“Lower the Tone,” his debut album, sold out within four weeks — a testament of the respect he commands. His second album, “Z List Uber Star,” was also met with great acclaim from fans and renowned producers. Some of his famous tracks include “Chime,” “Vellum,” “The Door” and “New Dimension,” and his latest remix, “Smack” by Simon Patterson. His Paul Oakenfold remix is currently #2 on the Beatport’s trance chart while the massive Beatman & Ludmilla remix is #1 on the Breaks chart.
Askew is unsparingly candid and admits that he is not here to stir a revolution but to compose music he loves. He has been a resident DJ at the famous weekly club “The Gallery” playing alongside the likes of Paul van Dyk, Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong and others.
Arab News brings it to you first, in an exclusive, where he speaks for the very first time to the Middle East.
I live for the moment. I dwon’t ever waste time; life is too short.
I was influenced by DJs live Sven Vath, DJ Dag, Gayle San, Billy Nasty and Paul Oakenfold in the early 90s. They all played a role in inspiring the sound I play and make today.
At the moment I don’t really have any desire to collaborate with anyone. I’m just focused on and happy with making my own music.
“Lower The Tone” was my debut artist album in 2005, so it doesn’t really have any link to my current work. The remix of “Smack” was a hard one to complete because the original track was so amazing that I never thought I would make anything that was worthy of release. But it turned out pretty decent in the end after a serious amount of work.
At the moment I would rather spend time in the studio. I’m taking a break from touring, so I hope I will get my “mojo” back in the later end of 2012.
Walking 200 miles from one coast of England to the other across all the highest mountains in the North of England.
To have a beautiful house in the mountains with a studio that has a glass front so I can look out over the spectacular view while I work.
I don’t really pay much attention to how my music affects anything in the scene. I’m not really interested in that. I’m not trying to start a revolution. I just like making the music I love, so whether one person or a 100,000 like what I do, it makes no difference to me. I’ll still continue making the sounds I want to hear myself.
Ha ha! Good question! It’s on hold for the time being due to a lack of time.
Well like I said I’m taking a long break from touring to focus on making music and of course on running Perfecto Records. So fans can expect lots of new music from me but no live appearances for the time being.
I think having a dream or a clear vision of what you want is very important. You always need a goal to focus on. I think the most important thing it so try and stand apart from the crowd. Be original. You need to have passion and dedication and you need to work like a dog.
John O’Callaghan “Stresstest” (John Askew remix) (Subculture)
Die.
