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Interview with Anne Savage
Reported by Sharon B
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Submitted 13-04-04 11:54
When it comes to female DJ’s in the hard dance scene there is one name that always stands head and shoulders above the rest – Anne Savage. Having played for events such as Good Greef, Pure, Slinky, Heat, and more recently Twisted, Anne is an inspiration to many DJ’s both male and female. With her driving sound and technical ability this is one DJ who knows what it is that hard dance clubbers wants and delivers it with style and panache. After appearing in Channel 4’s “Faking It” series many years ago Anne established herself as a household name to both clubbers and non-clubbers alike and with sets across the UK and all around the globe this is one lady who has quite literally taken the world by storm. Sharon B managed to catch up with Anne Savage and get her to take some time out of her busy and hectic schedule to answer a few questions.
Sharon B: You have been one of the more prominent names in the club scene for quite some time now – how did it all start for you? When did you first get into DJ’ing and how did your career develop in the early days?
Anne Savage: After leaving school at 16 I had loads of different jobs and hated them all. I’d always been into music (I used to play guitar in a band called 53rd State) and was a collector from my early teens. I used to go out and see this DJ every week, and thought, I can do that!! I used to hassle him to teach me and eventually he let me fill in for two weeks when he went on holiday. It wasn’t even house music in those days, I played New Order, Front 242, bits of Northern Soul, what we used to call an ‘alternative’ night but I got a really good response and it spurred me on. I went away for a couple of years to Italy and my sister sent me tapes of this new ‘Acid House’ music that was going off back home. It all made sense when I went to The Red Parrot in Blackburn, where all the convoys to the raves started from and got really into the whole thing. I got Technics and started to seriously practice spending every penny on records. I was always the one at house parties with the decks and tunes and would play for hours while every one else got hammered.
My first big break came in ’93 when I got my residency at Angels in Burnley. All the big names played there like Carl Cox, Joey Beltram, Laurent Garnier. I was paid £25 but would have done it for nothing. I remember my Dad coming into my room and shaking his head a lot but I said ‘one day I’ll be famous for this’, then a promoter from Leeds spotted me and I got a gig at Ark in Leeds (where I remained resident until it finished) which were huge organised events, in those days there could be myself, Rob Tissera, Graeme Parke, Juan Atkins, Carl Cox and Sasha on the same line up, the scene was a lot less fragmented in the early 90’s. At that time I was also working at a record shop called Eastern Bloc which were some of the best days of my life - it broadened my mind to so many different styles of dance music. From there I got my first agent, Unlimited DJ’s and I started getting booked nationally and the press gradually took notice, but it certainly was no overnight success.
SB: What was the first tune you ever bought? What inspired you to buy it and how has your collection differed since your early days?
AS: My first tune would have been ‘Denis Denis’ by Blondie. I was very young at the time, my sister used to run a mail order record company so she’d make me buy records with my pocket money. My collection consists of a load of punk, new wave, northern soul, reggae, ska, early electronic bands as well as every kind of house music there is. I lost a lot of my main collection when an angry ex got his own back by selling a load of my records he was holding for me while I was on holiday. Some were worth over £30 each but he sold the whole lot for £25 and took great pleasure telling me. It still annoys me now (w****r) obviously you can’t compare that to what I play now. One of the first House tracks I distinctly remember buying was TC1991. It was an anthem Up North and since then I’ve bought mainly stuff I play out.
SB: When looking at line-ups in London nowadays it seems that there is an endless supply of DJ’s on the scene. Do you think it is easier for people to become a DJ and be involved in the clubbing industry now than it was when you first started? Do you think it is a good thing that so many people can get involved or do you feel that it has saturated the market somewhat with “too many cooks spoiling the broth”?
AS: DJing is actually a career option you can study at university now. (I’m trying not to say ‘in my day’ too many times, but it’s tricky) Back then it was no where near the developed industry that it is now, so while there are loads more DJ’s around there’s also a lot more opportunities for people to get into.
SB: What have your experiences been as a female artist? Was it harder for you to be taken seriously when you started playing professionally? Do you think there is a greater onus on you to succeed and be the best because you are a woman or do you feel that you have been offered more opportunities to succeed because of the novelty factor of being a female artist?
AS: You know what, cos nearly ALL my mates were lads and grew up with 4 brothers I didn’t even think there was anything odd about being a female DJ until my first interview. It’s a struggle for anyone trying to break the scene but that interview made me realise how I had been treated. But for all the slimeball promoters who tried to get off with me, there were twice as many male friends who believed in me and helped me on my way. It was a male dominated industry so I did feel extra pressure but I don’t think it made any difference to my determination to play records. These days because the entertainment business on the whole is geared towards ‘looks’ and people, creating a marketable product, I think it’s probably easier to get your foot in the door if you’re female. That’s not to say that the girls coming through aren’t kickin’ it’s just how the scene has changed.
SB: When did you first know that you had succeeded as an artist? What was the defining moment that made you realize that you were able to be a professional DJ and that you had “arrived”?
AS: I don’t think there was a particular moment. Having said that I remember being in the artist area at Amnesia, Ibiza and Pete Tong was playing. I was chatting away when I heard a familiar record. When I realised it was one of mine I flipped out grabbing anyone who’d listen saying ‘I made this!!’ Tall Paul and Jules were there I can’t imagine what they thought. He played it on his show from Mambo as well. It was wicked.
SB: How do you approach your sets? Do you have a firm idea in mind as to which direction you will take your set or do you just improvise on the night? Do you keep an idea of which tunes will go into each other or just “pick and mix” by pulling a track out of your bag and playing it as the next tune? Do you think structure is important to a DJ or limits creativity?
AS: When I first started I used to work my sets out religiously. That was a confidence thing, so that all I had to worry about was the mixing. I would choose my tracks on Wednesday, work out the order on Thursday, then on Friday I would practice the exact place to mix in each record for maximum effect. These days I go on the decks because I want to, I think the important thing is to know your records, sort them out into styles, bpm etc, and then feed off the crowd on the night. If you rely on a set you’ve worked out at home you can guarantee the dj before you will play half the tunes you planned to. If there’s a special event, or I’m playing abroad I will probably work something out beforehand.
SB: It’s been a number of years now since you appeared with Lottie in “Faking It”, yet it is still one of the most talked about episodes of the series – what kind of response did you receive after the show had aired? I personally remember jumping off my sofa with delight when Sian passed with flying colours and turned from a shrinking violet into a confident DJ – how did it feel to have been seen as such a positive role model to have helped her make such a dramatic transformation and are you still in regular contact with each other after all this time?
AS: Jay(my boyfriend) and I watched it again recently and it brought it all back. It was one of the most intense things I’ve ever done. It’s difficult to put into words what it feels like to watch someone develop, and have such an impact on someone’s life forever. The production company were amazing and I’m glad it worked out how it did. Slinky in Bournemouth was my first gig after the show was 1st aired and the amount of people who said it inspired them blew me away. Random people in shops would say the same and I know Sian still gets people stopping her in the street to congratulate her.
SB: You are viewed by many as being at the top of your field and are one of the most famous female DJ’s both nationally and internationally, do you feel a lot of pressure to continue to achieve so much?
AS: Honestly, when you’re on the road so much you can lose sight of what it’s all about because you get caught up in a bubble. I had to take a step back a while ago and say, where am I going with this? Is it about money gigs or is about the music? Doing so many gigs was affecting my passion and wasn’t fair on the clubbers because I was tired all the time and it must have affected my sets. Since then I’ve concentrated on doing less gigs, going in the studio and really trying to get back to what it’s all about for me. At the end of the day it’s great to earn a living doing something you love but in order to stay good at it you have to be happy doing it. Rather than stressing about staying at the top of my field, I am a lot happier, and will probably have a longer career in this business if I approach it from the angle of the music comes first.
SB: What has been your most memorable moment as a DJ and producer?
AS: There have been so many memorable moments. The first time I did the last set (after Joey Beltram one of my heroes) at Angels with all my mates and my brothers dancing was really something. Every time anyone says something good about a track of mine or a set is memorable.
SB: What was the first tune you ever had signed to a label? Did you feel a lot of pressure to succeed with your first production after having made such a successful name for yourself as a DJ?
AS: The first few tracks I did were under pseudonyms, Destiny Angel ‘You Take Me Higher’ was the first, then Northern Scum. (I am a proud northerner by the way). The first thing I did under my own name, I think, was with Tidy. They’re especially precious about their releases so there really was no gamble.
SB: With a number of new productions and collaborations about to be released this must be a very exciting time for you, what inspires you as a producer and what can you tell us about your new tracks?
AS: I’m working on lots of new sounds. Sterling Moss and I did 4 new tracks with Guy Mcaffer which I love on the techy groove; Face Down which was Sterling’s first track at the last Weekender, Bad Boy, Gomper Stomper (no dis to Charlotte) and my favourite, Hardback which Farley put on his Music For The…Album. ‘Psychout ‘ I did up at the Good Greef studios which has a nod towards Hardstyle got wicked reviews. Parasite and Never Never Land are coming out on Tidy soon which are going down well in the clubs off cd at the mo. Also did the remix for Pinear & Bamford ‘Black Magic’ on new label Pitch Control which Glazby loves, oh and a remix of Magic Man’s ‘Wuck You Right’ on a similar hard groove. It’s what I like to call ‘Jackage’
Different things inspire me every day. I like listening to all kinds of music for inspiration I’m really into the Switch guys at the moment.
SB: Best known for your hard house style, what other genres do you enjoy playing out? Do you find that you approach your sets and mix differently for different styles?
AS: I do Freaky Beatz with Commie and Stewart Bennet www.freakybeatz.com for anyone who’s interested. It’s a mish mash of breaks, deep funky house, breaky house and random punk records. We’ve done a couple of parties @ Turnmills and have a show on Ministry. I played techhouse in prog in Miami. It sounds hilarious when I read that back, like I’m jumping on some band wagon but I’m not!
SB: The club scene has seen a significant drop in numbers over the last year or so, what do you think can be done by DJ’s and promoters in order to rectify this situation? What do you attribute it to? Clubbers growing up and wanting something different, not enough popular exposure to a new generation or is it the end of hard dance as we know it?
AS: A lot of young people have grown up with their parents being into dance music so it’s natural for them to like something else, that’s probably why there’s a drop in numbers. I don’t like to speculate about the future too much, but I’m sure it’s not over for hard dance; out of all the genres we have the most loyal supporters.
SB: Is there anywhere that you have yet to play they you would like to? Any event or venue that you have yet to grace the decks of that has always been an ambition of yours or do you feel that you have achieved all your ambitions and everything else is now just a brilliant bonus?
AS: No Way!! There’s so much I still want to do! Some say I have a great face for radio, is that a compliment? Seriously though I’d like to play Mardi Gras in Australia, The Rio Carnival in Brazil, maybe my own underground event where the location is a secret ‘till the day and I’m on my own dream line up……
SB: If you had to choose between the following, which would you choose:-
DJ’ing or Producing? AS: Not fair
Hard Dance or House? AS: Dance
London or Ibiza? AS: Ibiza?!
Daddy or chips? AS: Daddy
SB: You have just recently played for Twisted at the newly refurbished Fridge in Brixton on April 3rd, how was it for you? Where else can we see you play – do you have a website that we can look up information on for you?
AS: Twisted was wicked! Thanks guys. My new site is under construction and should be live soon. All my dates are up on the holding page of my site and the Forums are still active of which I visit regularly. www.annesavage.net
Cheers,
Annexxxx
Photo's courtesy of Most Wanted
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Other Features By Sharon B:
What's it all about? Alfie! - Getting Technikal with Alf Bamford
Heat UK presents....SW4!!! - Interview with Damian Gelle
Interview with TWIST promoter Steve Darragh
Interview with Innovate Resident Nick Sentience
Interview with Ferry Corsten
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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