Andy Caldwell interview- TRUMPET HOUSE

SAN FRAN DJ ANDY CALDWELL HAS KEPT DEEP HOUSE ALIVE THROUGHOUT THE EXPLOSION OF ELECTRO. BUT IT ALMOST DIDN'T HAPPEN - HE'S ALSO AN ACCOMPLISHED TRUMPET AND PIANO PLAYER.


Say what you will about the death of deep soulful house, but there's players in the genre that have never been busier. Case in point Andy Caldwell, the San Fran-based DJ having just mixed one disc of the latest chapter in the Hemmesphere mix CD series. Plus he's a regular visitor to Melbourne, bringing his signature DJing style for parties that never leave punters disappointed. Just don't ask him to put other peeps down - he's too politically correct for anything like that.

So what have you been up to recently-
"I'm kinda taking it easy at the moment, I've had a busy summer. This month I've just been hanging out, doing a few local gigs, getting ready for the Australian tour."

What's your local scene like- Is it still as strong as it was-
"There are some good parties. Miguel [Migs] and Julius Papp do a club night called Salted Saturdays which is really good. That's been really fun. Also OM does a monthly thing there which is really fun. Plus there's been some really good internationals coming through. Guys like Royksopp, Richie Hawtin, a lot of techno/electro."

What about production - what have you done lately-
"I just did a track with Latrice Barnett, we finished it for the Hemmesphere CD. I just mixed the second disc, the first track is our thing. She's great, one of the most professional singers I've ever worked with. She can nail the same vocal over multiple takes. She can get the job done in a fraction of the time of other vocalists."

Ok, what about naming some of the worst people to work with-
"I would never name names [laughs]."

Is electro getting big over there as it is here-
"Yeah, I mean somewhat. The house scene is still like a funky deep house thing. You've got guys like Mark Farina, Miguel Migs, then you got Kaskade and Julius Papp. They're all big players in the scene, and they play every week, so to an extent they do shape the scene. But electro is definitely coming up, there's some good parties around. It's probably not the same as what you would hear at DC-10 in Ibiza."

So what's your idea of what electro is-
"Well everyone's idea of electro is different. I kind of bundle it in with breakdancing and stuff, that early period. The more current electro, they're calling it electronica over in Europe. It's kinda weird but at the same time it's kinda good, because there's lots synthesisers and it is very electronic. I think it's cool when they get creative with that kind of stuff, I dig it. I think it's been great for the main room, as it's been really good to get away from the tribal/progressive stuff, which I hate. The electro has more funk, more grit, so I dig it more."

Who are some of the producers/DJs that you're a fan of-
"I think in the house genre you've got Axwell, who's great, Julius Papp is doing some great stuff, Kaskade, Chuck Love, he's really killing it. He's an up and coming producer from Minneapolis."

It's funny, when I think of Minneapolis I think of the film Fargo.
"Well, Prince did come from there. Plus a lot of R&B comes from the Midwest. From the more electro side of things, I like Trentmöller, the whole Get Physical stable, DJ T, I think he's great. Mylo of course. Um, that's about all I can remember off the top of my head."

What can punters expect from your upcoming gig-
"I'm gonna mix up tasty little brew of San Francisco house music and then weave in my influences. Like I'll mix in some old school stuff, some favourites of mine and then some crowd pleasers."

HEMMESPHERE FOUR IS OUT NOW THROUGH JAM RECORDINGS, WHILE LATE NIGHT WITH ANDY CALDWELL IS OUT THROUGH STOMP.

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