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From Prog Sounds...
John Digweed is a masterful DJ. Given that he began playing in nightclubs at 16, it's probably only right he should be. Back then, kids in the suburbs could only access house music on illegal rave tapes, or through recordings of U.S. radio stations like New York's Kiss FM. A pal introduced John to both and, immediately smitten, he set about getting equipment, and chasing down import copies of the records he'd heard. He split his time between working – firstly as a part-time gardener, later as a full-time bar manager – going to clubs in London, and DJing locally. Predictably, he found getting gigs hard, so he set up his own night, Bedrock, and invited his favourite DJs to play. All these years later, Bedrock events take place worldwide, and it has spawned a firmly established record label of the same name. John Digweed is now recognised as one of the world's greatest exponents of his profession, his name easily ranking alongside those of his influences. In addition, he's a broadcaster, a producer, a promoter, and an active A&R Executive, working hard to give new artists their first break, on decks or on vinyl.
"I bought a cheap Denon turntable that didn't even have a pitch control, a second hand Technics that did, and a little Realistic mixer. I used to work doing gardening and odd jobs so that I could buy my records. I had to work out the BPMs of every record, so that if one was faster I could still go into the next. The main reason for starting Bedrock was because I couldn't get regular gigs, so I started my own night. I got Fabio, Grooverider, Eddie Richards, Carl Cox… and I used the flyers with my name on next to theirs to persuade promoters to book me. You have to be actively pushing yourself, making things happen." – John Digweed
John Digweed's name is synonymous with lush, deep, engulfing frequencies that move through a mix in waves. 'Fabric 20' is bookended by two records containing them; 16B's kick-free re-work of Pete Moss, and Goldtrix' blissed-out version of Matrix & Danny J. In between, John builds and blends a stunning set, featuring tracks that challenge the preconception of his tastes. Adam Johnson's bass-driven 'Traber' leads into Richard Davis' zany remix of Repair, some classic Rasoul stutterfunk, and Ralph Lawson's disco-tinged take on The Glass. Billy Dalessandro gets heavy and hypnotic; Bobby Peru provides the off-the-wall 'Venom'; Martin Solveig soars; and Freestyleman drags Slam way down deep. Peaking in the perfect matching of Angel Alanis' vicious vocoder and Josh Wink's low-slung Infusion remix, 'Fabric 20' closes out with Michael Mayer firing up Superpitcher's sensual 'Happiness', and Joel Mull's wonderfully weird and wired 'Emico'.
"I think long and hard about each gig, and I'm very professional. Attitude is very important to me, I want every aspect to be right. I've never understood those DJs that say they'll play their two hours and that's it. If the party's great, you've got the crowd in your hands, why wouldn’t you want to play more than two hours? Sometimes I have to be pulled off the decks, I just don't want to handover. The soundsystem at Fabric makes records come alive, and I can play tracks there that I just couldn't in any other club on the planet; they just wouldn't have the same effect. This CD is a five hour Fabric set, condensed into 74 minutes, and I hope it surprises a few people." - John Digweed
This eagerly anticipated album is available to subcribers of the Fabric CD series from early January, with the general release in the UK & Europe on January 17th 2005 to be followed by the US and the rest of the world in early March. If you want to ensure you are amongst first to receive any of the albums in the Fabric or Fabric Live series, you can subscribe to receive them directly to your doorstep at www.fabriclondon.com
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http://www.beatport.com/jonathan-rosa/
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