AWE Soundsystem

AWE Soundsystem has been on the breaks scene for a while getting regular gigs at Supatronix and WeHaveFun, a dj who appreciates the diversity of broken beats and very keen to make you move your feet.

We chat the chat with him and blag an EXCLUSIVE mix out of it while we’re at it …. Have we pimped up your IPod over the last couple of weeks or what?!

What have you been up to today?

Today I was off work with a cold so made the most of my time and did an exclusive mix for Never Grow Up to give you an idea of what to expect from a typical AWE set. As you'll see it's not all about playing the latest big hits but more about searching through the record collection to find tracks that sound great and will make people jump around and have fun.

Where you from?

I'm a born and bred Cockney. Raised in Stepney, East London. When I was 21 though I moved to Suffolk for 8 years which is where I met some of my best friends and also where I hooked up with P-Dub who I formed AWE with. That's also when I became Country Cockney, possibly one of the worst DJ names in the scene!! Unfortunately he's now decided to hang up his headphones so you're stuck with just l'il ol' me.

Where d’you live?

I've just recently moved to (trendy fucking) Hoxton after spending 2 years in Bow. I like the area because it's convenient and is the hub of Londons clubbing scene whilst still being close enough to East London.

What do you like most about London?

It's my home! I know London and I love it even though it has got miserable weather. This may sound a bit arrogant but in my opinion London is where everything happens. It has the coolest music, fashion, people, artists, clubs etc and is just so cutting edge. Everyone comes here so I don't have to go anywhere else lol! Buuut...some more sunshine would be ever so nice.

What where you listening to as a kid jumping around in your bedroom?

'Ardcore! I still remember getting into dance music when I heard 'Charly' by The Prodigy in the charts many many years ago. From that moment on I was addicted to listening to the pirate stations and used to do whatever it took to raise the next £5 to buy my next bit of vinyl. Always had a love for the breakbeat.

Hot tunes to look out for this summer?

Breakswise, Jurassik & Miss Max have just finished a track called 'Radiation' which has some really nice Summer vibes. No doubt you'll hear it at Never Grow Up on Friday. K.A.L - She Binds Books (P.E.R Remix) is more on the housey tip but I'll definitely be playing it loads this Summer. It's available for free on the Myuzyk website so go grab it. To be honest though when the sun comes out I start to reminisce and play all the classics. S'all about chilling out and bringing on the funk.

What was your first vinyl?

Bob Marley - Buffalo Soldier.

What’s new from you for 2009?

I'm just trying to get back into music in general to be honest. I went through a period where I wasn't really pushing myself and then I went travelling for a bit and it all went on the backburner. Then I came back and wasn't feeling very inspired. Fortunately I was getting regular gigs with Supatronix and We Have Fun so it kind of kept me in the scene otherwise I may have sacked it all off and got into tapestry or something! Recently though there's a lot of great music coming out from the likes of Stereotype, Gella, Delirium & Faze and (he'll kill me if I don't say him) Jurassik to name a few so I've been DJing a bit more and have even started working on a track with Jurassik so we'll see where that ends up? I'm really getting into playing a lot more downtempo funky stuff so hopefully that'll open a few doors too and ensure that you'll be hearing a lot more from AWE in '09 and beyond!

Where can we catch you after Never Grow Up?

In a gutter? Police Station? Mental Hospital? Who knows? I wouldn't rule any of those out!! Hopefully my friends'll look after me and I'll end up back at someones house getting messy...the usual. Beyond that though I'll be playing at Supatronix @ Herbal, We Have Fun @ 333, A new night called Glue @ The Horse & Groom and whatever else comes along. You can also catch me out and about pretty much most weekends at various nights around London.

You looking forward to slamming our Never Grow Up crowd?

Hell yeah! Really looking forward to this night! The line up is massive. Groove Diggerz will tear it up without a shadow of a doubt and everyone else on the line-up on both floors have the talent, the music and the enthusiasm to destroy Fluid and any other venue they rock up at. I've seen so many of these DJs playing out and they have ALWAYS smashed it. A lot of my faves all under one roof. I'll be there early doors and know for a fact that this night is gonna be heavy. Big ups to the Door Never Grow Up crew for putting this together. You guys will have an exceptional night. And I will be the tip of the iceberg hehe. See ya there.

Check out AWE’s exclusive mix for your Never Grow Up ears! >>>