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Artist of The Month
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| John Digweed |
| Written by IS Team | |
| Friday, 02 May 2008 | |
 The adage of 'no rest for the wicked' certainly holds true when talking about John Digweed. And he most certainly is wicked, in the best sense of the word. A good many seem to agree. Last year, John was voted world's #1 jock in DJ Magazine's annual reader's poll. Achieving that prestigious and lofty title is as much a credit to John's talent - which is considerable - as it is to the blue collar approach with which he approaches his career. In short, John works damn hard. It's said combination of ethic, DJ and production skills and regular guy approachability that has made him a superstar. John began playing records in his teens well before being a DJ was even in vogue. At the time, he hardly aspired to be the world's #1 DJ. Few people, John included, had even conceived of rankings. It was simply an honest, unbridled passion for music and personal excellence that propelled John's interest forward. As a true foundation for his DJ career, John laid out the first of his Bedrock events during the early '90s. Right around that time, John met a talented young DJ from Wales named Sasha. And the rest, as they say, has been and continues to make history. John and Sasha began playing together at now famous club nights like Northern Exposure in Brighton and Renaissance in Mansfield. The duo not only shared the marquee at the events, but would eventually compile and mix the critically acclaimed Northern Exposure and Renaissance series of CDs. Sasha and John Digweed's names weren't just creating a stir in England; word of their magical nights had spread to America. After much praised and successful gigs stateside, John and Sasha were eventually invited to conduct a monthly residency at New York City's Twilo in 1996. Playing up to eight or nine hour stretches (and sometimes even longer) before crowds of up to 2,000 people, Sasha and John weren't simply playing great music, but were heralding the tide of DJ and club culture hitting the U.S. Twilo closed its doors last year, but Sasha and John's now legendary names still carry the same potency across America, and around the world. Together and separately, John and Sasha continue to make extensive tours to international destinations like Norway, Greece, Japan, Australia and Israel, to name but a few. In 1998, John began the weekly Bedrock club nights at Heaven, now an institution for discriminating London clubbers. Mirroring John's philosophy, the nights were geared as humble affairs for music lovers. And like John, the night has become globally revered. Over the years, fans have been treated to A-list talent, including Deep Dish, Carl Cox, Paul van Dyk, Basement Jaxx, Grooverider, Adam Freeland, Hybrid and, of course, Sasha. In the fall of 2000, John began hosting his own weekly Friday night radio program on Kiss 100 FM. The purpose of the show has been twofold: the first half of the mix show is an opportunity for John to further break new material by producers from around the world. The guest mix portion of the show has acted as a showcase for international DJ and production talents celebrating the global phenomenon of dance culture. The show's formula seems to be working; its audience has more than quadrupled since its inception. With partner Nick Muir, John began producing under the Bedrock moniker in 1993 with 'For What You Dream Of.' The instant hit and now classic cut became a staple of DJ record boxes around the world and even found its way into the soundtrack of 1996's smash film, Trainspotting. Bedrock has since followed with equally devastating material with hits like 'Heaven Scent,' 'Voices,' and 'Beautiful Strange, 'and remixes for, among others, New Order, Danny Tenaglia and Satoshi Tomiie. John started the Bedrock label in 1999, which not only became a platform for him to release his own tunes, but also to sign cutting-edge releases by artists like Jimmy Van M, Moonface, Science Department and Steve Lawler, among many more. John's mix CDs - including Bedrock, three Global Underground releases (Sydney, Hong Kong and Los Angeles) and others - have in total sold over 1 million copies worldwide. |
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