Published – 16th April 1993 (approx)
Pages – 8 (A5 B&W)
Strapline – VIVA HAPPINESS
Featured Article
The Danny Gee Interview
By Dj Kristopher
Danny Gee, real name Daniel Griffiths aged 22 is known for his Dj skills, has also turned his skills to music production. I caught up with Danny Gee to find out more about him.
K – How did it all start?
D.G. I started Djing five years ago whilst working in a record shop. Because I had good access to records, I thought it would be a good idea to start.
K – Where have you played?
I started off at the Grasshopper at Westerham in Kent where I was resident for two years. There I played funk and Hip-Hop up until the Acid House explosion. Then I went to Subteraina in Labrooke Grove and was there For nearly two years. There I played a mixture of tunes. I also did a lot of one offs in and around London. At the moment I have got a resident slot at Club Labrynth in the House room which is just fine for me, because I can spend more time in the studio.
K – Your first release ‘Fire when Ready – G double E and ‘Narrow minds – Genaside II’, people say that those two records were responsible for the change in the style of Rave Music. Would you agree?
D.G. “Fire when Ready’ was recorded in November 1989 and ‘Narrow Minds’ shortly after. I wouldn’t say that these tunes were the cause of change, but they were original records for their time. If it gave a new direction for music to go then I glad that we had something to do with it. If we didn’t do it then someone else would have.
K – Since your early releases, your music has changed. Was this change on purpose or was it a natural progression?
D.G. I think it was a natural progression. The Hardcore scene was taking a turn for the worse, so our sound became more of a house sound. That’s where I think the happier vibe is. And as a Dj I never played hardcore, I’ve always played house so it was only a matter of course before I went into that sound.
K – Have you done any remixes in your musical career?
D.G. Yes I have done two. First of all there was the remix of the Prodigy tune ‘Horns of Jericho’ and secondly The Moody Boys ‘King of the funky Zulu’ even though we didn’t get a credit for it. But I am always willing to do others.
K – You’ve released records under various acts, why have you done this?
D.G. The main reason for this was so we didn’t have to limit ourselves to one act. By having different names, it meant that we wouldn’t have to stick to the same formula all the time. Because of the different names we could release what we wanted.
K – You’ve recently started a new label called ‘Swarm Records’. Tell me more about it.
D.G. Well we started Swarm basically because we would have complete control over our music. We found that when we took our tunes to other labels, we didn’t really have a say. So the only way to stop it was to do it ourselves.
K – Have you released anything under the Swarm Label yet?
D.G. Yes, the first single ‘Love to Fell – Eventide’ was released a little while ago and is doing well. We have a new promo on the streets called “Within A Dream – Shikasta’ which also is doing well. We also have other tunes in the pipe line.
K – Do you see yourself in competiton with other house labels?
D.G. There is competiton amongst labels, but we want to be know as a different kind of label. We don’t want to limit ourselves to just house music. If we feel something is worth putting out, then we will.
K – Finally, the question which is asked of everyone. Where do you see yourself in years to come?
D.G. On a beach in Barbados, but seriously I hope to see the label well established, But what it really comes down to is if I’m still in the Music Business then I be more that happy.
Danny Gee seems to Know what he is about. Whether as a Dj or a Music producer one thing is for sure he will – go a long way.
Adverts
- Rabbit City & Edge Records present Warehouse London, Saturday 24th April 1993
- Wax City Records, 306-308 London Road, Croydon
- Lucky Spin Records, 121 Kings Road, Chelsea, London SW3
- Labrynth Friday Night Wild, 12 Dalston Lane, London E8
- Double Dipped & Every Picture Tells A Story, 12 Dalston Lane, London E8
- De Underground Records, 18 Sebert Road, London E7
- Vinyl Mania, 214 Northfields Avenue, London W13
- Happy Days Productions – Rapido @ The Warehouse, 134 Curtain Road, London EC2A
- Pyramid Promotions / Innersense – Every Saturday @ Lazerdrome, 267 Rye Lane, London SE15
- Sunday Bollox @ Club Labrynth, 12 Dalston Lane, London E8
Rave Listings
- Universe Friday 30th April. Lower Pertwood Farm, Warminster
- Fusion Friday 16th April. Portsmouth Guild Hall
- Universe Friday 4th June. A46 near Bath
- Evolution Sunday 29th May. The Wax, Temple Mills Lane, London E15
- Perception Friday 30th April. Melton Airfield, Melton Mowbray
- Rapido Sunday 2nd April. 134 Curtain Road, London EC2A
- Warehouse London Saturday 24th April
- World Dance Saturday 1st May. Lydd Airport, Ashford, Kent
- Magical Trip Sunday 2nd May. Paradise Club, 1-5 Parkfield St, London N1
- Reincarnation Saturday 24th April. Kings Hall, Herne Bay, Kent
- Time Without End Friday 14th May. Exhibition Centre, Freight Liner Road, Hull
Chart
Danny Gee Top 10
- Within A Dream – Shikasta
- Love Thing / Jay – Evolution
- The Back In Time EP – 0393
- On Your Way – Helicopter
- Fight (Remix) – McKoy
- Soul Groove – Father Funkin
- Kenetic – Golden Girls
- Bango – Bingo Bango Bongo
- Devo – Crunch
- The Back In Time EP – Orbit III
