7/11/09 - Passion - John O'Callaghan, Agnelli & Nelson, Greg Downey, Genix, Ben Gold, Danny Bass + NuPassion

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johnocallaghan.net

Ahead of John O’Callaghan’s performance @ Passion in November Genix decided to get the lowdown on one of Irelands’s finest exports!

First of all it’s a great pleasure to welcome you back to Passion!....

Where exactly are you from?

I’m from Navan, Co. Meath in Ireland. It’s about 40 minutes north of Dublin. It used to be a semi-rural town but now it has exploded to quite a large town/city because of the lower house prices and its vicinity to Dublin. A nice quiet place to grow up. But no good night clubs!

For those who don’t know.. how long have you been releasing music? And What are the main labels your associated with...?.

My first vinyl was released in 2004, a track called ‘Foreign Delusions’. It’s actually a decent tune that I wouldn’t mind remaking some time. I had a few random remixes out before that so I would say at least 6 years. The primary label I am associated with now is Armada, whom recently released my album this Spring.

What was the ‘HIT’ that put you on the map?

Probably ‘Big Sky’, my track with Audrey. I had some trancers before that that did quite well but nothing on the scale of Big Sky. ‘Exactly’ and ‘The Chamber’ were big tunes on Discover but for some reason up until that point I was more associated with doing remixes and collaborations, as at that point in my career it was still a hobby and tunes tended to be more of a fun thing than something where I sat down and thought… ok I need to write a big tune. Which still doesn’t happen really as I still only write tunes when I have the inspiration. If I don’t feel like it I normally retreat to the PS3!

What has been your biggest gig to date?

It’s a hard one to pick as recently there has been so many. Argentina is always amazing, and playing in Cream @ Amnesia is a huge milestone for any DJ. But in terms of scale of production and pure awesomeness (!) I would have to say Trance Energy in Holland. Playing on the main stage was such a fantastic experience; I will remember that gig forever.

For those who don’t know what elements go into a perfect John O’Callaghan track...?

Ummm probly changes month to month! I take a long time on my basslines and kick, acids and weird stabs. I always try to have that foundation tight and bubbling, and then layer on light synths and pads on top. I’m not a believer in brute force production, if you know what I mean. I look at a good tune in terms of elements and what bits play off each other. Most of the best tunes of all time actually just have very few elements.

At what moment did you realise you had ‘made it’? Is there a defining point in your career that you took a step back and realised you were amongst the elite?

I don’t think like that. I look at myself as a work in progress and I’m just enjoying what I do. I try to improve my productions all the time and I’m putting more and more thought into my sets. Then again you never know what kind of gig you are going to get where you need to tech it up a bit instead of the purer trance I’m known for. That’s where the Joint Operations Centre stuff comes in!

You are releasing a new compilation album titled ‘Subculture’. And your appearance at Passion is part of the tour for its release. Can you tell us a little about this?

Subculture is the name of my radio show which I have been doing monthly for the last 3 years. It’s progressed now to a podcast so it’s great to reach so many listeners without actually having to tune in live. The wonders of technology eh. So Subculture is what I chose as the name of the compilation, to try and strengthen the brand and evolve it into something I can blend into my gigs and potentially do ‘Subculture’ events at some point. It’s nice to have a project of your own to build and hopefully one day have a bunch of great DJ’s play at your event.

Can you explain why you chose the tracks on the album? Do they represent your personal taste?

Well these were basically what I thought were the “best” of what is currently out there in trance, and tech-trance. I had a massive folder of about 300 tunes and over a few weeks of gigs I whittled them down to 100, and then 50 and then 30. So for me, they are the absolute cream of the current trance crop. A nice double slab of trance goodness!

The Passion faithful loved your last appearance for us at our 14th Birthday....For those who were not there...what can the clubbers expect coming from the speakers on November 7th?

There are so many good tunes around at the moment, and actually by that point I may even have some new stuff myself. So expect and uplifting set of energetic trance and tech trance with hopefully some brand spanking new stuff fresh from the studio in there. Passion holds a special place in my heart, as they are one of the club nights who have supported me from the earliest point in my career. Thanks to the DFOP and see you all then!

Finally…. Thank you for your time…. We look forward to welcoming you back to Passion on November 7th with open arms… Genix

Click Here For Tickets!! ONLY £13.50!!! EARLY BIRD TICKETS SOLD OUT!!!!
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