Nick Warren-"Taking the Crowd Pleasing Option Can Shorten Your Career"

"Make sure you don¹t sell out, believe in what you do and don¹t take the easy buck. I think taking the easy option, some people call it 'the crowd pleasing music', can shorten your career lifespan, drastically. I¹ve never played a record I didn¹t like as a DJ." Nick Warren spoke to mezzmusic¹s Benedetta Ferraro this week as he released his 4th compilation for the massively successful progressive house series Global Underground. The Bristol based DJ, who started out DJing alongside Massive Attack in the 80s, remains one of dance culture¹s most popular characters, being friendly, intelligent and a genuinely good bloke. And as one half of Deconstruction band Way Out West, the former Cream resident DJ remains one of dance culture's most successful players.


mezzmusic: This is the 4th album you¹ve released for Global Underground, what keeps you coming back for more-

Nick Warren:"The reason why I¹ve done four, is because I love the way they do business. They're passionate about the music. They don¹t put any pressure on the artist to have hits and therefore it¹s still considered an underground label. Their packaging and marketing is always fantastic. I¹ve got a lot of faith in them."


mezz: It may still be an underground label, but their advertising posters are everywhere, not to mention the fact that they¹ve got your face all over them...

Nick Warren:"That's right. It's slightly embarrassing seeing your picture everywhere but then it sells the album. It¹s just a tool."


mezz:You¹ve made your name as a trance DJ, yet your style has changed lately, Where do you see yourself progressing-

Nick Warren:"I just call it all house music as it all tends to have a 4/4 pattern to it.Then again, I think my style crosses the boundaries of the progressive, techno and trance, although the last is dying slightly now because of last year¹s overkill. I think this compilation is deeper than the last one I did, which was in Budapest. It's more for the head."


mezz: What¹s your relationship with Deconstruction like these days-

Nick Warren:"It's great, I¹m still signed with Way Out West. Obviously being signed to a major has its pros and cons. They give you lots more money and they sell more records for you, so either you put up with all their bullshit or don¹t sign to them. It¹d be naive to think they don't expect a hit record. If you want to make cool, instrumental underground tracks, don¹t sign to a major. That¹s not what they want."

mezz: So where do you stand with Deconstruction-

Nick Warren:"We just do our thing and they¹ve been really good to us so far. Thankfully in the past we¹ve had tracks that have crossed over and we have used vocals on our new tracks as well. Our next album 'Intensify', which will be out in February, also has tracks that potentially could cross over. It¹s on the same vibe as Leftfield, Chemical Brothers and Orbital."


mezz: As a Cream former resident, what¹s made the club so influential-

Nick Warren:"I think at the time when I was resident, and even before then, Cream was the biggest club in the UK. There aren¹t many clubs that attract punters from 150 miles away, but that¹s what was happening then. There were people from London, from Bristol... and that kind of situation has always created an atmosphere that¹s really electric, because everybody is there to have a fantastic time. It wasn¹t like a room full of people from around the corner, who go there every week, have seen it all before, and so on. The DJs who played there never ook anything for granted because there was a fresher crowd every week. That¹s what made it so exciting."


mezz: How did you win over such a difficult crowd-

Nick Warren:"It was hard for me because Oakenfold was in the courtyard and I was in the main room and at the time our styles were fairly similar. So I tended to play a housier style to a degree, wh Tags

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