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RS: Speaking of things that are good – let's talk a bit about Way Out West. As part of Way Out West, you produced Ajare, one of the most amazing songs of all time that totally moved a lot of people. What was in your head when you were making that song?
Nick Warren: It was the coming together of me and Jody - him coming from a drum and bass background and me from and indie. I was an indie boy, a Balearic house boy, and merging those two sounds, which was the ethereal string, the musical side of indie and the bass and drums of hip-hop and drum and bass.


RS: What's up with Way Out West?
Nick Warren: We're about to complete the new album. Jody and I have gone back to our roots really. There's not only one vocalist, we've not used Donna this time so we've used a couple of guys and it's the first time that we've used male vocalists. We've gone back to our roots really, with lots of sampling and lifting the beauty of dance music.

RS: Is it difficult working with a male vocalist versus a female vocalist?
Nick Warren: No, it's slightly easy because the guys aren't as much work as the girls really. The girls always say "Oh my god, I can't do this." All we need is robots. Robots would be easier, because we work with machines and a machine always works, the synthesizer never has a mood, the synthesizer never had a period. They work every day.

RS: Speaking of synthesizers, are you Mac or PC?
Nick Warren: Oh, Mac.

RS: Logic, Cubase?
Nick Warren: Ableton has got so strong now, we use Ableton and we use ProTools, and still some Logic, it's all good. The secret now is to use everything.

Don't limit yourself, use everything that's available.

RS: When you're DJing, are you CD or laptop?
Nick Warren: I'm CD. I don't want to look like I am opening eMails – laptop DJing doesn't work for me.

RS: What advice to you have to up-and-coming DJs and producers?
Nick Warren: Take your time. I started DJing in '88.

RS: Ah, the Summer of Love.
Nick Warren: So that's twenty years, and I've still not made my best record and I'm still not up in my best set, so don't rush, keep on. Look at it as a long-term relationship, don't expect everything to happen at once. So take your time, don't play rubbish, don't follow other people.

RS: What would you like to say to all your fans out there?
Nick Warren: Don't stop enjoying yourself, you know, it's all meant to be fun. Don't take it too seriously and love is what it's all about.

Posted April 29, 2008