Some DJs and producers burn like a hot flame in the public eye but as quickly as the touch paper is lit they fade away like smoke in the wind. There are others though that are more like compost heaps. Er, really? Yes, yes, indeed! Stick with me and you may just learn something… Take some random organic matter, ideally in balanced proportions, possibly recycled, add soft young weeds to activate and turn occasionally to begin the heating process. The more you turn, the more it heats. In fact (getting into stride now), according to Bowes, 1984:page 373 "biological heating may be an indispensable prelude to self-ignition". Ahah! I hear you cry! Of course…! Ladies and Gentlemen, this is, I am sure you agree, the Greatest analogy for a hard working, self ignited, dedicated DJ and producer who’s in it for the long haul, who smoulders with a sustainable, ever increasing heat, who grows more rich and fertile with age and who provides an invaluable benefit to the world in general!

Wow! And who could possibly be the recipient of such a glorious portrayl I hear you ask again. Well, it’s a name that’s known all over the globe, someone who’s played his house n breaks from Ibiza to Mexico, Russia to Brazil, Australia to China in not one, but two, world tours. He’s played for such massive clubs and nights as Renaissance, Amnesia, Godskitchen, Ministry of Sound, Chibuku, Kissdafunk and Pacha. He’s played on MTV and Radio 1, holds a monthly residency in Barcelona, has played to over 1 million people at the Berlin Love Parade and consistently gets rave reviews in DJMag, Mixmag and IDJ, being hailed as one of the original ‘Mixmag Future Heroes’ alongside Nic Fancuilli and Tom Neville. He’s launched three records labels, produced remixes and tracks for Sander Kleinenberg, Pete Tong, Mark Knight, Steve Angello and Roger Sanchez and yet remains as close to his grass roots as the underground allows. Playing at the launch of London’s Late Night Social on 24 October at Hidden. His name is Sonny Wharton and he’s really rather good.

Hello Sonny, I hope you are well. It might be the strangest descriptive passage you’ve read about yourself but when a man has weathered the dance industry’s storms for the past 6 plus years, and continues to grow in strength and stature it seems an entirely appropriate one! (at least to me hehehe).

Haha - I feel pretty flattered to have such an intro to be honest! Thanks for the nice words ?

You’ve come a long way since you ditched the day job in 2002 to head off to Ibiza where you won a competition and played the opening and closing sets for Renaissance, Amnesia. That must have been incredible!

It’s a long time since that break but it’s still the best summer of my life and I think it always will be. I went over to Ibiza hoping to get lucky and maybe just get a gig in a bar or something – never in my wildest dreams did I expect something like that to happen and I don’t think it will ever really sunk in. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to play those gigs.

I know you’ve played in countries across the globe since then. Tell us about the journey your career has taken.

It’s all been quite surreal really. After that summer I got back to the UK and pretty much had to dive in at the deep end… I’d had no prior experience of the music industry and certainly didn’t really know how to keep the momentum rolling after having such a big break. I pretty much hit the ground running and have been learning the ropes ever since. It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve got to play some great gigs in some beautiful countries the world over. One of the highlights for me has to be a 6 week tour of China which took in everywhere from big cities with bright lights to small towns in the middle of nowhere. This really opened my eyes to how far and wide music can travel and just made me even more eager to keep on at it.

Have you learnt any lessons along the way that might help others hoping to follow in your footsteps?

I have learnt a lot of lessons, some of them the hard way. The biggest advice I can give is to perhaps be more patient than I was initially as it takes time to grow as an artist. The internet allows everyone access to anything they want to know and has been fundamental to my progression so id suggest people use this to their advantage and get their music out there for people to hear.

How has 2008 been for you and what are your plans for 2009?

2008 has been a bit different to previous years as I’ve concentrated primarily on production more so than my gigs but that being said it’s probably been one of the most fun years yet as I’ve really enjoyed getting stuck in at the studio!! I’ve done a lot of collaborations with my good friend Paul Thomas and they’ve been well received in the clubs and by fellow DJs which has been really encouraging. I’m planning on continuing with a lot of production over 2009 and begin work on my first artist album as well as expanding my radio show which currently goes out on several networks worldwide. All that aside I’ve already got tours lined up for Australia, Asia, South America, USA and Canada next year so its looking to be a pretty hectic 12months ahead!!

With Ecler and Ortofon inviting you to head their joint 2008 UK Pro Team your 3 deck/cdj wizardary has obviously come to the attention of the industry bods as well as music fans. What does the role mean for you?

I’ve been a fan of Ecler for years with one of my first mixers being their old SMAC Pro40 so to be honest I’m really honored to be head of their new UK Pro Team. Lately I’ve got to road-test their latest masterpiece the EVO4 which is an amazing piece of kit and I’m hoping will really open up the Ecler brand a lot more to the UK market. I’ve just done a 2 page review of it in this months DJ Mag so go check it out if you fancy finding out more. I’ll also be showcasing it live at this years BPM Show in Donnington on the Ecler / Ortofon Stand. Go to www.visitbpm.co.uk for info.

You seem to be concentrating on the UK with your gig diary full till the new year. How does the UK compare to other scenes you’ve experienced across the world?

A lot of artists are playing predominantly outside of the UK nowadays and this is something I made a conscious effort to steer away from over 2008 by really focusing on playing the UK clubs and building a lot of relationships on home turf as next year I knew I’d touring internationally again on a heavy level. I love the scene here and it is certainly a benchmark for clubs around the world as you just can’t beat playing to a British crowd!

You’ve produced some top tracks included on the best records labels from Toolroom, Positiva, Data and, of course, your own Riskit and Revolucion. What have been your biggest hits to date?

I think the biggest success has been the remix of Da Hool “Meet Her At The Love Parade” that I did with Paul. It was our first collaboration together and it gained a huge response from a lot of big players and ultimately got snapped up by Ministry (Of Sound) for their Data imprint and several compilation CDs. We’ve just finished a remix of Trisco ‘Musak’ which personally I think could be even stronger so watch this space for what happens with that as we’ve got some big label interest on it already.

I noticed your Superstyle Deluxe and Sonny Wharton, Meat Cake, remixed by Drumsound and Simon Bassline Smith was included on DJ Marky’s Essential Selection. Having done so many remixes yourself of other people’s tracks, how does it feel to have your own successfully remixed?!

Dan (Superstyle Deluxe) suggested getting a drum and bass remix done of the track as it suited the vibe of the original so we approached Drumsound & Bassline Smith to do the remix and they really went to town on it. I was blown away with what they came back with and felt pretty honoured at the response it generated in clubs and on the Radio. For anyone that hasn’t heard it head to www.thepaybackproject.com for your copy – these guys really know how to nail a remix!!

To give us a taste of your upcoming set on 24 October, could you give us a peek into what you’ll be playing?

I always find this a hard question to answer as I’ve never really been able to pin down my musical style in a nutshell and have never pre planned a set… I’m bound to play a lot of my new tracks out as well as the usual 3 deck madness that I cant help mess about with; acapellas, FX and lots of energy!

Your my space page has a wicked photograph of you ‘playing’ a mixer with a violin bow – would you class yourself as a musician or the conductor of an entire orchestra?!

That shot was done for this months DJMag article where I had to review the new Ecler EVO4 and I wanted the photo to represent how I view the equipment we use as DJs; it is essentially an instrument that we use to manipulate sound.

Music runs in your family with your dad being a musician, A&R for Decca and Manager for the Moody Blues. Were you encouraged in a musical direction when you were younger?

Wow - You’ve been doing your homework!! I was encouraged to learn an instrument at and promptly choose violin for some reason. I grew up in a very musically inspiring environment listening to anything from Bob Dylan and The Beatles through to Jazz and classical music. I do owe a lot to my parents for my musical upbringing and support.

I read that you were inspired by Carl Cox playing on The Hitman and Her when you were 10 (for those too tender in years to remember, the tackiest yet coolest music show ever in the late 80s early 90s). How long did it take you to buy your first set of decks and with the digital revolution well and truly here, will you ever sell them?

My first set were actually cassette decks and a mixer with some built in sound fx which sounded awful!! These lasted me until I was about 15 when I worked many hours at the local Spar to save up and buy a pair of Soundlab belt-drive decks which I ultimately sold to help finance some Technics 1210’s when I was 19. I still have these today and have a pretty large vinyl collection that’s built up over the years so in answer to your question – no I don’t think I will ever sell them.

Thank you Mr Wharton. We look forward to both hearing and seeing you weave your magic at Late Night Social on the 24 October!

Thanks for the interview – was fun ? see you on the 24th!!

INTERVIEW BY JOANNA MCEWEN (BUGBITTEN PROMOTIONS)