Ian Ford has been a dj for a long list of major New York City clubs and is currently resident at "Scandal," Friday nights at Nick Lion's Icon in Astoria. He has also joined Barbara Sobel and Sobel Promotions as a remixer. As mentioned in the below Q&A, Ian lives in Bensonhurst (where John Travolta lived and worked in Saturday Night Fever
) and I live in Bay Ridge (where Travolta danced in said film), so we already had a disco connection between us. And so, it was a pleasure when Ms Sobel arranged the opportunity to interview Ian Ford, himself a contemporary club icon, to discuss these new opportunities, his background and his rich and fascinating career to date.
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| Image by Peter Lau |
Dj Buddy Beaverhausen: Hi,
Ian, and thank you for doing this Q&A for Queens Our City Radio and my blog, Leave It to Beaverhausen! I understand you have a new residency at
Icon, in Astoria. What type of dance music can we expect to hear when we're there with you
as our dj?
Ian Ford: Thanks
for having me. I'm very excited about my
new Icon residency, and when you're there, you'll hear a mix of current house
and techno, some classics thrown in (hint: I love the 80's), and as always with
a friendly club, some requests.
You
previously were dj at Splash, among other venues (Industry Bar, Webster Hall).
What were your favorite memories of Splash and what were your not so
favorites?
Splash
and Webster Hall were both excellent experiences, steady residencies and often
challenging. I had to be on my game at
all times because these clubs are so well established. As with any gig, the good moments came when
the dance floor was popping… but more than that, the owners of both often
shared hard-earned business wisdom and experience. As for least favorite moments, it would only
be in regard to those who stand in the way of others for no good reason.
I
see you were born in Brooklyn (where I now live) and attended University of
Florida. Where do you currently call home in NYC?
Brooklyn,
specifically Bensonhurst. Great
neighborhood, but I may be biased because I have my own driveway. Just kidding, its great. Almost everything I need is within a five
minute walk of my place, including some of the best pizza in Brooklyn!
What music did you listen to growing up and what made you decide you wanted to
be a dj?
New
Wave, Industrial, EBM, and Techno music were my favorites. Listening to Hex Hector's sets as well as
some local Florida DJ's were inspiring. I also learned to work with "energy," studying Reiki and such
things, and the contrast of working with group energy as well as individual
compelled me to change this hobby into a career. There was a point at which I had to choose an
ultimate path, so I left a sweet job as a programmer to pursue my DJ interests.
What do you think sets you apart from other NYC club djs on the scene right
now?
I work
comfortably in many scenes, because I enjoy them. I play Techno, House, Disco, New Wave,
Synthpop, Industrial, Goth, Rock… and I have a unique way of tying styles
together in one set that works with the crowd in front of me. Sometimes, however, its hard for me to make a
targeted demo mix.
I had a friend, the late Louis Morheim (who ran
the old Heartbeat Records on 10th Street) who was an occasional dj at Splash
(among other venues). He told me how complicated it was to get from Splash's dj
booth to the bathroom, so sometimes,
when desperate, he peed in empty beer bottles he'd dump in the toilet after his
set. How did you manage that feat at Splash ~ that is, getting to the men's
room ~ and have you scoped out Icon yet in that regard?
Splash
had a bathroom upstairs and behind the DJ booth in its later years, so that
wasn't an issue for me. Icon is compact
enough to allow quick passage to and from the restroom. So far, no issues. But I avoid going during
peak hours because it has been packed. Downtime was another story, the only private bathroom was two floors
down and one night I had the stomach flu while my light man was too sick to
come to work… soooo… I strategically placed long remixes through the night and
got through it.
What do you do outside the club/dance music scene and how do you like to relax?
We can
relax in this industry??? Just kidding. Aside from Netflix, I study and
teach PaKua Martial Arts and comparative spirituality. I guess you can say that I'm studying the
nature of reality… or Dr. Who reruns…
When I travel for work, I like to take extra time to check out a new
city, and sometimes its just nice to stay in bed and have food delivered.
What's your view of the club scene in NYC at the moment and of what's out there
in terms of dance music right now?
New
York City has taken a turn to the mainstream. The "hits' are overplayed in many places, to the point of hearing
the same few songs three or four times in a night. As with any situation, however, I'm
confident the pendulum will eventually swing away from this extreme.
Tell us what you think are the most annoying things people can say or do to a
dj while he's working?
People
talking or yelling in my ear during a mix tops the list, and it happens all too
frequently. Insistent requesters are a
close second. I enjoy taking requests, but it can't always be next and one
person shouldn't expect to hear an entire list of inappropriate tracks.
Surely, if you worked at Splash, you encountered dance-music divas. Who were
your faves? Do you have any good dish?
When I moved to NYC, I never thought I'd meet so many
famous people. Webster Hall and Splash
both put me in the right places at the right times. Some of the stars were a bit rude, others
quite the opposite. I have some really
good dish, [but] I'll keep my gossip positive. Ricky Martin helped carry his stage monitors, George Clinton was simply
amazing to chat with. Meanwhile, at
Splash, Liza Minnelli was just amazingly friendly, Cyndi Lauper can really get
people excited. Ben Vereen is very quiet
until he's on stage. Lady Gaga was just
great to meet. NOBODY could keep up with
Charo, she's incredible... and I love her more than ever after meeting her and found out that she is
an incredible classical guitarist. Speaking of musicianship, Kristine W plays many instruments as well as
sings. I met Dave Gahan and Martin Gore
(Depeche Mode) at Downtime when I was resident at Albion, that was awesome
because they're personal heroes for several reasons. Despite all I've just said, I really don't
get star struck anymore.
How did you become involved with Icon in Queens and become its resident DJ?
A
mutual friend of Nick Lion's and mine put us in touch, we did a project
together and we have amazing work chemistry. Nick gave me a chance at Icon, enjoyed my set, and they hired me.
Is
there a difference between Queens clubs and New York clubs?
This is
my first residency in Queens, but I do feel that the music format is more open
than it has been at some NYC clubs. The
crowd seems genuinely interested in hearing new music as part of the set.
You
also remix. Can you tell us about your style?
My
remix style has a techno focus, and that's such a broad category that I don't
find it limiting. It's a style that
binds my underground and mainstream tastes together and carries my "Ian
Ford" sound across the boundaries. I like to keep it upbeat and moving, and I don't like long breakdowns, [plus] I also enjoy fusing an 80's vibe
with a current "sound."
Ian, I so look forward to meeting you the next time I visit Icon, which should
be very soon. Anything you'd like to shout out to your fans and our readers?
Yes…
HELLO! Now come see us and say hello
back ;)
