High-flying British DJ calls it quits

By STEPHEN JEWELL

Over the past few years, Global Underground's mix CD series has proved to be one of the increasingly fickle dance music market's most consistently popular compilation brands.

Not just because of the big-name DJs employed by the London-based label, but also because of its intriguing high concept which reflects the globetrotting existence of the superstar DJ.

For each of its CDs, Global Underground sends the DJs to exotic locations where they will play a hopefully memorable set that will later be replicated in the studio for release.

The latest Global Underground edition, Reykjavik, is mixed by Bristol-based Nick Warren, who ranks alongside the likes of Sasha as one of the progressive house scene's most popular DJs.

However, despite compiling more Global Underground CDs than any other DJ, Warren has decided to call it a day.

"Reykjavik is my fifth Global Underground CD, which is more than enough," says Warren, who has two other mix CDs to his name. "Reykjavik is my favourite so far. I've taken a slightly different tack this time.

"I started the [double] CD with a similar vibe to my Back To Mine album, which is very chilled out and dubby. The CD then slowly increases in tempo through the first CD through mid-tempo stuff like Boards of Canada before finishing with a lot of progressive breaks.

"The second CD is more the four/four club sound that I'm known for."

Warren returns to Auckland tonight for his fourth visit to this country. However, he denies rumours that circulated in the local dance community after his last New Zealand visit, suggesting that he was considering recording his next Global Underground CD in Auckland.

"I'd love to have done a CD in Auckland. But when we do the parties for the albums, there's about six to eight people in total, from record company people to photographers and everyone else involved in the project. To stage such an event in Auckland with that many people flying out and all the expenses that would incur would cost a fortune. But it's not down to me so much. The record company people look at it all and say doing an album in Auckland would cost £100,000, so maybe that changed their minds."

The chances of a Global Underground CD being recorded in Auckland have been diminished further by the label's financial problems which have seen it placed under administration. However, Warren does not believe Global Underground's cashflow trouble is related to the downturn in the British dance music industry.

"It's more a case of the Global Underground boys living the high life, enjoying themselves and maybe not watching all the pennies. Global Underground is one of the few labels in the world that has kept its sales. They've now found someone who is going to get involved and inject some cash, so they should be fine."

Warren says Britain's dance music crisis has not necessarily spread to other countries. "The British dance scene has declined, but I'm not seeing it around the world. All styles of music go through peaks and troughs. You can't expect one style to stay popular for 10 to 15 years. It's not going to happen. There will be dips.

"I've noticed that whereas in the past there were almost dance stars in the likes of The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Leftfield and Underworld, those high-selling artist albums are not there any longer. There have been problems in that there aren't fan bases for dance acts in the same sort of numbers."

Performance

Who: DJ Nick Warren and supports

Where: Wintergarden, Civic, Auckland

When: Tonight, from 10