Nick Warren’s name has become synonymous with Global Underground. He’s recorded more City Series mixes than any other DJ on the planet. In this exclusive Easter interview, he tells us a bit about how this came to be, why he still loves GU and which mix is his favourite…
“I’ve always been a fairly loyal person, and James and Andy from GU came to me right at the start of things, told me Oakey was on board and would I like to join it too, so I always felt a strong tie to the label from the word go.
“They were keen clubbers back in the day, lovers of the music and that was a major bonus. I loved the fact that they left it completely up to you musically. You could be as underground as you liked, there was never going to be pressure to slip in a Madonna remix or have to play to a suggested vibe – and it worked.
“I admired the packaging too. The branding, the booklets. They never downgraded this, still bringing out mixes in a longbox. And the amazing thing is you can go into some kid’s front room in Asia or anywhere really, and see all the boxes and CDs still taking pride of place. It’s fantastic.
“A lot of artists got their biggest break with GU, and then went and started their own brands, but I thought if it’s not broken, don’t try and fix it. It’s not a good idea to spread yourself too thinly, so I’ve been with GU for 9 mixes now.
“My favourite mix is always the last one I did. I think Lima is the most competent mixed. It was also the best party of my career. South American’s scream to an open high hat coming in, not just the obvious trance sounds. We had a huge marquee for 3000 people on a lawn, great production and nobody left until 6am. Perfect."
Part 2 of this exclusive interview will follow after Easter. Plus a chance to listen to one of Nick's classic GU mixes...