 |  |  |  |  |
LISTEN TO MIX: download listen
GARTH INTERVIEW
How long have you been living in San Francisco and how did you end up moving there?
After some backpacking around the States I ended up in San Francisco for a couple of long
summers in '88 and '89, eventually moving out from London at the end of 1990. I came out
west seeking adventure.
You were one of the members of the Wicked Crew that kick started the whole dance scene
in SF in the early nineties. Tell us a bit more about the parties, the crew and how you got
involved?
Wicked came about when friends from the acid house scene in England came to stay with me
shortly after I'd moved. We all met through Tonka sound system there. Markie and Thomas
were Tonka djs along with Harvey and others. The honeymoon period for free outdoor jams
was ending in england and the timing was right for us to start our own thing in San Francisco.
Jeno moved out with posse in tow. For a while my flat was overrun with all these English
ravers. We came up with the name Wicked in a particularly smoky hot knives session in my
kitchen. The night after Jeno arrived was a full moon. We rented a small sound system and
danced til sunrise at Baker beach in April '91. The following week Wicked was born as a loft
party above a record shop in the city's sex district. Eventually we settled into our 4 man dj
line-up of Garth, Jeno, Markie and Thomas. We were a big posse, the parties had a wild and
lawless style. We would find deserted bunkers, beaches and parks, rain or shine every full
moon for 6 years. Thousands followed to make campfires, drum and dance under the moon.
At the same time there were many basement jams and later on club nights to take it to the next
level. Eventually we bought our own sound, inviting some of the seminal house djs for their
first appearances in SF. Heroes like Tony Humphries, Harvey, Francois K, Louis Vega, Joe
Claussel and DJ Pierre were only known to a handful of djs in the city until those Wicked
shows at club Townsend and the King Street garage.
What do you think made the Wicked parties such a success?
The people. We were an eclectic bunch with very discerning taste in music. We cared deeply
for San Francisco itself - the city's long association with freedom - wild west vaudeville, the
beatnik writers, psychedelic be-ins, the gay movement and the industrial scene which was just
tailing off when we arrived, and of course the timing couldn't have been better. Acid house
hadn't hit here yet. That was the torch that wicked carried in the great San Francisco relay race!
The Wicked Crew imported a 15k Turbosound sound system and tricked out a bus for
travelling and partying all over the States. Crazy idea! Like Kesey with a fuck off sound
system. How long did you guys do that for and did it involve heavy organising before a party
in a new city?
The Tony Andrews (renowned uk sound engineer) custom-built sound system came in '94.
We initially started touring in a convoy of rented vans. i had done a few solo out of town gigs in
places like Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and San Diego so those were our first stops
as a crew. We tended to blow the roof off at every stop because people weren't used to seeing
house music presented by a band. The bus was a blessing that came along at this time. We
had a crew change in the mid '90's. The dj's remained but we needed some fresh blood to
help out. My friend C.B. had just found a bus to work on. The previous owners were a gospel
church group. Heaven was a 1947 Greyhound which we customized inside by removing all the
seats, building velvet covered couches and installing state of the art sound. Like everything
else with Wicked, things just fell into place. We felt like we were blessed and guided by the
spirits. The Heaven bus remained our main touring vehicle until we wrapped up as a crew in
2004. 13 years seemed a fitting number to end on.
You are throwing the Back 2 Back parties with Jeno in SF at the moment. How's this
rhythm assault going?
It's rocking steady. We wanted to reinvent ourselves after Wicked's demise. The music was the
crucial factor. We've backed away from the long linear mixes of house for now and been
digging deeper into our record collections. Obscure dance mixes of cosmic rock, disco punk
and new wave get mixed up with new electro and psychedelic re-edits, with a sprinkling of
connoisseur's house, but we mix these unholy sources in a house style so it's often
seamless. Tempos go up and down over the night but rarely peak higher than 120 bpm. Lately
we've taken the show on the road down to Los Angeles for some one-offs and the response
has been pretty amazing.
Has the SF scene changed much since the early nineties?
Up and down like a yo-yo.
How did you get into djing and where was your first residency?
After a few years clubbing in London following the Tonka djs and Gilles Peterson at Dingwalls,
i got my start dj'ing when i moved to San Francisco in '91. Through necessity really. I knew
what I needed musically and wasn't hearing it. My first residency, a couple months before
Wicked started, was at Come Unity at 1015 Folsom. That was my first gig. Along with a local dj
named Ernie Munson who was later replaced by the organizer Simon, Jeno and I were the
residents for a decade. By all accounts it was the best locals house club in the west. The
system kicked ass and at its peak we'd get close to a thousand locals on the floor each month
til 6 am. Not bad for a Wednesday night!
You travel all over the world DJing. What's your favourite spot to play at?
Japan. They really know the music and dance all night. The clubs have amazing sound with
lots of big Urei knobs and dope real crossovers to play with in the booth. Plus they make
wonderful hosts and i can't get enough of Japanese food.
What's one most the memorable gigs you've had?
Burning man festival in '95 was right up there. Ours was the first sound system to set up and
play all night. We went for 3 days and nights without sleep. Thousands got down with us on
the playa under the most insanely unpredictable weather.
You also own the seminal record label Grayhound Recordings that launched in 1998. I have
many great releases from it in my own collection. Have you got any new releases lined up
to look forward too?
It's very hard to sell records these days. I'm a vinyl man so the digital realm doesn't excite me
enough to keep up a regular release schedule. We've had 53 singles to date. There'll be one
for the year to mark the 10th anniversary of Grayhound. Probably something I will produce.
You recently started the Golden Goose label. How's the mission different from
Grayhound's?
The golden goose re-edits provide much needed ammo for the Back2Back parties. Many of
the tracks I've been editing with James Glass as King & Hound have been played as originals
before hand. I know what will benefit from an edit and a 12" vinyl release.
What artists do you draw inspiration from?
There are so many but some of the big ones are Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Sly & Robbie,
Cerrone, Moroder, Supermaxx, Nick Martinelli, all the new romantic bands, Idjut boys, Emperor
machine, Harvey... etc.
What artists can you recommend as "must haves" in any record collection?
Some labels are more crucial than others... Salsoul, Westend, Prelude, Atlantic, Island, 99,
Motown, Trax, Nu Groove.
What do you think will make the world a better place?
Barack Obama for president!
What's your booking contact details?
garth@grayhound.net.
www.myspace.com/garthgrayhound.
www.grayhound.net
