It’s been seven years since one backyard was taken over for a life changing afternoon. Since then HeatUK, the party that was the grow from that very grass, has seen residencies at Turnmills, clubbing trips to Amsterdam and Ibiza plus the massive SouthWestFour. To help the birthday start with a bang promoter Damian Gelle got together with resident Ian Betts to ask each other their deepest secrets about one of London’s best loved parties.
Ian Betts: So Damo, let's go back in time - 7 years to be exact. You and Anton have just finished successfully buying and renovating your first new house, a major achievement for anyone. You've just decided to throw a party in the backyard by way of celebration - if you'd have known then just where things were going to lead, would you have still thrown it?!
Damian Gelle: Absolutely there can be no regrets. At the time you don’t even think about the police turning up or your house getting trashed let alone what you will be doing in 7 years’ time. Everything in this kind of promotion is dictated by your love of the music and staging that kind of party. What happened then was everything else in my life was swept aside, clubbing became the main focus – it’s not a problem at the time but eventually it becomes ridiculous. It is only once you become totally consumed by what you are doing that the events have a chance of growing and surviving. As I said there are no regrets but it is a double edged sword because your events prosper and other opportunities arise but certain aspects of your life have to be swept under the carpet.
IB: There's only a very select group of events that have had the longevity to make it through to their 7th birthday - do you feel Heat's success has been given the recognition it deserves?
DG: It is what it is. We have always tried to push events to where they have never gone before. HeatUK was fortunate to take clubbers away on unique away from home journeys with Radical Escapes to locations such as Amsterdam, Germany and Holland. Our Ibizan Heat trip still happens annually and is the single largest group to visit the island in a single week. It has changed into a week that covers every musical genre not just hard dance. This has also happened to me over time but back then it was all about offering something different. We upped the ante by taking clubbers to where they had never been before to hear that type of music. I’m really proud that we managed to penetrate the walls of clubs such as The Cross and Pacha not known for a tougher code of music. This Friday we are about to do the Ministry Of Sound for the first time so 7 years later we are still chipping away at new achievements.
IB: I know from experience that you're not someone who's happy standing still and are always looking towards the future and what's going to be happening months down the line. You've obviously diversified the events you promote since the early days of Heat and you are now involved with events such as Push, Gallery, South West Four and Get Loaded. Of all the brands you've been involved in developing, what makes Heat so special to you?
DG: It will always hold a special place because you have been through so much with it. Just think five HeatNYE events at the Brixton Academy in a row or the countless shows at the old Camden Palace and the new Koko. I mean you’re talking about literally hundreds of events at venues across the capital so it has been a labour of love. At the same time you have to move forward. The reason there hasn’t been a HeatUK event for ages is because we are no longer about one style of music almost like the Ibizan Heat trips. The line up at Ministry reflects this with exciting artists of today and the variety in every room.
IB: The life of a promoter can’t always be about lost weekends in Ibiza and 20,000 people on Clapham Common - have there been any times in the last 7 years when you've thought about jacking it all in and getting a normal desk job working for the man?
DG: Plenty of times but never for a desk job like you are suggesting! Last year for example we did 20 club shows which means I worked 20 weekends. As mentioned earlier in this interview there is a certain part of your life that is swept under the carpet. The work may be long hours but at least there is a certain flexibility and satisfaction attached to doing these events successfully. I still get a massive rush out of watching people have the time of their lives and that’s the fuel for me.
IB: Because of their success, almost everyone who comes to a Heat event will assume that they always run like clockwork and take minimal effort to put together, which once you've seen it from behind the scenes you know is not the case - have there been any occasions when you've stood there with minutes to go and thought "this just isn't going to work"?
DG: Well Ian I’m sure you can remember the problems Kirk (Radical Escapes) and I experienced with the 48 Hours In Amsterdam trip. What was meant to be a boat party for clubbers on the fastest speed ferries in the world across the North Sea suddenly turned into a nightmare when our boat was cancelled due to high seas. We had to commute everyone over to Holland via the Channel Tunnel. This took over 12 hours you could have flown to Thailand! Anyway, once we got there the next morning we woke to find the dodgy coach company had fled back to the UK leaving over 400 clubbers stranded in Amsterdam. Not a bad place to be marooned but a lot of these clubbers had to be back to London for work first thing Monday morning. Imagine if we had to put them up in hotels or even fly them back at short notice it would have bankrupted us. We eventually found a last minute replacement coach company to do the job. At one stage it was a very serious crisis but all credit goes to Kirk for getting us out of this - no wonder he calls his company Radical Escapes!
IB: There must have been hundreds of DJs play for you over the last 7 years - have there been any that you've not been able to book that you'd dearly love to see on the Heat decks?
DG: Well I’d dearly love to work with Spencer Freeland again in some capacity. Not only was he a fantastic DJ but he has a such a great knowledge of the music industry and in the early days of Heat he was such a fantastic inspiration and contributor along with the first resident Marc French. I know he still has that fire in his belly so if you are reading this Spencer we’d love to see you down on Friday night!
IB: Who's been the biggest personal or professional influence on your journey from that humble backyard party to promoting events involving the biggest DJs in the world?
DG: My 2 partners at Lock N Load. Strength has definitely come from them and they have plenty of unique talents which I don’t possess. No point having everyone do the same thing. Andrew Mattle is the site manager for the festivals and has taught me loads about running companies and Danny Newman (previous owner of Turnmills) is a musical encyclopaedia and fantastic booker of talent. We bounce off each other and the strength must be the fact we have had our most successful year ever even in these economic times of doom and medieval financial gloom.
IB: You’ve also so been DJing for several years now are we going to see you play your own party on Friday night?
DG: Absolutely. I’m playing back to back with Marcus Wallis in The Bar from 2 am till 3.30 am, I can’t wait! Marcus partnered with me for the first SouthWestFour so we’ve been wanting to do this for years as The Wallaci Brothers. I play under various aliases, with Aaron Baskerville we are DJs & Their Egoes and Danny Gilligan as DJ2DG. When I’m performing solo it is as The Real Tony Montana and it all began by spinning at after parties, then warehouses, then people’s leaving parties, it progressed forward once I had the confidence to play some pretty serious venues like Space and Amnesia in Ibiza, Ministry, the Full Moon Party in Thailand and even managed to sneak a booking at Fabric the other night. It’s been a blast.
IB: Earlier this year you were featured in a DJ Mag article called 24 Hour Party People and it was noticeable how your attitude differed from many of your contemporaries - do you feel promoters, DJs and clubbers in general take themselves and the scene far too seriously?
DG: Hard to take anything seriously when you play under the name of The Real Tony Montana! I want to put on great parties that are enjoyed by many and are profitable for my company. It is a business but surely we can have fun while we work…shouldn’t it be ‘Joy Place’ not ‘work place’? It’s a damn shame if not cause we spend most of our lives there.
And now some quickies to Damian:
Favourite Heat event?
Can we make this plural…backyard party, any events at The Rock, first and last event at Camden Palace, any of the HeatNYE events at Brixton Academy (don’t ask me to choose!)
Favourite Heat venue?
The Rock / Koko / The Fridge (in the old days!)
Unforgettable Heat moment?
Alf Bamford midnight set in front of 4500 people at HeatNYE - go Alf!
This Friday is all about helping our good friends at Heat celebrate 7 years of Heat madness from sell out parties. Joining a typical massive Gallery affair will be the cream of Heat talent both in the Box and also with the Ibizan Heat Allstars taking over the Bar. To lead the celebrations with his usual vigour and par excellence will be Gallery resident and this years massive trance sensation Markus Schulz who is joined by Marcel Woods, Super 8 & DJ Tab and resident Ian Betts and Matt von Holtz. The Bar is hosted by Ibizan Heat Allstars with headline action from Steve Mac
From: Technikalon 16th Oct 2008 11:30.31 Wicked interview boss, a good read - what amazing days they all were! And I agree, what a moment that was indeed, for myself that's never to be topped :-)
Unfortunately won't be able to make it down tomorrow which is a dying shame - hope it goes off old style though!
See you soon mate.
Alf
From: UVstomperon 16th Oct 2008 14:04.38 Happy Birthday Heat, My favourite party ever to hit London. Nice one Damo on all your success and continued hard work in the Hard Dance scene. All the best for furtur events.
Rachel
From: Neatson 16th Oct 2008 17:21.39 oi oi happy birthday Heat. Hope the party goes well
Anita x
From: anushka007on 17th Oct 2008 12:18.18 HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From: carl nicholsonon 17th Oct 2008 13:53.37 Nice one lads!!!",
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