Born and raised in the UK’s capital, renowned DJ Michael Woods took the time to chat to us about his latest track ‘London Baby’, his choice of British cuisines and why he’s performing in Glasgow this Boxing Day, and here is what he had to say…
Hi Michael! How is everything going for you at the moment?
Hi! Everything is going well thanks; I’m keeping busy as usual, juggling time between being creative in the studio and touring.
Your new tracks called ‘London Baby’, so how would you describe it to someone who has never heard any of your tracks before?
This track is actually a little different to the kind of music I normally make, as I’m always up for experimentation and this track was the result of playing around with a few different sounds and new studio techniques. I’d describe this track as bass-heavy and crunchy, with a melodic twist and a distinctive vocal hook.
We love it by the way! And as it states London, what is your favourite thing about the Capital of England?
Well first of all it was the city in which I was born and raised, so naturally I love it, but the thing about London is there is so much history there; it has monuments and buildings which have been around for over 1000 years, it’s a city full of culture and intrigue, and I’m proud to say, I’m from London Baby!
And what about the food, if you had to eat one, would it be pie, mash and beer, or the famed jellied eels?
For me it would have to be pie mash ‘n’ beer – we used to have this all the time for lunch when I worked in an office in London – ah memories!
Good choice! Have you got any tips on places to go when people visit London itself?
If you’re on vacation in London you have to head down to the River Thames. From there you have so many things to see and do at your disposal, firstly the Tower of London, the home of the Crown Jewels of England. Then a short walk up river you have the London Eye, which at 135 meters high gives you the best views of London. From there, you can head over Westminster Bridge to check out the impressive Houses of Parliament, and from there, walking via Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column you can head to Buckingham Palace, home of the Queen of England.
It’s so often musicians and DJ’s are tied down with a specific genre and type, but it’s hard to pin your music down to one particular style, so where do you draw inspiration from when making tracks?
There’s no one specific place or person I draw inspiration from when making music, my productions are more of a melting pot of anything and everything I would’ve heard that caught my ear, whether that be electronic music, jazz, classical, pop or whatever – I get in the studio and it all comes out in its own way, most often I don’t even know what’s going to come out of a studio session until I play the actual music. I sit at the piano, close my eyes, start playing… and hope for the best
I noticed that you were trained on a variety of instruments from the piano to percussion when you were younger, but which one did you least dislike playing?
Dislike is probably the wrong word to use here as I wouldn’t say I dislike any instrument I play. I guess my favourite instrument is the piano as I have been playing it from around the age of around 4 and so can play it really well. Having said that I always looked forward to letting rip on the drum kit come the weekend at music college!
Also, the world is full of brilliant DJ’s today, so who would you say is your favourite and what is your favourite track to dance too?
One of my favourite DJs is Calvin Harris, he’s probably THE most successful DJ right now but he’s also the most down to earth person you could meet and he’s always taken time to listen to my tracks and give advice where he can. Favourite track to dance to? Michael Jackson – Thriller! 😉
Back to your music now and you’re scheduled to do a set in Glasgow on Boxing Day, is this how you’d normally spend your Christmas?
No matter where I’ve been travelling to around the world I always make it back home to London to spend Christmas Day with the family. So typically I normally do a UK-based show come Boxing Day. In the past it’s usually been Cream in Liverpool but I have to say I’m really excited about playing at Colours in Glasgow this time.
Any other gigs we should be looking forward to? Will there be more UK dates next year?
Yes, really looking forward to be playing back at Ministry of Sound in London, this is one of my favourite clubs to play at; I’ll be there 29th Jan 2016 and on the 30th I’ll be playing a Bitch Event in Venus Nightclub, Manchester – can’t wait for that one!
Finally, what piece of advice would you give to a student musician today?
For a student musician who’s looking to make a professional career out of music I’d say they have to be really passionate about what they do, put in the time and never give up. I remember when I first started to make music professionally, I had a garage which I converted in to a make-shift studio and I would literally spend up to 48 hours at a time in there, sometimes just listening to the same 4 bars over and over, trying to perfect it and get it just right. It was a lot of hard work and I made a lot of sacrifices but I’m reaping the rewards now, and I believe any musician can do the same if he/she puts in the hard work.
Thanks Michael, it has been a real pleasure! Best of luck with the tour.
Thank you so much! And I just want to say, thanks to all my fans for your support over the years – And I hope to continue to bring you great music over the years to come. Thanks! 🙂
Michael Woods – London Baby! is out now https://Diffused.lnk.to/MWLondonBaby
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