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Tidy Euphoria Album Launch Preview, Sat 28 May @ Turnmills
Reported by Simon Rutherford
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Submitted 25-05-05 00:40
In celebration of the coming together of two leading forces in hard dance and their much-anticipated weekly sessions at Es Paradis in Ibiza this summer, Extreme Euphoria and Tidy take over Turnmills this Saturday to kick off the summer in style and launch their collaborative Tidy Euphoria album, mixed by the Tidy Boys, Lee Haslam and Amber D.
With a main room line up consisting of Anne Savage, the Tidy Boys, Jay Pidgeon, Lee Haslam, Amber D and Zana Mills, we decided to throw a few questions at each to get some insight into how the views of the more established stack up against the up and coming new breed. And by the looks of things, the future is in good hands.
Anne Savage & The Tidy Boys
What was your first big breakthrough as a DJ or a producer?
Jay: It was playing in Ireland at a student club called ‘Usit’, I badgered the club manager to let me play and then got to play Wednesday to Sunday, every night from 8 — 9pm before the main DJ. This led to me getting my own Friday night!
Lee: 1998 and I was resident at Eden in Doncaster. My good friend Steve Longley introduced me to Andy Pickles for the first time. I was shitting myself as he was stood in the DJ box and we ended up playing back to back all night. We became good friends and he has become like a brother to me. He gave me a job at the Music Factory where I worked for a year before moving over to Tidy and the rest as they say is history. I started as the tea boy and I am now General Manager.
Amber: Getting a meeting with the Tidy Boys at Tidy HQ after giving Amo a CD. I couldn’t believe it when they asked me to come in for a meeting!
Why do you think you’ve been so successful? Has it been a matter of right place at the right time, through sheer determination and hard work, or networking and knowing the right people?
Amadeus & Andy: It takes 10 years to be an overnight success. We have both been in the business collectively for over 40 years, so a lot of hard work has come our way. Creating and setting up Tidy Trax was our finest moment and from this yes luck and fortune has come our way, but its not been easy, we worked hard in those early days to make the brand and label a success. Without Tidy which came after 10 years of producing and 15 years of DJing we may never have got where we are today.
Zana: A bit of both to be honest, I have always worked very hard but a few things have just clicked into place nicely. I still have a fair way to go though, so I’ll just keep trying to do all of the above 
With all the media that is involved in the industry now, do you think image has become as important as the music a DJ plays?
Amadeus & Andy: Image will never be as important as talent BUT however we do believe that a DJ does need that X factor, which is not just about image but it's about how the DJ presents him or herself in the DJ box and in front of a crowd. People want to be entertained and its important to be visually stimulating as well as playing great music.
Lee: Yes I think it does... every DJ has a music imprint that they are famous for and likewise their appearance... The likes of Amber, Anne and Lisa are very flirtatious and sexy behind the decks and are very in with the crowd. The Tidy Boys and myself like to get the crowd fired up as that is an integral part of our performance. People like to see the DJ enjoying themselves... The other side of the coin is of course the Glazby’s of this world who let the music do the talking, which works so well for him.
Amber: It’s not as important, but I suppose with everything people make assumptions on first appearances.
How important do you think production is for DJs?
Jay: It’s very important initially I believe. People will always refer to Eddie Halliwell as a DJ who is not a producer who has made a name for himself, but how many Eddie Halliwells have come along like he did? For me, without my productions I really don’t think people would know my name, but then again if you hear of a DJ called Pidgeon you are hardly going to forget it!
Amadeus: It’s very important, as with many top DJs production has become a way of creating a bigger name for yourself. I was a DJ first, then a producer, then back to being a DJ again. If we hadn't of got into production there would have been no Tidy Trax — and therefore no Tidy Boys.
Amber: I think it’s imperitive to be producing alongside the DJing side of things. The two things go hand in hand, and to be taken seriously as a DJ it’s good to have music production knowledge and tracks under your belt.
Zana: It is very important. It certainly helps get your name and style a lot more widely known than gigs alone will, which isn't a bad thing.
Jay Pidgeon & Lee Haslam
Do you plan your sets, or play everything off the cuff?
Anne: I used to plan them when I first started out — exactly in what order, in key and practicing the exact place where I had to mix each record. It was a confidence thing. However that doesn’t leave much room for manoeuvre if your set isn’t going down too well. These days I think it’s more important to learn your records, sort them out into styles and go with the flow. Some magical things can happen by just feeding off the energy of the crowd —it just comes to you what record to play next.
Jay: Off the cuff completely! I do know what tracks that are in my bag that I definitely want to play. Pidgeon by name, winging it by nature!
Amber: You can never totally plan a set as you need to go with the crowd. You tend to get a sense of what they are into just a few minutes into your set. I think it’s important to do each set differently.
Do you think set progression is a crucial aspect for a successful night, or should it be bish bash bosh from start to finish?
Anne: Ooooh don’t get me started. When I got my first residency I was the warm up DJ and the main resident taught me the importance of a warm up set. The idea was to have real chilled beats when everyone was walking in the club when it first opened, then building nicely while the club got full. Then we were allowed to let rip and everyone was part of the same vibe and the atmosphere would be electric. There were some big records that I was positively forbidden to play! These days that seems to have gone out the window and invariably I will walk into a club and the warm up DJ is playing over 148bpm and all the biggest tunes they can get their hands on, leaving you no where to go. It’s such a shame because it does make a massive difference to the quality of the night.
Jay: I have always believed in set progression. When I started playing in Dublin, every night started at one point and by the end finished at another. The first time I played in London I was told I was going to be doing second set and there was going to be 5 sets in total that night. I instantly presumed that second set was still going to be warm up, how wrong was I. The first DJ left his set at 155bpm! Talk about a struggle.
Zana: It is EXTREMELY important!!! I was taught when I started mixing the importance of playing a warm up set properly and I have always taken the issue very seriously. It can be a bit disheartening when someone comes on after you, bashes the pitch up to 150bpm and proceeds to ruin all the hard work you have put in, but it can also be very satisfying to warm up correctly for the DJs who appreciate/respect it!
What time-slot do you feel you’re best suited to?
Anne: I like to think I am a good all rounder and can do any slot I’m given. Most DJs who started as long ago as myself understand the mechanics of getting energy levels right at any time. I love doing warm ups as it gives me chance to set the mood for the night, but I wouldn’t like to do them all the time. I have played after Yoji and kept the crowd but wouldn’t like to go over 155bpm on a regular basis, so it’s kind of more about knowing who else is on the line up, rather than the actual set time that dictates what you’ll play on the night.
Amadeus & Andy: Personally we love playing early warm up sets — as this is the time slot that lets us play hard funky groovy stuff which we are more into. Also, there it something very satisfying about building an empty room up to boiling point. Many promoters like us to play a peak set, which is around 1.30am — 3am, as we can create a big party atmosphere.
Zana: With my new funky techno (“Fuchno”) style I am best suited to 10 — 12 at a hard dance event such as Extreme Euphoria, so I’m in just the right spot for Saturday night!!
Do you have a job outside of DJing? What do you think you’d be doing now if you hadn’t become a DJ?
Andy: I'm Deputy Chairman of The Music Factory Entertainment group, which is the parent company to five other companies including Tidy. We have over 70 staff and have been running for nearly 20 years.
Amadeus: I'm Creative Director and Head of A&R for The Music Factory and Tidy.
Lee: Yes my main job is General Manager of Tidy. This involves the day to day running of everything that we do as a label and events company. Needless to say I don’t have much time for anything else. Before I joined I was a Nursery School teacher.
Zana: I also work as a Project Manager for a web design company in Soho, so my time is pretty stretched!
Zana Mills & Amber D
Do you enjoy the travelling that comes with being a DJ?
Anne: I love it when I do long haul flights because I get to fly business class (well it is business!) and I love some of the fabulous hotels, spas and resorts I have stayed in. However, I have been stuck in an airport in Canada for 3 days when there was a storm, Belfast City airport (before it was refurbed) for 7 hours with no refreshments, drove all the way to Gatwick from Manchester only to be delayed for 8 hours, put back on a bus to Manchester where the plane could land etc etc etc. Let’s just say you take the rough with the smooth.
Jay: It has its good and bad points. Bad points like economy class on airplanes, shit first thing in the morning flying times, airport delays, missing flights, dodgy foreign promoters, filthy hotels, suspect food and arriving to play hard dance at funky house nights! Good points are business class and lounges, different cultures, un-discovered territories, good fees, hot weather in winter time and working from a laptop on a beach instead of at a desk in Uxbridge!
Amadeus & Andy: We enjoy it because there is two of us, we both get bored easy and if we were just lone single DJs we may have packed it in years ago. We are best mates as well as business partners and we love to piss around like big kids. This makes travelling more fun. We also have a gay one eyed driver called Darren who keeps us amused.
Zana: I love getting the chance to experience different cultures (in and out of the club). I’ve been very lucky to have played in several countries already and it looks like this year is going to be just as busy with bookings to be confirmed in America, Portugal, Sweden, Slovenia, China and NZ! I don’t like sitting in airport lounges or dealing with long-haul flights on my own though. That gets old pretty quick.
What’s been your favourite place to play?
Anne: It’s fantastic to travel the world and play in exotic places, but when you’ve been away for any length of time it’s always great to come back to England and play to your home crowd.
Jay: Dublin, at the Redbox, it kicks arse!
Amadeus & Andy: The UK is still very special for us and the best clubs over our career have been Slinky Bournemouth and in the old days Sundissential. Our biggest thrill is still our own events, especially the tidy weekenders — nothing compares to the vibe and buzz that comes from playing a tidy weekender.
Can a DJ be a great one even if he/she isn’t a very good mixer?
Jay: I can’t name names but yes, and it fucks me right off!
Lee: Definitely and I use a saying that Andy and Amo use. DJing is 80% entertainment, 20% technical skills. I think as long as you can beat match to a good standard you can be a great DJ as it’s not just about how tight you can mix. A lot of it is about the aura and stage presence you have whilst on stage. I am sure a lot of DJs would be honest and say they are not the best technically but would still be in the top 100 list in the world.
Tell us something about yourself that no one knows.
Jay: I am the youngest black belt in Ireland; I got my black belt in Kempo at the age of 10.
Amadeus: I'm obsessed with The Sweeney, and have to watch at least two episodes a night
Andy: I use to be a bird watcher when I was in my teens.
Lee: I once won a swimming contest when I was 8.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen in a club?
Jay: The first time I went to Sundissential was one of my first clubbing experiences in the UK. People walking around with ironing boards and shopping trolleys etc! This was bizarre to me coming from Ireland where I had not seen a cyber kid before!
Lee: A girl once came up to me at the tidy weekender and cut some of my hair. She keeps it to this day in her purse...
Amber: A suitcase with a pair of legs sticking out… It was so cool!!!! AND I remember there was this lad who used to always go to Sunnys North wearing a Thomas the Tank engine duvet as a sarong… He rocked!
What does the future hold for you?
Jay: Too much work and not enough play! Pushing Crash Test Records to the max this summer, doing Ibiza for Extreme v Tidy as well as my own weekly Friday night Crash Test and doing a lot of touring with my own DJs!
Amadeus & Andy: Our long term plans are to continue pushing our business forward, not just tidy but many of our other projects. Despite rumours of us retiring from DJing soon, we will continue until we feel that we are not enjoying it any more. It has become very hard to mix a hectic business lifestyle, family home life and mad DJing weekend trips so something will have to give eventually. But we still enjoy everything we are involved in, and we have some exciting new plans including a Tidy Boys movie... watch this space.
Lee: Something very positive hopefully... I have had a very tough last 12 months on a personal level. I lost my dad in January which really hit me hard, but I am focusing my energies as best I can. I am working very hard on the production and DJing front. I am not happy with the level that I am at and do want to get bigger so that is a priority for me. Also, at tidy I think the limits that we as a brand can reach are huge and we have an amazing bunch of people working for us, so the sky is the limit. Onwards and upwards as they say and who knows where we will end up, but all we can do is carry on what we do best and anything is possible.
With such dedicated and professional people in control, this is sure to be a storming night. See you down front!
All photos courtesy of Most Wanted.
Extreme Euphoria Tidy Album Launch
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On:
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Saturday 28th May 2005
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At:
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Turnmills [map]
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From:
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10pm - 6am
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Cost:
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limited £10 early bird tickets £12 after MOTD
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Ticket Info:
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www.ticketweb.co.uk 08700 600100
www.clubtickets.co.uk 08702 462050
cyberdog camden
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More:
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As Tidy prepare to release there debut album with Euphoria. We bring you a glimpse of what you can expect from the Hard Dance djs that London Love so much. Extreme Euphoria will be pulling out all the stops to make this the hard dance event of 2005.
Join the Queen of Extreme Euphoria ANNE SAVAGE as she is
Joined by the Tidy boys , Lee Haslam , Amber D , Extreme Euphoria Resident JAY PIDGEON and many more .....
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Other Features By Simon Rutherford:
Innovate 1st birthday preview: interview with promoters Nick Sentience and Craig Paxton
Edison Factor interview: a preview to Saturday's live set @ Twisted
Polysexual preview: interview with Hinsley
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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