James Hullait interviewed Will Clarke, coming to DBE very soon. Original preview seen in Label Magazine Issue One. 
Hey Will, so could you perhaps tell us a little bit about yourself, perhaps where you are from?
I’m 25 and from Bristol. I live a little outside of Bristol, in the middle of nowhere in a tiny town named Clewer. The closest town that you might have heard of is Cheddar… yes, that is where the cheese comes from.
When did you discover you wanted to be a DJ?
I think from the age of 9 I knew I wanted to be a DJ but I wasn’t sure how to make a living from it so I just did it for a laugh and played at all of my school’s parties, which led into becoming the local wedding DJ. Alongside of that, I was playing rugby for the district and county so I was always juggling the two and trying to make a decision on what I wanted to fully concentrate on. I hurt my shoulder whilst playing rugby and so decided on music. Happy days!
Do you have any family that have keen music backgrounds?
My Mum is a good singer! A couple of years ago she did her Grade 8 which is pretty cool. My Dad, well his dance moves are from another planet but that’s why we love our Dads right? Joking aside, his love for Punk and Rock has guided me to where I am today. My brother got me into House music so I’m grateful to him for that. My sister loves cheesy 80’s music but we all have to let our hair down every now and again I guess.
What was your first gig? 
My first gig playing vinyl was in Fiesta Havana, Bristol when I was 13. I got kicked out by the bouncer, as the manager who had agreed to let me play there hadn’t told the security, so I was hanging around outside for 30 minutes until the manager came to let me back in!
Are there any other genres of music you enjoy?
I’m into Chillout and Punk Rock music. I’m quite picky with what I listen to if I’m being honest. I either love it or hate it.
When you were touring, which location was the most interesting?
At the moment it’s got to be Revolver, Melbourne. The whole weekend was crazy! The night before the show, Kill Frenzy and I had played Brisbane. We arrived back at the hotel afterwards and decided to check in online for our flight to Melbourne the next morning. We soon discovered however, that the flight had been cancelled. It was originally scheduled for 10am and we were against the clock to get another one booked. We didn’t manage to have any sleep by the time we had to check out that morning and our driver didn’t show up for the airport so we had to get a taxi. By the time we arrived in Melbourne and checked in at the hotel I had an hour before my DJ set. By that point I wasn’t in the mood to play at all if I’m honest! However we got into the club and it was absolutely rammed! I played for an hour and half and it was so cool. Afterwards, Kill Frenzy’s set we decided to play B2B for another 4 hours! The crowd was jumping to the ceiling on a Sunday during the middle of the day in Melbourne. Crazy!
You’re playing DBE in a few weeks, what can we expect from you?
Some serious bass, booty shakin’ beats and one hell of a party!
Name two of your favorite tracks you’ve created. Why are they your favorites?
That’s a tough one really as I’m never really happy with my music. I guess I’m currently into the remix I’ve done for Hot Natured’s new release ‘Off World Lover’ [Emerald City]. I also think, ’Badness’ which was my first release on Dirtybird; It was a huge achievement for my career. I would also say ‘Big Booty’ was a big release for me as that was the track that got people’s attention. I started to get recognition from then on.
Are there any artists which you would cite as influences; who do you look up to?
I would say: Afrika Bombatta, Kraftwerk, Jazzy Jeff, Beasty Boys, Tiga, Green Velvet, Claude VonStroke, DJ Deeon, DJ Assault.
Do you have any hobbies or interests that we should know about?
I’m really into cooking and watching films. If I get the opportunity to go to the cinema then I’m in! With cooking I always have friends and family over. If you’ve ever come across my Instagram, you’ll see regular pictures of the meals I cook.
How long would it take to prepare for a night, what level of organization goes into a good gig?
So my sets consists of 80% of my own music and 20% of other producers music. It’s quite a long process getting my music right so I’m happy enough for it to be played. It also means I am writing a lot so I don’t get bored of playing the same materiel. When hunting for other artists music, I’m really fussy so I generally just ask some mates for music that I know I will love. Or I will hunt Beatport for some hidden gems. I do listen to 90% of the promos I get sent but I struggle with promos sometimes as they’re not always what I’m looking for.
You’re recently back from touring some of Australia. How did you find the experience?
Australia is a cool place to visit, it’s so cut off from the rest of the world but I think that’s what makes it so cool out there. Everyone in the scene is so friendly, they all help each other out and it feels like they are all in it together to just throw one big party! The parties are generally quite small but are always rammed and the punters are really into the music.
Are you excited for the future/what do you have planned?
I’m currently on tour in North America. I pop back for DBE and a bit of studio work before heading back to the States to finish the tour off. For the rest of this year, I have another track being released on Dirtybird which will then be all of my releases done for 2015. Then I’m back into the studio as well as playing in the UK and Europe until the New Year where I’m back in the States!
Thanks for talking to Label Music, Will.
Thanks for having me dude… Quick one, anyone who turns up in a spandex suit I will buy a drink for! FACT!
Photography courtesy of Will Clarke
