Doorly Interview

With two Essential Mixes and various Beatport and Traxsource No. 1s to his name, Doorly's mantlepiece would be very full if you received Oscar-like trophies (and they managed to give them to the right person) for such accolades. The UK-born DJ and producer is probably glad that they don't, however, considering that he's just moved to Ibiza, having previously been plying his trade from the recent hot spot of LA.

His Doorly & Friends party returns to the club this Friday 3rd of March with a whopping line-up topped by festival kings Basement Jaxx and ably held up by Hauswerks and El Provost playing live. In the spirit of its name, we madd friends with Doorly...

Where are you and what are you doing right now?

I’m in Ibiza just about to go for my weekly game of footy so I’m stretching up in-between these questions whilst also checking over some remixes I’ve just got back for a forthcoming single.

How is LA treating you? The atmosphere must be slightly surreal with the current political climate.

I have actually just relocated back to Europe! I was in the middle of buying my house in LA and then all this Trump stuff started happening and it kind of put me off enough to be swayed by a really nice villa I found in Ibiza. I decided to ship my stuff back over and buy here instead. It feels much safer over here. It was also a decision that actually made much more sense as I always end up having to rent a second place in Ibiza for the season, so I won't have to do that anymore, all my studio stuff will be in one place and the winters here are a really nice, quiet downtime in-between touring blocks. I’m making ten times as much music as I would be if I was in LA tempted by the sniff of a party every night!

You were once tipped as a Future Star by Pete Tong. Can you tell us a little about your DJ roots and how you ended up where you are?

I started DJing properly when I was at uni in Huddersfield so naturally ended up starting my own party, which we grew from a 100 person after-hours gathering to a 3000 capacity warehouse party - that’s when Tongy spotted me and gave me my first Radio 1 Essential Mix. That was the main catalyst for me to really push myself and do my best to earn my place on an international stage.

Your party is called Doorly & Friends. Can you illustrate how close friends you are with each of your forthcoming guests by telling us an anecdote about each of them?

I’m super excited to have the lovely Basement Jaxx chaps at this one. They're two of the nicest people in the game. Another big break very early in my career was given to me by these guys when they let me remix their track 'Raindrops', which went on to be a game changer for me, especially in America. Also, we once shared a dinner table together with Giorgio Moroder when we all played together at Pacha in Ibiza.

Hauswerks rescued me from a house party in Ibiza when I’d had a few too many and I thought I was still in a nightclub, not sat on somebody’s living room floor, and walked me home! And El Prevost is new to the crew. I've been a fan of his music for a few years so we made a few tracks together. We’ve decided to co-release a double header of EPs at the same time, one on his label No Speakers and one on my new label Reptile Dysfunction.

March brings with it your tour of the US. Are you doing a road trip with a tour bus or flying? Where are your favourite place to play in America beyond the obvious coastal cities?

The original plan was to do this as a bus tour with a crew of friends, but the way the dates ended up falling made it impossible this time, so I will be doing this one by air. We are going to try again for that for my run of dates there in May. It’s the most amazing way to see America with your mates if you can find one that likes driving! The USA in general is just a great place to play right now. In particular I’m really looking forward to my fifth annual Doorly & Friends showcase at SXSW in Austin, which is such a cool festival that engulfs the whole city, a city that prides itself on 'Getting Weird'.

What's next on the production front?

My new label Reptile Dysfunction is now up and running, so I've got my hands very full right now. We've released our first track, which featured the voice of the legendary Mike Skinner from the Streets. The next EP will be the El Prevost one then I have a record featuring Idris Elba. Within the label ive also been working on an electronic band project which you will hear a lot more about very soon.

How often do you get back to Huddersfield and do you miss anything about it?

I really miss all of my friends there. I have no family there, but I lived there longer than anywhere else in my life so I consider it my home town. I go back at least once a year to throw a little party as a get together for everyone and it's always one of my favourite parties of the year.

Name three tracks that sum up what you're likely to play at Egg.

I’m doing three-hour set so I’ll get to play a nice mix of music. Here’s a few that I will definitely be dropping.

Tee Mango – 'Enjoy What We Have'

Mike Simonetti – 'Release Your Body To The Best'

Doorly & Tan Dem Feat The Voice of Mike Skinner – 'Tonga Peak Times'