DirtyGroove turn a big, bad 4 on Friday 5th December and we thought why not invite the biggest, baddest guest we’ve ever had back to the decks for this momentous occasion. Let’s cut to the chase.. it’s FERGIE! These days Fergie is the producer of stunningly good Techno that has seen the likes of Slam, Laurent Garnier and Dubfire smash floors all over the world with his tunes and he is firing on all cylinders at the moment with his recent releases climbing high in all the charts that matter.

Fergie seems to have been around for while now. Yet at 28, we forget that he was just a lad when he began the amazing journey that he is still riding high on. Anyone worth their salt knows his much-fabled story so we thought we'd ask the man some questions and see what he's up to these days.

DG: Tell us a bit about what's happening with Excentric at the moment, how are the Excentric parties and artist signings coming along?

Fergie: Excentric was originally conceived around 5 years ago, around the same time I joined Radio1, when I was starting to do something a little bit different musically. The lineups and clubs I was playing in did not really fit with this sound and Excentric was my way of showing people how I saw myself, how I perceived my own style and musical journey, and where I wanted to be - at that point and in the future. It was also a chance for me to have a go at creating the kind of club that I would be at if I wasn't dj'ing by booking the DJs I thought rocked it, some well known - some not so well known.

Fast forward 5 years or so and a lot has changed including the scene around us. Excentric has grown and now includes the agency and two record labels, but I do think this original ethos has continued.  Except now it is actually less about me, Excentric has now developed more into a platform for others to have their shot at it all, it's their chance to show how they want to be perceived, it does bring out the best in people when they play and I’m really proud of that. Our resident Mr Henry Von is an example of this as he used to attend the early Excentric's as a wee raver, he has come through the ranks and now has a remix coming out for us so his is a great story that should be aspiring to others. We now have 10 artists Mr Henry Von, Bigger than Jesus, Jus Phil, Dan Doran, Jordan McCuaig, Psycatron, Anton Fielding (Solaris Heights), Ephrun and Ben Nott, these are all DJ who are really into their music and I believe they have the potential to be up there in the future.

What has also stayed the same what ever venue we're been at or whoever we have on is a dedication to cutting edge forward thinking music and this is something our regular crowd are definitely there for, a lot of them are on my message board and the night doubles up as a meeting point for them as well which means wherever we're at, we are able to maintain the Excentric mantra of keeping away from the norm!

So yeah, I am really happy with the direction everything is heading, especially how my music is progressing. It’s been a great year so far and there’s been a steady stream of new material and remixes. I’ve always felt that studio time is vital for me in order to progress and this is again reflected in my new remix track of Umek’s ‘Gatex’ . I was bowled over by some of the responses to my traks. Still to come from me is a remix of Christian Smith’s ‘Work It,’ a track previously released on his Tronic label. James Lavelle, who has consistently supported my work, has drafted me in to do some work on his renowned Unkle Project which I am really chuffed about.

DG: What's your favorite place in the world to play a gig and why?

Fergie: I would have to say that I have always loved going back home to play as all the clubs back home are up for it and are one of the most forward thinking crowds I play to. I will be playing at Shine in Belfast the day after Dirty Groove so it will be a great wknd :)

Also I love to play in Brazil, the clubs are like nothing else I have ever seen, some clubs are half in a forest and some are on the beach, its a different vibe over there and also very hard to not miss any flyts :)

DG: Do you have any good stories from far flung places you've visited recently?

Fergie: Apart from getting put in prison in America, playing golf down the main street of Perth in Australia, and getting set on fire in Chicago no…..I lead a pretty mad free life !

DG: How do you think the credit crunch will affect the UK clubbing scene -
have you seen any changes so far?

Fergie: I haven’t seen any changes yet but I’m sure it will hit the club scene in some way as every one is going to feel the pinch. When people go to work all week they live for the weekend so I don’t think it will change too much as everyone loves to get out and get amongst it on a Friday and Saturday

DG: You've been quite a musical chameleon throughout your career and also
been responsible for driving change in attitudes to different musical
styles. Which producers these days do you think are pushing the
boundaries into what's going to be big in the future?

Fergie: Yeah I think as a dj it is my duty to try new music, but apart from that I just follow my heart and go with what I’m getting a buzz from, there is so much good music out there it would be criminal to stick to one style, not to mention incredibly boring. I just try to bring a good vibe into the club with me, djs that I think will and have been doing it are Mr Henry Von, Reset Robot, Alan Fitzpatrick and Bigger than Jesus these guys are defiantly going to b quite big in 2009… they are constantly in the studio pushing their sound, their traks are on heavy rotation in my sets. I’m very lucky in that I get their stuff as soon as its made so it keeps my sets quite exclusive, which is a must as its so easy for every one to get their hands on up front music these days with all the down load sites that there are.

DG: If you could change one thing about the UK clubbing scene right now,
what would it be?

Fergie: I wouldn’t change any thing as I think its in the best place it has been for quite some time, every thing is getting mixed up again… for a long time it was if you like this style of music you go here or if you like that style you go there but its all back under one roof again which is ace, I think people want more from a night out, more variety

DG: What are your thoughts on the new technology and software that seem to
be making it ever easier for producers to make new music, whether it
be good music or bad?

Fergie: Well I was never one for computers as I left school at 13 so never had all that computer training etc, so for me over the past few years has been pretty mental from moving from vinyl to CD, to then going to Serato to Traktor Scratch and now Traktor Pro. I also use the Vestax controller so my sets I feel are miles better as I can use the loop functions the cue settings and also I can use 4 decks… so it all adds to having lots going on for me…. it has got me even more excited about djing it gives me more freedom to do different things…. so for me all the new software coming through is awesome. also when I can sit on a plane and play about in Ablton and Reason or Logic it makes the endless airport lounges easier to cope with.

“Is it really 4 years?!” we hear you cry. Well, yes! And that has meant 4 years of storming tunes, 4 years of supreme guest DJs and 4 years of you lot aka the most up-for-it crowd around. Friday 5th December will be no different so get your dancing shoes on and we’ll see you on the tables!

Residents on duty will be Nick Ronin, Dave Joyce, Tom Allan & Rysty.

Entry is FREE before 10pm, £5 till 11, and £8 after.

www.dirtygroove.co.uk
www.excentric-fergie.com