Interview: Steve Gerrard - Thinking Out Loud

Let's face it, DJing isn't a particularly hard skill to learn. Sure you've got your freaks of nature like Melbourne's Phil K and the UK's James Zabiela who are so incredibly gifted, they make all others resemble the DJing equivalent of Elaine from Seinfeld trying to dance. Yet, on the whole, it only takes a bit of practice and a lack of arrogance to become proficient in beat-mixing and crowd-pleasing. So what next- Well, with a bit of luck you get out the bedroom and into the clubs as gigs accumulate. Most well known internationals you talk to will humbly attribute, at least some of their success, to a lucky break at some stage in their career. Yet we all receive lucky breaks. The reason these DJs go on to become internationally renowned in their particular genres is because they took advantage of the opportunities given to display their talent to the rest of the world.

For Steve Gerrard, also known as Wrecked Angle when collaborating with production partner Russell Pearce, winning Musik Magazine's Bedroom Bedlam competition in 1998 saw him suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Yet how many people win an award like this before returning to relative obscurity- Not Gerrard, as soon afterwards the spotlight was turned to high-beam in 2000, being awarded Best Bedroom DJ by Ericcson. A coveted residency at John Digweed's seminal night 'Bedrock', which he still holds, saw Gerrard become a household name to fans of styles of Djing that mix deep house with progressive and break-beat. "The support of Digweed has played a huge part in my career," confirms an appreciative Gerrard. "His radio show reaches such a wide audience and by featuring sets of mine three times, allowing me to tour with him and of course the Bedrock residency has opened a lot of doors."

Gerrard is currently touring Australia to promote his new CD compilation, 'Thinking Out Loud', and while many Australian fans are yet to hear it due to some production delays, from all reports it will definitely be worth the wait. "Rather than just being responsible for track selection and letting the computer do the rest I recorded the CD's in one take and there was no post-production," explains Gerrard. "I wanted the compilation to be as true a reflection of me as a DJ as I could, which is why I chose this way to do it and I'm really happy with the results. Sure, there are a few tiny flaws if you listen closely enough, but it was worth it to achieve the dynamic that only happens when something is recorded 100% live."

Gerrard is passionate about music, referencing the likes of Matthew Dekay, Shiloh, Subsky and Burufunk as some of his favourite producers, all of whom appear on his two CD 'Thinking Out Loud' compilation. While the breaks CD sticks to this genre, the progressive CD incorporates elements of breaks and points towards what you're likely to hear in a Gerrard set. "I love mixing different styles of music when DJing," says an enthusiastic Gerrard. "When you have a transition from house to breaks during your set, if you pull it off, the whole mood of the dance floor changes and you can see how the variety plays a big part in keeping peoples interest."

Also appearing on 'Thinking Out Loud' are three tracks Wrecked Angle played a part in. Best known for their breaks remixes of Yothu Yindi's 'Timeless Land', Age of Love's self-titled opus, Chakra's 'I Am' and most recently for producers Pappa & Gilbey and Syntax, their first original production, 'Back to Babylon', is also featured on 'Thinking Out Loud'. A lesser known alias of the production duo is Filta, used when producing progressive. "It's a pity Russell and I can't spend more time in the studio together, but time just doesn't permit it which is mainly my fault as I'm touring a lot," admits Gerrard. "I met him at a breaks gig we were both playing at in Birmingham and later he showed me some work he was doing in Tags