Red Bull Music Academy Alumni- Greg Wilson

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Red Bull Music Academy Alumni: Greg Wilson

Red Bull Music Academy Alumni: Greg Wilson

22/07/2012

In our series of interviews with Australian Red Bull Music Academy alumni, we find out what it’s like on the other side of the room from veteran British DJ/producer – and Melbourne 2006 lecturer – Greg Wilson.

Can you remember where you were at in terms of your own DJ career when you were asked to be a lecturer at RBMA 2006 in Melbourne?
Greg Wilson: I’d started up again at the end of 2003, and in 2005 the first Credit To The Edit compilation had been released, which had taken my name to a much wider arena than previously, bringing in bookings in Europe and further afield. RBMA Melbourne came in on the back of that, so it was a big deal for me, having never been to Australia before. It was quite an adventure, and has resulted in regular tours.

Were you aware of RBMA at the time?
GW: No, it was all new to me. I was blown away by the whole set-up, and the way the Academy serves to document music /DJ culture in the process. It’s an incredible archive that’s now been amassed, which continues to be enriched year on year.

Everyone thinks of RBMA in terms of the participants and what the experience is like for them - what was it like for you at the front of the classroom?
GW: I’m pretty comfortable talking to people – just wind me up and let me go, and I can rabbit on for hours! Gerd Jansen who hosted the session, put me at ease, and the environment, with the couches and armchairs, took it away from the formalities of a normal lecture type situation. The whole thing was relaxed and unhurried, so it felt very natural.

Once lecture time had finished, what did the rest of your time at RBMA entail?
GW: I didn’t do anything in the studio, but I came back in over the next few days and got to talk to a lot of people on a one to one. I also did a tape editing workshop a few days later at The Espy. I managed to check out a couple of lectures myself, the one that stood out being the Mizell Brothers. It was also great to meet keyboardist Wally Badarou and his wife, really lovely people – I’m a big fan of his work with the likes of Grace Jones, Talking Heads and Gwen Guthrie, to name but a few.

Flying Lotus and Aloe Blacc are two of the best known of the RBMA alumni, and both were in Melbourne - what are your recollections of those two in particular, but also other participants who stood out?
GW: I recently mentioned Aloe in my blog – I had a really good chat with him over lunch one day on the roof of the building. Here’s what I wrote; “you could sense that this was someone who was destined to go places, someone who was down to earth, but with a strong sense of himself. I remember doing an interview when I came back to the UK, where I tipped him as ‘one to watch’, so it’s good to see that my instincts were correct. It wasn’t his music, which I hadn’t heard at the time, that had marked him out for me, but his unique DJ approach. The previous night I’d headed along to Revolver, the club where I was making my Australia debut that weekend, and was struck by a DJ who was, in an impressively understated manner, rapping and even singing along with the tracks he was playing - this turned out to be Aloe.”

I can’t remember any specific interaction I had with Steve Ellison (Flying Lotus), but the other participant that made a particularly lasting impression was Nina Kraviz, who introduced herself to me straight after the lecture and played me some of her tunes. One of them, Amok, a haunting track with Nina’s spoken vocal, really hit the spot, and I’d subsequently release it on my short-lived B77 label - which I shelved when the distribution company went bust after my first 2 releases. This was Nina’s first ever release, credited to My Space Rocket Feat Nina Kraviz, so I’m happy that I was able to give her a start as a recording artist. She’s now doing really well as a DJ, and I keep seeing her picture looking back at me from the covers of various club publications. She’s now recording for Rekids, which is the perfect label for her – label owner Matt Edwards (Radio Slave) was also one of the lecturers in 2006.

What sort of impact did being a part of RBMA in Melbourne have on your own career?
GW: Well, since then I’ve done a number of talks/lectures, so I suppose it’s helped give me the confidence to take on this role. The fact that RBMA deemed me relevant enough to bring me all the way across the world to be part of the Academy is obviously something that gives you a fuller perspective of what you can bring to the table. Drawing peoples’ attention to the often overlooked impact of the black scene in the UK pre-Rave is what underpins my work as a DJ, so the Academy provided a wonderful opportunity for me to tell this story, and, given how positive the feedback was - and continues to be via those who’ve come across the lecture online - it certainly encouraged me to venture further in this direction.

Keep track on the global adventures and musical projects of Greg Wilson via his blog at http://www.gregwilson.co.uk