Guy Hornsby
London-based producer and electronic music devourer DJ Guy Hornsby has over a decade of deck time behind him since converting his love for dancing the capital’s best clubs into playing in them. Now part of a team behind Dropout, a bi-monthly night in East London that’s three years strong, with guests from Craig Torrance and Bearweasel to Craig Torrance and Louche, Guy juggles his city day job with mutli-tasking spare time spent DJing, producing, promoting, and writing about music.
1) Influences?
As a kid in the 80s I was brought up on everyone from Queen, Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, Jean Michelle Jarre and Motown. My university years in Sheffield were my electronic birth, following Sasha, Digweed, Coxy and the Chicago masters in the mid 90s. I wanted to be Sasha when I started DJing, and probably still do. Musical innovators and perfect pop still get me wanting to make music, from Radiohead, Flaming Lips, Hot Chip and LCD to Friendly Fires, Metronomy and Massive Attack.
2) Tell us about your DJ/production history.
I was a late developer, only first putting needle to vinyl at 24, but six months later I’d poured all my money into vinyl and was playing my first gig (at the Mermaid Theatre in 2000). I spent my weekends promoting and playing at some of the biggest clubs in the capital – The End, Heaven, Ministry, Rhythm Factory – and regular trips to Ibiza, first clubbing, then playing, further fuelled an obsession with everything electronic. Late to the party again, production didn’t arrive until my 30s, but I’m just hitting my stride now. There’s not a week that goes by where I don’t hear something that makes me want to open my laptop and start a new track.
3) How would you describe your style?
Playing and making anything in house that’s deep, melodic, that’s got a groove, and a bit of something off-kilter about it. Vocals (think haunting and distorted) are a big part of this.
4) What is your preferred media/tech?
A Macbook Pro running Logic Studio and Rob Papen synths for production, and a good old pair of 1210s, plus 3 Pioneer CDJs (one 1000, one 800, one 200), a DJM 400 and an EFX-500 for mixing.
5) Current influences?
So many great labels around, but I always look forward to stuff on Tsuba, Mobilee, Crosstown Rebels, Hot Natured, Leftroom, Visionquest, Simple, Four:twenty, No.19 Music, Hypercolour, Luna and Magicbag. So much of it coming out of the UK with guys like Simon Baker, Burnski, Matt Tolfrey, Mat Playford, Gavin Herlihy, Sei A, Subb-an and Maya Jane Coles, but the whole Wolf+Lamb, Soul Clap, Art Department, Visionquest crews are absolutely on it this year. House music is rude health.
6) Favourite clubs?
I still mourn the loss of The End, and many misspent Thursday nights at Bedrock in years gone by, but in London there’s some great warehouse spaces at Ewer St, Hearn Street, and wherever Secretsundaze parks its decks. Further afield you can’t get part Berghain in Berlin, or Terraza in Barcelona and of course Amnesia and DC10 in Ibiza, my summer destination for the last 11 years. Festivals-wise Sonar, Glastonbury, Exit and Lovebox have all left their mark on me.
7) 5 words that best describe you?
Open-minded, pedantic, fun-loving, daft and opinionated.
