We took some time to get to know fast rising fabric resident Daniel Avery, whose got a pretty exciting year ahead, including his hero Andrew Weatherall remixing his work, a stop off at Hideout festival, and the launch of a new clubnight…
Thanks for taking the time to speak to us, firstly- can you give us a quick introduction for those who may not know you?
My name is Daniel Avery, I’m a DJ and producer from London. I’m a resident DJ at Fabric and have recently released records on labels like Throne Of Blood, Relish, Tigersushi and Gomma.
You work under both under your own name and the stopmakingme moniker- what’s with the use of different alias?
It’s important for me to remember that I never had any dreams of being an electronic music DJ as a teenager. I used to play at an ‘alternative’ night (with no DJ name) and I was more interested in playing bass in a band like ESG or Interpol than I was in making something from playing records. It was all accidental, really. Through watching DJs like Erol Alkan and Optimo, I started to love house and techno and then went on a mission to delve as deeply as possible into those worlds. I see Stopmakingme as my first project; my initial foray into electronic music. I’ve now reached a stage where I have a far greater idea of who I am and where I want to be so I’m retiring the name this year and will start using Daniel Avery, if only to add a punctuation point in things for myself.
What are your musical influences? I’ve read that you’re about much more then electronic beats- what does it for you outside of dance music?
Everyone says they have eclectic taste so I don’t want to follow suit but I rarely listen to dance music at home. For me, my favourite electronic producers are the ones where you can hear that their influences come from way outside of the club. Acts like The Chemical Brothers or Death In Vegas are obvious examples but even with guys like Levon Vincent, Joakim or Photonz – they make psychedelic records for the dancefloor and I find that idea very exciting.
You had a pretty fast rise in 2011, what were the highlights for you?
I’ve been DJing since I was 18 so, in many ways, it doesn’t feel like much has changed because I’m still just playing records week in week out but being able to play my own productions to big crowds has been great. Also, seeing some of my DJ heroes play my stuff is a big deal to me.
You landed a much coveted Fabric residency- the kind of slot most DJ’s would kill for, how does it feel to be part of such a legendary venue’s team?
It’s beyond anything I ever dreamt of. I can’t quite describe how much I love that place. It’s an institution that firmly believes in and pushes underground music and has done so for over ten years now. Everything about that place from the artwork to the sound system to the line-ups to the lights to the website… it’s all amazing and I feel extremely lucky to be a part of that family.
You’ve just had Andrew Weatherall remix one of your tracks from your forthcoming light into dark EP, how did that come about- I hear your a big fan of his.
It’s an absolute honour, he is a total hero of mine. His body of work and set of achievements is staggering and the fact that is he is still as relevant today as he ever was (probably even more so) says a lot about his integrity and desire to never stop being creative. I’m friends with Richard Fearless and he shared a studio space with Andrew whilst making his new record. Long story short, I’ve been using the same space for about a year now and have had the privilege of being able to hand Weatherall all my new stuff personally which, incredibly, he has been playing. He has said some really nice things about me in the press and so I tried my luck and asked for a remix. It worked!
You’ve also worked with the likes of Justin Robertson, and remixed some pretty big names yourself last year- are your productions indicative of your DJ sets? Which came first for you?
DJing definitely came first for me, I still feel like a newcomer in terms of production but, saying that, I feel as if I do know what works for me in a set and how floors react to certain sounds, simply by being in that DJ booth for so many hours. Most of the stuff I make is intended for clubs or, at least, it has the pulse of club music but that’s definitely not all I want to be known for. I would get very bored if I only ever tried to make peak time records. I love My Bloody Valentine and Spacemen 3 as much as labels like Kompakt or Live At Robert Johnson so it’s important for me to explore all of those areas too.
You also run your own promotion, Movement Club with Matt Walsh (of bugged out notoriety)- what’s the ethos behind the night?
We are just about to launch Movement Club in Dalston, it’s a series of three nights. The idea is somewhere for us to be able to spread our wings musically and to have a crowd who trust us. Small venue, big soundsystem, friendly faces. We want people to come early and listen to a night of music rather than just turning up for headliner. There will always be a guest but we won’t reveal their identity until they step behind the decks. We’ve got some big acts who have jumped at the chance to play what they want to an intimate crowd. It’s really exciting.
You’re heading over to Hideout Festival this summer, what are you looking forward too?
There is so much I want to see but I think the Phantasy boat party will be special.
What else had 2012 got in store for you?
Lots more in the way of releases, remixes, DJing and trying to sleep now and again.
