Frantic's new FREE pre-party NuHype kicks off this Saturday at Hidden in Vauxhall, London with a cast of big name and upcoming DJs. We spoke with Andy T from Addiction Digital, one of the most successful labels in Hard Dance recently, who will be playing at the event. Saturday afternoons will never be the same again! Did we mention it's FREE?!

You’re playing at NuHype this Saturday at Hidden in London, Frantic’s new FREE pre-party. This party is all about showcasing London’s hottest underground DJ talent. How did you get your name out there in the first place?

I guess pretty much the same way as most up and coming DJs do…. determination, persistence, networking skills and most importantly believing in yourself are all absolutely vital. I’ve been playing in the London circuit since December 2003 and since then I’ve been lucky enough to play at some fantastic venues, for some of London’s most respected promotions. I think with anything in life once you know what you want you just have to go out there and make it happen. Running my own promotion has obviously also helped a great deal, however I’d like to think that it hasn’t been the only attribute to my success.

How long after you started your free London party Addiction were you getting regular gigs?

We started Addiction in Sept 2004, at which point I was already getting noticed and being booked for various gigs across town. After winning Foreplay’s ‘Action Aid Charity DJ Competition’ by raising over £400 for Action Aid, I was offered a residency for Foreplay, and as well as playing at their Southside Bar parties, I was also playing for several other small promotions, many based in either Willesden or Brixton.

Only 9 months later I saw found myself having played the main room of London’s legendary Fridge in Brixton for parties such as Twisted and Innovate, and also playing a midnight set on New Year’s Eve 2004 at Brixton Academy for Heat NYE and The Gallery. Obviously running a successful promotion has helped me on my way but I’d also hope that the hard work I have put into promoting myself over this time and my mixing itself has also helped me achieve these bookings.

Speaking of new/nu things, which new clubs and DJs impressed you in recent months?

2005 was a great year for many DJs that managed to break out of their bedrooms. Trance DJs such as Mat Lock, John Funnell, and James Terry who all played their 1st gig for Addiction have gone on to both gain residencies and play at some of London’s finest parties. Another duo worthy of recognition are M.D.A & Spherical. Not only have they established themselves as two of the scene’s most recognised and respected Hard Dance producers they also had some amazing gigs and are firm favourites at Addiction. In the house scene the tough, electro sound really dominated 2005, and DJs like 2PhUnKeDuP!, and Chris Rayner really managed to make themselves stand out above the rest.

With regards to new venues I can’t really think of anywhere that stands out as making a really good impression on me, but some fantastic new promotions like Summit and Abduction have emerged which I’m confident will develop into thriving parties. I’m also really looking forward to checking out the Renaissance Rooms for Timeless on Saturday night, so maybe ask me after then !

What kind of set can we expect from you at NuHype? Guide us through a typcial Andy T set…if there is such a thing…

I’d like to think that there is no such as a typical Andy T set. One thing is for sure - I only ever play uplifting music. I’ve only ever loved music that puts a smile on people’s faces, or music with a groove designed to get people in the mood to dance. I’ve always been lucky in that I know a lot of the producers who’s music I play, so upfront material has always been available to me. Now we have the label too, I receive new tracks everyday; in fact as I type I’m actually listening to a whole load of new stuff I’ve received over the past two days. I absolutely love all the material we’ve signed and there’s no better way to promote a track than to play it! So for my appearance at Nu-Hype this Saturday you’ve got to expect some forthcoming, and back catalogue material from Addiction Digital. This combined with some of the freshest UK Hard Trance out there right now and a few classics should do the job nicely.

All this said I’m playing after Kevin Energy and I’m not really sure what he’s going to play or how hard, so I’ll be well armed with a whole range of Hard Trance and uplifting/driving Hard Dance.

Alongside the Timeless main event on Saturday and the official afterparty at Twist, Frantic and its associates are bringing London 21 hours of solid clubbing this Saturday. What’s the longest session you’ve ever endured?

Leeds Love Parade 2000! I went to Peach at Camden Palace on Friday night with some friends and in turn was introduced to some of their friends on the dancefloor. We all had a fantastic night and when the lights came on I was invited back to theirs for the crack-on. All I can really remember from then on was someone I hadn’t met walking into their living room and shouting ‘who wants to come to Leed’s Love Parade?’ Before my mate could even look at me I shouted ‘We do’ and off we went in the back of a VW Camper Van to Leeds. There was almost 30,000 people there when we got there it was going off! I saw pretty much every DJ I loved at the time and by the end of the event it was absolute carnage. The music and atmosphere was absolutely 2nd to none but I also witnessed some scary events that I won’t mention now!

Your first full release, ‘Intelligent Groove’ on your own Addiction Label imprint has received a fantastic response from DJs throughout the scene. What’s the best reaction you’ve seen it get in a club and how did it make you feel?

Unfortunately I’ve actually managed to miss it when it’s been dropped at some really big events. Marc French played it on Heat’s 4th Birthday @ Brixton Academy to a packed main room at about 5.30am, and I’ve heard good reports from Twist NYD, and Twisted at The Fridge where its also done the damage in the main rooms. I have however heard it many a time at Addiction, and other smaller events and it never fails to get the crowd going. There’s nothing like hearing one of your own tracks on a large system and seeing the crowd going mental. Its had great support from DJs up and down the country such as Alf Bamford, Jason Cortez and Marc French and knowing that it has been played so much has bought me as almost as much satisfaction as being there myself.

Have you got any more in the pipeline?

Oh yes! I’m back in the studio with Mark Beadle AKA Spherical mid February for the follow up. We’ve wanted to put something together sooner however due to our own hectic schedules it just hasn’t been possible. I’ve got some great ideas and we’re also having vocals sung exclusively for the track. As well as this there are also a couple of classic tracks that I just have to remix and these will no doubt follow soon after.

What else is forthcoming on Addiction Digital? Which artists are you really keen on getting on the label?

We’ve got some absolute corkers coming out over the next few months. As well as fresh material from our own Addiction Residents Ashley James & Olly Perris we have some massive new tracks by producers such as Chrysus (31 Seconds, Cutting & Scratching), Aftershok (Liberty) and a collaboration with Hard Dance Superstar Barry Diston (It Picks Me Up).

We’ve also been speaking with M.D.A & Spherical, as well as several other established artists for a while now however we can’t leak too much information just yet so you’ll just have to watch this space. I can tell you though, that for all you non-DJs we will be releasing an album mixed by Addiction Resident Olly Perris in April featuring the best of our back catalogue, and also some exclusive forthcoming tracks.

Has running the label proved to be a difficult task or not so much? I imagine it must be a simpler task then dealing with vinyl pressings and distribution in some respects…

I wouldn’t say it’s been difficult, but it’s definitely been hard work, and also very time consuming. Due to the simplicity of downloading a track from the internet many things have been removed from the process of running a label. For example as you mentioned you no longer have to deal with pressing problems or find the cheapest yet most reliable methods of distribution. However I personally feel that the amount of promotion required for a digital label is greater as you no longer have the people working behind the counters in the record stores to promote your tracks for you. Instead of having vinyl on the shelves of every record shop across the land and beyond, you now only have your tracks available via select download portals. It’s up to you as a label to make sure that DJs all over the globe know where to find these tracks, and of course building up a hype surrounding the releases is absolutely essential.

We’ve been lucky enough to have had our tracks reviewed in every major publication i.e. Mixmag, DJ Mag, iDJ Magazine and also Upfront Magazine. This combined with international radio play, and A-list DJ support has helped us create a great hype that’s constantly growing with each release. Now things are really starting to pay off, with our tracks constantly dominating the download charts and sales growing month on month. I think the most difficult thing is prioritising time, especially with running Addiction events alongside the label, and holding down a 9 to 5 office job. Luckily I work with two very dedicated people, Addiction co-founder / promoter Mike Harris and Addiction Resident, and Addiction Digital label manager Olly Perris. Between the three of us, we somehow manage to get everything done.

And finally, why should we choose NuHype over any other Saturday afternoon activity? We could be shopping, sleeping, doing something cultural…why should we come eh?

Are you kidding? I’ll give you 3 reasons right now! Its FREE! Its at Vauxhall’s most exclusive venue ‘Hidden’ and I’m playing so you can either come and have a dance or throw rotten fruit at me!

For Bookings please contact
07961 154 417
andyt@addictionclubbing.com
www.addictionclubbing.com