The word "bedrock" holds two connotations. Literally, it is a solid mass of rock that lies underneath layers of loose, unconsolidated soil. Figuratively speaking, it refers to a basic principle, an irrefutable, fundamental idea upon which other thoughts and movements are derived. Whichever definition you apply, British DJ-producer John Digweed and his 10 year-old Bedrock club event have lived up to its implications.
While lesser DJs bow to the whims of clubland fad and fashion, Digweed continues to stand as a reliable, steadfast pillar of dance floor excellence. He brings the same douse of driving enthusiasm and inspiring innovation to his two-and-a-half year old residency at Manhattan superclub Twilo (where he reigns with Sasha) as he did to his first Bedrock events in Hastings more than 10-years ago, where he emerged as a fresh, young talent who mesmerized faithful audiences with his soul-stirring progressive dance tunes.
His resume of accomplishments makes his proteges swoon and his contemporaries nervous. He served as a resident at the northern club Renaissance during its early-to-mid nineties heyday. He was the first U.K. DJ (with Sasha) to hold a club residency in the U.S. He's consistently voted one of the top 10 international DJs in prestigious club culture publications such as DJ Magazine and Muzik. He's a talent whose appearances in locales such as Australia, Africa, and Asia are met with the same fervor and excitement they receive in Europe and America. And this DJ superstar continues to stay on the rise.
It's perfection he takes to his Bedrock club event, which celebrated one year of holding court at London's famed club Heaven in October 1999. It, like Digweed himself, has stood time's grueling test, graduating from its role as a humble hangout for punters looking for an excuse to party on a weekday night to become a globally-revered, outrageously respected club event whose rotation of world-class DJ talents and back-to-basics mentality prompted Muzik to list it in the top 10 of its "21 Clubs For The 21st Century." Of Bedrock's 1998 premier at Heaven, Time Out magazine said, "There haven't been too many things to salivate over in London club land recently, but the prospect of (Bedrock), the new John Digweed monthly residency at Heaven, has left the cognoscente positively drooling." One year later, the sentiment remains true, as Bedrock has seen the talents of Sasha, Carl Cox, Paul van Dyk, Basement Jaxx, Grooverider, Adam Freeland, Hybrid, The Light, Slacker, and countless other walk through its doors and bring the most enthralling dance sounds to appreciative crowds every other Thursday evening for a measly 5 pounds a head.
It's the same strive towards excellence he brings to his work as a musician. His tracks, recorded with partner Nick Muir under, you guessed it, the moniker Bedrock, are bona fide classics, meshing the deep, luxurious hues of house with the atmospheric rush of trance in Digweed's characteristic style. 1993's "For What You Dream Of," the quintessential Bedrock tune, found its way from the Renaissance dance floor into the film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting in 1996. "Heaven Scent," the latest opus, has been embraced by every important DJ with a clue. And his most recent reconfigurations of cuts by Satoshi Tomiie featuring Kelly Ali from Sneaker Pimps, Danny Tenaglia, and DJs Heller and Farley, plus others have made him one of the most respected and in-demand remixers of the year.
And it's the same distinctive flair and unrelenting passion with which he has delivered the first Bedrock mix CD, released in the U.S. on Ultra Records. Following on the heels of his and Sasha's groundbreaking Northern Exposure DJ mix series -- the third volume, Expeditions, was released in the spring of 1999 to overwhelmingly positive response on both continents, Bedrock is a two-disc set that truly captures John Digweed at his best, and represents his unique signature style that's driven with his sexy and dark-funky twisted house to his relentless, hypnotic progressive trance. A journey that highlights talents from both sides of the pond, including tracks by up-and-coming U.S. producers -- POB & Taylor, Sandra Collins, Tiny Trendies, BPT Feat. Danny Morales, Morel and others -- as well as the latest Bedrock smash. A course that demonstrates the global character of club culture as it moves into the next millennium by creating an artistic bridge that between East and West, London and New York, trance and house. An offering that, like none other before it, reflects Digweed's tri-fold personae as visionary club promoter, forward-thinking producer and exalted DJ.
A strong, steadfast foundation on which the ever-expanding global club culture continues to lean. A standard by which all other promoters, producers and DJs can be measured. With the talent and ambition that has a way of separating the diamonds from the rough, John Digweed's Bedrock is set to move you in more ways than you can imagine.
