Way Out West’s Nick Warren: Money For Nothing (interview)

Chatting to Ibiza-spotlight last month, progressive pioneer Nick Warren chatted both cheerfully and candidly about Way Out West’s beginnings in the 90s, recalling ‘when I started, we’d get a record deal, and a publishing deal, we could give up work, we’d have money in the bank. Just to make music’. (Ibiza-Spotlight: http://bit.ly/h7NkE3 )

Promoting his new Balance mix CD via a series of interviews he was equally open with ClubbersGuide.com, admitting ‘it was much easier then. You didn’t have to do that much work, to be honest’ though chatting to Skrufff today (via email) he’s uncharacteristically clammed up.

Ignoring numerous questions (including ‘How much are fans’ expectations/ demands a hindrance?’ and how much has the income dropped for doing compilations such as this Balance one?’ he’s a little more forthcoming when asked ‘how lucrative was it being signed to a major label (Decon)?’

“Ha ha ha ha, come on Jonty, I ain’t going to give you figures,” he laughs, “It was reasonable. We (Nick and fellow Way Out Westerner Jody Wisternoff) were not driving round in limos though.”

Limousine talk aside he reveals very little else, adopting a manner his publicist later describes as ‘very diplomatic’.

Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): We’re living in an age of free podcasts and DJ mixes everywhere; how much did that change your approach to Balance 18?

Nick Warren: "It obviously has an affect on sales as a whole in the industry, but I believe that the public does follow a brand and an artist. I am lucky enough to have a strong fan base who support my releases."

Skrufff: Talking to ClubbersGuideNY recently you said writing music is really a joy but there is no income involved; how much has the income dropped for doing compilations such as this one? (how much is this project now about promoting yourself?)

Nick Warren: "I was talking about the singles market more than albums and compilations. The sales of underground dance singles are much lower than in the past, so by the time all the costs of releasing them comes out there is very little left for the artist."

Skrufff: Asking about the compilation’s sound: How much of a factor are fans’ expectations; how conscious are you of having to deliver something that’s comfortable/ familiar for your longer-term fans? (How much are fans’ expectations/ demands a hindrance?)

Nick Warren: "I believe that with podcasts, radio shows and free mixes online the fan base is aware of a DJ's constantly evolving sound so they tend to move with you."

Skrufff: How about when you DJ: how do you handle DJ requests for classic Way Out West tracks: or clubbers demanding you ‘play progressive’?

Nick Warren: "I sometimes get asked for WOW tracks and if I have them with me then I never have a problem with it. No one has ever come and asked me to play in a retro fashion on the night though."

Skrufff: Going into your background: you told clubbersguide; it was much easier then. You didn’t have to do that much work to be honest’: what was your first big break; how did it happen that you broke out of Bristol and became international stars as Way Out West?

Nick Warren: "It was being Massive Attack’s touring DJ that gave me the break. Once that was known lots of venues and promoters wanted to book me and it snowballed from there."

Skrufff: I remember you saying you were a gamekeeper: how did your gamekeeper friends react when you said you were quitting that job for music?

Nick Warren: "There was a big gap in between the two careers and I lost touch with those guys so it was never an issue."

Skrufff: When did you notice things changing in the music business: was there one moment or period when you realized the old model was finished?

Nick Warren: "It was a gradual process, though believe me it is by no means all doom and gloom. It just means artists have to be more pro-active in keeping in touch with their fan base via social networking etc.”

Skrufff: There’s a fascinating, quite bleak assessment of the music business by Stefan Goldman posted recently on LittleWhiteBuds (http://bit.ly/fREg32 ) in which he says, "The propaganda that the future will have us all giving away music for free in order to make a living on gigs has been proven wrong by reality. Basically everybody does exactly this - gives their music away - and still doesn’t get booked all over (or not often enough, as with most ‘mid-career’ artists)."

Nick Warren: "Yeah, I agree with him, I think that the public will start to want some product again. Having a hard-drive full of MP3 files isn’t that appealing to a lot of people anymore.”

Skrufff: What are the implications of everybody now being both a DJ and everybody being a producer?

Nick Warren: ""I believe the two things are separate. The producers, with the greatest respect, do not want to play for 3-4-5-6 hours like a DJ will."

Skrufff: How much have you stayed in touch with friends from before Way Out West?

Nick Warren: "My close friends I have always stayed close to, the others not so much."

Skrufff: How about Massive Attack; are you still friends? (whatever happened to Mushroom!?)

Nick Warren: ""Yeah, I still see 3D and Daddy Gee sometimes, but I have no idea where Mushroom went."

Balance 18 is out now.

For MUCH more on Nick Warren: click here: Ibiza-Spotlight: http://bit.ly/h7NkE3  ‘[Trance] just got so pompous. Don’t get me wrong, those that went down that route have done really well, and are hugely popular. But for a lot of us we just started to think ‘yeah, I’m not really sure this is for me any more’. So I think guys like Sasha, myself and so on would rather play a room of 200 people  . . .’ Ibiza-Spotlight: http://bit.ly/h7NkE3 )

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff