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Gareth Emery is one of dance music’s most influential and innovative DJ producers, voted no.7 in DJ Mag’s ‘Top 100 DJs’ poll making him the UK’s highest ranked DJ, and one of the youngest DJs ever to crack the top ten.

In 2010, he released his début artist album ‘Northern Lights’ on his own label Garuda to stunning reactions from fans and critics alike, hitting no.1 on the US iTunes dance chart within hours of release.

He also celebrated 100 episodes and four years of his award winning podcast, collaborated with Above & Beyond for the crossover international radio hit ‘On A Good Day (Metropolis)’, and penned the theme tune of the Global Gathering festival – whilst also finding time to play 130 shows, selling out clubs and rocking festivals in 40 countries to over 2 million people.

www.garethemery.com

Rachel Rixham: Pleasure to catch up with you today Gareth, how has your day been so far? and where in the world are you located right now?

Gareth Emery: Not bad. I’m on a train from London to Manchester heading home after a great weekend touring in Russia with Blake Jarrell.

Rachel: Let’s start this interview by travelling back in time, tell us a little about Gareth Emery growing up. As a child what did you enjoy doing most and when did the craving for music first engrave itself in to your life?

Gareth: I guess music always was a big thing for me. I started playing the piano aged 4, no lessons or anything but we had a piano in the house so I just picked it up. A few years later I started formal lessons, did classical training and all that stuff, but my real passion was always more alternative forms of music. Firstly jazz and blues, then guitar based stuff, and finally electronic.

Rachel: Who inspired you to become a DJ/Producer and what tracks appealed to you most around that time and why?

Gareth: Going to Ibiza in 1998 was when things really changed for me. Before that I just saw dance music as something you had to tolerate in clubs, but I never would’ve chosen to listen to it for pleasure. But going to clubs like Priviledge and Amnesia for the first time, and dancing all night to electronic music, I guess I started to ‘get it’. I got back into the UK and in the next year or two trance really exploded. Ferry was the king, Armin was just coming onto the scene, Tiesto hit a few years later. The music was just so good it was impossible for me not to get drawn into it.

Rachel: When starting out what ideas/plans did you have in mind for the future, where did you want to be and did you succeed in achieving your goals? Or perhaps time took you along a different route?

Gareth: Nah, I never really planned it out. At first I was happy to just ditch my day job and make a living from something I loved. As the years went on I guess I got more ambitious, but I don’t think you ever really succeed in achieving your goals, you just get new ones. I mean, I’ve had plenty of goals I’ve achived. But once you achieve them, you soon forget about that and find a new goal to focus on. So although I might be seen as relatively successful, it doesn’t really feel that way to me. There’s always something new I want to do.

Rachel: Tell us about your first successful production, what did the track mean to you and what inspired you to create it? IE: What or who mused you in the production process?

Gareth: First successful track was ‘Mistral’ under my GTR alias. The main inspiration I guess was the holiday I was on when I made it, in Provence in France, which also led to the name of the track (which is some sort of wind specific to that part of France, or something).

Rachel: It is a well known fact that most artists are their biggest critic, and can sometimes find it hard to appreciate or notice how far they have come. At what point in your career did you finally accept that you had made a name for yourself?

Gareth: Er, that’s a hard one. Probably when I played 7 hours at Sankeys in Manchester this March and we sold out five weeks in advance. I mean, we’d sold out clubs before, but I could always think “It wans’t me, it was because we had a great supporting line up”, or whatever. The fact that we’d sold out a club so far in advance without a single other act on the bill, no opening or closing DJ, no back room (we just played my music throughout the whole club), was something of a realisation people were actually coming to see me. That was pretty mad.

Rachel: Have you ever produced a track based around an emotional upheaval in your life? If so what is the track called and what does it mean to you?

Gareth: Not really. I know a lot of musicians write well during the bad times in their lives, but I’m kinda the opposite. If things are going well, I tend to be more productive in the studio. If life is shit, I don’t want to make music.

Rachel: What positive and negative changes have you seen happen in the music industry, since your career first started, and how have they effected you as an artist along the way?

Gareth: The internet, to both, and I think it’s pretty clear how it’s been both positive and negative. It’s helped to spread dance music across the world by making it more accessible, it’s brought us a lot of new producers who couldn’t have afforded to buy studios but can easily download software, and it’s meant that as DJs we get to visit places we never would have before. But on a negative, illegal downloads have sucked a lot of the money out of producing music, which means that being a full time dance music producer is no longer a full time job. It doesn’t affect me, or other DJs, as we make a good living from gigs, but what about people who ONLY want to produce music but don’t want to DJ or play live? Well the answer is, most of those guys have fucked off and left dance music, and gone and done something that pays. And people will go “Oh, well they were only interested in the money then” but that’s wrong. Most of these guys would be happy making minimum wage if they could make a living making records, but when they make less than what you’d make at McDonald’s, they obviously move on and do something else to support themselves and their families. Some might be web designers, some might be in other forms of media, some in film, but whatever the case, we’ve lost a lot of very talented people and it’s extremely sad.

REDDIT & BEATSMEDIA READER QUESTIONS

(Q) Supergoomba: Hi Gareth, what are the cornerstone foundations that you built on, to become such a successful DJ/Producer? Such as strong music theory knowledge/strong technical background or a collaboration of all? What advice would you give to people interested in looking in to this career path?

Gareth: It’s really a combination of a lot of things I think. For me, I think being a good producer with a solid music background was what started it, but you also need to be a half decent DJ, good with people, and have a mind for PR, selling yourself, etc. Talent only gets you so far. You also need a few lucky breaks along the way. For me, starting my podcast in 2006 when podcasting was virtually unknown was a gamble that totally paid off.

(Q) Yasmin Dangor: How important is fan interaction to you? and what message do you have for all the people who have been hating and bashing you for incorporating different genres?

Gareth: It is important to an extent. I try and jump on Twitter and Facebook as often as possible to see what people are saying, and I am as responsive as I am given time. But what I hear from fans only represents about half of how I judge myself. I’m also looking at my fellow DJs, do they like my music, are they playing my stuff. And clubs, when I play them, are they busy. Because often, people on Twitter or forums might have different opinions to the public at large, so it’s important not to just be guided by one group of people.

Regarding the haters, as I publicly said, it’s pathetic. You can go back to Episode 1 of my podcast in March 2006 and the first track’s a house track. Over the years, I’ve played so many different genres in the show, and 95% of people get that, and understand that’s who I am. And on the trance vs dubstep thing, so much of it is just musical ignorance. Like, a track I took a particular bashing for was ‘Guilt’ by Nero, which isn’t just one of the best records of the year, it’s basically a TRANCE record. The chords are ultra trancey, the vocal is trancey, it’s just got a different beat. But becase a few morons hear a beat that’s slightly different, they go “oooooh this is dubstep we don’t like that, better go and complain on Facebook”. So I guess my opinion is unchanged. It isn’t called the Gareth Emery Trancecast. Most importantly though, I trust my taste, I always have, and I’ve got this far by playing what music I want, however bold, so I am going to continue doing the same. The moment I stop playing the music I like and start playing the music I think people want to hear, I might as well retire.

(Q) iamthehabs: Hi Gareth. What do you feel about this quote that you said 5 years ago?

“In all honesty, most trance is sh*t. 95% of the promos I receive are just crap, totally unplayable, generic production and derivative melodies you’ve heard a thousand times before. They might be alright for 16 year old kids who have just graduated up from Lasgo, but not for anyone with at least partially developed taste”.

Don’t you think its pretty ironic seeing what you commercially produce and play in your sets now? (Britney)

Gareth: Not at all, I think the quote is as relevent as ever. There’s as much crap trance around today as there was 5 years ago. And there are still way too many people who grab a copy of Fruityloops, set the BPM to 138/140, throw in a few Vengeance loops, stick in a bassline lifted directly from Sean Tyas / Activa, an arpeggiated melody from Nexus you’ve heard a million times before, post it on the forums, and people says it’s good. It isn’t good. It’s shit. Just because it’s ‘underground’ doesn’t make it good.

Now hating on the Britney remix is easy, but the joke is, before people knew it was a Britney remix I was playing it in all of my sets, and it was going down great. Like, one of the biggest tracks. Then as soon as it was announced it was Britney Spears, people start jumping on the hate bandwagon and I’m a sell out. Er, it was the same record you guys were dancing to 2 months ago? I’m totally unapologetic about that remix. I really enjoyed doing it, I think it’s a good remix, and you can’t deny the global reach of someone like Britney. When she tweets about it to 8 million people, most of whom have clearly never heard of me, there’s going to be a number there that go and listen to my other stuff, and if it brings in just a handful of people to underground dance music who otherwise wouldn’t have, it’s a job well done. I’d do it again tomorrow.

PRODUCTION, GIGS & GARUDA

Rachel: You’ve played at many huge events over the years, is there one in particular that stands out the most for you, where the crowd went absolutely bonkers?

Gareth: There have been so many, to pick one would be an injustice to the rest. Lame answer I know, but it really would be.

Rachel: Over the years you have released a highly admirable collection of tracks and remixes, featuring and collaborating with some great names and talents, such as Above & Beyond, Jon O’Bir, Lucy Saunders, Oceanlab, and Emma Hewitt to name just a few. Can you tell us which track you are most proud of, and how the collaboration process begins? Is it as simple as contacting the artist direct and getting them in to the studio, or is there more or less to it than that? How does it work best for you?

Gareth: There isn’t really any set rules. Jon O’Bir was a mate so we just decided to get in the studio. Emma Hewitt sent me a vocal which I loved so I wrote the music for it, we’d never actually met at that point. Lucy Saunders was a model who wanted to get into singing who I met through a mutual contact. The Above & Beyond / OceanLab ‘On A Good Day’ was a bootleg that ended up going legitimate. I’m proud of them all.

Rachel: As your well-respected label ‘Garuda’ grows evermore increasingly popular, what can we expect coming out from the label next? And which artists from your roster are currently making a name for themselves in scene at the moment?

Gareth: We’ve got a really hectic release schedule this year with singles lined up right to December. The three guys I’d say on the label who really are doing it would be Ben Gold, Mark Eteson, and Craig Connelly, who’s also our label manager!

Rachel: Back to your productions, for those small few not acquainted with the name or sound of Gareth Emery yet, can you name 3 tracks you have produced that you feel most represent your overall sound, thus giving a short description for each track chosen?

Gareth: Gareth Emery feat. Lucy Saunders – Sanctuary (Club mix)
Biggest vocal track I ever made, proper singalong. Very proud of this one.

Gareth Emery – Arrival (Ashley Wallbridge remix)
Started my sets this for nine months. Amazing remix of probably the best underground track from my last album.

Gareth Emery – Exposure
The best club track I’ve made in my opinion.

Rachel: In regards to upcoming gigs, where can we next see Gareth Emery’s name in flashing lights? Any gigs on the way that we should know about? Upcoming tour information for the new album (which we shall talk about in a moment) perhaps?

Gareth: Everywhere! This weekend I’m in the US to play Nocturnal Festival in LA and the Love Evolution afterparty in San Francisco. After that I’m heading to South Africa, which there’s a huge buzz about as I’ve not been there since ’05. Then a four date India tour… that’s just the next three weekends. You can always find the latest gigs at www.garethemery.com/events

/R/TRANCE REDDIT & READER QUESTIONS

(Q) HelixR: I have a real hard time mastering skills for audio production. I don’t know how to handle the software, however I do know that I have talent in creating awesome tunes because I do that a lot in my head. The question is where do I start when developing my own unique sound. Can you share some top tips or point me in the right direction?

Gareth: If you’re writing great melodies but just can’t exectue the production, I’d start off with collaborating, as there will be someone else who is the opposite, ie: they can engineer well, but can’t write music. When you see how a good engineer works, that’ll give you hints and tips to developing that side of your production. Nobody’s good at every bit of music production, everyone has weaknesses. You just need to learn him to maximise your strengths.

(Q) Ahmed: Can you tell us what your studio has in regards to equipment and software, furthermore what essential software plugins would you recommend for an upcoming producer/DJ?

Gareth: An extremely powerful Mac Pro running Cubase. Plugins, nothing too fancy. Sylenth was my essential softsynth for the last album, but I’ve also got some hardware, a Virus C and an old analogue bass synth, a Studio Electronics SE-1 which sounds amazing (used for the basslines in Exposure, Metropolis / On A Good Day Metropolis). One essential recommendation which I’ve been using a lot recently is Dada Life’s Sausage Fattener, sort of an all-in-one compressor / limiter / distortion box. It fattens up any sound.

(Q) Axiomatic_fallacy: What are your thoughts on why trance in the US has never really caught on to the level that it has in other parts of the world? I’m from chicago, and until very recently, headlining trance artists were very rare, and it’s still hard to find a good trance live set at a club anywhere in the down town area.

Gareth: I’m not sure that is the case. I’m essentially a trance DJ, and I played over 50 shows in the US last year, including Chicago. You’ve got clubs like Vision and The Mid where I know a lot of the main trance DJs come through. I guarantee there’s a lot more trance in Chicago than, say, Manchester, where I live, where there maybe is 5-6 trance nights A YEAR. The US actually has it pretty good. Even in the UK, I can’t think of anywhere where you can hear trance every week these days, except perhaps The Gallery which is in London. One thing about the US though is that the crowds like the beats a bit slower, so even on a trance night, the music is more housey than elsewhere.

(Q) Neotriple: What other genres of music inspire you the most, or inspired you before your interest in electronic music gained momentum?

Gareth: Rock and guitar based stuff, classical, and chill out / downtempo / experimental. Stuff like Thievery Corporation, Tosca, Kruder & Dorfmeister etc.

THE SOUND OF GARUDA: CHAPTER 2

‘The Sound of Garuda: Chapter 2’ is a gripping new club-facing mix comp, which captures the audio spirit and energy of the UK’s no.1 DJ: Gareth Emery.

BUY NOW

Rachel: Your new compilation ‘The Sound of Garuda: Chapter 2′ features tracks and mixes from yourself, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Daniel Kandi, M.I.K.E., Ashley Wallbridge, Filo & Peri, Paul Webster and more. Walk us through the track list and select four tracks you feel most represent the albums overall sound, and include a short description for each selected track.

Gareth:
Gareth Emery & Ashley Wallbridge – Mansion
After Ashley made an incredible remix of my track Arrival, we decided to get in the studio to write sometihng in a similar style. Mansion was the result.

Gareth Emery & Ben Gold – Flash
Ben and I have a similar sound and he’s the hottest producer on Garuda. We wrote this in a couple of days and I think it’s a great reflection of both our sounds.

Mark Eteson feat. Audrey Gallagher – Breathe On My Own (Daniel Kandi remix) Amazing remix of my favourirte vocal track this year.

Ben Gold & Jonas Stenberg – Day Break
House / trance / tech crossover by those two super talented youngsters.

Rachel: The new compilation takes the name of your previous compilation ‘The Sound Of Garuda’ what changes have you made to ‘The Sound of Garuda: Chapter 2‘ compared to the last? and what can we expect from this new edition?

Gareth: For a start, the new album is fully exclusive – all of the tracks were completely exclusive and made for this album, none had ever been released before, and we released the entire album full-length on the day of release. I also dropped the ‘Restrospective’ CD which we had on the first Sound of Garuda and took it down to a 1CD release.

Rachel:‘The Sound of Garuda: Chapter 2‘ also features two brand new exclusive tracks from yourself, can you tell us more about those?

Gareth: Ben and Ash were two guys I’d wanted to collaborative with for absolutely ages, so it was a pleasure to finally do it. I think the two tracks are both good reflections of the sounds of the respective producers.

Rachel: Britney Spears upon first hearing about your new remix of the track ‘I Wanna Go’, I must admit it was quite a shock, not many would have expected you to remix a ‘POP’ track, what made you decide to do it? and how did that remix collaboration come about?

Gareth: I don’t know why it was that much of a surprise. I’ve remixed DJ Sammy and Darude in the past, who are both fairly poppy. I really liked the remix, I enjoyed doing it, and before people knew it was Britney, it got a great reaction in my sets. I’m not trying to be super underground or cool or whatever. I’ve never claiming to be the new Sasha or Digweed, I just liked the track so when I was asked to do it, I agreed. If short-sighted people choose to knock me because of it that’s their problem. But as I said in the answer above, I’d do it again. Britney has about 8 million followers on Twitter. To put it in perspective, I have about 75,000. So let’s just say, and I’m speculating here, when Britney tweeted it, let’s say out of 8 million, 2 million liston to the remix. From that 2 million, say 250,000 liked and and visited my website, and maybe from those, 50,000 listened to one of my podcasts. That’s 50,000 people listening to me playing Ashley Wallbridge, Jerome Isma-Ae, Ben Nicky, etc, when before they would have never heard of any of us. Now obviously I’m guessing at the numbers, but essentially, that’s why you do it. That’s why you remix Britney Spears.

Rachel: In addition to the above question are you ‘Truly’ happy with the result? Can we expect Gareth to tread the ‘POP’ genre again any time soon or is it a one-off?

Gareth: Yes I am truly happy with the result. It got a great reaction among the DJs it was promoted to, and is being played on a lot of radio stations where it’s also going down well. The only thing that disappointed me was the closed mindedness of a handful of the trance community. And yeah, I’d do a pop remix again if the track was right.

Rachel: With the new compilation now complete, and ready to hit stores and online shops Sept 5th 2011 via the Garuda and Be Yourself Music labels, what do you ultimately hope to achieve? And will you now be jet setting off for a small break to rejuvenate yourself or is it all work and not enough play for Gareth Emery?

Gareth: The tour diary is pretty constant. I guess the next break I’ll get will be in January, which tends to be a quiet month where you chill out and rejuvenate. But the rest of the year looks very hectic, and I really want to put in some serious studio time too.

Rachel: I am going to close this interview with one final fan question and support messages. Please feel free to leave them a short message below.

READER QUESTIONS & MESSAGES

(Q) Venkat: What’s it going to take to turn around this online sales situation?

Gareth: I don’t know. Will we ever? It’s really hard.

(M) Applcmptrdood: Gareth, I’m going to be losing my mind when I see you at Electric Zoo on Labor Day weekend, can’t wait!!!!

(M) Tyrghast: I just want to say I’ve listened to your ASOT 500 Den Bosch set pretty much non stop. It’s awesome!

(M) Bananabun: Thanks for the brilliant beats you give us!

(M) Axiomatic_fallacy: Loved your amazing 5-hour 125th anniversary podcast, and come back soon! I was in Poland when you were here on July 3rd!

(M) Kathy: Hi Gareth, I attend all of your event and I cannot wait for the new album. Thanks for everything Gareth you are amazing!!!!

Gareth: Thanks to all of you very much for your messages – I appreciate the support!

‘The Sound of Garuda: Chapter 2′ Out now 
iTunes: http://bit.ly/tsog2itunes
Beatport: http://bit.ly/tsog2bp
CD: http://bit.ly/tsog2cd

http://www.garethemery.com
http://twitter.com/#!/garethemery
http://www.facebook.com/garethemery
http://www.beyourselfmusic.com

Posted in: Featured, Interviews | Posted on September 20, 2011 by Rachel