5 Minutes with

Nick Warren

Dan Stapleton

Bjork. Sigur Ros. Mum. Ampop. Gus Gus. Can Iceland get any cooler? (My goodness, that was a bad pun.) Well yes, it can, because Global Underground are swinging into town. Love or loathe their incredible success, GU are responsible for releasing some of the finest mix CDs of the last few years, and Nick Warren’s keeping the ball rolling for them with his Reykjavik installment of their flagship line. Five minutes, nine questions – how much can one man give away?

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This new disc is being hyped as your best mix CD to date. Care to comment?

I do think that it’s my best, mainly because of the range of styles and tempos. It pretty much sums up all the styles of electronic music I love.

“nickWarren2”

Do the “big brand” overtones of Global Underground put you off?

No. It’s so easy for people to run labels like GU down, but they’ve always believed in what they do and have never sold out. They never tell DJs what to put on.

Why Iceland?

Iceland is an amazing country with some of the friendliest people I have ever met. The scene is very vibey and some great music is being made there.

“wayOutWest”

What’s the word on new Way Out West material? (Way Out West = Nick and Jody Wisternoff, seminal production duo.)

I think the new stuff is some of the best we’ve made, very cinematic and variable in tempo. A double A-sided single should be out in the summer.

And a new album after that. Any collaborations of note thus far?

Still talking to people about collaborations, but nothing’s confirmed yet. I do think that there will be some male vocals this time as well.

Is there any substance to the “W.O.W. scoring a movie” rumour?

We’re in negotiations with a Hollywood agency at the moment and will post any info on the W.O.W. board.

You and Jody spend a fair bit of time on that board. Is it an important part of music-making for you?

Yeah. It’s always good to keep in touch with the people who put you where you are and listen to what they have to say.

“nickWarren1”

And yet, you receive a lot of flaming online, sometimes in those very forums where you vocalize your thoughts.

Funnily enough, it really doesn’t bother me very much. It’s a sad fact that when you become successful you will always have people who hate you for it.

Whose tracks are you pushing at the moment when you play out?

I’m really into some Australian guys called Infusion . They’ve just remixed an old Kate Bush tune which is going to be one of the biggest records of the year.

Way Out West: http://www.wowest.cc ◼