"Boring DJ's beware Gareth Emery is about to kick your ass" (Mixmag November 2002)


Currently one of the most in-demand new dance music artists around, 23 year old Gareth Emery has gained a reputation over the past two years for red-hot productions and underground, dance-floor rocking DJ sets.

// the person //

Coming from a diverse musical background which encompassed classical piano training and jazz along the way, Gareth gave up playing lead guitar in a punk-rock band to start producing dance music seriously in 2001, and immediately attracted attention with his first release. The track, entitled ‘Nervous Breakdown 2002’, was a white label bootleg of The Shrink's infamous classic which found its way onto BBC Radio 1 after being supported by a host of DJs including Eddie Halliwell, Guy Ornadel and Dave Pearce. It was immediately picked up by Nutrition for an official release and later featured on a number of compilations including the Godskitchen Direct mix album.
// the producer //

However, the release that truly put Gareth on the production map was GTR – ‘Mistral', a track never destined to become an anthem and produced entirely on a laptop computer over the course of a two week holiday in Provence. Nevertheless, the sole CDR that Gareth sent to Paul van Dyk caused such a storm when van Dyk debuted it live on radio from the Nature One Festival, that Five AM Records wasted no time in signing it, helping it to become a truly global trance anthem. Unequivocally supported by DJs including Tiesto, Ferry Corsten and Armin, it not only had immediate appeal but also passed the test of time, and could still be heard in superclubs a year after it was made. It later went on to feature on a large number of compilations, including Ferry Corsten’s Washington World Tour, Technics DJ Set volume 19, Total Trance on Moonshine USA, Graham Gold GG01, and was also significantly chosen by the newly crowned no.1 DJ in the world, Tiesto, to end CD1 of his critically acclaimed ‘Nyana’ album.

In 2003, Gareth maintained a steady flow of productions as GTR, Gareth Emery and Cupa whilst undertaking high-profile remix work for major labels Multiply and Lost Language. He also collaborated with other artists including Harry Diamond, Jon O'Bir, and CERN, co-writing their late-2003 anthem 'The Message'. Having recently set up a new studio in his Southampton home, followers of forward-looking trance music have a lot to look forward to.

// the deejay //

Since signing to the exclusive management agency DJ Connections in early 2003, Gareth has appeared at UK superclubs Godskitchen, Slinky, The Gallery and headlined Passion on his first appearance at the club. Right up to the present day, demand for his DJ sets has continued to grow, due not to artificial hype or press, but a genuine reputation for rocking clubs with his unique sound, which stays true to the genre by relying on underexposed gems rather than current big tunes.

In addition to his success in the UK, Gareth's popularity as an international DJ has grown rapidly: in the latter half of 2003 he played overseas dates in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Sweden and Northern Ireland. As Mixmag wrote when they first tipped Gareth for success in late 2002: “boring DJs beware: Gareth Emery is about to kick your arse”, and they certainly weren't wrong. Approaching the close of 2003 he was voted the 132nd best DJ in the world in the prestigious DJ Mag Top 100 Poll - a fitting end to a superb year, and a clear sign of the impact Gareth's DJ sets have made in a short period.

If you haven't already, make seeing a Gareth Emery set a must for 2004. We guarantee you'll be glad you did - see you on the dancefloor.