A to Z of Andy Farley by moreonthedoor.com
To promote last year's Pure Andy Farley event we brought you "Andy Farley In Numbers". According to online statistics nearly 10,000 people read that interview so this year we have been wracking our brains to come up with an equally imaginative way of interviewing the man himself.
So for this year's "Pure Andy Farley on Vinyl" (CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS), we present the A to Z of Andy Farley. We’ve gone for some obvious and not so obvious answers that we hope you will enjoy! So, here goes:-
A is for ANDY – obviously! Andy’s full name is Andrew John Farley. Andy’s initials are AJF, and are the same as a model of trainer produced by Nike. Andy prefers wearing Converse and Adidas trainers but if anyone from Nike’s marketing team is reading this, reasonable sponsorship terms are available!
B is for BRISBANE, Australia which is where Andy was born and is the third most frequented country for him to travel to in order to DJ.
C is for COSTA COFFEE. Andy’s favourite “on the road” beverage is a decaf Americano with sugar free Hazelnut Syrup. Andy usually aims for the Costa at Watford Gap services when heading home up the M1 as it’s the last stop before getting on the M6, and means there’s only half an hour left to drive!
D is for DANCE VALLEY, the Dutch annual dance festival just outside Amsterdam. Andy has played there five times and this year joined the likes of the Tidy Boys and Organ Donors on the Hard House stage. Dance Valley headliner Steve Angello (Swedish House Mafia) caused controversy by allegedly using a pre-recorded set to perform with. True or not, one thing is for sure our own Mr Farley totally disapproves of this style of “performing”. We agree.
E is for EIRE Andy has played many times over in Eire/Ireland and loves the crowds out there. ‘They’re always really welcoming and up for a party. I’ve made many friends going there over the years”
F is for FARLEYS RUSKS – You wouldn’t think it when you see Andy (dedication at the gym clearly pays off) but Andy loves food. Yet as a baby he hated Farley’s rusks according to his mum. “He’d frown as if to say I’m not a cannibal” Mrs Farley senior remembers.
G is for GYM – Andy is an avid gym goer, likes to work up a sweat three to four times a week when he can. Thanks to some personal training tips from another G – Paul Glazby, Andy has shifted around two and a half stone in the last year and a half.
H is for HEAD PHONES. The noise cancelling features of Technics are ideal for Hard House environments but ill-placed monitor speakers remain a source of some frustration, no matter how good the head-phones are. Andy generally has four sets on the go at any one time, two in his record bag (one of them being a spare) and two at home.
I is for INDIA – Andy was lined up for his first ever tour of India, with dates in 2008 scheduled for Delhi and Goa. The tour was called off following the horrific terrorist attacks just ahead of his trip. Andy would still like to play in India, particularly Goa as it remains high up the charts as the place to visit for any international clubber.
J is for JADE WARWICK of Chic Management and responsible for the diaries of (among others) Mr Farley, Tidy Boys, Rob Tissera and Sash! Chic also manage brands such as Good Greef, Kissdafunk, Kinky Malinki, Atomik and Tidy Weekenders
K is for KENILWORTH which is where, at the age of 15, Andy was bashed over the head with a baseball bat. Although an accident, the resulting ten stiches caused a permanent scar which can still be seen today.
L is for LAMB, Andy’s favourite roast.
M is for MOD night at the Polish Club in Coventry. This was the very first place that Andy Dj’d at (playing Jazz, Rhythm & Blues and Soul) at a night that some friends and himself put on
N is for NEW ZEALAND where Andy has visited seven times in his twenty one year career.
O is for OBSESSION. Andy is obsessed with music and has been ever since the age of 10. He has a scary talent of knowing the full identity of most pop and dance records within the first few seconds of a track starting, and can normally give details such as producer, date released, record label, remix and (if on vinyl) will describe with impressive accuracy the details of the sleeve.
P is for POLTERGEIST. The 1982 Steven Spielberg remains one of Andy’s favourite films and was ranked as number 80 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments and the Chicago Film Critics Association named it the 20th scariest film ever made. The Poltergeist franchise is often said to be cursed due to the premature deaths of several people associated with the film.
Q is for QUEEN, “one of the most remarkable bands of its time” says Farley. Pure Andy Farley on 19th November 2011 will almost be exactly 20 years since Freddie Mercury died. “I remember the day very well, as my own little tribute I played Radio Gaga at the end of my set, one of the most emotional tracks I’ve played as a DJ”
R is for RUSSIAN – Andy always wanted to learn Russian when he was younger, but never got round to it. He does, however know all the words to Boney M’s Rasputin which has the line “Ra Ra Rasputin, Russia’s greatest love machine”.
S is for SPY. “I’m currently readying The Spy by Clive Cussler” says Andy. The book is about an elusive spy who is orchestrating the destruction of America's brightest technological minds. “It’s a bit heavy going in places but a brilliant read”. “Nothing can beat the talents of Armistead Maupin though. The Tales of the City Trilogy are simply amazing”
T is for TRADE at Turnmills, the birthplace of Hard House and where the legendary Tony De Vit was resident. Andy’s first visit their was in 1996 as a clubber. The venue played host to “Trade, The Last Dance” on 16th March 2008 as part of a series of events prior to the doors closing for the very last time to make way for an office development. Trade still lives on with special one-off parties, the most recent being last week - Trade’s 21st Birthday on 29th October, and the 12th time Farley has played for them.
U is for UNSUB the James Devlin track that Andy has just finished remixing. Another track to get the Farley treatment recently is the intriguingly named Vajazzle by Pulse Fiction vs Ross Homson. Ross Homson is the warm-up DJ for Pure Andy Farley and will be playing a chunky set before Andy launches into a six hour magic mystery tour of his vinyl collection.
V is for VINYL. We’ve previously reported that Andy Farley’s vinyl collection tops 50,000. For his Pure Andy Farley on Vinyl set Andy is having difficulty in deciding what records to bring with him. “I have a fair idea of the direction I will take, but already I have packed three bags with 200 tracks and the event is still a few weeks away”.
W is for WEDDING, BK’s wedding to be precise. “BK asked me to DJ at his wedding so I did” – the guests were somewhat surprised that the Godfather of Hard House played a traditional wedding set, and not a hard-house beat to be heard.
X is for X Factor. The new judges have settled in well and already culled the thousands of hopefuls down to just 10, “Have they?” asks Farley. “I have absolutely zero interest in X-Factor and anything the show stands for”. So that’ll be a Farley remix of Matt Cardles’ new track off the menu then.
Y is for YAWN – Andy’s usual reaction to the plethora of badly produced bootlegs that in general don’t bring anything new or of substance to the scene. “There have been some good remakes but the scene’s been swamped with them lately and only holds the scene back in my eyes. Hands up I’ve done a couple myself but I’d sooner be inspired by hearing future classics rather than tunes I’ve already played hundreds of times”
Z is for ZUELKUN. That’s Nukleuz backwards. We got tired by the time we got to Z and couldn’t think of anything else. Nukleuz is the label that Concentrate came out on in 1999, that being the first ever Andy Farley track. It’s on vinyl, so we are hoping we’ll be hearing that on Saturday 19th November 2011 Pure Andy Farley on Vinyl.
moreonthedoor.com presents Pure Andy Farley on Vinyl – a six hour exclusive set - on Saturday 19th November at Hidden, 100 Tinworth Street, London, SE11 6EQ. The event is supported by Ross Homson (warm-up) and Dave Curtis (closing set). Tickets are available from moreonthedoor.com and there is a free and exclusive Andy Farley mix CD for every ticket holder!
CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS FOR PURE ANDY FARLEY
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