JDNB Interview: DJ Gaw
Bristol based DJ come producer, DJ Gaw, first started making a name for himself by winning several mixing competitions, predominantly in London and Bristol, from 2015 onwards. He then had his first big breakthrough in 2019 with the release of ‘Dutchie’ on Onyx Recordings. This then caught the eye of the Born on Road camp and quickly propelled his career into becoming a regular name in the drum and bass scene. This then led on to achieving countless number 1s on the free download platforms as well as on the Juno Download charts, even going as far as getting 3 number 1 releases in the span of a month over 2 different labels in 2020. This then gave him the motivation to finish off his album he had been working on for over 4 years, collaboration with such artists as A Little Sound, Disrupta and T-Man to name a few. The diverse sound that DJ Gaw brings to the table is a refreshing yet familiar vibe that ravers from all walks of life can enjoy. With his 'Ignition EP' out now on Liondub International, we thought it would be good to have a little chat.
Hi and thanks for chatting with us at JDNB?
Easy! Absolute pleasure thanks for having me!
Tell us a bit about yourself and where you are from?
I'm DJ GAW, I'm a 24 year old DJ and producer from North Dorset. I make a very diverse range of electronic music ranging from dnb and jungle to garage, house and techno!
What music did you grow up listening to?
Ah I was very lucky to be exposed to so many different flavours when I was younger which I think really helped with my production. Lots of 80s pop and 90s r’n’b were played in the car when I was really little by the rents and I think that really helped me get the samples I wanted now, but it didn't stop there listening to loads of local radio stations with their niches definitely played a part in my tastes. It's so broad now which is really good for my work.
What track first got you into jungle / drum and bass?
It's almost cliche now but it was Pendulum - Slam. Hold Your Colour I think was such an influential album for a lot of people my age, I think I've spoken to a fair few of my peers and they'd all agree haha. It's an absolutely flawless album, still on my rotation now!
What would you say has been your 3 biggest achievements so far within the drum and bass scene?
It's been so much fun the whole time I've been doing it and getting this far into my career is definitely an achievement for me! Releasing my album would be another for sure. Working on a project for 4 years and having so many talented artists and friends help me complete it was such a sick feeling. Then I'd also say managing to get 3 number 1s on Juno Download in a month, that was pretty sick. 2 Born on Road releases and a Pick N' Mix release all within a month of each other and all reaching number one was such a proud moment for me.
How long have you been producing for and what was your first official release?
I've been producing drum and bass since 2016/7, before that house in 2015. I got my first proper free download release (with proper artwork n everything haha) on Onyx in 2018, think it was called Enemies? It sounds very dated now and it's amazing how far my abilities have come in that short time but it's nice to look back. As for a paid release that was on Dropzone Audio (big ups to Rodeo!) with Angery! The tune also got used in this massive dnb MC cypher too, was proper sick, it's on YouTube I think.
What does your studio consist of and what’s your fav plug-in?
Just a computer, midi keyboard, some monitors and FL Studio haha, I used to have a Korg MS20 Mini but I really wasn't getting what I wanted out of it so sold it to Alcemist. I predominantly use Massive for all my basses and synths, love the gritty sound it outputs, I think it suits my style more than Serum or Vital. It pairs really well with Trash too, love that plug-in.
Any new producers we should be keeping our ears open for?
There's so many it's so nice seeing the scene having so many fresh new faces making big splashes. A lot of my sets consist of new talent emerging in the scene. I've been rating Toby Ross, Oram, Diagnostix, Offline and Bruk. Like I said there's just so many but these are the ones that are killing it for me at the moment.
Your recent release ‘Ignition EP’ on Liondub International is out now. How does it feel to release on the Legendary New York label?
Honestly it's a ticking off the bucket list thing for me. Been listening to their releases for such a long time, since school really and to actually get a full solo EP out with them too it is really such an honour. Big ups to Erik! Glad we have some more releases already in the pipeline, something to look out for in the future!
Where do you get your inspiration from when making tracks?
I listen to a lot of radio so I try to get little vocal samples or a tiny part of an instrumental from contemporary music. Hip hop and reggae are also major ones, I'm a huge fan of 90s hip hop and proper roots reggae so if you have a listen back to my back catalogue you'll be able to pick out quite a few influences from these two genres haha.
If you could remix one track from Liondub International, which one would it be?
Funnily enough I've actually remixed one of my dream tracks from there, more info on that when it's ready but if I was to choose another I'd have to go for Truespirit - Deep In The Jungle, love that tune.
Name your top 5 Liondub International tracks?
For me it's gotta be Jayline - Anglo Saxxon, Upgrade - Sounds of the Jungle, Numa Crew - Impossible (Serum remix), Nico D & Turbulence - Inna Mi Draw (Serial Killaz remix) and of course Truespirit - Deep In The Jungle.
Just for fun, you can book 5djs and 5mcs, who are you booking?
That is tough, so many good artists old and new. It's gotta be for MCs Navigator, David Boomah, Top Cat, GQ and Trafic.
DJs it has to be Randall, Nicky Blackmarket, Sully, Sota and Upgrade
What are your goals for the next year?
I want to expand into different genres, whether that's under a new alias or still under Gaw I'm not sure, but it's been something I've been thinking about for a long time. But other than that, I do wanna make a lot more jungle this year and try some new things with different influences, we'll see how it goes!
What would you say you like most about the www.jungledrumandbass.co.uk website?
The layout is lovely and it's nice to be able to go somewhere that has a bit of everything. Jungle and Drum and Bass is getting more and more popular so it's overdue to have somewhere to go to keep up to date with everything and I think you guys do that really well!
Thanks for your time. Lastly, any thanks or shoutouts?
Thank you for having me! Big shouts to Erik for having me on Liondub for the EP, shouts to the BOR and Onyx crews and all my fam and friends! Big ups!
'Ignition EP' by DJ Gaw is out now on Liondub International: Download / Stream Here
DJ Gaw Socials:
Facebook / Soundcloud / Beatport
Liondub International Socials:
Juno / Soundcloud / Facebook
Interviewed And Edited By: Chilla
Published: 24/03/2022
