Resident at Turnmills' flagship night Together, and an incresingly impressive producer with tracks on labels like Cr2, Global Underground, Twisted Frequency and Saved, Anil Chawla is one DJ who's talent is definitely getting him the recognistion he desrves. We spoke to him in the run up to his appearence in the ClubClass Arena at Electric Gardens Festival in Kent on 4/5th August, where he plays alongside the likes of Nic Fanciulli, Stanton Warriors, Danny Howells and Micky Slim....

How would you describe your sound?

Without getting too lost in genres, I’ll play right through from warm deep house, to tech house, acid house, and a touch of techno. If something’s good, and it works, I’ll play it.

How did you first get into the whole DJing/dance music lark?

I bought record decks during my first summer at uni (in 1999), I’d often go record shopping in between lectures and built up quite a collection without even realising.

I used to do mix tapes for my mates, which lead to one of them asking me to do a warm up at our student union. From there, I eventually went on to play there every week, which was invaluable experience, and quite a joy too (cheap Snakebites all round).

I went on to become resident at a night in Maidstone, Mongo Bongo (a night run by 2 good friends of mine). Great times were had and the support behind the night was overwhelming (lots of props from Mixmag, DJ Mag etc). We were really lucky to have so many great guests – Nic Fanciulli, Serge Santiago, Mark Knight, Steve Mac, Mutiny, Steve Lee, Wandy… The list goes on!

The first time I ever played for in London was for a night called ‘it would be rude not to’ at Play Bar in Old Street; which came through a friend of a friend. From there on, one of my mix CDs found its way to Gavyn at Turnmills and he gave me my first break playing for The Gallery. The people at Turnmills have always been great and really supportive, so I owe a lot to the guys down there.

When I first started, I’d never really had any intention of playing out, so to have played the parties that I only could have dreamed of a few years ago, has been a real honour.

So things are looking rather rosy for you eh? What would you put your success thus far down to?

I’ve had some really lucky breaks, and have always had the right people pushing me (in particular, Paul Stix from Turnmills). Also, production has been essential with pushing everything forward, and I’m really happy the way things are going at the moment. I have just parted with my agency (Sedition) but they’ve also been great over the years.

Global Underground have snapped up some of your tracks right? How did that come about and where/when can we get our hands on them?

My production partner (Dale Anderson) sent off one of our tracks to Global Underground last summer, which they subsequently signed and licensed to their ‘Afterhours’ compilation. Since then, we’ve had a really good relationship with GU and have signed a further 4 tracks to them, have done 2 remixes and appeared on 3 of their compilations. ‘Leftorium’, ‘SheShi Loungin’, and a Stu Hirst remix are all available to buy (Beatport, Juno etc), and ‘Panda Love’, ‘Table 5’, and an Adam Freeland remix should all be out this summer.

How did you get your residency at Together, Turnmills flagship night?

I’d played Together a few times before, doing warm-ups, and had done a couple of last minute cover sets over the years. Last summer Turnmills phoned me up to say that they’re taking me on as a resident. I was over the moon, and to share the resident title alongside Justin Robertson is pretty mad! I’ve been lucky enough to play 3 hour sets in the main room/closing slots in T2, and even warm up for the Chemical Brothers on NYE. Initially, I was bi-monthly resident, but as of the start of this year, I’ve been playing every month.

It is a great honour, because it’s genuinely one of my favourite nights in London. The variation between rooms is incredible and there’s a great contrast of club/electronic/live music. If you haven’t been before, you really should check it out.

You will be playing back-to-back with Sam Ball in the Club Class Arena at Electric Gardens Festival on 4/5th August. Not a bad little booking....

It’s gonna be pretty sweet! I’ve known Sam for years, so I’m sure we’ll have a great time, and Club Class is such a great promotion, so it’s really cool to play for them. I’m really looking forward to catching the acts that are on that weekend too (namely; The Happy Mondays, New Young Pony Club, Danny Howells, Funk D’Void, Nic Fanciulli, and loads more). Myself and Sam have also done a few collaborations recently, so I’m sure you can expect to hear them on the day!

What else are you looking forward to this summer?

I’m hopefully going to be doing a mini-tour of India towards the end of the summer (incorporating gigs in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore). My parents are both of Indian origin, but I’ve only had the chance to go over there once, so that’ll be nice. I’ll also be continuing my monthly spot at Together and have got lots of stuff going on in London and around the country, as well as a guest mix on Radio 1. Check out my myspace for more info – www.myspace.com/anilchawla

Your productions keep on getting better and better...which is your personal favourite so far and why?

I’m going to have to pick 2… There’s ‘Hysteria’ which has recently been released on Cr2, and has been receiving some great support. Sasha/Digweed played it at Renaissance’s Wild in the Country festival recently and although I wasn’t there, my friend took a video - it’s quite mad to see 10,000 people bopping along to it (check youtube for the vids!) Also, ‘Makes Me Fee’ is a favourite of mine too, as it’s the first track that I’d made with Dale and has a really nice deep groove to it.

You played at El Divino in Ibiza recently – how was that?

It was very enjoyable. I’ve been to Ibiza a few times before but never to El-Divino, and it’s a really nice club, with a rather stunning terrace overlooking the harbour. I played from around 2AM-4AM, and met some really cool people in there. I managed to get an extra night out there too and did a bit of partying…the plane back wasn’t too much fun!

And finally, what’s been your favourite track of the year thus far and why?

Again, I’m going to have to pick 2… Firstly, there’s Smith & Selway’s ‘Transit Time’ (Dubfire Remix) which has been massive for me lately. Secondly, there’s Jim Rivers ‘For My Need’ which has been working wonders over the last couple of months.

Check out Electric Gardens here:
http://www.dontstayin.com/uk/canterbury/mount-ephraim-gardens/2007/aug/04/event-113891