Eddie Halliwell - INTERVIEW

::EDDIE INTERVIEW:: GodsKitchen

GK - Hi Eddie, how was 2008 for you? Any particular highlights?
EH - “2008 was a fantastic year. One big highlight for me was playing to 1.5 million people on Barra Beach in Rio on New Years Eve.”

GK - Fire It Up is your brainchild, how did it come about and if you had to name one, which would be your favourite FIU event to date?
EH - “The name Fire It Up came from a phrase that I’ve always used to describe a good night out, which made it the obvious choice. We’ve taken Fire It Up around the world - there’s been some amazing events over the last few years, including gigs in North and South America, Australia and Ibiza – Ibiza usually ending up the biggest fire up!”

GK - Whilst on the subject of Ibiza, what are your thoughts on the scene over there now? A lot of people are saying the new heavy handed approach by the government over there is ruining it, others say that this will inevitably lead it back underground which is where it all came from, what do you think?
EH - “To be honest from my experience of DJing in Ibiza, the scene has gone from strength to strength. Yes, there are more rules in place now, but it’s still an amazing island with some of the best club nights in the world.”

GK - A lot of your performance centres around both your tricks behind the decks and your showmanship, was it a natural progression to learn as many tricks as you could once you had mastered the art of mixing? Did you get inspiration from anyone in particular to do this?
EH - “Yes, I’ve always focused heavily on the technical aspect of DJing, it’s something that grabbed me from the beginning. “Yes definitely - when I first started out I was influenced by hip-hop DJ’s, such as Scratch Perverts and Q-bert for their technical ability. I’d never have played hip-hop out in but it was great for learning tricks and scratching over.”

GK - A lot of emphasis is put on up and coming DJs to hit the studio in order to break through these days, you are however an exception to that in that – to my knowledge – you are yet to hit the production trail yourself. Have you not been tempted to get into the studio to make some of your own productions?
EH - “DJing and production for me are two separate entities. DjJng is my number 1 passion. I never thought my love for DJing could possibly get any bigger, but it is now growing day on day as the DJ world evolves due the introduction of new technology.
I suppose if my feelings ever changed on this and I wanted to take a different direction, then I would take some time out of DJing and put it in to production.”

GK - Bearing this in mind, do you have any advice of your own to give to DJs wanting to get their names out there and progress within their chosen genre?
EH - “Don’t run before you can walk. It can take years to develop as a DJ; collecting music, researching, practicing…Take your time, and when you are sure which scene you want to get in to and feel you can offer something different, then target the right people to move forward.”

GK - What would you say is your greatest achievement to date?
EH - “Performing to 1.5 million people in Rio on NYE was a big achievement.”

GK - Define your sound in 5 tracks.
EH - “It is a difficult to define my sound in 5 tracks, as I’m in to all sorts of music and elements within different genres. I always like to describe what I play as energetic, uplifting and interactive.”

GK - Can you tell us of any funny or embarrassing stories from on your travels?
EH - “One recent quite embarrassing situation that springs to mind, was when I was in Brazil over new year – I was taken to the air in a flying DJ booth, the crowd were going crazy expecting something, but unfortunately there was no power and I was stuck mid air for a while with not a great deal going on. I had to wait until it landed again and retreat to the stage!

GK - Have you ever had any stalker-like action from fans?
“Yes!!”

GK - You will of course be featuring at the forthcoming Fire It Up event at Godskitchen, what would you say sets Godskitchen apart from other clubs?
EH - “The crowd – they always create an amazing atmosphere.”

GK - Finally, plug anything you like in 100 words………….
EH - “Ok…I have just launched a new online portal www.myebook.com/eddiehalliwell. Myebook.com is the next step on from myspace – have a look at mine to find out what the system is capable of, then try building your own to see how easy it is to use.

“I’m also launching a new DJ concept in April called ‘Ed-it’ (Eddie DJing with Integrated Technology). This performance platform will give me the chance to offer something a bit different to what people expect when coming to hear me DJ. There are various elements to the concept, one of which being the introduction of different equipment to my set up, along with some brand new technology that I have been involved in developing.

“With the DJ performance ever evolving, the idea behind ‘Ed-it’ is to create an exclusive platform, which will enable me to take my sets in a different direction and manipulate my live performance.”