Northern star Denney returns to Hot Creations with his West Coast Revival EP – a full power nod to the early days of his career, inviting Liverpool’s latest export Melé and Denver tech-house pioneer Hipp-e to provide the remixes.
2018 was a huge year for James Denney, aka Denney. He produced a slew of releases for top imprints including Saved Records, Relief, Knee Deep In Sound, Moon Harbour and Pete Tong’s FFRR. His skills as a DJ have seen him tour globally taking in Brazil, Argentina and Australia as well as Europe and North America, where he held down a residency at Miami’s infamous Heart. He has also been a regular figure in Ibiza at DC10 and Amnesia. In 2019, Denney’s pace shows no sign of slipping with plenty of releases in the pipeline as well as plans to launch a series of events in his hometown of Middlesborough and his own label.
We caught up with Denney to talk about his current musical projects and ‘West Coast Revival’.
Electronic Groove: Hi Denney, great to have you again. You are back on Hot Creations with ‘West Coast Revival’. What was the inspiration to produce this track?
Denney: Hello, nice to be back! When I first started playing out in the early 00’s I used to play what was known as the “West Coast sound”, these were records by the likes of H-Foundation, DJ Buck, Onionz, Joeski and Tony Hewitt, to name a few, and was heavily championed by Yousef in the UK. Last year I was going back through my record collection and thought “I want to make a track like what these sound like”. I finished it and among the first people that came back saying they liked it were Yousef and Joeski, so I thought “job done”.
EG: You mentioned the early 00’s. Can you describe the setting around the parties you attended back in the day?
Denney: The main parties I used to attend were Sugarshack in Middlesbrough, Back to Basics in Leeds and Shindig in Newcastle. All had their own amazing atmospheres and showcased the most incredible music. When I look back I just think of spending hours on the dancefloor meeting new friends. It was a great time.
EG: You have Melé and Hipp-E on the remixes. What do you think of each version?
Denney: I love them both, I actually chose both of these guys to do the remixes myself, because they are firstly artists who I admire and love their music, and secondly are friends. I love the percussive madness of Mele’s and Hipp-e’s raw warehouse bassline. Both are great alternative interpretations of the original.
EG: Your summer calendar looks quite busy. How do you prepare and how do you handle all the hastle involved?
Denney: I’m just prepared and have a bit of a system when on tour, I don’t really drink or party when on the road as I can’t handle traveling rough. I love touring, its great fun!
EG: You will be visiting Ibiza, what’s your favorite venue?
Denney: I like them all for different reasons, but my ultimate favorite place on the island is Pikes.
EG: You are frequently releasing quality music on various labels such as Hot Creations, Crosstown Rebels, Moon Harbour, among many others. What are the key points to keep the inspiration flowing?
Denney: I just make music for me and don’t get distracted by what others are doing. It’s very easy to look around and compare yourself to others success. But that is suicide in the studio as you won’t be making music for yourself which in time you will hate. When you put your heart and soul into something it stands the test of time and keeps you inspired and moving forward.
EG: Also, you just released a two-CD Nubreed compilation on the seminal Global Underground. How do you feel about this achievement?
Denney: To be honest this is probably my proudest achievement to date, I had been such a huge fan of the Global Underground compilations since my early teens that the thought of mixing one seemed like a distant dream. I hadn’t listened to it for ages as had spent so long working on it (4 months) and put it on the other day, I thought to myself “I wouldn’t have done this any differently”, which is a good sign as I’m usually my biggest critic.
EG: Can you finish this sentence, “Music is …”
Denney: What feelings sound like!
Denney’s ‘West Coast Revival’ is already available on Hot Creations. Grab your copy here.
Follow Denney: Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud | Spotify
