Posts: 2,098
INTERVIEW with FERGIE
Mr.A: Hello Ferg, its good to have you back in Helsinki! And congratulations on your first solo album, how does it feel? Whats the reactions been like?
FERGIE: Hi guys, Yeah it feels awesome to finally be at the release stage with the album, it has been a great process and I have enjoyed the different trains of thought you need to get yourself in when making an album. It was important to take a more holistic approach, looking at the record as a whole project so that it would make sense to people.
For my first album I wanted to stay close to my roots and that is good solid grooving dance floor music. It was important for me to mix the darker techno vibes with a hint of euphoric action as this is how my dj sets have always been, regardless of what style I was playing at the time. There are a few down tempo / leftfield/ electronica bits on there which show a deeper side to Fergie, but as I said before they are in keeping with the euphoric action. These tracks were a first for me as I’ve never produced anything quite like this.
My next album will have much more of this vibe, I think it will have to be a triple CD next time as I have so many ideas of how I want the next one to be. It’s been 12 years since my first ever release so it has been a long time coming, but these things can’t be rushed. I feel that I am in the best place musically and mentally I have ever been in so it was time to get that energy out there.
A: How long did the recording take from start to finish? Was there any major obstacles on the way?
F: It had to be true to my sound but also dip into a different side to Fergie. It was important to tell a bit of a story in the album and I think we managed to do that. I say we as I work in the studio with Dave Robertson and have done for the past 5 odd years which is great as we are tuned into how each other thinks and spent countless hours, weeks and months in his shed at the bottom of his garden….just bouncing ideas about…structuring how the story would unfold.
A: Is there a possibility you´ll be doing a LIVE show in the future just based on your own productions/remixes?
F: Yes this is definitely something I have been looking into doing for next year. As I said earlier I have moved away from using the computer to dj with but I will go back to it for my live set as that’s were it will make sense to me. It has always been the plan to take the album out and do a live show. I will also have some new bits in the set and also some bootlegs of tracks that have been big tracks in my sets over the years but I will take them apart and add that Fergie vibe. It’s very exciting for me and it will be a great experience looking forward to bringing it to Helsinki next year.
A: You have mentioned on few occasions that Mr.Tony De Vit was your so called mentor. Any other musicians, DJ´s or artists that you looked up to when you were first starting out?
F: Growing up as part of the Northern Irish rave scene and at only 13 being at events such as the iconic Hellraiser raves at the Ulster Hall in Belfast, I got my first taste of international DJs such as Carl Cox and Pablo Gargano and this set the direction in which my music was to go. It was the harder edge of the music that really caught me, just the full on driving energy of it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on edge and still does. That would probably have been when I made a conscious decision that I wanted to be in the DJ booth doing what they were doing.
A: Who / what inspires you today?
F: Music wise I love to listen to very old mixes from the early raves that I went to. Some old Tony de Vit mixes or Carl Cox that sort of thing. I love to remember what I was feeling at that time, I love to think about how I was dancing or watching a dj mix at that time. Its important that you inject feeling into the music you make so yeah I get lots of the feeling from listening to some old stuff, I can often be seen busting out some moves on the treadmill in the gym!
A: You used to play at the hugely popular after-hours club Trade @ Turnmills back in the day. What do you prefer nowadays, after-hours or the usual club hours?
F: Yeah Trade is still the best party I ever played. I was very young and was there so very near the start of it all so to be involved in it was awesome.
I have never witnessed an atmosphere like it anywhere to this day. The place was just electric - they really loved and lived the music in Trade. It was a real honour to play with the Fierce Ruling Trade djs :-)
A: After your successful career on BBC Radio1, is there a possibility you´ll be doing any more radio or some other media?
F: Yeah I would love to do radio again at some point. For a long time I didn’t but I think that had come off the back of being committed to the BBC for almost 6 years so I wanted to get back into making music and touring the world.
But yes I would love to have a show again as I feel I have a lot more to say. My show on Radio 1 took in a few different styles of music but I feel this would be even broader now. There are so many different styles of music and also new producers so yeah it would be an exciting time to have my own show again...
A: Whilst touring, whats the best way to avoid boredom? Books ? DVDs ? Making music ?
F: Boredom ??? What’s that?? ha :-)
These days you can’t possibly get bored, you can make music on your laptop, check out new promos, do mixes (if need be) do interviews like I am now on the train back to Glasgow.. so yeah too many wicked things to do before I would get bored.
A: Your fondest memory from a gig in 2010, where, when and what happened?
F: It would have to be Ibiza, Privilege. It was the first club I played 12 years ago with Trade actually. But yes Ibiza is such a special place I feel at home when I am on the island. Its still the clubbing Mecca of the world and no where comes close to it. I will be spending a month there next year so lots of parties…I’ll see you there...
A: Whats does your rider look like? (before and after the party.)
F: My rider is very different to what it used to be. Let’s just say being able to see the decks and mixer is a real benefit when playing my set :-)
A: How many tattoos do you have?
F: You know what I don’t even know but there will be a new one soon!
A: Cats or dogs?
F: I love both. I have 2 cats Tilly and Sebastian. Sebastian is actually a girl but I was told she was a boy when we got her from the rescue centre. I took her to get her to the vet to get her balls cut off and the vet phoned me and said…Mr Ferguson I’m afraid we have a problem with Sebastian…I thought oh no what’s wrong…they said we can’t cut his balls off…….I said why…… they said because SHE doesn’t have any! :-)
A: Sun or snow?
F: iI have just taken up snowboarding so snow with some sun is fine by me!
A: Thankyou and TERVETULOA to Helsinki!
F: Thank You and I really can’t wait to hook up with you guys next Friday!
Posts: 2,098
ILMOITUS:
Fergien keikka on valitettavasti peruttu. Englantia riepotteleva lumimyräkkä on saanut lentoliikenteen totaalikaaokseen ja hän on tällähetkellä jumissa Glasgow´n lentokentällä, kaikki jatkolennot ovat joko myöhässä, peruttu kokonaan tai lentokenttien sulkemisen vuoksi peruttu.
Valitettavaa sillä tämä on ensimmäinen kerta kun yksikään artisti joutuu perumaan keikkansa meillä.
Lipunhintaa on luonnollisesti laskettu, illan DJ´t vetävät kaikki pidemmät slotit ja uskon että me tästä hyvä setti saadaan raavittua kasaan.
Fergie keikalla myöhemmin ilmoitettavana ajankohtana. Kunhan lumet sulavat.
Terveisin,
Antti / Heikki.
Posts: 2,098
Olipahan huikee ilta, Andrew lunasti Fergien paikan mennentullen. Isot kiitokset myös Kallelle ja Sebastianille, ihan täydellistä lämppärisoundia tohon ajankohtaan. Kiitos!
