Another fine article from our guest writer Jonty Skrufff, find him on facebook here. Click the record stickers to listen…

“Fellow DJs take note – if you end up stranded in some country due to an airline fuck-up, find your own accommodation or sleep in the business lounge – you’ll thank me.”

16 years after he started his career spinning warm up sets at John Digweed’s fledgling Bedrock nights in his home town of Hastings, Danny Howells knows more than a little about travel snafus including his latest incident which saw him missing a headline slot at Ibiza superclub Space last weekend.

“It was a complete fuck-up and I’m gutted,” says Danny.

“I was flying in from Tunis, via Nice, and my outward flight was delayed by almost four hours. There was absolutely no other way of getting into Ibiza therefore I ended up stuck in Tunis for the night; in a -2 star hotel provided by the airline that was so vile I had to sleep with my shoes on. Stuff happens like this sometimes that there is absolutely no control over and it is an absolute pain in the arse,” he complains.

“On this occasion, it was my only Space gig for 2010 so it’s even more depressing,” he complains, “I’m not really an ‘Ibiza DJ’ and I probably don’t draw many punters to the club so I doubt I’ll be getting booked again next year after this.”

Grumbling (and false modesty) issues aside the progressive tech-house star is endearingly down to Earth reflecting his first job working as a psychiatric nurse in a semi-secure ward treating patients suffering from serious psychiatric disorders, including some who could be violent. 16 years on though, all is forgiven, he smiles.

“Whenever I go back to Hastings, I always bump into at least one of my old patients. Some of the younger ones always tell me how happy they are for me, that I managed to get out of nursing, or that they’ve bought one of my CDs etc,” he says proudly.

“There’s even one that I once made a mix-tape for, and he always tells me that he’s gutted that he lost it, and can I make him another one. That’s really nice, and I’m always so happy to see them all doing well. There are a few who on occasion threatened to kill me if ever they saw me outside, but now we see each other and have a hug and a chat. I’ve never ruled out the possibility of going back into that profession one day – I won’t be DJing forever, and doing something like nursing is so rewarding, even though it can be so stressful.”

Death threats aside he has no immediate plans to retire, however, despite admitting he’s been suffering from an unusually intense bout of writer’s block.

“This year has been a strange one so far, gig-wise it’s been pretty fabulous, but production-wise I’ve been in a bit of a six month funk. I produced so much stuff over the last few years, and kind of worked myself into a block, so to speak.”

“But it’s a cloud that really does has a silver lining, as it’s given me the chance to open up the Dig Deeper label to producers other than myself, and right now I’m buzzing over some of the forthcoming tracks that I’ll be releasing. We put out a message for producers to send in their demos, and honestly it was quite overwhelming, both in terms of the quality of the material that was sent in, and the love that some people have for the label.

I never really think that many people are paying attention to what I do, but then something happens which comes as a shock – for example, finding out that Juan Maclean was into the label, and was going to use my “Laid Out” track at his DJ gigs was amazing.”

Jonty Skrufff: You mentioned being gutted about missing Space, though chatting to Time Out’s Steve Swindells about your gig at the (tiny) Notting Hill Arts club last year you said about playing in superclubs, ‘it is sometimes difficult to maintain the interest over a longer period with larger crowds, and can feel forced into playing more uptempo than you want to’, what prompted that comment?

Danny Howells: “I think these comments stem from my own insecurities, as playing to large crowds definitely does scare me. I have found in the past that it can be difficult to hold the interest of a large crowd over a long period of time, especially as a lot of my peak-time music is so dark. But sometimes things happen that can change my own perspective of what I can do. Bonnaroo was a great example, because due to various circumstances I ended up playing the final four hours, which is very long for a festival set as far as I’m concerned. I don’t think I did a bad job to be honest. It worked out a lot better than when I had to follow David Guetta at Creamfields last year – that was harder for me than when I had to follow Dave Clarke or Jeff Mills.

Jonty Skrufff: In the same Time Out article last year you reminisced of the joys of ‘chatting up birds, and being rejected’ at the club, whereas the last time we spoke (in 2005) you’d just fallen in love and were talking babies and a shared passion for easy listening gods the Carpenters: what happened, are you still together with the same girl?

Danny Howells: “I still love the Carpenters . . . our relationship didn’t work out though, sadly, but we’re still the very best of friends. I think our continued friendship comes from a shared loved of animals. After the break-up she ended up with one cat and two guinea pigs, I held onto one cat, three guineas and a bunny (rabbit), who sadly recently passed away. I don’t even vaguely consider going into another relationship now. My relationship is with my pets; in a non-sexual way of course.”

Jonty Skrufff: How much of a problem is it meeting girls who want to be with you for you as opposed to ‘Danny Howells- international DJ’?

Danny Howells: “I’m so aware of that whole thing where people who would never look twice at me in normal situations suddenly want to hang out – that whole side of DJing is so fake and I’d rather stay celibate for the rest of my life than shag some bird who likes me because I play other people’s records. That was one of the key reasons my last relationship lasted nearly five years – she thought I was “OK” as a DJ but was so far from being a fan. I did try and seek her approval at times, but we would never have become serious had she been a fan.”

Jonty Skrufff: Space chatted about James Zabiela being swamped with psycho groupies at his recent gig: how difficult is it to resist temptation night after night, year after year?

Danny Howells: “He’s much younger and better looking than me and the girls absolutely love him. Even I can’t resist grabbing his dinkle whenever I see him. I have never really noticed many females stalking me though, either I’m completely oblivious to it, or I’ve just never been a heart-throb. I think the latter is probably more accurate.”

Jonty Skrufff: Have you ever encountered problems from jealous boyfriends?

Danny Howells: “No, because I have never put it about. That’s just not the way I was brought up. When I have spare time on tours, I’m on my laptop trying to get ideas for tunes, or trying to find new music for my sets. I really try and get my full amount of sleep whenever possible too – not very rock n’ roll, but I’d rather sleep than shag right now.”

Jonty Skrufff: Wikipedia says ‘At performances, he is well known to interact personally with the audience’: have you ever had problems from drunks/ people competing with you? (e.g. over-pushy DJ request people?)

Danny Howells: “Oh definitely. One of my earliest DJ memories was in the early-mid 90s, down at the Crypt in Hastings. Some girl was banging on at me to play M-People and I was really kindly telling her that I didn’t have any. I went to mix the next track in and she grabbed me by the T-shirt, yanking me onto my back and snapping my headphone cable. She then told the club manager that I’d been rude to her, so I ended up being threatened with the sack. I still get it now, people approaching me, being really friendly and after I’ve given them a beer out of my rider, they come out with “You got anything harder?!” Please, dearest, piss off!”

Jonty Skrufff: Looking at your tour schedule you’re playing every two or three weeks as opposed to two or three gigs a weekend: have you taken a conscious step back from playing so much?

Danny Howells: “It’s actually a lot more than that, but I think part of the problem lies in the fact that I don’t keep my online diaries very up-to-date. I am, however, making a very big effort to take more time off, as I honestly enjoy it much more when I’m not touring relentlessly. There a other guys out there who are much older than me and can stay away from home for long periods, but I really find it hard. There’s no point in me being away from home for 3-4 weeks: I’m not promoting a major record, I’m not chasing fame or looking to build up my bank balance.

I get so homesick when I’m away for too long, and my body doesn’t cope with lack of sleep any more. Age affects us all differently, and I really can’t go on pretending that I’m 24 when I’m pushing 40. I’ve been doing this for a long time now, and I know what I enjoy, and I’m fortunate to be in a situation where I can be a bit more picky about how much time I spend away from home. The whole airport-hotel-car thing takes it’s toll on me so I have to take things a bit more gently now.”

Jonty Skrufff: There are thousands of tracks released each week now and more and more all the time: how much is information overload a problem? what do you think are the implications for DJ culture longer term?

Danny Howells: “I have my own routines for sourcing music. I check my promo inbox all the time, and there are always a few nuggets in there. I also rely heavily on Juno too, for finding all the really deep and more eclectic bits. I still buy vinyl from there, but not as much as I used to. As far as long term implications go, well the scene has definitely changed a hell of a lot. Seeing someone like Deadmau5 headlining Ultra in Miami over Orbital goes to prove that. There’s a lot of very disposable music out there which outsells everything else, but I’m pretty hopeful that there’ll always be a little niche for old fogeys like me.”

Jonty Skrufff: What made you leave Hastings a few years ago for London?

Danny Howells: “It was when I moved in with my then fiancee. I actually was living outside of Hastings, in a remote village with nothing but a pub and a village shop/post office. She’d moved over from Amsterdam and I couldn’t make her live in a place like that. I loved that whole village life-style, but I love being in London now – even though I’m still pretty reclusive.”

Jonty Skrufff: What do you make of British society today: is it in any way noticeably more dysfunctional than 15 years ago? Does it cause you any alarm? (eg the ubiquity of binge drinking?) What should be done?

Danny Howells: “I haven’t got a clue what should be done – I’m a DJ not an MP. As far as drinking and drugging goes, I think we’ve always been a bit off the hook in Britain. I doubt that the crowds in the 60s going to Pink Floyd and Hendrix gigs were exactly sober. I find the knife/gun culture more alarming, rarely a week seems to go by without some horrific news. The whole instant-celebrity thing is so annoying too – so many people who are famous for absolutely nothing other than shagging some crap footballer. Please, fuck off!”

Jonty Skrufff: How important is it for DJs to personally keep up with Facebook/ Twitter today; how much time do you spend on it?

Danny Howells: “I am a Luddite as far as technology goes – my DJ technical rider is so straightforward, my Nan could be my tour manager. I think the whole Twitter/Spacebook thing is really important now. I have someone who does my fan page for me as I cannot do that whole ‘come to my show’ stuff. I can’t bring myself to big myself up and re-tweet things like ‘your set was so great’, which so many other DJs do non-stop. I think it’s actually fun to chat with people on Twitter though – it’s my way of interacting with people, now that I don’t have a message board. It’s good for the banter and I love stalking the (TV show) Dragon’s Den crew on there – Bannatyne is such a legend. I try not to follow people who just use it for self-promotion though – you know the people who have 10,000 followers yet don’t follow anyone themselves. What’s that all about? The whole status-updating thing is rubbish to me, but the whole talking bullshit element is a lot of fun.”

Jonty Skrufff: You mentioned on Twitter being rejected by a superstar techno DJ recently: did/ do you take it personally?

Danny Howells: “A little bit, I suppose, yes. I’m always so happy to see another producer/DJ reach out to me, regardless of their genre or how cool they are. There are definitely some people out there who have a raised opinion of themselves, and don’t want to be seen to be connecting with some supposed old “progger” (progressive house DJ) like myself. Yet there are others who show true warmth and appreciation for the fact that I play their records and support their labels etc.

The techno DJ in question, I was actually trying to get in touch as I’d re-edited two of his tracks which have been a regular staple of my sets over the last ten years, and I wanted to give them to him. That was all. I’ve been playing his tracks for nearly twenty years, and have nearly everything his label has put out on vinyl. But at the same time, I got a personal message from Keith Chegwin, thanking me for bigging him up on Twitter – a true legend in my eyes, and he’s still taking the time to thank me. Thank you Cheggars. I love being able to connect with random people I admire .. Dragon’s Den stars, Eastenders actors, Big Ben clock etc – so I always reciprocate and take the time to connect with people that admire me.”

Jonty Skrufff: I haven’t asked yet about cosmetics: when was the last time you wore eyeliner? How important is image for DJing these days? More or less than before?

Danny Howells: “I have a certain identity crisis right now – my image has gone stale and I always feel so old when I walk into a club full of 18-24 year olds. I should tart myself up more and would definitely benefit from a bit of slap, but I don’t really have the confidence right now. You should style me!”

Jonty Skrufff: How about ditching the stubble?

Danny Howells: “I can’t shave! It makes me look like Freddie Mercury; just before he went!”

Thanks to both Jonty and Danny find their respective official websites here and here.

Tags: Danny Howells, Dig Deeper, Freddie Mercury, Groupies, House, Ibiza, John Digweed, Jonty Skrufff, Keith Chegwin, Progressive, Psychiatry, Space, Twitter

This entry was posted on Friday, August 13th, 2010 at 12:02 pm and is filed under Journalism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.