W.A.I.S.T.E.D Interviews Wayne G
Posted in Adele, Deborah Cox, Jsto, Motiv8, Sandy B, Wayne G on August 30th, 2011 by H Bradley
My friend Hans At W.A.I.S.T.E.D.com managed to get an online interview with the man him self, check it out.
H: Wayne, How/when did you start doing your remixing?
W: I started remixing and producing tracks for my own sets very early on in my DJ career, 1996 being the first ones, obviously they were very simple but my camp sense of humour shined through on them, Twisted was the first major production for me. Twisted I did a rough mix and John Truelove (The Source ft. Candi Staton) liked what he heard, so set me up with another studio engineer to what would then become the ‘anthem for the fucked up’. Remix work followed pretty soon after… John Truelove
H: What artist is top of your list to remix for and why?
W: Madonna and Gaga for obvious reasons, they both have some great pop songs, that give themselves to club mixes very easily. Adele and Darren Hayes are one ‘s I would really like to give a go again. Simply because their voices and songwriting is amazing. Madonna
H: Apart from Remixing, you DJ as well. What places/where?
W: Everywhere from London (my hometown) to Singapore, Sydney to New York and all those in between.
H: Wayne, do you use acapella’s for your remixes or original single versions?
W: Always accapellas, I will only use the single version if an accapella can’t be sourced and I am REALLY desperate, I think I have done this 3 times in 15 years.
H: How do you keep up with what’s happening within the music industry these days?
W: I don’t LOL. Music blog recommendations keep me up to date on the latest bands, my musical taste vary, I never listen to dance at the gym at all.
H: You are travelling almost all the time across the world, where do you call home?
W: London. Always has been and always will be. I Love London
H: There is a lot of controversy surrounding blogs that provide downloads/download links. What is your opinion on this?
W: It’s a catch 22 and not something I like commenting about. There are 2 sides to the argument. What I will say, is if people continue to take music for free, us producers and remixers won’t have any tracks to work on anymore, because record labels are making cuts on remixes more and more as the stuff is leaking across the board and ‘fans’ aren’t buying it anymore from legal sites. Production wise, I am in the process of setting up a label, I know it’s not gonna make money and that is heart breaking that I put so much time and effort creating what I think fans will love, but I have seen other labels sales figures, you are lucky to break even these days on small independent releases. That is due to, again, the fans thinking they can download it for free and not supporting the independent artist. Catch 22
H: You have done remixes of tracks by artists like Kylie, Madonna, Peyton, Cher, Shauna, Alexis Jordan, Adele and Lady Gaga. Do you have a favourite and if so: Why?
W: Near impossible to pick a favourite but if I have to, it’s the newest one I have just done… But I can’t tell you who it is yet as I am sworn to secrecy…
H: Wayne, many people have a very strong opinion regarding commissioned and non-commissioned remixers. So… what is your opinion on this?
W: I actually had this conversation with a very famous producer and remixer who said it all ‘Just because you make music, doesn’t mean you should’. Some are great, some are quite obviously done just so theirs is the first ‘club’ mix out there, taking the leaked radio edit and sticking beats and maybe some added synths in, sometimes not even in key with the actual track…
H: There are many remixers out there, what makes you different from them?
W: I like to think I have a distinctive sound, one that resonates with people and they know it’s a track by me when it’s heard. But then I can produce stuff that has baffled some people when they find out it’s me, so that’s kinda funny ;-)
H: Talking about remixers: Who are your favourites?
W: Freemasons, Moto Blanco, Paul Goodyear, 7th Heaven, Manny Lehman, Club Junkies, Cahill, Wawa, Juanjo Martin, Tony Moran, Fedde Le Grand, Mark Knight, Wideboys, Cutmore, the list is endless… Moto Blanco 7th Heaven Paul Goodyear
H: What are you working on at the moment?
W: Can’t tell you, sorry….Oh I can tell you that I am working on some stuff for my new label. Bennu Records. That’s all so far though..
H: The Pop/Dance/NRG scene has changed a lot over the past 10 years I think, do you agree and if so, in what way has it changed?
W: I don’t think too much, the whole sound has come back around; just listen to all the old school riffs in things again…Big bass lines, trance feel…
H: Remixes by Wayne G have a huge Gay following; Do you have any idea why that is?
W: Cause I am hugely Gay? Still have quite a large straight following too, shocking though that seems.
H: Pride season has started; do you go to/play at any Gay Prides and if so: which one(s)? Gay Pride
W: Sigh…Too many LOL. I did San Diego Pride, Salt Lake City Pride, San Francisco Pride, Seattle Pride, LA Pride, Brighton Pride to name a few.
H: If you were to name a top 5 of your all-time favourite remixes that you have done, which ones would it be?
W:
- JSTO – I Just Wanna Dance
- Deborah Cox – Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here
- Motiv8 – Riding On The Wings Of An Angel (‘98 mix)
- Adele – Rolling In The Deep (I Do Have An Edited Version Of This But Wayne Does Not Want Me To Post)
- Sandy B – Make The World Go Round
