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Features
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Welcome to the colourful world of Wid & Ben
Reported by HarderFaster
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Submitted 13-10-06 12:37
Given the current state of the hard dance scene, with even some of the top names packing it in to jump on the electro bandwagon and once dependable big name promotions resorting to running events every six months, those that go the extra mile are few and far between. It’s no wonder then that the few who do successfully put their all into dj’ing, producing and promoting hard dance are making a name for themselves. Two of the most hard-working and talented individuals around right now are Kettering-based Andy Widdop & Ben Thomas aka Wid & Ben.
As well as running their own successful promotion, A Evening In With Wid & Ben at the Voltz Club, they’ve recently been signed to Red Management, have a new E.P. on the way and have just returned from another storming tidy Weekender. With the boys back in London town this Saturday night for Colours at the Fridge, HarderFaster rudely interrupted their post-tidy ‘flu’ to ask them a few questions…
Your last full feature on HF was last June, ahead of your set at Basic at the Fridge. What’s been going on over the last 16 months?
Ben: Lots and lots really! We’ve just signed with Red Management which we’re really excited about and of course our night has been going from strength to strength. Wids still got a pretty crazy haircut and we’re both still living in a sleepy little town called Kettering.
Wid: We’ve also set up our own Digital Record Label called Experience (I’ve got the name remembered now!!). On that we’ve so far released a collaboration track between ourselves and Shaun M, ‘Man’s Machine’, with Maddox and Pasch on remix duties, and another track by ourselves, ‘Crucify’, with Digital Kid throwing in his own version. And we’ve also been busy in the studio working on The Wid&Ben E.P. which is forthcoming on tidy.
For those who don’t know you, how long have you been making music? Did you always want to be djs and producers, or was it something you fell into?
Wid: I actually jumped from my mothers womb singing a hard trance riff. The rest is history.
Ben: It was a hoover pattern wasn’t it? Penis.
In June of this year, Benz hailed your night, ‘An Evening In With Wid & Ben’ at the Voltz, Kettering, as one of the new breed of hard dance promotions keeping hard dance alive. How’s ‘An Evening In…’ going? Would you ever pack in the dj’ing to be promoters full-time?
Ben: We couldn’t really ask for the night to be going any better at the moment. I’ve probably jinxed it now by saying that! It really has got a great following up here now and we’re just about to move to a new venue that holds a staggering 50 extra people. I definitely wouldn’t consider going into promotion full time, I find promoting ‘An Evening In’ stressful enough every 3 months let alone every month. Plus I think with the scene in its current state at the moment putting bashes on regularly wouldn’t really be wise.
How do you go about putting the line-ups together for ‘An Evening in With Wid & Ben’? Does the small, intimate size of the Voltz have an impact on who you book?
Ben: I generally try to pick at least one or big acts and desperately try to convince them that coming to play our match boxed sized club is a good idea lol. I think the words starting to spread now that we throw on a good bash and al lot of people are asking us to play. I don’t think the fact the night is so small really effects who we book. We’ll always try to get the bigger acts to play, it’s usually our budget that effects who we book. But we’ve pulled off some pretty ludicrous lineups so far!
You’ve just played at TWX (the tidy Weekender 10 for those not in the know) over the weekend. How did your set go? Did you go along with the theme and dress up as superheroes?
Wid: Loved every minute of the weekender, had fun every night in all the arenas to some top music, and was really pleased with how our set went. From where we were stood it looked like the crowd really enjoyed it too! I’m suffering for it now though, with a full on post weekender flu.
There’ve been a lot of changes in the tidy camp recently. How did this Weekender rate compare with Weekenders past? What were the highlights for you?
Ben: I think the Weekender is still very much the highlight of our clubbing calendars and everyone else’s. My favorite Weekenders will always be number one and number three. But TWX was the most rocking out of the recent events. The theme was a pretty cool idea and it was good to see everyone getting in spirit of things!
After your experiences at tidy this weekend, do you reckon cyber has had its day, or does it still have a bright future ahead?
Ben: I personally think the whole cyber thing is a bit dead now. You see less and less of the clubbers doing it. Although its not al lot of peoples kettle of fish, they do all add the atmosphere! I’m sure its like most trends, it will probably come back into fashion.
Wid: I’m not too sure that cyber is that dead, it obviously not as big as it used to be, but there seem to be some die hard groups that still make massive efforts to dress up for events like the Weekenders, and personally I don’t think hard dance events would be the same without them.
It must mean a lot having the support of such stalwarts of the scene as Andy Pickles. Who else in the music industry do you admire and respect?
Wid: Stalwarts, what a word! Ha ha.
Ben: You used to be a Stalwart didn’t you Wid? There are a lot of people I respect in the scene. People like Pickles and Will Patterson are really top of their game business wise, which I have a lot of respect for. Dickon Laws, Kelly-Dayus-Cook and Jimmy Dean are also some of the few few bullshit free people in the industry and have helped us allot along our way.
You’ve just been signed to Red Management (red-management.com), the new agency formed by ex-tidy Kelly Dayus-Cook and Vicious’ Kate Hammond. What does this mean for you in practical terms? Have you got a lot of bookings coming up?
Ben: It’s really come as a bit of a godsend to be honest. I’ve been responsible for sorting out all the bookings in the last year or so. So anything that can take that off my plate has gotta be good. I think the reaction and running of the agency thus far has been extremely positive. Kelly and Kate are both very well respected and I think everyone’s going to be happy to deal with them. They’re not adding any fees on top and let’s cut to the chase, their both pretty easy on the eye. Bookings wise we’ve been really busy for some time now, we’ve taken a month off in November to spend the weekends in the studio and December through to next year is looking really nice!
You’ve got a new EP coming out on tidy in December. Can you tell us a bit about the tracks and how they came about?
Wid: We’ve just about finished the E.P now, and as it stands, it’s a bit more different that what people maybe used to hearing from us, its not the same old anthemic hardtrancey Tidy2 esque sound. We’ve got 2 tougher tracks, ‘Revolution 303’ and ‘Just You Wait’, and we’re putting the finishing touches to a chunky groover at the min, which is as yet unnamed. Keep you’re eyes peeled on tidy.com for samples.
What are the top five tracks in your record box right now to get the dance-floor moving?
1. Ferry Corsten — ‘Cubikated’ — Flashover
2. Lisa Pinup — ‘Rock With Me’ — Tidy (yes it’s old!)
3. Flashheadz — ‘Who Wins’ — Tidy
4. Andy Farley & Olive Grooves — ‘Feel’ — CDR
5.Kevin Energy & Phil Reynolds — ‘Pounding Senses’ (Technikal Rmx) — Elevate EP
6. Whigfield — ‘Saturday Night’ <<we love this one!
A lot of young djs get accused of using their looks to get ahead. What do you say to critics who say you’re only there because you look the part?
Ben: To be honest I’m pretty sure I’ve not heard anyone saying that about us haha! I think there are djs that do use their looks to their advantage. And even if they do that’s fair enough, as long as they can mix and their putting on a good performance who cares! Too many people think that just because someone has skills behind the decks they deserve to be the next big thing. It doesn’t work like that any more, promoters want the whole deal, from branding, websites, productions, design and nice press shots. Anything that helps them get punters through the door. It’s probably not the way it should be, but there you go. Every man and his dog has a set of decks now, if you’ve got one up on everyone else by looking the part, use it! If your image and marketing is bang on you’ll go far. Its the same as marketing anything, your trying to sell yourself and get bookings!
Wid: Hahahaha! They’re definitely not on about us! Bastards. One day we’ll be able to afford plastic surgery and we’ll be bloody unstoppable!
Ben: My Mum’s paying to get my tits done actually, really looking forward to getting them put in before Christmas.
Your bio says that you’re a ‘hybrid entity’ that ‘transcends’ the boundaries of dj’ing and production. What does this mean to you in reality?
Ben: Christ I have absolutely no idea, sounds pretty amazing though doesn’t it! Whoever wrote it was probably talking about Wid’s hair.
Wid: I’ve always fancied some transcending with the hybrids. It obviously just means were really cool and every promoter should book us, it definitely doesn’t mean we’re pretty.
What up and coming djs and producers do you have your eyes on at the moment?
Ben: For me Sam Townend and Digital Kid are rocking it. The lovely Cally Gage is always a winner too, although she’s not necessarily up and coming. But we like her big lots.
Wid: I’ll go with Micky D (aka Alfez!)!
Does running your own night make you more or less critical of other promotions? If you could plan your dream event, where would it be, who would play and what surprises would you pull out for your friends and fans?
Ben: I don’t think it really makes us more critical of other people’s promotions. I think if anything it’s made us realise how much bloody hard work is needed. You have to be clever nowadays with running a promotion, it’s not as simple as it used to be and filling the venues is harder than ever. I think my dream venue and lineup would probably be at Space in Ibiza or Amnesia. We would have to be on the lineup, I reckon Ferry Corsten would have to get slapped in there too, the Tidy Boys, Whitby and maybe even Marco V for good measure! If I was going to have some surprises in store I think I would probably have lots of naked women pole dancing and maybe some midgets giving out free cds.
You’re back at the Fridge this Saturday night playing for Colours, alongside The *Ting*, Little Gem, Cally Gage, Rachel Harvey and of course Red & Blue. What can your fans expect from your Colours set? Do you have any new productions up your sleeves? Are you looking forward to being back at the Fridge?
Wid: We love playing for Colours at the Fridge, there’s always an amazing crowd there! Expect to see the usual semi drunk stupidness of Wid and not so drunk, but still silly Ben.
You’re also renowned for your on-stage antics. Can you give us a clue as to what they might involve or will we have to wait and see on Saturday?
Ben: I was giving some serious consideration to mentioning Wid’s hair putting on a good show, but I think two times later it might be getting a bit stale. We won’t have any midgets with us this time either so I think we’ll probably do some standing on the necks and making loud noises. What do you think Wid?
Finally, there are many up and coming djs, producers and promoters on this website. What advice would you give them?
Ben: We’re still pretty new to the promoting game, we’re still not too sure why we’ve had such success with the night. So I’m still in no place to dish out advice on that! I think with the dj’ing and production just practice your arse off and get bang on the self promotion! And maybe get a hair cut like Wid’s!
Images courtesy of James Finch and Wid & Ben. Not to be reproduced without permission.
Colours & Twist - First time ever!
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On:
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Saturday 14th October 2006
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At:
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The Fridge [map]
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From:
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2200 - 0600
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Cost:
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£12 early bird Tickets, £14 advance tickets, £15 b4 midnight, MOTD after
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Ticket Info:
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For advance tickets please email to ClubColours@hotmail.co.uk
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More:
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Special edition Colours & Twist, this month two of the best clubs are joining forces to bring you the best of the new music and the best of uplifting and bouncy hard dance to London’s number one dance venue the Fridge.
Come and see for yourself, you will not be disappointed. Our unique party atmosphere combining our resident stage performers, impromptu performances, our unique helium balloon treatment special production FX, pryros coupled with the overall production values of the Fridge should not be missed. We are planning to double the scanning lighting together with additional lighting throughout the club and a full colour laser. This is not simply another party at the Fridge, it is Colours!!!
Wid & Ben returning to Colours after their amazing debut in August. These producers who have many releases on Tidy and now just started their own label, Wid & Ben Digital. Simply, these guys just go from strength to strength. They will showcase their latest tunes and the best tracks to date.
Little Gem is making her debut to Colours, Little precious Gem needs no introduction. She is a resident of Wildchild and many other clubs. She has been rocking the dance floors all over the country. Little Gem … big sound.
Once again we are delighted to be able to welcome our newest colours resident, Cally Gage, to delight us with her fantastic range of tunes from bouncy, uplifting, hard trance, party to banging Hard House. From the quality stable of Frantic, Cally definitely should not be missed.
We are delighted to be able to welcome back Rachel Harvey from Australia. She is a massive DJ in Australia, and has played in many clubs around Australia including sets that include John Digweed, Carl Cox etc.. It is our privilege to engage her to delight us with her fantastic range of tunes from bouncy, uplifting, hard trance.
As always we are excited about our resident, the *Ting* (Proactive, Torture Garden, Frantic, Ricochet) again gracing the decks of Colours. Like her previous parties at Colours, the *Ting* has been given total freedom to perform and Dj as she sees fit, providing us journey that simply can’t be missed. You will be captivated with her unique mix of music and the shear energy that only the *Ting* can deliver.
And of course, our headlining residents Red and Blue (Twist, Frantic, Hue, TranceSpectrum) and currently holding an amazing number of residencies will be returning with their unique mixing style coupled with their wide spectrum of music that takes you through bouncy, uplifting and classics, but all with their hard driving sound. These guys just have to be seen!
Colours give you a night tailored to take you on a true musical journey that progresses smoothly through the night, not a mishmash of ill sequence DJs that so many other clubs just throw together.
We have purposely decided that we will go with a team of quality DJ’s that are unique in their style and mixing, and who have proven ability in progressing the night smoothly. All working together for that very special musical journey we promise you.
We are striving to provide everybody with a clubbing family, for all to enjoy and be one. Simply, the place to be with your clubbing family.
Colours is about the perfect world that we all want to live in. Equality for all. Peace for all. Colours is a true Polycultural and Polysexual club, a club for all, a club of tolerance, and most importantly, a place to party on that musical journey we promised you.
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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