words: andrew reid

Garth is a name that carries weight far beyond the west coast he calls home. Growing up with a passion for punk, funk and soul music in England and America, he was first of the notorious Wicked crew to move from London and set up camp in San Francisco. Inspired by the Bay Area way of life he instigated the crew's legendary full moon parties and co-founded Wicked in 1991. From those heady beginnings, Wicked has been credited widely as the catalyst that helped put San Francisco on the global dance map.

Acquiring a custom-designed Turbosound rig from the UK in 1994, Wicked established itself as a night of dance second to none promoting a series of Guest Sessions, that over the years has featured House luminaries such as Tony Humphries, Little Louis Vega, Chez Damier, Doc Martin, Harvey, DJ Pierre, Roger Sanchez, Francois K, Stacey Pullen, Robert Owens, K Alexi & Joe Claussel.

DJ Garth Producer

In addition to throwing the Wicked jams and touring annually with the Wicked Sound System in a customized 1947 Greyhound bus, Garth is an accomplished soloist whose uncompromising style has kept him in demand across the U.S. at renowned clubs in SF and NYC and all stops between. He held a much coveted ten year residency at Come Unity, one of SF's first and foremost house nights and regularly plays established festivals Reggae on the River, Burning Man and Earthdance, as well as working his magic in every corner of the globe. Garth has been billed alongside such greats as James Brown, Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters, Maceo Parker, P Funk, The Wailers, Bo Diddley, The Roots, Coolio, De La Soul, Jane's Addiction, Stereo MCs and far too many DJs to mention!

Drawn to the recording studio, he scored global critical acclaim with his breakout anthem 'Twenty Minutes of Disco Glory' a record that went on to sell 25,000 copies over several releases. In 1997 Grayhound licensed 'Open Sesame' a song he produced to Gus Van Sant's film 'Speedway Junky'. And in 1999 'Twenty Minutes of Disco Glory' was featured in SF rave flick, 'Groove'.

A graduate of Urb Magazine's Next 100 in 1998, Garth's Grayhound has released a string of acclaimed singles, and earned a reputation worldwide as one of the west coast's most forward thinking and reliable labels. He does a fair amount of remixing, completing an eclectic bag of projects including Tribe Called Quest, Perry Farrell, Faithless, Yabby You & Robbie Shakespeare and many others. He has mixed and compiled albums on respected labels Om, NRK and Grayhound and has consistently been voted as one of America's top 50 DJs by BPM & Lotus magazines.

Based in the heart of beat culture San Francisco, Garth juggles roles as DJ, producer, remixer and director of his own label, Grayhound Recordings. He maintains a busy worldwide tour schedule and continues to represent Wicked which retains its relevance as America's infamous longstanding DJ crew.

Nocturnal: DJ, Producer, Label Owner... how do you balance all these worlds?

Garth: Mostly I dj on the weekends and run the label mid week from my house. Somehow there's time for everything. We recently disbanded wicked after 13 years to make room for fresher endeavors.

Nocturnal: Who inspired you to become a DJ? Which other DJs motivated your career choice?

Garth: I loved hearing Gilles Peterson and other rare groove DJs when I first moved to London in '87. The warehouse scene was really vibrant even before acid house came along and paved the way like a sledgehammer for the rest of us. Tonka sound system DJs in London in '89... Harvey, Choci and Markie Mark were the first inspiration as far as house music goes.

Nocturnal: How did your experience with the Wicked Sound System propel your career?

Garth: We did a lot of lugging speakers down cliffs for 6 years on the full moon. We earned points for that. But more than that Wicked innovated... Forming a u.s. crew of house DJs in '91, throwing regular free parties, importing a custom designed turbo sound system from the UK in '95, touring the states in a '47 greyhound bus, showcasing the world's best house producer DJs (Little Louie Vega, Tony Humphries, Francois K, Joe Claussel, Robert Owens, Harvey etc.) many of whom were still relatively unknown on the west coast and then forming a record label in '96. We were always moving forward whilst somehow doing the same thing.

Nocturnal: What record is always in your bag and always in your sets? Why?

Garth: Right now a couple of Nectar's recent Grayhound records... 'The Other' and 'Liquid Acid'. Timeless acid house, psychedelic music where I seem to hear something new with each listen.

Nocturnal: Do you have an opinion on mp3 trading? Do you think music sharing helps or hinders artists? Labels?

Garth: As a label owner I know it hinders labels. Record sales are way down from their peak a few years back. And that has a run off effect on artists. Lower record sales translate to lower advances and royalties.

Nocturnal: With all the CD technology available, and the trend of discs over records, as seen in Miami this year, where do you see the future of vinyl headed? What medium do you prefer?

Garth: I am a vinyl junky. It's the only way to play for me. I realize I'm old fashioned here but what I do is 'play records'. I love everything about vinyl but have no connection for cds or other digital formats. There's no soul in it. I have yet to buy a cd but have bought 30,000 records. You see my dilemma?!.

Nocturnal: What was the inspiration and vision behind your latest mix, Revolutions in Sound?

Garth: It's snapshot of where the label's at. Varied styles from Jeno, Markie, Thomas, me, Rasoul, Ben Cook, EBE and other mostly San Fran based producers on the label. A little something for cd buyers that might not pick up the vinyl. As I handpick all the songs/artists on the label it 's representative of my own taste but the aim was to mix together the cream of the label's output for a new audience.

Nocturnal: What's next for Garth and Grayhound?

Garth: Jeno and I have a new monthly Sunday party called echo beach here in San Francisco. Anything but house music is the format for long Sunday afternoons; I have my annual 4 city tour of Japan coming up in November; I'll be mixing a cd for fabric in London next year and I'm scheming something radical for the label.

Nocturnal: Punter wants to buy you a beverage after a killer set, what's the drink of choice?

Garth: Shot of Patron and a Corona. Muchas gracias!.