Next up on the 'Discover Trance' Couch is Miss Vicky Devine... Another of my own, awesome, personal inspirations...
Right-oh! Herrrre weeeee goooo!...
Lou - Thank you for taking the time out to talk to me Vicky
you have to be one of the funniest and most enthusiastically welcoming dj's that I have ever met
It was AWESOME to bump into you at BCM in Magaluf back in September, (it made my holiday!) and again at the BCM reunion in Prestatyn in November (even though me and my friends had a run in with a group of smurfs! HAHA!). What does being part of those gigs feel like for you?
Vicky - I worked hard for a very long time (and still do) to try and play at gigs like that. Being a resident at BCM means the world to me - to play regularly in such a big club to such an amazing crowd is just the ultimate buzz as far as DJing goes!!
Lou - It was an 'Angels of Funk' night, I think... The girls and I tried very hard to be angels... and had a wicked night! Danced our socks off!
You were awarded 5th place in the 'Best Resident Dj' category for the prestigious Trance Awards last year, and Judge Jules hailed you as 'the unsung hero of trance in the UK and Ibiza'... Tell us what that means to you?...
Vicky - I can remember the very first time I met Judge Jules. It was in a back room at Slinky in Bournemouth, and I had been taken backstage by the owner of the club so that he could introduce me to him and so that I could give my new track to him. I was soooooo nervous at the time and totally aware of how many people want to meet him and give their tunes to him. So fast forward to where I am now - to be a resident at his night and to hear him say things like that about me is truly something that I never imagined would happen. Same with the Trance Awards - to be voted into one of those categories is certainly something I have constantly strived for but when it actually happened I was like - WOW!!!!!
Lou - I am the biggest fan of Jules! I've listened to him since i was about 13! Met him a few times, including BCM last September...
Where (residency/clubwise) feels like home to you?
Vicky - I guess my residency at 'Charlys Angelz' feels like my real home. I mean 'Judgement Sundays' and BCM are my biggest residencies and I love playing them both, but I have been involved with 'Charlys Angelz' from the beginning, I have played at pretty much every single 'Charlys' event that has ever happened, and at 'Play 2' in Ibiza we really do have some fantastic nights...
Lou - Wow... I'm planning on popping my Ibiza cherry this year, and 'Judgement' is top of my list!
So... You've recently come home from a mammoth stint in Oz... How was it? and did anything interesting happen out there, Sheila?!... Did you meet any of the natives?... (i.e. spiderrrrrrrs)
Vicky - Yes, I have Amber Savage to thank for that one - we became really good friends when she came over from Australia to play in Ibiza last summer (she played at my 'Charlys Angelz' events, and with me at BCM in Majorca also). To tour with her in Australia was a real honour as she is such a massive name over there and a really great DJ to boot!!! This was my third visit to Australia, but my first time playing at the bigger clubs out there so that in itself was an awesome thing for me to do. I was out there for 5 weeks and you probably won't believe me when I say, but I only saw one spider in that whole time!!! I'm not a spider fan so I definitely would have noticed them if they were around!
Lou - Hehe... I don't mind them, but the big ones, coupled with fangs? No thanks!... Now, I love your track with Sophie Sugar 'Fearing Nothing' - it's an anthem! My own personal favourite of yours is 'Silver Whispers' which had immense dj support from the likes of Tiesto, Ronski Speed and Dave Pearce to name but a few... Your most recent offering is 'Facing the Truth'... Share with us what have been your 'hardest worked on' tracks and where you feel they projected you to...
Vicky - Well I am very pleased you like 'Fearing Nothing' as that was written and released 6 years ago now!!! I wouldn't say that any of the tracks are "hard work" so to speak. I genuinely do love being in the studio and making music. I guess there have been a few tracks whereby its taken me a while to find the exact sound I want, or to achieve the overall sound for the track that I am looking for, and there have definitely been some very frustrating moments when things have taken longer than anticipated!!! But overall I am proud of what I have achieved so far in the studio, and I can't see that there will ever be a day when I won't want to be involved in writing music.
Lou - Fantastic... Great to hear! I'm currently learning to dj... (and loving it!) and I really admire you and what you do, and other lovely ladies such as Sophie Sugar and Kate Lawler. You once said that 'It's not about proving yourself as a female dj, it's proving yourself as a dj'... How do you feel others see you, and what you do/how you do it?
Vicky - You know, I really don't know how other people see me and what I do!!! To be honest I try not to focus too much on that and I just try and focus on doing things that I love doing. Obviously I want people to enjoy my DJ sets and I want people to like the music that I write. I also want people to think of me as technically good. I am my own worst critic though, so if anything, I am always trying to better myself - I want to be the best that I can in something that I truly love.
Lou - That's awesome... I guess the day you stop feeling that way, is the day you don't do it anymore... What is your 'never fails to bring the house down' track?
Vicky - That would really depend on where I am and who I am playing to. I mean, in Ibiza the big Ibiza classic trancers always tear the roof off because people love hearing them out there, but then in India for example they might not even know some of those tunes and I have ones which i know will work out there. I'd say that's part of being a good DJ though - I try and judge the crowd at the time when you are playing. A big personal favourite of mine though, if I had to choose one would be any mix or remix of 'Cafe Del Mar'... 'Born Slippy' is a sure fire winner as well...
Lou - Ohhh yes!
2 of my 'all-time greats' also! What are your views on the proposed Governmental sound laws? and also the 'no after-hours' law out in Ibiza? How do you think this affects the music scene, if at all?...
Vicky - Again, I try not to focus too much on those kind of things. , I've heard so many rumours of what's going to happen and what's not going to happen over the years and ultimately you just have to get on with it. I mean, when the criminal justice bill came in everybody said the rave scene at the time would just die out - and it didn't!!! People will always but always want to listen to music, and people will always want to party as well. The government or whoever else can bring in whatever laws they like, but people will always find a way around it one way or another!!!
Lou - Let's hope so, eh?!... You started out interviewing for magazines and tv shows, and have since had your own radio shows, and mixed and produced your own tracks... Where is you favourite place to be in this business? Talking about it, making the music, or playing it out?...
Vicky - I just love being involved in the music industry full stop, to be honest. All the things I have done have just been part of my evolution I guess. Being a DJ was always something that was going to happen - I wanted it for such a long time and I suppose playing to a packed club is the ultimate for me - but I still have so much more to do and to learn and plenty of boxes still to tick on my personal achievement list!!!!
Lou - Fantastic... a lot of hard work, and determination to get to where you want to be... It's all worth it in the end!
So... what is next for the already phenomenally busy, Miss Devine this year? You have a new venture, the 'Savagely Devine Radio Show'...
Are there any other tit bits of exciting news/tracks/collaborations to look forward to?...
Vicky - Yes, the 'Savagely Devine' show is something I am focusing a lot on at the moment. The concept was born during my recent Australia tour with Amber so it has come about fairly quickly really, although doing a radio show like this is something I have wanted to do for quite a while. There is a lot we want to do with the show and plan on developing various things alongside it, so I will be working a lot on that this year. I also set up a new company with my boyfriend last year called WTFI (http://wtfi.co.uk) which is a filming and media company. Again there are a lot of things we are developing within WTFI so that is also taking up quite a bit of my time. Apart from that i will be back in Ibiza for my 9th season doing 'Judgement Sundays'
and 'Charlys Angelz' and also obviously BCM over in Majorca. Plus I have just finished a brand new track called "Glamour" with Claudia Cazacu, so that is hopefully going to be released fairly soon, and I am working on several other tracks also as we speak. I also have gigs in the pipeline in countries I haven't played in before, a 2 week stint in Mexico later this month, and several gigs coming up throughout the year at my new residency in London called 'Tranceology'. So yes, I guess I'm going to be busy!!!!
Lou - WOW!! Sounds fantastic!!
I shall keep my eyes peeled for your track with Claudia Cazacu...
Thank you so much Vicky, I really appreciate it. Been great to talk to you...
... and you can check out what Vicky is up to, where she's is playing, and lots more at:
www.vickydevine.comwww.myspace.com/djvickydevineFacebook Group - All Things Devine -
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7093841914&ref=tsFacebook Fan Page -
http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Vicky-Devine/35542888926?ref=tsDon't Stay In Group - All Things Devine