Interview with Adam White!

 Over the years the UK has supplied the ever thriving scene of dance music with some of its finest artists. An exemplary case is that of talented DJ/Producer “Adam White”. Catching the dance music bug early on it became something of a mission to Adam to follow this ever rising passion building within. Honing his skills and performing as a DJ came natural to him as he appeared to have that extra keen ear of what to select and when to drop it. His skills as a DJ got him far indeed gaining the opportunity to perform at some of the biggest events and clubs around the world, entertaining thousands joyous music lovers. His success as a DJ continued off the stage as well as he was selected to prepare and mix “The Best Of Euphoria”, “Total Euphoria” and “Absolute Euphoria” among others. He even spent four exciting years touring with the “Euphoria” brand, spreading his love for the music he cherished above all. 

 Aside from the glamorous world of performing Adam had the itch for producing his own tunes thus awakening another hidden talent. This was proven from the very first moment as his track “Reverence” was supported by none other than “Tiesto” throughout the whole summer of 2003. Other accolades followed for Adam as his tracks continued to gain attention from the who’s who of the scene. His partnership with fellow English DJ/Producer “Andy Moor” under “The Whiteroom” project was another highlight for him as well as his later involvement with the “Perfecto Records” family and “Paul Oakenfold” himself. This lead to releasing new material on Perfecto plus being selected to continue the mix album “Perfecto presents...” tradition and mix his very own installment for the series.

  Adam continued to thrive in the scene achieving goals many aspire to. At the height of his career he decided to shift gears and take a long break from the scene in search of a normal life and focus on family life. The years passed and he has been sorely missed throughout the dance music community. Every so often, fortunately for us, the desire to create arose from within and he unleashed a couple new smashing tunes such as “Exodus” alongside “Scott Bond” and “Time Stood Still” with “AJ Gibson” and singer “Sheena”. With great pleasure we have witnessed him producing more often plus doing a few DJ performances virtually during the lockdown period. Enjoying his music for many years I am fortunate to interview the man himself exclusively for “MusicTalk15”! Many thanks for the honor Adam!

 

Question 1:

For those that may not be familiar with your origins in the scene, what was the defining moment for you when everything started becoming dead serious and your career began to take off?

It’s hard to put it down to one moment but I a real turning point for me in my career was working for "Inferno Records" as an A&R Consultant. I signed some big records such as "Dutchforce-Deadline", "Bad Habit Boys-Weekend", "Push-Strange World" and our biggest record which was "Flickman-House of Bamboo". It opened so many doors me both as a DJ and within the industry. It was my successful run at Inferno that got me head hunted to get involved in the Euphoria brand.

Question 2:

You have had the pleasure of working with a good number of artists in the past. Nowadays we see you focusing on solo work. If you would do a future collab who would you choose to work with and who was your favorite artist to work with in the past?

For me, making a record is all about the journey and the experience. Some people I’ve worked with I’ll never work with again, but I’ve made lifelong friends with some of the people I’ve collaborated with, "Andy Moor" being one of them. Working on your own in the studio has its limitations. It’s nice to bounce ideas off someone and I enjoy the collaborative process but it’s about finding the right balance and the right people to work with. I like finding new talent to work with too, I am currently working with a vocalist from the UK called "Quinn Bailey" and she is amazing. To pick a favorite is hard… but there is some exciting "Whiteroom" news on the horizon… so that would be a clue.

Question 3:

During lock down many fans have sought out a multitude of artists who had abandoned

the spotlight but continued to churn out releases every now and again. You are definitely one of those artists who have sorely been missed. How did it feel to reconnect with the fans and witness the love once more and will we perhaps see further “Adam White” performances or a number of fresh singles?

I think everyone needs a break and time to reset. I was recently made to feel like I wasn’t cutting it anymore in the studio, so I thought to myself ‘fuck you… I’ll show I’ve got some more records in me’. There is a lot more to come from me, not that I have a point to prove (well maybe a little) but there is still a lot I want to do now I am more settled in life.

Question 4:

The reactions during your live streams were phenomenal as were your DJ sets. Will this catapult you out into the clubs once again, giving us a select amount of live performances as clubland regains its health once more?

I wasn’t expecting that at all – I said to my wife one Saturday, I might do one of those live stream things for a laugh… it ended up having over 250k views which totally shocked me. It was fun to do a couple and the feedback from people saying I helped them regain some positivity was enough to encourage me to do a few more. I don’t think I’ll ever find myself on tour again but a couple of select shows could be on the cards. Being told you’re not allowed to play in a club is very different from making the decision yourself and lockdown has made me want to get back out and play a few more live shows.

Question 5:

We have seen some artists revive their aliases over the years. Are there any plans of bringing back “BLANKA” from its slumber? Perhaps a special E.P to re-introduce it properly?

"Blanka" was a moment in time. "Adam Dowling" was the other half of that project. Times have changed for us both now though we still speak occasionally. I’d never say never, he was great to work with as he really got stuck in.

Question6:

Would you be willing to revive yet another “Perfecto Records” classic as you recently did with Konkrete’s Law Unto Myself” alongside “Susy Del Vecchio”, if the opportunity presented itself?

I don’t think so…. Law was a bit of a fluke really and Susy nailed the vocal but traditionally I am not a fan of going back over what has already been done.

Question 7:

You have certainly started off the new year in a big way. Glad to see you taking charge and reminding the world of the ingenuity behind the artist that is Adam White. What more can we expect to see this year?

"Stronger Together" is out now on "Perfecto" and the follow up is already under way. I have a couple of projects bubbling away in the background and 2021 will see a new "Whiteroom" record so there's a lot happening. 

Question 8:

Your recent collaboration with Nathan Martin dubbed “Stonger Together” out on “Perfecto Records” has made quite the impact in the scene, receiving a lot of praise and support already. Have you and Nathan been friends for years? What inspired this crafty collab?

I met Nathan through a mutual friend and was introduced to Nathan’s event called ‘Trance’ which is a daytime party in Kent here in the UK. I played a couple of shows for Nathan and we just clicked, like you do sometimes. We worked on a collaboration with Paul Johnson under the name "Fourmula" and release a single called ‘Life’ on "Woody Van Eyden’s" label. Off the back of that we decided to get together and hang out in the studio and get pissed and see what happened. Lockdown hit so we couldn’t do anything but when restrictions were lifted we got together and make the track – we actually produced and mixed Stronger Together on my laptop on my kitchen table as my studio had been ripped apart to make space for a home office!! Proof that the strongest piece of kit in any studio is imagination. 

Question 9:

You just released a killer trance remix for “Perfecto Records” of Dave Ralph’s wondrous “Chasing Stars”. Any plans for future remixes like that over the year and if so who’s in your agenda?

I’ve been working on a remix for "Susy Del Vecchio’s" album, which is pretty much done now, and I’ve remixes on the way for "Ian Green" and "Meduza".

Question 10:

In the not so distant past we saw you mixing the “Ultimate Rush” series as well as an edition of the prestigious “Perfecto presents...” DJ mix compilations. Do you have any plans on showcasing your mixing skills and wise track selection on a new compilation in the near future?

I think this is unlikely. The Rush albums we did in 2002/2003 and Perfecto was 2005. Times have really changed now with what people expect from a mix album.

Question 11:

When not engaging in your favorite music activities do you enjoy any other activities, hobbies or interests?

My little boy is 4 now and at such an exciting age so my time is devoted to him and my wife. I’ve missed so many people through lockdown and realized I need to make more effort with some of my friends that I’ve missed. I can’t wait to reconnect with people once this is all over, that’s what my time will be dedicated to.

Question 12:

What has been your most special moment throughout your whole musical career in the dance music industry and for what reason?

There really are so many. For 15 years, I got to do my dream job. Make music all week and fly around the world playing it to people… for me that is all special. 

Question 13:

What software is your “daw” of choice and do you have any special virtual instruments do you enjoy using in your productions?

I use Logic X – I’ve been a Logic boy since Notator when I got my first studio at 12 years old! I used to have so many fucking plugins it was stupid. 50 compressors, 100 reverbs, 200 synths which I couldn’t use, it was like a pissing contest when you opened your AU window… Now I use 3 synths and as much of the native Logic kit as I can… simple, effective and I know it like the back of my hand. It also keeps consistency in your production as you have you ‘go to’ FX and plugs.

Question 14:

Within lockdown we witnessed a number of artists presenting their debut artist album after year of releases (singles, E.P’s ). Have you considered creating your own artist album soon and if so can you please shed some light about it with us?

I have enough material for 4 albums but I think if it was something I really wanted to do, I’d have done it by now.