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: DIG DEEPER : DANNY HOWELLS interview
Danny Howells was in the Netherlands last Friday, for another installment of his Dig Deeper Series. Howells, known as a true builder, created the concept to be able to build for a steady five hours, rather than playing the usual two hour club gig. Although his agenda didn't leave any space for a scheduled interview, our running reporter Paul Sparkes managed to hijack the Howeller for a couple of minutes, armed with only a spongebob toothbrush, some tequila and his trusty dictaphone somewhere between Schiphol and Panama.
*) Dig Deeper has been running for nearly two years - how is it going?
Really good. We hold it in a few venues worldwide such as Tokyo, New York, LA, The End in London, Arches in Glasgow and here at Panama in Amsterdam. I enjoy Dig Deeper, it's a real banner over what I'm doing, rather than just turning up and playing a set. The sets lengths vary with Dig Deeper, always long though. Locations such as tonight here at Panama in Amsterdam is five hours. London can be seven or eight hours, New York nine or ten, Montreal is anywhere between 10 to 13 hours. We are working out where to take the whole Dig Deeper concept really, maybe doing a mix CD in the future, playing it by ear really.
*) You have been always been one to look out for in Miami at WMC over the years. How was it for you this year?
It was different to previous years, but still really good. I was booked to do just the one party at Pawn Shop, rather than going in for the whole week and just getting slaughtered.... It was actually really good to go in the just the one gig, it gave me more focus rather than doing six different events. The long set at Pawn Shop, the last couple of hours of that long set got a bit hazy, and I got in a fight near the end, because I wanted keep playing it was a nine or ten hour set and I wanted to make it longer, and they wanted to turn the sound system off! I did actually end up doing a guest slot with Lee Burridge too though that week.
*) How have you prepared for tonight's five hour set?
My biggest problem is this - if people say my set wasn't as good one week it is probably because I'm over-prepared! I do it ever single gig and its ridiculous, I go crazy thinking I haven't got enough new music and then when I'm setting here with you in the DJ box pre-gig now I've got like 3000 tracks here in my CD wallet and 60 track on CD from yesterday and about 20 new records and that's the problem! I turn up and I've got way too much and I completely lost as to what to play! I still buy loads and loads of records each week, too make sure I've covered the spectrum really, from the warm-up jazzy stuff through to the peak time techno bits, I just make sure I've got enough music, but the problem is I can't remember what all the tracks are! It's easier with vinyl to be honest, you flick through and you kinda know whats what - but when you look at a CD its like 10 or 12 tracks on each CD.
*) Your albums have really raised your profile in the last five years or so, especially the Choice and Global Underground ones. Anymore albums in the pipeline?
Not at the moment. I should do one at some point, but I'm waiting to see what happens really beacause the compilaton market is a lot different now. I'm currently going through a stage where I get a load of new tracks and I'm really keen to do a mix album, but then my agency are more concerned about the fact that I'm not making enough new music!
*) Speaking of the studio, are you involved in any projects at the moment?
My Marco Bailey remix (with Dick Trevor) came out last week. We have a track from last year that we are really trying to get a vocal for, but is really hard, as I've been moving house and domestic things have been taking priority, so studio, friends and family have been a bit squeezed out of late unfortunately.
*) Where are the top places to play right now?
Paris was really good, amazing gig in Beruit, the second gig there for me, incredible, it felt like I was playing to only 50 people, it was so close up and intense. Great parties in Romania too, really underground, like playing in a black box with no lights, only I couldn't read the CD labels! Certain parts of the US are still really good, like LA, and in Canada, places like Toronto, Montreal, and Amsterdam of course.
*) Where do you play tomorrow?
Zurich, then back in England for a boat party on Sunday in Southampton for the long bank holiday weekend!
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