has been your favourite DJ to warm-up for or to play in between sets?
There are two standout sets for me at Future, the first was warming up for 3 hours before Layo & Bushwacka! At the Cornerhouse in Middlesbrough a couple of years ago, I felt I got the vibe perfect for when they went on.
The second was closing the Rebelrave in Newcastle after Jamie Jones, Dyed Soundorom, Russ Yallop and Robert James, that was a proper party and people didn’t want to go home!
When you play your sets, are they planned or do you just go with whatever you’re feeling at that moment?
I have an idea of what I want to play as I always spend a good amount of time preparing before a gig to make sure its different to the last. When I get to a club it always depends on what the last DJ is playing or if I’m on early I will have to warm it up a bit. Basically its about reading a crowd and just judging what to do at that specific time.
What has been your favourite place to play?
Its such a hard question but I guess playing DC10 in Ibiza last week has definitely got to be my new favourite.
Is there anywhere that you haven’t yet played but you’re desperate to get there?
I would love to play in Asia and South America, some pictures and videos I have seen from some parties in those places my friends have played look amazing. They are definately next on my list!
Is there anyone in particular you would love to mix with?
I have been lucky enough to play alongside most of my heroes over the years, the one person I would love to sit in the studio with however is Andrew Weatherall. He still to me is one of the most talented and original producers out there (producing Primal Screams “Screamadelica”). I was lucky enough last year to sit, have a few drinks and chat with him for a few hours about all things Primal Scream and One Dove. To hear his views on production and just generally on music were amazing. He has no ego and is a very humble guy, which was really nice.
Do you have any advice for up and coming DJ’s and producers?
The main advice I can give is to not stop practising and never close your mind and get complacent. You never stop learning as a DJ or a producer and need to always strive to learn more. You need that drive and most importantly the love, if you love what you do then you will get to where you need to be eventually as you cant give up.
You have a lot to look forward to this year, including recently playing Jamie’s Paradise at DC-10! Anything else we should be keeping an ear/eye out for?
Yeah It has been an amazing year and DC10 was definitely the highlight along with Burning Man in America. Gigs coming up im especially looking forward to are at Sankeys and Back to Basics in the UK as well as playing in Russia and Paris before Christmas.
And lastly Denney, lets end this with a completely irrelevant question. If you were invisible for the day, what kind of mischief would you get up to?
I would definitely sneak into the government buildings and have a rummage around their UFO files to see what they are covering up. I might then have a look around Buckingham Palace and see what the royals really get up to. To end the day I would have to drop into the Playboy Mansion just so I could tell my mates id been there, and also see what happens in that cave!
By Hanna Henshall @Hanna_Henshall
