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Gavin Keitel Interview
At the ripe age of 14, Gavin started playing records at a roller skating rink in Darwin and went on to land his first club residency by the age of 16.
Moving to Melbourne when he was 21, Gavin established his Dj career in less than a year and has since landed some highly respected residencies and gigs around Australia as well as overseas and with his deep chugging house and Tek-house he continues to support visiting acts to the likes of Danny Howells, Nick Warren, Steve Lawler, Satoshi Tomiie and his much talked about 3 hour warm up set for Sasha during his Australian leg of the Airdrawndagger tour. Being a DJ by night, it doesn’t stop there for Gavin who has recently been selected to manage and develop the new internet sales department for Rhythm & Soul.
With Gavin set to lift the roof at Musica this Sunday night, RA took the opportunity to speak to Gavin and gather his thoughts on the music industry today and to get a sneak peek as to what we can expect from his set.
RA: You started djing at quite a young age, are you still enjoying the industry?
GK: I still love to DJ. I have been playing weekly now for 16 years so I have tried to separate myself from the clubbing lifestyle as much as possible. Working days in the Rhythm & Soul Websales/Listen Distribution office, I have the latest music cross my desk everyday. It's a very positive and forward thinking environment both on a professional level but even more importantly on a musical level. Having the new sounds at my fingertip's and great gigs to play them, I'm enjoying DJing the most I have in years.
RA: How do you survive in an over saturated "everybody wants to be a DJ" market and how do you differentiate yourself?
GK:Too many DJ's get caught up on playing the next 'hit' before their peers. I prefer to find and play new sounds before other DJ's. Playing hit records 2 weeks before everyone else won't make you stand out in a crowd. Keeping this is mind, I try to maintain the balance between entertainment and education. A few years back all the bigger clubs became more and more commercial so I changed direction and put more focus into smaller clubs where I could continue to play the music I love. This has resulted in me now having strong residencies at a time when a good regular gig is hard to come by for most. Having residencies at nights such as Sunny, 161 and even regular spots at nights like likuid allow me to keep my sound and style fresh.
RA: Do you think the current direction djing is heading in the technology area is going to show the true craftsman or add to the saturated market?
Technology has been instrumental in creating new ways to a DJ to put a set together. Being able to use a sampler of effects is a great skill for a DJ to have bur the real trick is using these additional creative tools to add to an overall set. If a DJ can create new sounds or use edits of their own productions to add class or energy to a complete set without the dance floor being an after though is very clever. Check out a recent live set from Ritchie Hawtin, it's difficult to know what he's up to half the time but it's always rocking! I believe the days of DJ mixing a couple records and then doing a three minute display of effects and tricks are numbered. The groove or energy is lost and can leave a dancefloor flat footed watching a DJ side show. Cool but if you're not dialed in, leave it for the DMC's.
RA Do you enjoy traveling interstate and playing at clubs and events across Australia?
GKTo often I have turned up to play gigs interstate only to find the roof has already been blown off by 12 and all I can do is play every big record I have in a row and fly home. Doesn’t' sound like a fun day at work really. I often only agree to do the smaller, more underground events interstate because the crew involved in these parties are usually more passionate about the music that I am into and it shows with the vibe on the dancefloor. I would rather stay at home and keep my residencies rocking rather than travel to pay music that I don't enjoy. Doing the more intimate gigs interstate may not do as much for the profile but as a DJ it's a lot more rewarding for me and for the people who book me.
RA We all know that you are as good as any international but don't often see you traveling the world with the best of them, why is that?
GK:It's a phrase that I'm sure is mentioned about lots of Dj's in cities everywhere and in most cases its true. There are a lot of very average Dj's touring the world off the back of a couple of cheesy club records they were a part of but there are also a lot of Dj's who work at it everyday and really deserve the success they receive. Over the last few years I have headed up the team that put the first Sanity Dance Arena concept together and recently kicking of the new Rhythm & Soul Websales department. I guess if for all those days I had put the same energy into the studio, the resulting productions would have opened many doors. I am lucky enough to have been a resident of the underground electronic music movement in Melbourne for 10 or more years now and couldn’t be happier. Something I always remember is to never judge my successes against other peoples. A lot of touring Dj's often say how they wished they could move to Melbourne or Sydney because the love the cities and the supporting electronic culture but we are on the wrong side of the equator. If Australia was closer to the rest of the world you know where everybody would be and the local Dj's would probably be the rock stars. We really do live in the lucky country.
RA: What can Sydney expect from you at your upcoming gig at Musica on 12 September?
GKI was a straight up progressive main room DJ a few years back but over the last couple of years I have drawn a lot more from the German deep techno sound. It is a sound that I have been slowly working into my sets and the responses over the last year have been overwhelming. The sound is a lot groovier and it is easy to maintain good energy on the dancefloor even if I'm playing deeper or the tougher heave. I hear the Musica guys are onto a good thing and my sound should compliment the direction they are pushing perfectly. I'm really looking forward to it!!
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Published / Tuesday, 07 September 2004
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