“Interestingly, I’ve been DJing longer this time around than I was during the original period, which was ’75 through to ’84,” Wilson says in that lovable Manchester twang. While not always widely recognised in the mainstream for his achievements, Wilson carries great respect, including in Australia. He is currently on our shores for the Art of Mixing Tour, including a headline show at New Guernica. Along the way he is also finding time for a support slot with George Clinton’s behemoth Parliament Funkadelic in Perth. It’s full circle for Wilson, who still remembers the impact Clinton and his cohorts made on him.
“When I was 16 one of the first import records I bought was Mothership Connection by Parliament and that made a huge impression on me. Parliament just became a major signpost in the music landscape.”
In between club commitments and running a regularly updated blog, the seasoned DJ-producer is hoping to make time for some studio work. “I want to get to a stage where I have a small label and can put some of my own stuff.” Part of his future recording plans includes collaborating with artists who are on the same wavelength. “There’s a difference between making a good club track or groove track and an album song. The human voice is the greatest instrument.” The most precious element of getting his goals accomplished is time. “It’s like with anything, there’s only a certain amount of time. The longer you go it can sometimes get worse, it’s all about finding a balance.”
Even with his years of experience, the process of juggling all of his roles doesn’t necessarily get easier, however, Wilson finds ways to adapt. “Regulating things a bit more helps, knowing where you’ve got to be at a certain point of time.” With no shortage of demand for his skills, he has been able to map out his year of gigs, to help make room for his other work. “I’ve got to create that space in between, so that I can get in the studio and I can do the other things.”
Ultimately, it’s all part of the tapestry that makes up the life of a DJ. “It all starts to meld into each other and the DJ appearances obviously drive that because that’s where I actually get to meet people and connect.” With his unique perspective across three decades of music Wilson has seen the role of the DJ both remain the same and change drastically at the same time. “The basic premise of working a club is the same as it ever was, with people in a space listening to music and hopefully enjoying themselves. At the same time, because of the technologies we have now, that we didn’t have before, it’s a world apart.”
A long time record collector, Wilson still remains very much progressive and is quick to embrace technology, but understands why many of his peers are more reluctant. As much nostalgia as he has for the warm fuzzy feeling he got when picking up a 7-inch single, he knows it can’t be the same in 2013.
“I’m not somebody who’s into nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. I think nostalgia is good if you want to show how things connect between the past and future. That’s why I’m a fan of the re-edits movement, which I’m part of.” An ambassador between the old and new school, Wilson has witnessed hands-on what technology has done for the DJ scene. “A lot of younger people who weren’t about when these records were first released are finding them and re-editing them, making them more DJ friendly and mixable, but maintaining the essence of what they originally were.”
He believes that linking between the past and present is essential to the evolution of the DJ. “Taking something from the past and presenting it in a different package is what is necessary to engage people, otherwise you run the risk of sounding like you’re saying ‘the way it used to be was so great and what is happening now isn’t so great’. That’s insulting to somebody that’s younger.”
As someone who’s spent most of his adult life sifting through music and finding the gems, the astute Wilson believes music lovers need narrow down what they’re looking for online to save time. “The internet can just take you away on a voyage of discovery and before you know it hours have passed and you’ve taken your eye off the ball in terms of what you were originally looking to use it for. There’s so much available, it’s a universe of information.”
BY ANDREW ‘HAZARD’ HICKEY
