Thursday Thoughts 030: GW Harrison – We Are FSTVL

 Hey GW Harrison, welcome to Dance Rebels, how are you? For those who don’t know who you are, where are you from? And what inspired you to pursue a career in the music industry?

Hey! I’m very well (a bit tired from the weekend).. but all good, thanks for asking! Right well for those of you who don’t know I grew up predominantly in London then moving to Kent and my inspiration really stemmed partially from my Dad’s love of house music and listening to pirate radio when living with my Mum. My passion for the music, Djing from the age of 12 and my surroundings naturally led to me pursuing a career in the music industry.

What sacrifices did you have to make, to enable you to pursue your music career? Have you been a DJ/producer for a long time, or are you a quick learner with natural ability for music? 

Yeah I have been DJ most of my life, starting at the age of 12. My Dad, big into the rave scene, would have parties at our house so if there was ever a DJ I was fixated on what they were doing on the decks. I begged for my own decks and with my dad and step mum convincing me it wasn’t going to happen as they cost too much. But somehow they managed to get me my very own set for Christmas (honestly almost cried)! From then on all my money went on vinyl from my part time job cleaning my Nan’s pub on a Saturday morning. I would get £15 and jump on the train to plastic records in Maidstone and buy 2 new vinyl’s most weekends. I started getting gigs at raves where my Dad would have to carry my box in for me. I would play my set and then have to leave straight away because of my age. Going to school on a Monday trying to explain that I had been DJing a rave over the weekend seemed a bit farfetched but I always carried a good 50+ flyers in my school bag with my name on with a big grin on my face. As far as sacrifices go I recently quit my full time job as a designer to take a leap of faith and enable myself time to devote time to production, finishing my first E.P and climbing the DJ ladder.. that was a pretty scary jump!

Musically, for 2016, you’ve remixed Max Chapman and Ellie Cocks’ ‘Taking Over’, which was your debut release as an artist (according to Beatport). What were your feelings for the release? Were you anxious, excited, happy or satisfied?

It was great working with my good friend Max Chapman and my fellow ABODE resident Ellie Cocks on this. I have been working on stuff for ages but this was the first track that I saw through to the end and got some great support on this. This gave me the bug to finally focus on finishing my tracks that I had put aside.

You’ve also been teasing some content on social media in the studio with Cozzy D, you’ve road-tested the track already, how did it go? Are you and him cooking up an EP for the family over at ABODE Records? Your home!

Well yeah to be honest it was a bit of a pinch yourself moment when Cozzy D contacted me to collaborate on a track, because I have been a big fan of him and his label for a long time. Cozzy and I first met in the 338 Abode Green room and chatted for hours! Since then he’s become a good friend of my mine and I am pleased to finally announce that we have been working on a track called Coffee. Coffee will be out in March and released on his label Lower East Records. I have been dropping into my sets for the last 2 months and reaction from the crowd has been electric. Talking of releases I will soon be dropping my first EP on ABODE records too (Stay tuned ).

On Saturday the 27^th of May, you’re set to play the mainstage of We Are FSTVL for the third successive year, congratulations! How highly do you rate the festival? And why should people attend the festival?

Thank you, I can’t wait to be back for my third year! For me We Are FSTVL have played a big part in where I am today. For those of you who don’t know my first set on the MainStage of We Are was a ‘right place right time’ moment, last minute circumstances meant Heidi couldn’t make her set. I was standing back stage and it was half an hour before she was due on, I got a tap on my shoulder and was asked if I would cover her set. My jaw literally hit the floor; I thought it was a wind up! I grabbed my music and my headphones and stepped up to the booth with 15,000+ crowd in front of me. There was that panic that everyone would start walking away as soon as they realised it wasn’t Heidi so you can imagine my relief when it only started getting busier, my name in 30ft lights behind me, I could not be believe it. To be honest it was all a bit of a blur but a memory and a feeling I will never forget. Following that set I became the We Are FSTVL resident, playing all the We Are WHSE, pop up and tour shows which has been incredible. Why I think people should attend is really the fact that We Are FSTVL is just an amazing show from start to finish, with something for everybody, the production and sound is up there with the best, even if I wasn’t playing I would be there partying.

As a DJ, do you feel more pressure playing mainstage slots, because of the bigger crowds etc, or is it just another normal day in the office? Also, if you could go b2b with any artist on the event, who would it be? And why?

I actually feel more pressure if the venue is smaller and more intimate, with a large crowd there’s so many people it is harder to focus on individuals and their reactions. If I could go b2b with just one artist on the line up it would probably be Eat’s Everthing, I love his energy behind the decks and his music; I think we would have a lot of fun together b2b (subtle hint).

What do you think makes We Are FSTVL so unique from an artist’s perspective? Because they’ve won numerous awards including best dance event, best dance festival and best international festival! What’s their secret ingredient?

That is a tricky one. We Are always attracts an energetic and friendly crowd that a DJ thrives off, I think that is a big part of why big acts enjoy playing it year after year.

How would you describe your DJ style, do you prefer to plan your set in advance, do you prefer to read the crowd and go with the flow? Or do you prefer to create a journey ranging from pumping tech house to more melody driven tech house? 

I never plan my sets, I select a few tracks that I think will suit the venue and event, but I always try and create a journey reading the crowd. I pride myself on being diverse musically, always bringing uplifting energy to each show. I have found myself opening a Techno Set for Rodhad and Sven Vath to playing the sunset terrace for Space.

Also, if you could collaborate with any artist on a track, who would it be? And what label would you want to sign it to? 

There are so many artists’ I would love to work with. I would say Hot Since 82 and to sign it to his label Knee Deep in Sound. I have always enjoyed his music and his releases, and I also supported him on his tour show in Brighton at the Arch, which was pretty special for me, as I got to play 2 hour man room straight after him.

For More Information On GW Harrison, See The Following:

Facebook / Soundcloud / Twitter

Tickets for We Are FSTVL are available via the following link: http://www.wearefstvl.com/tickets