Here at wundergroundmusic.com we were lucky enough to snare Irish techno DJ/producer/presenter/teacher/gentleman, Sunil Sharpe, for a quick chat ahead of his slot at this weekend’s Life Festival in Mullingar.
Hey Sunil, thanks for taking the time to have a chat with us. First off, what’s keeping you busy at the moment, is it DJing, producing or promoting?
A mixture of lots of things really.
How do you think the Irish music scene is faring at the moment?
I’m not sure, full of too many people giving out about Daft Punk from what I can see! The club/dance scene has shrunk a bit, but interest seems to be sprouting again which is great to see. There’s always ambition in Ireland, although maybe not enough outlets in terms of venues or an actual record industry/culture to speak of, that guides djs/producers further. I like that the (and I say in a very broad way) ‘rock’ and electronic music crowds are coming together a lot more recently, which you notice particularly at early shows. In general it’s an exciting time for music – the physical product becoming more appreciated again has played a part in that I think.
You’re set to play Life Festival this weekend. Are you excited to be playing?
Definitely excited about playing. The promotion and vibe behind it this time seem to be the best so far. Although it’s the 8th one it does feel like the beginning of a new era for the festival.
It’s probably one of the strongest lineups they’ve had so far, what other artists on the lineup do you admire?
People like Amon Tobin and Modeselektor are very individual acts that I like. Garnier I respect also. On a newer tip Karenn and Truss have brought excitement back to proper techno again, very much feeling their vibes. Boddika is cool too. There are a lot to mention really, I guess that’s a testament to the quality of the lineup this year. Obviously I admire many Irish acts and djs playing at it too.
How did your show on 2FM start and how’s it going?
I’ve been doing monthly mixes for 2FM for about 5-6 years. Last year they asked me to extend to 2 hours so I thought giving it more of a show type format and inviting on guests too, would be the way to go. I’m not sure how interested heads tuned in at 1am on a Saturday night are in the interviews on it, but if you’re a proper techno anorak and want to know how many sugars Regis has in his tea or where Spira disappeared to, this might be where you’ll find out!
Tell us a bit about what you’ve been working on lately or things you have in the pipeline for the summer.
Actually I’m just finished marking end of year projects for the dj class I teach, so that’s what I’ve been working on most! Doing some remixes next, one of Chris Page and the other of Smear from Forward Strategy Group. Been quite a productive last year or so, plan is to take some holidays and be back dj-ing again later in the summer. Next thing out is a track on the next Inner Surface 12″ and other stuff that’ll follow later this year.
What are your big tracks of the moment?
Quite a few different ones – you’ll hear some of them on Friday 🙂 My favourite right now though is 1991 by Minimum Syndicat. I really love their stuff, one of standout acts of the last 5 years for me.
How are you finding running Earwiggle out of Dublin? How is the label doing?
Yeah pretty good thanks. The shop side of things in All-City keeps itself ticking over and the label is going well. Dez Williams’ release is just out, then one from a new act called Dualit with a Bleaching Agent remix, and then a remix ep of Paul Birken‘s Acid Youth of Malibu. I’m really excited about it all to be honest, and how the label develops from here.
You were heavily involved with the “Give us the night” campaign; is the movement still active? What’s the latest on this?
GUTN will be active whenever it has to be i.e. when a bill is on the horizon etc. I’m interested in pushing something if there’s a will but right now there is no political will and not enough of a movement amongst nightclub owners to push the issue further. On the upside I think people have found more ways around having to go home at 2.30/3am, it’s just a shame we haven’t cracked it for clubs yet. Some day though!
Thanks for talking to us man, best of luck!
Be sure to catch Sunil smash it at Life this weekend people…
Photo: Aaron Hegarty
