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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! |
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Knowwhere preview with Paul Kershaw
Reported by Adam White
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Submitted 05-10-05 18:38
When Knowwhere opens its doors for the first time at its new home Heaven on Friday 7th of October, one of the party’s biggest attractions has to be the appearance of Paul Kershaw on the trance line-up. Knowwhere resident Adam White has a few quick words with the legendary Galaxy FM DJ.
Hi Paul, and firstly a big welcome from all of us at Knowwhere. As one of the long-standing names on the DJ circuit, with a massive range of international appearances, radio shows and residencies under your belt over the years, is there any one particular part of the job that still keeps you fresh and excited when you wake up every morning?
Not one thing, everything! I can put in an incredibly long working week and yet still be enthusiastic about everything I do. I’m constantly reminded by friends who are in jobs that they don’t enjoy what a privileged position I’m in — and they’re right. I don’t really consider what I do to be a job and I really think that the day that I do think that, will be the day I hang up my headphones for good.
There have been weeks when I’ve probably slept a total of 20 hours in 7 days, flown in and out of various countries, covered vast amounts of motorway mileage, done 6 radio shows and numerous gigs but have still looked back on that as a hugely enjoyable situation. I’m doing something that actually makes me excited and I’m doing it for my career! So hang on… yes, there is one part of the job that keeps me fresh and excited; I’m doing what I love to do and it makes me happy!
When was the moment for you in the past when you realised that you really could make a full-time profession out of DJing?
Without wanting to sound arrogant, very early on in my career. I think I’d better explain: I actually started my dj career in a fun bar where very quickly I had advanced myself to be in a position where I was working several nights a week, every week. I’m not saying the pay was good in the very early days, but I was earning regular money and gradually the situation got better and better. I actually became a full-time dj within 12 months of crafting my skill.
The really hard part was leaving my commercial club background behind and diving into the dance world. I had a substantial income from working 6 nights a week, but had to make the decision as to whether I was going to play party music for the rest of my career or take a leap of faith and go for what I wanted. There were hard times once I’d made the decision, but I’ve never looked back with regret.
Do you realistically see the dance music scene being very different in say, ten years time, and if so, in what ways?
The dance scene has diversified so much in the last few years that I would be an absolute fool to say that it’s not going to be very different, after all ten years is a very long time in the history of clubbing. I really don’t have any inkling as to what it will be like, will Gatecrasher be celebrating 20 years, will Cream be 23, will Knowwhere be 14? It’s going to be exciting to find out!
With your regular appearances on Galaxy FM, it could be said that you get one of the few opportunities in the UK to go out an audience that genuinely measures up to the more mainstream genres popular across the country. One can find broadcasts of Garage, RnB etc without even trying, but trance and hard dance still seem to be under-represented. Is this simply a reflection of popularity levels, or is there more to it than that?
I don’t think it boils down to popularity levels at all. Take for instance the DJ Mag top 100 Dj poll and look at the top 10, most of whom would be considered to play trance. The simple solution is that during the week if the radio is on it’s going to be playing r’n’b, hip hop and funky house because a) these styles of music are much more commercially viable and b) they’re not intrusive in the work place.
Consider this, if you’ve got the radio on at work there’s going to be a mixed audience in your work place and the last thing any radio station wants to do is aim its music in an area where someone in the office might wander over and change the station, that’s not good business. Therefore, a radio station’s weekday programming tends to rely on more listenable music. Don’t get me wrong, I love listening to trance but I completely understand this ethos as I’ve worked in offices in the past, sometimes something ‘banging’ on the radio can be too much of a distraction, especially when people are trying to hold conversations or are on the phone.
Both trance and hard dance have suffered at the hands of radio station programmers over the weekend in the past too, but I’m glad that things are changing. It took me quite a while to persuade the powers that be at Galaxy that they should take a chance and put a trance show on the airwaves, little was I to know they were going to give it to me on a Saturday night between 7 & 9pm, technically prime time! My show is now the largest weekly trance show broadcast in the UK on FM and Digital Radio, with huge listener levels and massive positive weekly feedback. Whilst other dance music styles have huge followings, I honestly think that listeners of trance and hard dance can be the most fanatical and that can only be a good thing!
Who for you are the ‘next big thing’ talents coming through in the scene at the moment, both DJs and producers?
I’ve been running a monthly competition on my Saturday show on Galaxy looking for the Rising Stars that are yet to be recognised. The unfortunate thing is in this age we are in, pretty much everyone is a dj and that makes it hard for people to stand out and make a difference for themselves. Therefore once a month, in the same slots as guests such as Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk, Armin and Ferry Corsten fill on a regular basis, anyone who submits a mix has their chance to get heard.
Some of the notable winners that I’ve had on the show are Adam Coppack (who went on to play at Out Of The Blue in Manchester and at the Gallery in London) and Snowy (who quickly secured a residency in Darlington and who has recently secured another residency in London playing with Dark by Design). These are guys that are as good as, if not better than some of the djs who take the money and run on a weekly basis from our clubs, but who never had the chance to prove it. I think both should do well in years to come, they really deserve it.
I’ve also been extremely impressed by Barry Connell who is one of the GoodGreef residents. The boys at GoodGreef have an eye for talent and they’ve done well in picking a guy who has his head screwed firmly onto his shoulders.
Producers? Well, Factoria has been one of my favourites for the past couple of years and some bloke called Adam White can’t put a foot wrong too. I know you don’t technically count as the ‘next big thing’ as your work is highly recognised now, but the quality of your work is second to none…and stop blushing!
This season in Ibiza has, from some reports, still been delivering the goods in terms of the music, but more and more clubbers seem to be getting disillusioned with the ‘money-grabbing’ attitude of the clubs on the island. Do you personally think 60 Euro entry prices to the bigger nights will damage Ibiza’s long-term pull, and see a drift to other destinations?
I think that stage has already been and gone to be fair, probably two or three years ago. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the position to go out to Ibiza annually for the past 10 years so have seen the changes. When the Peseta changed to the Euro I think a lot of clubs and bars saw the opportunity to hike prices a little and I think for a couple of years Ibiza did out-price itself to a degree. Add to that the demise of some of the UK club names out in Ibiza and all of a sudden the music press was jumping on the story, citing the ‘death’ of Ibiza.
You know what, it’s all crap. People may have gone to Ayia Napa for a holiday one year, perhaps Faliraki, after all these were the venues that the magazines were telling us were throbbing, but they’re barely even cities, not bloody islands! Ibiza has, year in, year out, supplied the best in clubbing entertainment and there will ALWAYS be people who will pay to go to the clubs. I think the entry prices are a little over-hyped as if you’re out on the island and buy your tickets in advance, you can end up getting your tickets for a LOT less…yes the drinks are expensive, but you always walk in eyes open knowing what to expect.
The last couple of years have seen a real upsurge in the numbers going to clubs; from a personal level 2004 and 2005 were my best years ever in Ibiza. Cream are saying the same thing, Manumission are raving about attendances and the crowd is more cosmopolitan. No longer do we have a deluge of Union Jack wearing tourists, now there are clued up Americans who at last have regular direct flights so they can party without spending 24 hours travelling, and of course the obligatory mix of Europeans who give the island that certain element of panache. Ibiza might be out-pricing itself from some people, but it’s still the party capital it always was, arguably now more than ever!
Where in the world do you think are the ‘hot’ holiday destinations for clubbers to look at in future?
Go to Kiev. Seriously, this place is so amazing it blew me away the last time I got to go and dj out there. I’m actually back out there again next week and have purposefully taken a couple of days to stay out there to get to know more about the country. There is so much history to discover, so much excitement in the people following the revolution last year, and such an amazing clubbing scene that I think this place should be on everyone’s list of destinations for a cool weekend break, if not longer.
Do you get to go clubbing to events you’re not playing at much these days, and is there a ‘crew’ you’ve been hanging out with since the early days that you still party with regularly?
I try not to fill up every weekend with gigs as all work and no play makes Paul a dull boy. If I have a weekend night off then I’ll trawl the club listings to see what’s worth checking out. I’ll quite happily drive across the country to see a dj I want to check out, one good example of this is David Guetta who I’ve travelled to see on a few occasions now and never been disappointed. I don’t necessarily mean that I go out all of the time when I have free nights, or at least not to clubs. It’s quite nice to just go out for a good meal and catch up with friends.
I guess it becomes harder when responsibilities build up; I always do my Saturday show live so therefore, by 9pm on a Saturday night, options are limited as to what to do, partying on a Friday has become a bit more taboo as well, although I’m probably going to let my guard down at Knowwhere on Friday, as long as I don’t get kidnapped and taken back to one of the infamous house parties!!
What are your musical influences outside of dance?
My dad was a big Jean Michel Jarre fan so that side of electronic music kicked in with me at an early age, that and Vangelis. He also loved Ennio Morricone so I loved big scores and still do to this day. Aside from that, I do like big indie bands just for the sheer thrill of seeing them live.
You get to meet many of the really ‘big’ names in the industry, who are the real ‘nice guys’ on the scene?
The consummate professional has to be Paul Van Dyk, but he is such a nice guy with it. I mistakenly made him wait 15 minutes at Cream last year because I’d followed him in the Courtyard and was concentrating so intently that I didn’t realise he was still behind me, refusing to be taken out of the building until he had shaken my hand.
Adam Sheridan is such a nice guy but is still refusing to party hard with me after gigs, personally I think he’s scared. John Askew scared me with how much of a nice guy he was, offering to accompany my fiancée and I back to the hotel with his girlfriend when I said we were disappearing off for some private time together. They walked us to our hotel door at which point John said "do whatever you’ve got to do, but make it quick, we’re 3 doors down and ready to party". Funnily enough the moment passed very quicky!
Oh and of course the Knowwhere crew, please be gentle with me!
And finally of course, what’s coming up in your diary/workload/projects in the near future?
Right, well after a period of time out of the studio I’m knuckling down with a few collaborations and some solo projects. I’m currently getting my head round my new laptop so the next few months should prove fruitful!
Aside from that, my dj schedule is fairly hectic! So, blatantly advertising where I’m going to be this month, ASIDE FROM KNOWWHERE AT HEAVEN ON FRIDAY 7TH OCTOBER…
8th Cream; Nation, Liverpool
14th Sound Planet, Kiev
15th Good Greef; Tall Trees, Yarm
22nd WKD Red launch party; Bambu, Birmingham
29th Koolwaters; Lakota, Bristol
Oh and the radio show might be worth checking out, if you’re not in a Galaxy transmission area then get it on-line at www.galaxyfm.co.uk Saturdays 7pm-9pm GMT.
A few quick fire ‘personal’ questions…
Tea or Coffee?
Coffee, filtered, black, 2 sugars!
Chinese or Indian?
I live in Birmingham, so I have to say a good old fashioned balti!
CDs or vinyl?
If you would have asked me at the start of the year, I’d have said vinyl. Four months ago I’d have been a real fence sitter, now it’s cds all of the way I’m afraid, and I never, EVER thought I’d say that!!!
Do you have any pets, if so what?
Yes, we have a house rabbit and two guinea pigs. The rabbit is called Pom Pom, which is short for Pomus Pomeroy the Third, a name I had absolutely no involvement in. We have a guinea pig each, both living in the flat with the rabbit. One of the guinea pigs is called Samson, the other is called Teddy, I’ll leave you to work out which one’s mine!!!
Milk chocolate or plain?
Milk all of the way!
Person from history you’d most like to have dinner with?
This is a surreal question so I’m going to have to be a bit surreal with my answer. I’m going to say Robert Falcon Scott, our famous explorer who died tragically just miles from safety in the Antarctic. The man was forced to endure the worst conditions known to man and despite his heroic endeavours has always been considered a failure. I’d like to talk to him about his experiences and how he felt about the way his adventures had been perceived.
Something you couldn’t live without.
The love of my fiancée. We’re getting married in July next year, personally I can’t wait that long but we’ve booked it now, so I’m going to have to. She’s my best friend, what more could you want from the person you’re going to spend your life with?
Thanks a lot Paul and we all look forward to seeing you hit the deck at 1.30am at our 4th Birthday at Heaven this coming Friday.
All photos courtesy of Paul Kershaw. Not to be reproduced without permission.
Knowwhere@HEAVEN WeAre4
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On:
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Friday 7th October 2005
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At:
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Heaven [map]
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From:
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10pm to 6am
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Cost:
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£10 members £12 in Advance £16 on the door.
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Website:
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www.clubknowwhere.co.uk
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Ticket Info:
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www.ticketweb.co.uk
www.heaven-london.com
clubtickets:0870 2462050
Midlands: tickets & Coach bookings, call Vince on 07835 626226
For guest list places, or membership sign-up or renewal, email tracey@clubknowwhere.co.uk
NB: Membership priced entry will ONLY be available to those who have up to date membership cards with them at the October party.
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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Knowwhere, Onwards & Upwards
Knowwhere is pleased and proud to announce that from Friday 7th October 2005, Knowwhere will be taking up residence at its new home in the legendary venue, Heaven!
For nearly four years, London Trance night Knowwhere has been synonymous with the very best music around. This coupled with its friendly atmosphere gives Knowwhere its trademark ‘private party’ ambience in a big club environment.
By moving to Heaven – with two large rooms and a third top room - it provides Knowwhere with the opportunity to expand its appeal into other genres; reaching a whole new crowd of happy, up for it clubbers. For the opening night, Knowwhere will be bringing you the very best Trance in London, the very best in Funky sounds, and also the very best Hard Dance DJs the country has to offer! Combine this with the venue’s location in the very heart of the greatest clubbing city and it’s sure to be an un-missable experience every month!
As well as residents Matt Darey, Anthony Dean, Adam White, & Funk-A-Tronic, we are also welcoming some of Trance and Hard Dance’s most well known names to Knowwhere. Joining us in the Trance room we have Dave Pearce, Paul Kershaw and AJ Gibson, and of course for the opening night, our founding father Pablo!
A big hit recently in our Funky room, we welcome back Semi alongside Funky residents Funk-A-Tronic, while in the Hard Dance room, we bring you the awesome line-up, Lisa Pin Up, Billy Daniel Bunter, Ed Real and The Ting!
So make sure you book early and...
Get A Bit Of Trance (& Hard Dance) In Your Life!
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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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and one of the nicest guys in the industry
