AGWA Yacht Club wraps up with Seth Troxler and Paul Woolford

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    Mon, Mar 22, 2010, 22:00
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  • Mark E will also spin on next weekend's Sydney Harbour cruise.
  • AGWA Yacht Club wraps up with Seth Troxler and Paul Woolford image
  • The last AGWA Yacht Club cruise of the 2009/2010 season is set to go down next weekend, headlined by Seth Troxler and Paul Woolford. The season has hosted a variety of names, with Steve Bug, Damian Lazarus and Dixon stepping up to the Starship Sydney decks. To close things out, a healthy mix of techno, house and disco has been selected, with Troxler and Woolford set to be joined by Mark E. Both Troxler and Woolford have been in the spotlight of late, releasing their high-profile Boogybytes and Platform mixes, respectively. Mark E has also had a busy few months, putting together a well-received retrospective LP earlier this year. We caught up with Paul Woolford last week to chat about his recently released Platform mix, his return to Sydney and what to expect from his Intimacy Music imprint in 2010.
    Your Platform has just been released. What is touring like when a project you've been working on is on the eve of release, or is just out? Projects like this tend to build more anticipation from the audience side about your tour dates, so there's more of a buzz surrounding things if they have something they can hold up and identify you with. There are some DJs that solely tour projects continually, because it's a stronger way to connect. I can see this being more like the stance that I'll take in the future with regard to touring. I'm out every weekend, so it makes sense to use all the tools to push things further. How representative is the mix of your current DJ sets? Both CDs span quite a lot of material. You've stated that the aim was not to create a "snapshot," but rather a "lasting document of your approach to music." How difficult was this? The tracks I have used were chosen because, first and foremost, I love them. But, almost of equal importance was that they would not sound dated and tied to a passing trend when you listen to the mixes again in time – I want them to sound good in a few years. There is material on the CD 1 that I would find difficult to play in a peak-time club set, but everything I have used is material I play out in some way and somewhere. I still play warm-up sets at matter in London where the tempo goes between about 110 BPM and builds from there, and my tastes are quite wide-ranging. The actual process of compiling the tracks was initially a touch daunting, but the enthusiasm I had for the whole project soon pushed this to the side. I started with roughly 100 tracks and then deselected things based on a few factors, and took the list down to about 60 tracks. Once the actual mixing process began, it was then clear what to include and what to leave out. A handful of these records immediately sprang into my mind when I was offered the compilation—things like Martin Bonds "Surkit," Suburban Knight, the Oni Ayhun track. I pushed for clearance on a few things that were looking shaky by getting involved myself rather than leave it all to the label. It has been a labour of love for sure. Now that the Platform mix is out, what do you have in store for the remainder of 2010? Can we expect anything out on Intimacy in the near future? I’ve been experimenting with some new approaches in the studio and the first fruits of these will be released on Carl Craig’s Planet E label. One of these tracks should surprise a few people. There is also a single for Renaissance coming, along with some new Intimacy releases coming from Mat Playford and Matthias Vogt from Frankfurt’s Motorcitysoul. I’m in the middle of deciding how to format my next Intimacy EPs from the material I’ve been recording over the last three months. I’m also working on material for Gigolo in Berlin. As far as the remix side goes, there’s new mixes on Simian Mobile Disco's "Off The Map" and Scott Hardkiss' "Beat Freak" for God Within in New York. How long has it been since you were last in Australia? Have you had any memorable moments in the country that you'd like to share? I was last in Australia in January 2009. I had a blast, particularly in Sydney at Chinese Laundry. Before that was in 2006—I think I had more time in the country then, something like two weeks which is rare these days. I wish I had more time to explore, but I’m pretty much focused on cracking back on in the studio back at home—it seems there’s less and less time. Finally, you're co-headlining the Sydney leg of your tour with Seth Troxler and Mark E—have you had the chance to meet the guys, or catch them in action? Indeed, and I’m very much looking forward to this as they’re both people whose music I play and have respect for. I’ve been listening to a few of Seth’s mixes from various locations lately, and I know this gig’s going to be one of those special ones.
    Tickets to next weekend's AGWA Yacht Club are available through RA Tickets.

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