Beast and crew were
overjoyed when DJ and Producer Illy Noize agreed to return to his Bristol
haven. He’s been DJing since 1999 and producing from 2011. He has a residency
at the Charles Bronson club in Halle and heads up the record label Joyfriend. We
flew him in from Halle, Germany for his UK debut at The Island in Feb 2016. Fast
forward to now and we déjà vu what is guaranteed to be one incredible party on Saturday 25/11 where Illy will work his magic at The Island again. The Beast was keen to find out what Illy
has been up to since we saw him last in 2016.
 |
| Illy Noize at The Island, Bristol 2016 |
“Hi Beast, it’s good
to meet you again. There were several highlights in 2016 and 2017. We (the
Joyfriend Team) were working to push things forward for our label. We had some
strong releases featuring tracks by our key artists Odd Only, Philipp Harms and
Jonson. So for me label work and to see what impact the label gets with its
releases was one highlight. Another big thing was playing all these smaller and
bigger festivals in Germany. I was surprised by a small festival called
Oewerall Festival at the polish border in the middle of nowhere. There was a
beautiful lake and my floor, where I was playing, was situated right on the
beach. My friends from the crew Herzensangelegenheit invited me to play and it
was a great pleasure playing for all these lovely dancers at this beautiful
venue. If you have the chance check this festival out. I think it has a great
future. Besides that I am now a father and my son is, and will be, a highlight
for me seeing him grow up, learning to talk. He’s a sweet little gentleman 😊”
Beast pauses to take
this all in…a Dad, record releases, collaborations, Festivals (Beast takes a
particular note of that Oewerall Festival to gather up a Bristol collective!) –
Illy has been up to so much and is always keeping himself so busy! In amongst
all this we want to know just how Illy keeps up to date with all the latest
styles of music and what artists is he listening to at the moment?
“In private I listen
to Funk, Hip Hop and Disco a lot. I take my time to go through promos and
through Beatport and other music stores once a week I think. If I find an
interesting track I will go through the labels release catalogue check the other
tracks by the artist. With this method I often find older tracks I’ve never
heard. In my opinion I am very versatile as a DJ. I often play different styles
in my set. If the tracks have the right groove and rhythm I give them a try.
For me it is important to play music I like and not what’s hip and in right
now. In the end it is important that the
people going to a party have a great evening and the selection has to fit with
the vibes on the floor. I always carry a lot of USB Sticks with me to be ready
for whatever happens.”
As ever this is one of
many things about Illy that makes Beast very happy. Reading the crowd and
giving them what they want is one of the key things that we look for in a DJ.
The Beast sometimes finds
that when we get DJ's over from the continent they can be quite a bit different
with their musical expression! It’s a positive thing. We ask Illy how he
perceives the music scene and any difference between the UK and Germany. Also
we ask whether he thinks Brexit will change things in the music scene
“There are some great artists that I
really admire like Bicep and Eats Everything for example. When I started
listening to electronic music I was totally fascinated by UK Garage, Jungle and
Drum and Bass. But nowadays you could find every type of electronic music in
the UK and some mayor influences come from the island to the scene.
I guess today the clubs are a bit
different in Germany than in the UK. For example the Sisyphos club in Berlin.
This club opens on Friday and closes on Tuesday. So there is plenty of time to
try different music like a real slow house set which is very popular in Germany
right now. DJs playing 4 hours and evolving their sets more. If you are bound
to a 2 hours playtime you usually go for the bangers. But with longer periods
you can open up to different moods. I think this Brexit will tie the scene of
electronic music more together because borders doesn’t matter when it comes to
music. I am not the most political guy ever but I think Brexit is more for the
older generation.”
The Beast is utterly enraptured by Illy’s
response – more set times, music not having boundaries – we just want to curl
up to one of our favorite DJ’s and keep him as our teddy bear.
Finally Beast asks Illy what he is looking forward to the most at the Saturday
25/11 Minotaur Sound night and whether he has any surprises for us.
“I am really happy to
meet the whole Minotaur sound crew again. Last time I was nervous about my set
but it worked really well so I am excited to be back again and play. And I
really love the venue. It’s a special place. Can’t wait 😊”
Check out Illy's latest Minotaur peak time glory promo mix and come to The Island on Saturday 25/11 where you are guaranteed a magical musical journey like no other. He'll be supported by our other amazing DJ's Lee Williams, Tina Hart, Much Maligned, Sarah Air and Thomas. Tickets are available here: http://hdfst.uk/E40640
