Hailed as “the nicest man in techno” by Jon Averill, the promoter who is bringing him back to Dublin this month, Ewan Pearson has a reputation to precede him. Beginning his musical career rather late in life, he admittedly still gets nervous before some gigs – this is even after playing in the biggest clubs all over the world, remixing the likes of Chemical Brothers and Depeche Mode and producing for Gwen Stefani, Tracey Thorn and Goldfrapp.. We caught up with him before his upcoming Dublin.
You have a new mix coming out on Kompakt, We Are Proud of Our Choices, are you proud of yours?
Yes, I am actually. I can’t really listen to it. I’ve gotten to that point where I’ve heard it so many times that I can’t really bear it. It’s the third mix CD I’ve done and it took me longer to do. Partly because I was doing it for Kompakt, I got a little bit, not nervous, but I was just thinking it’s one of my favourite labels. Although they don’t have a house style necessarily they’ve definitely got a shared sensibility in the people that record for them and I wanted to pick tracks that really felt that they had a Kompakt feel to them. It was one of those things where I did the first half very quickly then spent ages fiddling around before I finally, finally finished it. So I’ve heard it a few too many times.
Delphic have suddenly shot out of nowhere and have been shorlisted for the BBC Sound of 2010, tell me more about your involvement with them?
At the end of 2008 I got some links to their demos. They were looking at some various people who could produce their record. Then I got a call from their record label saying they had a single, they weren’t happy with it and would I have a look at it and maybe try it in a different mix. I looked at it and all of a sudden I’d done it and it worked. Everybody was happy. They then said could I do the album. And I said Ok! It was that quick really. They’d worked with several people before me and I think they’re really amazing guys but they’re quite intense. When you work with a producer, you want to work with someone you can connect with and understand what you’re trying to do but you do have to relax a little bit. It was a long and intense project making the record but I got on with them really well. I think everybody’s really pleased. That’s the only thing that matters as far as I’m concerned: that they make something that they like.
I’ve been reading your column in Groove magazine, there aren’t many electronic producers-cum-columnists around.
Yeah, I didn’t realise I was going to be a musician until quite later on. I originally thought I was going to teach and do academic stuff. I actually wrote a cultural studies book about dance music about 10 years ago with someone else. I thought what was kind of interesting was to write a little bit about the music and music blogs, and people really liked it. I got a really good reaction from people about it. It has to have a vague connection to dance music or to my work but I try to make it quite personal. It keeps my brain feeling like I haven’t abandoned it entirely.
So you don’t see yourself abandoning music for an academic life and going off to write a great DJ novel or anything?
No, God no. [Laughs] You can guarantee that is never going to happen.
Ewan Pearson plays the Button Factory on 26th March. Tickets €12/€10.
Words: Rosie Gogan-Keogh
