Gamadon's monthly Warehouse Manifesto show on Timeline Music is a must for all electro aficionados. If you've slept on it, head to his Soundcloud for the archives and remember to tune in the last Saturday of each month. A DJ and a record collector since '96, his versatility is well displayed in the mix which guides us through lush synths, robotic percussion and blissful melodies. I sat on this one for too long, apologies for that Gavin!
Hi there Gavin, how’s things? Can you introduce yourself briefly to our listeners?
Hey there, my name is Gavin Mac Donagh (aka GAMADON) and thanks so much for having me on the show. I've wanted to do a mix for a long time for the series and really appreciate the inclusion. All is good with me at the moment, despite the past 18 months.
I am a DJ, record collector and budding producer, but these are all hobbies for me so I don’t rely on the music industry for income - I can’t imagine how hard the pandemic has hit real artists.
What’s been keeping you busy of late - you’re both a DJ and a producer?
I am currently building a studio in my residence in London and I have so much to learn it’s not even funny. Even hooking up the hardware to Ableton is a nightmare!
DJing is way easier and I only have my turntables and mixer to worry about so I generally spend most of my time just putting mixes together. I have about 150 mixes on my Soundcloud page and about 150 not up online, but I love listening to new music and listening to mixes is my favourite way of listening to records, so my mixes are essentially an easily-accessed library of my records. Tracklists on all of my mixes are essential!
The Warehouse Manifesto label is gradually taking shape in the way I envisaged a few years ago, with amazing international DJs contributing mixes and the first vinyl release almost ready. I received the test pressing and artwork to approve in October, so very excited to see everything progress, albeit gradually. The next thing is to focus on completing some of my own tracks and getting some releases out there.
Also, I was training for the London Marathon, which I completed on 3 October 2021, so bucket list ticked! Other than that, just obliterating my bank balance with Bandcamp, Discogs and Juno!
Do you have any fond musical memories from your childhood?
I’ll never forget the time the music video for ‘Moby - Go’ appeared on TV one day and I was on my knees about two foot from the screen in absolute awe.
What drove you to electronic music in the first place?
I loved electronic music when I first heard it. My older sister brought a cassette copy of “Techno! (The New Dance Sound Of Detroit)” into our house when I was 12 and I had never heard anything like it. I was hooked. Then I started seeing more of it on TV, like Steve Silk Hurley’s Jack Your Body and Fast Eddie’s Acid Thunder.
What about DJ’ing, and how did you get started?
Going out in Dublin in the late nineties got me started and also the lure of record shops. Sifting through records and finding gems is an amazingly rewarding experience. Also, there was no other way of listening to this music other than through a few pirate radio stations and they rarely played the techno I wanted to hear. Time to do it yourself!
Name a few records or songs that had a big impact on you in your early days and why?
I mentioned some tracks above, but others include Charly by The Prodigy, Together by Hardcore Uproar, Pump Up The Volume by MARRS and Ride On Time by Black Box. These were the first tracks that stood out for me in a sea of rock ‘n roll and commercial pop.
You are an avid vinyl fan and record collector. Tell us a little about your collection and how you go about finding records to buy?
I have about 30,000 records, accumulated over 25 plus years of avidly (great word and also accurate!) collecting. It’s an addiction, that’s for sure.
I have lived in several different countries over many years and the cost of shipping these things home is also baffling. What’s worse is that there are more records coming out than ever before and I can’t keep up.
I also love so many genres of music, that it's something that takes up so much of my time. But time well spent! I have a daily routine going through the releases on Juno records, I receive loads of messages on Bandcamp about new releases and I have an extensive wantlist on Discogs that needs to be attended to!
How’s your vinyl collection organised?
By genre. There’s no way I can organise it now that makes it easy to locate a specific record however, unless bought recently. The amount of times I have spent on my hands and knees looking for a certain record only to come away unsuccessful is not even funny.
When you select records for your sets, what’s your approach like?
I spend a lot of time preparing sets. When I receive records in the post, I write down the BPM of the tracks I will play (pen, scissors and sellotape!) and then sort them into various bundles (hard electro, mellow electro (this mix!), Techno, Disco, Deep House etc.)
Then when a bundle reaches a certain size it’s time to make a mix. I re-listen to the bundle of records and then place them in order of how I think they will sound, mainly by BPM from slow to fast at first and the re-arrange a little bit if they don’t suit.
I will often play the mix (while recording), but then re-arrange a few tracks and re-record. I often stop a mix if the transitions are awful and start again - it’s all practice! Also, I don’t like to have the same track more than once in any of my mixes, although one or two have crept in over the years.
Name three to five secret weapons that you almost every time carry in your bag?
As I said above, I’m not a big fan of replaying tracks unless they are amazing. One of my favourite things about playing out live is bringing brand new music to people who haven’t heard it before and immediately love it. You can relive the experience you had a little and also appreciate them having that feeling too.
What have been your most memorable record finds? Any good stories?
One memory that I have is when I visited Seattle back around 2000 (I was living in Vancouver at the time DJing under the name Dex of Hazzard!) and found this little record store where I found so many amazing records that I didn’t even know existed, such as the Dynamix II compilation on Rephlex and a load of Elektrolux records. I left that place looking like the Cheshire Cat who invented cream!
Name five tracks or releases that are currently on heavy rotation?
Anything by Serge Geyzel, Umwelt, CYRK, Nite Fleit, Jensen Interceptor, Assembler Code, Sync24, Sound Synthesis, Plant43, Cignol, Moy, Zobol.
Who are the artists and DJ’s you think deserve more attention than they get currently?
Claude Young, Jerome Hill, Jamie Behan, Chris Nez, Jon Hussey, Niall Power, Efemme, X-Truder, Horror Brawl are all DJs who I think are brilliant and I hope to have them onboard the Warehouse Manifesto mix series.
There are way too many to mention, but there are also way too many that are getting unwarranted attention. An awful lot is image related these days.
Back when I started playing the DJ was in a booth, often not visible to the majority of the people. DJs got gigs because their mixing was exemplary and their tracks were great and the majority of DJs were practicing like crazy to meet a certain level, otherwise you wouldn’t get a warm up gig. A lot less effort is required nowadays to get gigs. Marketing is key which is awful in terms of staying true to the skills of mixing.
Tell us about your shows on Timeline Music, how did you get started and how have the shows evolved?
My monthly livestream on Timeline Music started in January 2000. I was brought on board by Keith Anderson.
What has been the most rewarding part of running the shows?
It gives me a platform to perform a live two hour show of my new electro records each month. The fact that it is live is effectively a practice run for an actual show with a live audience. ‘Warts and all’ will be recorded and available for all to hear online, so you want to make sure you prepare and do a good job.
It is also good practice for dealing with hiccups and mistakes etc. so you can have the confidence to move on without too much disruption. You don’t get that on your own. These things all add up and hopefully help in the future.
Any plans for the coming months?
I am planning on having guests on the monthly shows shortly. The pandemic put a stop to that, but I’ll be excited to have people over to perform in the near future. My setup is vinyl only however, so some restrictions on who will/can come over.
Did DJing eventually turn your attention into making music or was it always there right from the beginning?
I like to create so I think production is a natural thing to be curious about and something I enjoy when I get the time to focus on. Doing courses is best for me because I actually apply myself to certain tasks and get decent results.
I think there is more pressure for DJs to produce a track these days. Magically, once you have a release or two under your name, you get booked to play these days regardless of your DJing skills or experience.
How have you evolved as a producer?
Very slowly. I have done a load of Ableton courts and have bought lots of hardware, but it’s now time to sit down and put the time in. 2022 will be the year I first release something though, I promise/hope!
What’s your take on the current state of electronic music?
I think electro music in particular is in its best period to date. A real golden era. So many brilliant tracks of all types of electro being released at the minute. Also so many electro-focused nights so enjoy it while it's here.
I touched earlier on how marketing has become so important in terms of getting gigs and followers etc. The whole image-focused world we live in now is bad in my opinion. Terms like ‘media presence’ and ‘content’ are awful and the thoughts of people buying plays and likes and followers is the pinnacle (I hope) of stupidity and desperation.
This is the same to me as the banking crisis when bankers took bonuses etc. that weren't really earned or real/tangible and they rode the wave for a while, but look how that turned out and screwed us all. But the same people will harp on about how it’s all about the music and make that stupid love heart with their hands.
I am quite old-school now, but an analogy I often use is between mixing and driving a car. Someone might be able to drive an automatic car whereas another individual may be a car lover, interested in engines, gears and driving stick/manual. Both get you to the same destination (a mix), but both have quite a different appreciation of the journey and the time spent in order to master the navigation. There is no wrong way or right way, just different.
Also, why is trance being categorised as techno these days?!
You have been involved in various aspects of the local music scene. Can you talk about your beginnings?
In 2001, I started a weekly techno night in my home town of Mullingar called ‘The Beat Bunker’, giving local DJs a chance to play in an intimate venue. That went on for two years.
I also started the Disco Nouveau parties in Mullingar in 2008. This monthly event was held in The Stables live music venue – hosting DJs like Sunil Sharpe, Fran Hartnett, Al Keegan, Niall Power, Barry Redsetta and even DJ Mes, label owner of Legendary US West-Coast house label Guesthouse!). This night ran for 4 memorable years.
So the mix, can you tell us a little something about that?
The mix I prepared is of a genre I term ‘mellow electro’ when categorising my records. This type of electro reminds me of journeying through space for some reason and is filled with beautiful melodies and lush synths as well as robotic, crisp percussion.
I went for something as deep as I could manage to suit your mix series. I tried to put something together that contains some recent tracks, some old tracks and a splatter of classic Kraftwerk. The goal is that the mix flows well and smoothly and takes you away, but also introduces you to some new music that will excite the senses. Maybe enough to come back for a second listen...
playlist
1. Rossum Universal Tracks - Cyber Sweet 'Float Mix' (All My Thoughts)
2. Jonno & Tommo - Efficacy 'Havantepe Emax Potentiation' (Verdant)
3. Imre Kiss - Soft Obsession (Dalmata Daniel)
4. Derailleur - Formula 14 (Decade Box)
5. Carl Finlow - Descent (Craigie Knowes)
6. James Shinra - On & On (20:20 Vision)
7. Plant43 - Crowned Earthstar (AC Records)
8. As Far As I Know - Fact Speak Itself (Night Defined)
9. Wormfarm - Suboxone (Index)
10. MSRG - You Don't Need To Know (Heretic Electro)
11. Amamelia - Unshelter Me (Index)
12. Kraftwerk - Computer World..2 'Special Bass Mix' (Lil Static)
13. Varum - Crackmeyer (Hypress)
14. Plant43 - Ceilometer (Future Massive)
15. Vytamin - Conquête (TerraFirm)
16. CCO - Doubts Are Traitors (Subject to Restriction Discs)
17. Miotek & WRTH - Our Funk 'Radioactive Man Remix' (Seven Sisters)
18. Crel - Pattern Buffer (Pathic remix) (Ai)
19. UHF - Unexplained Situation (Gladio Operations)
DJ profile
GAMADON
Location: London
Warehouse Manifesto show | Soundcloud
GAMADON is founder of Warehouse Manifesto (WM), the electro and techno record label and mix series. The first vinyl release will be out in early 2022 and the test pressing sounds amazing.
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