Paul Woolford

IT’S an insatiable appetite for musical stimulation that has driven Paul Woolford to explore far beyond the cutting-edge house and techno that has become his stock-in-trade.

Woolford’s quirks are experimental, yet unmistakable, and through his individual talent and collaborative projects – including an improvised jazz project with Paul Hession – he has become a force to be reckoned with in modern dance music.

When you were starting out as a DJ where was the place you most aspired to play? Have you achieved this goal?
‘It’s an interesting question, but my trajectory was not always based solely upon which clubs I wanted to cross off the list. You have a huge amount of different things that show themselves to you as being things that you want to explore. What happens then is down to how much work you want to put in.

Assuming that you have the skills to do these things, it’s of the optimum importance to then work as hard as you possibly can and really go for it. Basics was the first club that I really had the urge for, and that urge started when I was 17! Since then there have been many clubs that I’ve had that desire to play. Electric Chair in Manchester, Warung in Brazil, Panaramabar in Berlin, The Sub Club in Glasgow, Il Muretto in Venice where I ended up playing a summer residency in 2007, there have been so many different establishments that you have on your list, and over time, as long as you keep to your ideals musically, you cross everything off. It’s a constant process that never ends.’

People from Leeds in dance music really seem to look after their own, do you think there’s a special type of camaraderie that comes from up there?
‘I would say definitely, although it’s very easy for people who are not strong minded to get swept up in a drug culture that can be so corrosive. We all like to have a party but I always know that I need a good reason to be out for days, not just out for days because that’s all you have in life. There is more to life than the next after party, so make sure the next after party you are at is well worth your attendance!’

Do you think people down south realise how good some of the nights up in the north are? Do you think Leeds gets enough recognition?
‘Well it depends on where you want to see this recognition – it’s no secret how healthy Leeds’ techno-based events are. Especially now with what the guys at System at the Mint Club are working on. They have nurtured their links with the scene over the years and are now capitalising on this, and it’s fantastic to see a promoter re-investing in their venue to the level that Mint have. Their work with Cocoon was something that was fresh for Leeds.’

How important is Basics to you? Would you consider being resident there again? How much impact on your profile has the Space residency had?
‘Basics was an incredible opportunity, which came to me through Ralph Lawson, as he’d let me open up for the first hour of his residency at the Mint all those years ago. Slowly I worked my way in and then became a full resident.

The experience of breaking records and learning how to open a club properly, how to warm the floor and begin the evening in the right manner was something I taught myself at Basics. These things are the building blocks of a career to any DJ who is worth their salt. I was a resident for about seven years in total, and I went from occasionally opening to closing the club regularly and breaking various records there as you do in any residency.

It was a moment in time, and one that I’m very fond of. What I’m doing at Space is in a different place entirely, in that it’s in a larger, more globally-visible environment, and it’s more intense in certain moments. The pressure is greater, and it’s rewarding in a very different way.

Although you use the skills you have learnt from all those years ago in places, there is a whole new set of codes to observe and the method, especially in the late closing hours, is different. It’s important for any DJ or producer in this scene to have a clear forward movement and not to be too caught up in nostalgia or reverence for the past. Whilst I have some amazing memories from that time, my eyes are on the future.’

You’ve also had a monthly residency at Matter. Do you like the job of being a resident, building up your own following, knowing what the crowd wants and helping to shape the identity of the club?
‘Of course, these are the building blocks of any residency as we’ve discussed. I equally enjoy opening a room as I do closing or the peak-hours, it’s a different way to play and can be more rewarding sometimes depending on the way the night happens.’

• Paul Woolford headlines for Rocksteady at Pure on Saturday, with support from Ben Newman, John O’Connell and Adam Cain plus Jon Peacock and Danny Booth in Room 2

Paul Woolford