Warming up for one of the world's best DJs at Bedrock in the UK, DJ and producer Phil Thompson (Moonface) has proven he is in no danger of being overshadowed.

“Try and keep a smooth flow. Plan your set. Make sure you don’t go up and down too much,” says Phil Thompson about the attributes of a good warm-up DJ. “But more than anything, have a respect for the next DJ”. Especially when the next DJ happens to be John Digweed and the night you play at, Bedrock, is one of the most respected nights on the progressive circuit.

Another of the south of England's DJ exports, Phil Thompson has been the resident warm-up DJ at the Bedrock nights in London and Brighton in the UK for about a year and a half, having started his DJing career on the infamous boat parties in Southampton. Having earlier played at Bedrock a handful of times, the coveted warm-up slot, was offered to Phil by John Digweed after the departure of its former resident Danny Howells. Given the number of talented DJs out there its an achievement which shouldn’t be glossed over lightly.

Having regularly frequented Bedrock as a clubber Phil knew filling the shoes of Danny Howells, who had held the slot for nearly nine years, and earning the loyalty of the crowd was never going to be easy. “I went there one time when Danny was away and I didn’t like it at all so I knew that’s how everyone would be thinking about me.”

Still, it didn't make winning the crowd over any easier. "At first it wound a lot of people up because they wanted Danny," admits Phil "but I just stuck to what I do and after about six months people started coming around. Now the crowd knows what to expect and it feels like my warm-up."

These days, Phil has cemented the slot as his own, holding down the Bedrock fort while his boss was busy with the Delta Heavy Tour earlier this year. He attributes much of his success to the lengthy planning and preparation that goes into his set. Constantly in search of the perfect record and the perfect track sequence, Phil explains, ”I usually spend about a day going through my records. I’ve got little sections in my box which once I get to, will all work together given of course, the crowd are interested in what I’m doing."

However Phil’s track selection is not what you’d describe as typically progressive. “Sometimes I play half an hour of ambient, electronica stuff at the beginning. People come in and they don’t know what it is but they get drawn in without even realizing it. Then I just start playing a few more beats that have a tougher edge. In the last 15 minutes I start preparing the crowd so when the next DJ comes on, the mood is just right and I haven’t worn them out.”

It was also Danny Howells who was responsible for propelling his production talents into the spotlight, earning the attention of John Digweed, among others. Disillusioned by the lack of response from sending his stuff out, Phil recalls ”There was a period about 4 years ago where I totally gave up trying to give out my music. I thought if no one likes it I’ll just do it for myself. I don’t know how but a tape got passed onto someone and one day Danny just phoned me up.”

Having dropped out of the club scene, at the time Phil had no idea about Danny. After listening to a mate’s copy of Danny’s Essential Mix he was surprised at how similar their sounds were. Later the track 'Futurized', under the name Moonface (“I’ve always had a fascination with the moon” says Phil) was featured on John Digweed's GU Hong Kong compilation and his Between Worlds EP showcasing earlier works like ‘Roton’ would be released on Bedrock.

Having a love for any kind of drums, lately Phil has been messing about with more traditional music; acoustic sounds with rhythms from Africa and Greece.
“Usually I just start by trying to get a rhythm and nice beats because when you’re in a club essentially you just dance to the rhythm. Once you get your kick drum and hi-hat sounding good everything else sort of complements it.”

Like his DJing style his influences and inspirations aren’t the typical producers you might expect; producers like the electronica oriented techno of Germany’s Funkstorung or the distorted patterns of Norway’s drum’n’bass jock TeeBee; artists whose music highlights the technology within the music.

Signed to Cosmack Management, who also look after Digweed, some have referred to Phil as a kind of Digweed protégé but nothing could be further from the truth. Where Digweed is melodic Phil is percussive, where Digweed has more of a deep trance feel, Phil shows obvious techno influences. Think Danny Howells minus the funk and the groove. Where Digweed is lost in concentration behind the decks, Phil happily grooves away.

Recently Phil has also started doing more international gigs, like his recent appearance at Tokyo's long-running KOOL party at Spacelab Yellow run by Ko Kimura, who has just released the first mix CD in the ‘Bedrock Japan Compiled and Mixed By’ series.

“Over the years I think buildings attract energy and the energy is stored in them somewhere, somehow, " Phil says in reference to the gig. " At Yellow once I got the crowd after about the third track it was excellent. It’s such an amazing feeling when you know that you’ve got a track that’s going to hit them a certain way or make them have a certain reaction”.

Despite his aversion to the traveling Phil explains, “Playing abroad is like England 10 years ago. English crowds are spoiled. I’ve started to realize that everyone in England is up their own arse whereas the rest of the world really appreciates what you do.”

"There are only a few places in England where you can really enjoy the club scene” admits Phil, mentioning Liverpool’s Alderaan. “It’s only a small club with the decks in the corner on a wobbly table and a capacity of 150 people but all the DJs love it. The festival stuff – that’s all about money and corporations".

Corporations like Quality Streets, who even sponsored one of the Bedrock nights last year. "I don’t like it, " says Phil " but you’ve got to appreciate that as things become bigger, companies want to be associated with it. It’s the same with sport – that also wouldn’t survive without sponsorship."

Does he feel the quality of the music is in danger of being compromised? “There’s always an underground - you just have to know where to look for it. Even when The Beatles were around and they were massive, they were considered commercial but there were also underground Beatles bands too".

Away from the DJ spotlight you might find Phil in the south of England where he has his own company. "It’s easy for DJs to go head up into whatever planet they’re on. Having a job has kept me rooted to the ground. It’s good for my head to concentrate on something completely different.

"I try and stay away from the industry stuff – I just like to enjoy whoever’s DJing".
Indeed the following night we spot Phil at Tokyo’s club Womb, not in the V.I.P room but on the dance floor grooving away with his promoter.

For some DJs, playing at Bedrock represents the pinnacle of their career. So what advice does Phil have for those who want to emulate his success? “Stick to being yourself. Learn off everyone else. Adapt other people’s styles and sounds to suit your own. Be original.” Sounds remarkably similar to something his boss might say but still, having Digweed as your mentor isn’t such a bad thing. ”John’s kept himself on the ground which is how you stay successful. I’m trying to learn from that because so many DJs lose it.

Does Phil ever feel his career might be lost in the shadow of John Digweed? “I’ve never felt that way at all. I respect what he’s done and I know I wouldn’t be here without him but I also know he appreciates what I do for him.” He adds, “For years John was always overshadowed by Sasha before he started doing his own stuff. I believe that if I stick to what I do then hopefully people won’t associate me with him."