John Digweed

If you’re not an avid follower of dance music but are tuned into popular culture at all you’ve likely experienced music touched by the hands of John Digweed. Originally hailing from England but having clearly arrived on the global scene nearly a decade ago, John has long since cemented his name in the pages of dance music history. His list of achievements is groundbreaking to say the least. Highlights would be the first proper dj mix compilation ("Renaissance", done with Sasha), being the first British dj to hold a residency at what was then the world’s most well known club in NYC (Twilo, also with Sasha) as well as having remixed tracks by Danny Tenaglia, Underworld and New Order.

John Digweed is a DJ's DJ. The beauty of what he does lies in just how different he really is from his contemporaries. From his early beginnings in Hastings, England at the age of 15 in the blossoming scene of acid house to the apex of the international dj'ing world, he has created and maintained a level of integrity that is the benchmark for both dj’s and producers globally. In fact, he has reached the very top of his profession, being voted #1 in a voter's poll by DJ magazine in 2001. John Digweed has become the people’s choice while maintaining his longstanding presence in underground dance culture. His popularity as both a dj and a person seems to have no limits, but his efforts transcend dj'ing alone, he is as much a producer and promoter. His moniker "Bedrock" is actually three things: a record label, a promotions company and a studio production partnership (with Nick Muir). His management and creative direction for the Bedrock record label has helped launch the careers of Danny Howells (with Dick Trevor as Science Department), Jimmy Van M, Chris Fortier and Phil Thompson (Moonface). He has had the vision and creative insight to seek out mixes and remixes from artists as varied as Rui Da Silva, POB, Freelance Icebreakers and the Second Hand Satellites. The label has effectively served as a foundation for artistic expression and a medium for creative output, allowing underground artists to break through to a much wider audience. To have a record released on Bedrock serves as the global stamp of production quality, ingenuity and integrity for producers worldwide.

In fact, the name John Digweed is synonymous with quality, ingenuity and integrity. From the nights he has either created or been a part of (Bedrock, Northern Exposure, Renaissance) to his world renowned mix cd's (Renaissance, Global Underground, Northern Exposure, Communicate and Bedrock) he has consistently produced characteristic products that stay in demand, himself included. Even with all of his global traveling he has still been able to hold down two monthly Bedrock residencies in both London (Heaven) and Brighton (The Beach). As one half of Bedrock the production duo he has landed two tracks in the top 40 ("Heaven Scent" and "For What You Dream Of") the latter of which made it into the hit movie "Trainspotting". He has even tried a bit of acting himself ("Groove"). He and Nick Muir as Bedrock the production team also recently scored a Hollywood film ("Stark Raving Mad").

His Kiss100 radio show is quickly coming up on its second year as one of the most successful dance music shows in all of England with internet broadcasts to all of the world. It has achieved a near cult status with listeners trading cd’s and mp3’s of the various broadcasts across the internet. John shares his platform weekly by bringing in worldwide guest dj’s.

As a person John's lack of pretense is enveloped in imagination and invention. Good reason for John being one of the most respected, analyzed and imitated dj's in the world. Digweed is both solid and durable with unyielding precision. His sinuous dj'ing and production sound has become its own convincing dance ethic. He is centered to the principles of life, living and friends in such a way that he generates an aura of self-explanatory excitement and enthusiasm. Without heroic pretensions his sets are filled with moodiness and musical mystery but held down with a punchy distinctiveness and earthly rhythm. Always emanating a sense of boundlessness he overlaps dream events that spill into reality with an enormous certainty.

Hastings native John Digweed had been DJing for close to ten years when his DJ remix tape caught the ear of Renaissance promoter Geoff Oakes. He was soon working alongside the likes of another popular Renaissance DJ, Sasha. The new position gave the DJ what he needed for his big breakthrough, and he has continued to prosper ever since. Soon a Renaissance CD compilation containing some of Sasha and John's best remixes was released. The album was a surprise huge seller, warranting a follow-up, Renaissance 2, which soon approached gold status in Europe. Like Sasha, Digweed isn't limited to remixing other people's records. He promotes shows in Europe under such pseudonyms as Babealicious and Northern Exposure. Sasha and Digweed continued their collaboration with the Northern Exposure series, compiling the duo's best remixes for other artists (the second volume was released in 1998 in completely different East Coast and West Coast editions). Digweed scored two Top 30 hits in 1997 with remixes of Chakra's "I Am" and Bedrock's "For What You Dream Of" (featured in the hit movie Trainspotting). Digweed also bought a dance club in the south of England in order to perform there on a weekly basis. Via the Global Underground mix series, he released volumes recorded in Sydney and Hong Kong during 1998, then premiered Bedrock -- his combination label and production concern -- in late 1999. A starring appearance in the American rave movie Groove also increased his stateside visibility. The new millennium saw another release from Bedrock, a double disc of fresh singles and collective new cuts called Foundations. Several mix albums followed in the early 2000s, including Stark Raving Mad, additions to the popular Fabric and Choice: A Collection of Classics series, and two volumes of Transitions. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide