WILL BAILEY - BIOGRAPHY

Will Bailey - DJ/Producer (Birmingham/Bristol, UK)

Will Bailey is a leader of the nu skool. One of a growing breed of new, young producers taking strides in the electro-house revolution, making waives in the industry as he goes. A string of hot remixes & releases have brought him to the attention of some of the industries biggest names, with his productions now being played in clubs, festivals & parties across the globe.

So what of the man? Who is this young Brummie who's turning heads, making people sit up & take note of his work?

From an early age it was clear that Will was destined for a future in the music industry. With his father working as a session keyboard player in massive rock bands during the 80's such as Magnum & Whitesnake, Will was exposed to the lifestyle & instruments from day one, and it wasn't before long until he was learning both the guitar & drums himself.

Throughout his school years, Will's thirst for music grew. By this stage, he was able to play many instruments and inevitably he was part of various bands & music groups. The influences of both his father & brother were joined by those of the stars of the times such as Prince, Michael Jackson and David Bowie, then later The Prodigy, The Orb & Orbital. However, it was whilst at Uni in Bristol during the late 90's that Will was drawn to a different route.

It was here that his Saturday nights were spent listening to Danny Rampling's legendary 'Love Groove Dance Party' shows on Radio 1, and before long, like many others, Will's love for house music had begun.

He couldn't get enough of it and started going to parties whenever he could; watching & listening to US house jocks such as Brian Tappert, Louie Vega & Kenny Dope, Mousse T and David Morales...

... but listening and partying just weren't enough; Will wanted to be a part of it himself. He wanted to be doing what those guys were doing. He wanted to be the one controlling the crowds, and making people dance the way they were. Will wanted to be a DJ!

So, he saved. He saved until he had enough to buy his own set of decks and once he had them... he practiced.

DJ'ing came to Will like boxing came to Ali; He was a natural, and it wasn't long before he was displaying those skills at local nights throughout the city. But with new heroes such as Eric Morillo & Yousef showing that there was more to DJ'ing than just stringing 2 records together, Will's determination to push on became even greater.

Soon enough, people were talking and he was getting regular gigs at respected nights including Wildstyle, Slinky, Funktion & the massive Bristol Bank Holiday events at Liquid.

In 2002, Will got his first taste of promotion as he, together with friends, started up what is now Bristol's longest running and well known boat party 'The Funk Boat'. The parties have reached almost legendary status in the South West, and have since formed the basis for the creation of what are currently 2 of the city's biggest nights, 'Prominence' & 'Electroquisite'.

Soon Will was regularly playing at some of the countries leading nights & venues including Miss Moneypenny's, Promise, Godskitchen, L'america, Creation, Liquid, Spin, and Fuel. He also gained a residency at the huge Bristol based night 'Kandybox', which saw him spinning both locally and on European tours alongside many of his peers including Yousef, Seb Fontaine, Tom Neville, Lottie and even the man who influenced him most, Danny Rampling.

Inevitably, Will soon looked to further his career by moving into production, another talent that seemed to come naturally to him.

In 2005, Will released his first solo production titled 'Rootin'. The track represented a huge step forward for Will, and his talent was instantly recognised by the likes of Rock Solid Productions.

Will's second release titled 'That Piano Track' coincided with his relocation back to the Midlands. Regular appearances by Will on the Birmingham circuit gave him the opportunity to champion his own tracks, a factor noticed by Miss Moneypenny's who not only embraced his ability behind the decks by making him a regular guest at HQ, but also signed 'That Piano Track' for release on their own label.

After a short break at the end of 2005, Will came back more focused & determined than ever. The new electro based house that had taken over the scene seemed to be the sound he had been waiting for; This served as the catalyst for Will's career and 2006 proved to be even more successful than the last...

Unofficial remixes of huge tracks including 'Switch - A Bit Patchy', 'MTV - Bleep' and 'Don Diablo - Blow' received huge attention. His own productions too received rave reviews, with requests & plays from some of the biggest in the business, all of whom were & still are keen to support his work; Tracks such as 'And Again', 'One', 'Freak', 'Shaker' and 'Go Sick' all found their way to the record boxes & CD wallets of the industries biggest players.

2007 has seen the demand for Will's work go global, and he recently embarked on a mini-tour of Brazil, taking in some of Rio's best clubs & festivals along the way. Further original productions such as 'Pop', the Simma remix of 'Freak', and the collaboration with Digital Filth for 'Krusher' have further enhanced an already glowing profile. Indeed, it's this latest track that seems to have got some of the biggest stars in a spin, with Radio airtime from none other than Jules & Eddie Halliwell, and the likes of Dave Spoon publically announcing it as his 'one to look out for' on Pete Tong's Fast Trax show.

It was these kind of reviews that led to Toolroom head honcho Mark Knight sounding Will out for his remix of 'Crunch', Mark's own collaboration with electro-house hotshot Richard Dinsdale. In fact, he likes it that much, he put it out on a Toolroom digital release, announcing to the world in the process that Will bailey had arrived!!!

DJ'ing wise, Will's profile continues to grow at an astronomical rate. His residencies at Prominence, Electroquisite & Kandybox have this year seen him line up alongside Timo Maas, Eric Prydz, Mylo, Mark Knight, Ian Carey, Paul Jackson, Chris Lake, Micky Slim, Tocadisco, Funkagenda, Dave Spoon and many more.... and that's just in Bristol!

His increased fame brought about by his production has seen almost every club in the country clambering to get him in.... The Cross, Sankey's, Mission in Leeds, Godskitchen.... they've all been on the line. He's even been booked for the legendary Space terrace in Ibiza for Alex P's own private birthday bash.... One thing's for sure though... wherever he's been, he's left them craving for more with a string of technically & musically jawdropping performances....

So what does the future hold for Will...?

Well, with a whole host of exciting new ideas, energy and material, and his own label 'Simma Records' puching his work forward, you can expect a lot more from him in the remainder of this year alone. You're looking at an exciting, fresh and unique young producer who's already on the lips of the biggest names in the game and who unlike many, is as equally talented behind the turntables as he is in the studio. Even now, it's already clear that 'Will Bailey' is a name we're all set to hear a lot more over the coming years.

His future you ask?

Will IS the future....

MINI-INTERVIEW WITH WILL BAILEY - Q & A

Ahead of his headline set for Prominence at The Warehouse on Sunday 6th May for their May Bank Holiday Special Part 1, we find out a little bit more about the man who's taken the UK electro-house scene by the balls....

Q) So, you're headlining The Prominence May Bank Holiday Special Part 1 at The Warehouse on Sunday 6th May and whilst you're resident for this night, due to your ever increasing commitments up & down the country these days, this will be your first appearance at Prominence this year... What in particular about the gig are you looking forward to the most??

A) I'd have to say the atmosphere, without a doubt. Prominence is always an intimate affair, and the crowd love to party, which is ultimately what a night is about. Plus, i'm buzzin for the new venue!!! i haven't played there yet but i've heard it's wicked

Q) If you were to describe your musical style when DJ'ing, how would you do so?

A) I enjoy switching it up between wonky electro and good quality house music. I like to throw different ingredients in to my sets

Q) What artists have inspired you the most in years gone by, and who excites you today?

A) Over the years, i've always found great inspiration watching and listening to the likes of Roger Sanchez and Eric Morillo... but its producers like Dinsdale, MTV, Leger and Mr Spoon who really excite me at the moment.

Q) You did of course start out you're DJ'ing career in Bristol, before moving back to the Midlands & Birmingham. How do you find the 2 city's respective scenes differ & compare?

A) Because Bristol is where it all started to happen for me, it's always special to come back play with you & Alex. I feel more involved with the crowd here, and it feels like i'm at home. Birmingham is an amazing city though, with some great nights like Godskitchen, Magnetik and Switch.

It's hard to say... the 2 places are very different, but equally as good

Q) The last 18 months must have been a bit of a whirlwind for you. How have you coped with it all do you think?

A) The more good things that happen, the harder I work in the studio. Im a workaholic. Im always in front of the computer playing with beats or basslines, apart from when im eatin pizza or watching lost

Q) Nowadays you're receiving numerous requests to remix various artists' tracks. How do you decide on which ones to remix and what qualities do you look for in a track which help you make your decision?

A) I love to remix anything. You can always put your own take on a track I think; whether you can improve it or not is a different matter, but I think if people like your style then your remix will always be worth something.

Q) You've been travelling the Uk a lot recently, DJ'ing in various cities. What have been you're favourite parties to have played at?

A) Reckless in Stoke is a wicked gig, the crowd is amazing and always bang up for it. Purrfect in Leeds is a heavy gig too, with an equally up for it crowd... And last but not leat, Electroquisite & Prominence of course ;-)

Q) In you're own personal opinion, what has been the pinnacle moment in your career to date?

A) I've been pretty lucky to see some pretty amazing things and play some great places, but i'd have to say that playing the main room at Gods was pretty special. Coming on after D Ramirez & Eric Prydz to play to a full Godskitchen main room was amazing for me.

Q) Any stuff going on in the pipeline that you think we should all know about??

A) At the moment, I’m working hard on new material for my own label ‘Simma’. I’m trying to make each track sound a bit different. I’ve just finished a couple of tracks; one is a cheeky little remix of the Beastie Boys. Check them on my myspace page: willbaileymusic. I’m also doing some down tempo stuff for album material.

Q) Do you still get time to hit the dancefloor? If so, where's your favourite place to rave it up?

A) Yeah!! I love having a rave up!! The lounge at gods is always good for me. I’ve had some wicked times in there, on the apple shots ;)

Q) Any advice or tips you can give aspiring production artists??

A) I would definitely suggest using only a few synths and getting to know them inside out to be able to get the most out of what your using. Keep it simple all the way.

Q) Finally, where do you want to go from here?

A) Everything’s going great at the minute, so I just want to keep this going. I wanna keep the productions firing out, and really get my label ‘Simma’ running nicely. I’m keen to link up with other like minded producers also.

OK, A FEW QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS...

Q) CD's or Vinyl?

A) CD's

Q) DJ'ing or Producing?

A) Both!

Q) Bristol or Brum?

A) One after the other on the same night!

Q) Partying or Relaxing?

A) Partying!

Q) Clubs or Festivals?

A) Festivals

Q) Favourite Food?

A) Pizza

Q) Favourite Place?

A) Argentina

Q) Favourite Club?

A) I'd have to say Air

Q) Favourite DJ?

A) Our nan! ;-)

Q) Favourite Moment?

A) Pile on behind the decks at Liquid! ha ha

You can catch Will for the first time in 2007 at the Prominence 'Bank Holiday Special part 1' on Sunday 6th May, The Warehouse, Prince St (opp Jury's). For full events details, please refer to the events page, or contact us through the details below.

The Prominence Bank Holiday Special Part 1
The Warehouse, Prince Street (opp. Jury's Hotel), Bristol
Sunday 6th May 2007
10pm - 4am
£6 B4 11.30pm, £8 After (NUS with card £5/7)
Info: 07968 367 349 or prominence@blueyonder.co.uk
www.myspace.com/prominencebristol
AFTER HOURS: TBA 4am onwards

www.myspace.com/willbaileymusic
www.myspace.com/lukelangson
www.myspace.com/alexclarkprominence