Although Warren claims that it is, in fact, Russia that seems to be the biggest drawing card for UK DJs right now, his personal destination of choice has been South America for quite some time now. Brazil, Argentina, Chile… Where the night-birds are at, that’s where you’ll find Warren having the time of his life. “I often wonder whether people in South America ever sleep at all,” he shares. “You know, I would argue that South America has always been the ‘hotspot’, as far as I’m concerned at least. People in the UK like to go out late, I suppose, but you’ve seen nothing unless you’ve been in South America because they don’t leave the house or get to the club until it’s about three in the morning. Everything is really underground, all the lights are dimmed to the point of complete darkness, there’s an incredible vibe about it because even though you can’t really see very much you still feel this indescribable vibe among the people. It’s truly magical. Again, it’s not exactly the richest of places and it has its share of troubles, but South America definitely has the best scene that I’ve experienced.”
But don’t get him wrong – Warren is also quick to insist that just because a country isn’t falling apart; it doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t know how to have a good time! Australia is a case in point, according to Warren, who claims that his upcoming Balance 018 compilation tour is high on his priority list at the moment. Following on from Timo Maas’s 017 compilation last year, Warren takes a somewhat different approach on the 2011 edition of the Balance series, describing his effort as a “deep journey.” He admits, “It’s very flattering to be approached and asked to do something like this. But putting together a compilation is seriously the weirdest thing, if you ask me. At first you’re happy that people would consider you capable of doing it but then straight away the next thing you know you’re kind of in panic mode, going, ‘well, can I do it, and can I do it well?’ You know in the back of your mind that there is automatically some pressure put on you because not only do the tracks you select have to be fantastic, but the aim is always – my aim is always – to find tracks that people haven’t necessarily been exposed to before. It’s like a double challenge, really. The hardest, most scariest part is starting off with nothing. By the end of the entire process, your Inbox is completely full of fresh tracks. The whole thing took me three months to do.”
Yes, putting together a compilation for the uber-underground-yet-uber-cool Balance series may be in reality less glamorous than it sounds, as he insists, but you can bet Warren’s successfully killed two birds with one stone. Featuring lesser-known producers from pretty much all corners of the globe – from Russia’s Spieltape, Argentina’s Julio Largente, to Germany’s Solee among many others – Warren claims Balance 018 is less ‘tech-house’ than some might have expected. “I really believe these guys have something special,” he states. “I mean it in the sense of obvious talent and work ethic. Personally, I love Ormatie, Eelke Kleijn, Victoria R… I can’t really pick or choose, to be honest. The whole aim for me was to put something out there for people to hear and be like, ‘wow, why haven’t I heard of this producer before?’ I think it’s the job of the more established producers to give exposure to younger and more up-and-coming guys because these days it’s just not happening through record deals. Radio is one good way to get the word out about new talent and so are compilations like this. It’s not like it used to be when I started out. Back in the day there was a lot more security in the sense of knowing that you had a publishing deal and you’d get paid for your work. Nobody wants to give you money upfront, it’s a very different industry.” To say the least.
The year was 1988 when Nick Warren first immersed himself in reggae and indie, kicking off his DJing career in the 1990s once house started to become popular. Following on from his regular performances at Bristol superclub Vision, Warren was snapped up by Massive Attack and became the group’s official touring DJ – something which he credits as his “first real break”. Sometime around 1994, however, Warren’s ‘other big break’ came in the form of producer and future-collaborator Jody Wisternoff – the two accidentally meeting at a record store and forming the Way Out West project which continues to churn out releases to this day. “Jody and I kind of know where we stand and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” explains Warren. “He knows a lot more about the technical stuff, like the intricate details that would make sense to total technology nerds. If I had to describe the way we work, he’s probably more responsible for the intricate stuff whereas I have much more of a knack for the sound and the feel of a track – the vibe of it. I’ve always enjoyed our project, it’s something that I’d like to continue for however long we can. But you know, both Jody and I have noticed how different things have become and what the younger generation of producers are putting up with now. It’s almost tempting to say we had it easy when we started out because there was money in music. You were able to give up your day job and totally focus on music and nothing else, really.”
Of his relationship with Wisternoff and the Way Out West project, Warren says that a brand new EP is in the works and it sees the duo turning up the “weird” factor a little more than usual. At the same time, Warren claims he isn’t about to let his solo career take a back seat either, stating that 2011 has seen him focus on production much more than in previous years. “I’ve noticed that I’ve been saying the word ‘studio’ very often lately,” he chuckles. “It must mean that I’ve been spending a lot of time there. It’s been about 16 or 17 years now for Way Out West – as much as I hate to think! – but I’m still very proud to say that I’m balancing two things that I still very much enjoy doing Way Out West as well as my solo thing. We’ve got a new EP in the works right now, it’s sounding quite underground, quite spacey. For me, this entire year has been about taking it up a notch in terms of production, things are looking pretty good right now.”
Life, in fact, is looking pretty good for Warren right now – with various projects in the works, as well as international tours that include Australia, Warren announces he has switched management agencies of late, too. “It’s the same people that look after guys like Carl Cox and John Digweed, so it’s been a very good year for me in more than one way. We also had the 100th release out on Hope Records [where Warren is head of A&R] which was a great milestone! It’s a track called Buenos Aires which I wrote after playing there not long ago. Actually, it’s probably one of the places I visit the most because I love it so much over there. It’s my love song to South America.”
