We talk to Gareth Emery ahead of his Goodgreef debut this Easter

Goodgreef and Good Friday can only mean good things. And this Easter, the Tyne is definitely in for a good time as Goodgreef return with yet another mind blowing trance line-up to mark their first visit of 2011 to their North East abode - Digital. 

Fresh from the unbelievable sell out Christmas party which saw John O'Callaghan and friends pack the dance floor to the rafters within an hour of opening the doors, put your hands in the air for trance phenomenon and top 100 DJ - Mr Gareth Emery.

To say Gareth has had a good year would be a vast understatement. The popularity and buzz surrounding the young English born-and-bred talent has reached explosive proportions, culminating in him climbing the poll and being voted no.7 in 2010s definitive DJ Mag Top 100: one of only a handful of DJs to crack the worlds top ten before the age of 30. Couple that with a stunning debut artist album Northern Lights released on his own record label Garuda; a number of nationwide sell out artist album shows; a string of consecutive sell out own branded Garuda parties at the worlds no. 1 club Sankeys; as well as a hugely ever popular monthly podcast… and it's clear to see that this young superstar means business. 

We caught up with the DJ, producer and all round good guy for a quick chat while he enjoyed a rare weekend off from his hectic schedule. 

Hello Gareth! How’s life in the fast lane?

Actually slowing down a little! I’ve just got back from six weeks on tour when I only spent two nights at home, hitting Asia, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Russia. It was amazing, but a bit too long abroad. I’ve got a weekend off now, but as I’m playing a seven hour set at Sankeys in a few weeks, I’m guess some time to prepare is needed.

Tell us a little bit about where it all began for you?

Music was always a big part of my life, and a lot of that I credit to my parents, who weren’t hugely musical but loved it – there was always music on growing up. I started learning the piano at 4 and later learned the guitar, but it wasn’t until I was 18 that I really got into electronic stuff. Before that I was playing in bands, into rock music. I still like a huge variety of stuff other than electronic music.

Have there been any legendary DJs that have been an especially good mentor or inspiration for you?

There are a lot, but one I should really give credit to is Armin – he’s just such a model professional. Normally when you spend quite a bit of time with other DJs on tour, there will be a few incidents, you know, they’ll have a strop about something, or get drunk and be a bit of a dick, or whatever. But despite spending quite a bit of time with Armin away from shows, I’ve never seen anything like that, which to me is quite remarkable given he’s had four years at number 1.

I hear you’re about to release a remix album in March. How do you go about selecting the different artists to remix your tracks for the album?

I just asked all of my favourite artists to be involved, and fortunately almost all of them said yes. We’ve got Giuseppe Ottaviani, John O’Callaghan, Ashlel Wallbridge, Super8 & Tab, Lange, Arty, Daniel Kandi, Jordan Suckley and more… it’s a star studded list and most of the remixes really are quite amazing.

What date will the remix album be released?

18th March. 

What other exciting projects and plans have you got lined up for 2011?

A lot of events – we’ve really expanded with the Northern Lights Concert, which is an extended DJ set from me but also live, with all the vocalists from the album live and musicians too, I even get on the piano. It’s pretty cool – we did the first one at the O2 in Leeds in October and we just did the second one in Toronto, plus we’ve got LA and a few more coming up this year. We take a whole crew on the road to make sure the production values of the show are the same wherever in the world it is. On the production front I’m doing a lot of writing, I’m already thinking about my next artist album although I doubt it’ll see the light of day until 2012, but there will be a few remixes and a single this year too.

You recently co-hosted Judge Jules' Radio 1 show with him. How did that compare to your own podcast, and do you have any Radio 1 backstage gossip to tell us?

It was a lot of fun – me and Jules have always got on well, so we had a right laugh doing it and I think that came across on the air. No R1 backstage gossip unfortunately, but I was definitely a bit star struck to be inside the place, it’s such a hallowed station that I’ve listened to all my life, so when you walk in you’re just like “fuck, I’m actually going to do a show on Radio 1”. Mental.

You tour so much with your music, do you ever forget what city you are in and how does your new home in Manchester compare to your hometown Southampton?

Ha ha, yeah I’m always forgetting where I am. Especially in airports. I’m just in my zone and often forget what airport I’m actually in. As long as I know where my gate is, I guess I don’t really need to know, but it’s embarrassing when a security guy asks you where you’re going, and you need to think for like 10 seconds. I love Manchester – it’s really become my home over the past three years, and the amount of love from the crowds here still blows my mind. The weather is shit though!

What direction can you see Trance going in and are there any particular DJ/Producers catching your eye right now?

One of the great things about trance is that it constantly adapts and changes based on what’s current, and that’s why it’s survived so long and continues to be popular. Look at genres that don’t change, like hard house, and see how they died out – that’s why trance needs to change. Arty is a really good producer right now. He’s essentially trance but has a lot of influences from other genres, very forward thinking. Ben Gold is also a great name for the future.

You haven’t played in the North East for a while, and you will be making your Goodgreef debut. What can the North East Goodgreefers expect to hear in your set?

I guess a party set. It’s all about fun right? I’m not some boring too cool for school progressive guy. But there will be plenty of new stuff too, from me, other producers, my label etc, alongside some of the stuff people want to hear. I’m still a big believer that you should play your recent big tracks. Yeah you get a few nerds on forums who go “Oh no, he played On A Good Day Metropolis again” or whatever, but the reaction to those tracks is still ridiculous which shows most people still want to hear them. When tracks don’t get a reaction any more I’m clearly going to stop playing them.

Any guilty pleasures away from work you can admit too?

Sweet food – I’ve just nailed a whole Terry’s Chocolate Orange and feel dreadful for it. Haha. That and shit TV. I love reality, Big Brother, Apprentice etc, and I also spend a lot of time watching Fox News, a really awful US based news channel full of total right-wing rednecks. I agree with almost nothing on there but have this morbid fascination with it.

Finally, what’s the main thing you associate Newcastle with?

Newcastle Brown Ale... whey aye man! That and Byker Grove.

Gareth Emery news, events and info

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