Tell us a little about your background and how you first got into Dance music and clubs?
I’m an East London girl, so when I first started letting my hair down it was when clubs like The End, Turnmills and The Key and The Cross were still around. I guess they’ve become quite iconic now and I feel lucky that I got to experience them just before they all closed down. I was also a Raindance regular, held in the arches in SE1 where Ratpack were residents. When we were too young to blag ourselves into the clubs, we’d go to squat parties.
How did your show on Future Disco Radio come about?
I began working with Sean Brosnan at the beginning of last summer when I was helping out on his Future Disco parties at Space in Ibiza. We started the show again and I was producing it with Sean presenting; one week he handed it over to me to fill in so I guess it just naturally happened from there – I often lose my voice so some people find it amusing that I do radio, but I guess maybe it’s just because I talk too much!
https://soundcloud.com/future-disco/future-disco-radio-show-70-hnny-guestmix-1
How do you see radio’s place in the digital world and why do you think the format has lasted so long?
Well it’s constantly evolving – I think because now there are a lot more stations available online and options for playback rather than necessarily tuning into FM dials, I think it means that radio is still a great source for hearing new music especially when you can delve into track-lists at ease.
Can you talk us though the process of producing your current release, the excellent ‘Broken’ on 22Tracks
Well, it’s actually the first track I ever made! It was about 3 years ago around the time that I’d fractured my ankle (hence the name) – it wasn’t the easiest being on crutches so it felt like the right moment to get my head stuck into production to escape from the world as I couldn’t do it on my feet anymore. I loved the idea of the 22Tracks compilation and it feels great that it’s finally found a home.
What are your future plans for production?
At the moment I’m finishing up solo material that’s been kicking around for ages and getting dusty, and also I’ve been getting stuck into quite a few collaboration tracks lately – I think if you get on with someone and you’re on the same wave-length, it can be really fun in the studio too and you can learn a lot from each other. I’ve been working on an EP with a friend of mine during our summer in Ibiza, and starting some more projects with my friend Tom Bulwer too. Just keeping busy and having fun with it I guess.
What’s the story behind The Bricks PR?
It’s the company I set up for the the freelance projects I work for various record labels. This can be anything from club and radio promotion, radio production and syndication to selected press. It’s been amazing having the opportunity to work with grass-roots labels based worldwide and I’ve been sharing my time between Ibiza, London and Berlin.
You’re running a series of mixes via Soundcloud: The Bricks That Built My House. Can you tell us more about the idea behind those?
The idea originally was about creating mixes that reflected influences both past and present. When I first got into dance music I was a bit obsessed about the roots of where it all came from. I’m still young, and there’s huge back catalogues of now defunct record labels and new ones cropping up every day that I still find fascinating to delve through – I think those mixes are a kind of outlet for everything that makes me tick.
https://soundcloud.com/djannawall/the-bricks-8
You recently attended ADE. Was that productive and would you recommend it?
Absolutely, it’s an incredibly well run conference and seems to get better each year. I think for anyone in the industry, it’s a great way to do business, to re-connect with people as well as building new relationships. People travel from all over the world to be there and it’s an opportunity to get to know people on a more personal level…you can’t have a glass of wine with someone over an email!
At long last there are more female DJ’s breaking through. Why do you think those opportunities are happening now after decades of such a male dominated industry?
‘Female DJ’s’ has always been a bit of a strange term as it’s suggesting that there is a difference between males and females behind the decks. It’s a question that comes up so often and I guess my answer is that there are many women that have built their way up the ranks over the years that are truly inspirational, and we should be applauding them on their skills and passion rather than how far they’ve got based on their sex.
Where can people catch you DJ’ing next?
I just got back from an amazing weekend playing in Newcastle and then London for Maya Jane Coles and friends for the FOUND Horror Series.
Next weekend I’ll be up in Leeds playing on the 8th Nov with Nathan Fake and Paris XY, and then my next London gigs will be for a new night on the 14th Nov called 12+1 which is a Boat Party concept, then for Hyde alongside Casino Times at London Fields Brewery on 22nd Nov.
Can’t say too much yet but I’ve also been kindly asked to help curate a new monthly night at Shapes in Hackney Wick that we’re very excited about – it kicks off in December, so pretty buzzing about that too. Looking forward!
https://www.facebook.com/annawallmusic
http://twitter.com/DJAnnaWall
http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/annawall
https://www.facebook.com/TheBricksPR
Photo by: Zoe Lower Photography
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