Techno Innovator John Selway at White Rabbit

Washington D.C.-born and NYC-based DJ John Selway prepares to infiltrate White Rabbit this Friday (April 9) for the first time. As a DJ and producer, Selway is known for igniting the electro scene in the late ‘90s, collaborating with household names such as Deep Dish and Carl Cox. We talked to Selway about his DJing experiences and musical influences as he prepared for his Beijing debut.

The Beijinger: If you weren't a DJ, what would you be?
John Selway: It would still be something in music – I've been a musician my entire life, studied violin, piano and music composition. I’d perhaps be composing other types of music, perhaps film or TV scores. Another option might have been to be a music teacher. Both my parents are music teachers, and it's an idea that feels quite natural to me.

tbj: Have you had any embarrassing moments as a DJ?
JS: The first time I played at Twilo in NYC in the ‘90s, I was a bit nervous – even though things were going well and I had a packed dance floor – as it was a very big club with a huge, powerful sound system. In a big room like that, the DJ really must pay attention that every detail is perfect, because mistakes seem even bigger. But still, I accidentally lifted the needle from the wrong record – the one that was playing. I immediately realized my mistake and put the needle back down, which caused a very loud, very obvious explosive noise to blast through the sound system. This was all embarrassing enough, but then I turned around and saw that the club manager was standing behind me the whole time, watching me almost blow up his speakers because of my mistake.

tbj: Name your top three guilty pleasures.
JS: I don't have any pleasures I feel guilty about, but three things I enjoy are good food, good wine and good whiskey.

tbj: Was there a defining moment when you realized you wanted to become a DJ?
JS: I approached dance music first as a musician and composer. I was inspired by the sounds I heard in late ‘80s house, acid and techno and I did everything I could to learn how to make music like that. The DJing was a logical extension of that, and the most practical way to get out and perform and play the music that I wanted to do.

tbj: If you were to open up your own club where would it be and what would you name it?
JS: Actually, I think I'd rather have a cafe or something. I'm a big coffee fanatic; I'm really into having the best espresso possible. There's a new place in New York City that has a UD 19,000 espresso machine, one of the best in the world, that's used by highly trained baristas. I'd love to have something like that. But maybe a place that's also music-oriented, a hang out for musicians, DJs and music lovers to get together and socialize outside of the club, and off of the internet. When vinyl was still selling a lot, and there were many record stores, those shops served not only as a place to buy music but also a meeting point for people to make connections and hang out. It would be fun to try and recreate that kind of environment somehow, but with really amazing coffee as well.

tbj: Do you have any rituals that you do before a gig?
JS: I always like to take some time to mentally prepare, go through new music and make some last-minute playlists. If I've been traveling on the day of the gig, it's always necessary to have a short rest or sleep if I can, before the long night in the club. A good dinner and a bit of time to socialize before the gig also goes a long way to set things up for a great night. If everything is rushed and hectic, no time to relax and prepare, then I don't feel totally balanced.

tbj: What are some of your musical influences?
JS: It's hard for me to choose singular influences since I listen to and love so many different styles. But just limiting it to electronic music, I think the biggest influences on my production and DJing styles are Detroit techno, Chicago acid house and deep house, New York ‘80s club music (electro/new wave/no wave/early hip-hop), early German electronic music (krautrock/cosmic etc) and ‘70s/’80s disco, especially electronic stuff like Giorgio Moroder.

John Selway will be spinning at White Rabbit on April 9 (Friday), with Patrick Yu and Eddie Lv supporting. RMB 80. 2/F, Tongli Studios, Sanlitun Beilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯北街同里二层