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Prior to the first of 2 concept led shows at Amnesia in Ibiza, we found a good spirited Sharam in fully frank and honest mode as he talks about playing the cowboy, his rose collection and just where he stands with Deep Dish... 

Hey Sharam! Tell us where you are in the world right now and what you are up to.
"Hey Ibiza-Voice! I am currently in Greece. Had a great afternoon party in Chania, Crete and an amazing party in Corfu. Heading to London and then back to Greece, Mykonos Monday before coming to Ibiza. It's been a hectic august."

Tell us about the Get Wild concept then?
"One of my favourite movies of all time is Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West. I sent one of the posters from that movie to my designer and told him to toy around with it for the cover of my new single Get Wild. I thought the title had a wild/western annotation to it and I could do something interesting with it.  I really liked the mock up so we decided it would be really cool and interesting if it were me on the poster instead of Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson's pictures.


So we decided to do a photo shoot inspired by the whole classic spaghetti western thing and turn the whole concept into a party for my two shows in Ibiza. I got Cedric Gervais to become my nemesis in the pictures (he is also playing the parties with me along with Sultan, Miss Nine and D-Formation). The pictures came out really cool and over the top, and things just snowballed after that. So Get Wild is a western theme party with my album being the soundtrack."

Too many people in our industry take what they do too seriously, so I wanted to do my part to bring the fun/wild aspect back to the game.     

The billboards [for Get Wild] in Ibiza are quite interesting. You didn't mind the dressing up then?! 
"I have always been fascinated with western movies like Westworld with Yul Bryner, and all the Spaghetti western/cowboy stuff with Clint  Eastwood and Lee Van Cliff."

"I thought it would be fun to play the part. It's quite dramatic and the pictures came out like a western movie poster from that era. I thought the idea was very different and out there - perfect for a party in Ibiza actually. Too many people in our industry take what they do too seriously, and the visuals are very generic. So, it was either that, or a stereotypical DJ on a billboard/cover; DJ with the sunrise behind him, DJ yelling at the camera with a karate chop move, Dj with hands in the air like Jesus over Rio De Janeiro, or DJ with a bunch of girls on their lap. Although next year I might take on the me with a bunch of bitches thing. But I will only use Yorkies, Doberman, and Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Maybe Pugs and Poodles too." 

"Of course, I have done most of the shoots mentioned above in the past myself (or with Ali), so The Get Wild pictures are just me trying to have fun with the concept and do something fun and different."  

You didn't make your last gig for Armada, what happened?
"My flight from DC was delayed for 3 hours and then they cancelled the flight. By then there was no other option to fly to Europe, so I ended up missing the gig. I was really bummed about that." 

You were due to play in both rooms weren't you? How did that come about, did you specifically ask to do that? 
"Yes. I love both rooms for different reasons and especially now with the new terrace which looks and sounds just amazing. I can play different kinds of sets depending on the environment. I usually build my sets organically following the vibe of the crowd/room. so I thought I could play around with that in ibiza."
 
"So for the Get Wild shows I am doing a set with all of my tracks from my upcoming album sort of like a 'Live' performance where the artist plays all the original material from the album.  I will also do another set on the terrace. So one will be all of my own material and one will be me djing as usual. I might throw in couple of new Yoshi tracks in for good measure." 

What difference can fans expect to hear in your forthcoming sets in Ibiza when you'll be doing both rooms again?
"Well, I've been working on the album for the past couple of years, which consists of different tracks from all angles of dance music. So I am excited to showcase them all under one show/concept in one room (and yes, I do have that many tracks to cover a 3-hour set!) and do something different on the terrace."  

A lot of DJs out there have stopped playing for people and have limited themselves to one sound out of fear of being tagged 'uncool'

With Deep Dish being such a big part of your past, do you ever feel burdened by it and that you could start afresh on your new projects?
"Not really. To me Deep Dish was about doing everything but doing it well and constantly looking to push the boundaries of dance music and breaking down walls and surprising people. We covered the entire gamut from deep house, house, to tech house (before they even had a name for it) to techno, rock-house, chill-out/ambient stuff, to tracks that went to the charts and songs that became sleeper underground hits."  

"The one constant was always the quality of the piece and the different feelings/vibes that we captured depending on what was going on around us, and not what genre it was going to be classed under. For my solo stuff, I have more or less stuck to the same theme, because deep down I am a music fan and I produce songs based on inspiration I get from different things around me; music, clubs, djs, movies, family, other artist, etc. Fundamentally I don't know any other way to be, and that philosophy is reflected in my productions and my dj sets." 

In an interview at the start of the year, Ali told us that you two "had reached the end of your creative cycle with Deep Dish". Is that how you'd describe it? 
"We worked, produced and djed together for many years, all the while trying to maintain our own identity as djs and individuals. We felt there was a lot of creativity and growth in us that was being hampered by the fact that everyone considered us to be one and not two people.  So there came a point that we felt like we needed to allow ourselves to grow as artists, djs, and individuals on our own and away from the confinements of being part of a duo. It was like the troops leaving the mothership, quite scary but challenging and more importantly necessary for growth. Challenging ourselves musically was always a common theme and we thought eventually it would help us creatively to branch out and do different things, so when we get back to do another project/album we have a fresh perspective on things."  
     

Why do you still DJ together then, like at Space opening?
"People think just because we are doing solo stuff, that we should be each other's nemesis and not play together. It's not like that. We're very good friends and we still enjoy playing and hanging out, but we only do it when it makes sense. Ibiza opening/closing parties and Miami conference parties are the ones that make most sense because we combine it with our own parties, so people get to experience it all." 

Your recent collaboration with Daniel Beddingfield raised a few eyebrows. How would you respond to that?
"As an artist, if you don't raise eyebrows, then you are boring. Sometimes the eyebrows go up and sometimes they go down. I would be worried if the eyebrows didn't move." 

"The song The One is a love song, and it speaks for itself and it's actually become the most requested song during my sets and gets the biggest reaction no matter where I'm playing it. People love sing along songs and I have a few of them on my album. We recently put the video of it up on Youtube and it's gone gangbusters, so I am quite pleased with what it's done." 
Play The One on YouTube »

On your myspace, with reference to your new forthcoming album, it says that you have "a mantra that there should be no divisions within dance music". Do you mean you don't like the genres and the pigeonholing? 
"I understand that a lot people need things spelled out for them to be able to make a decision as far as what's good and where they can likely find the stuff that best fit their taste. This is particularly good for magazines, and record stores. That's where genre-fication of music comes to play and is helpful and healthy. The problem start when it becomes like a cult following of one genre over the others, and everyone jumping on the bandwagon, then it becomes counterproductive and promotes a separatist attitude in music. It's like we are in a constant civil war withing the industry. Instead of it being us against the world (dance music vs. other formats of music that get a lot more attention and airplay) it's become us against us with djs constantly bickering and dissing other djs that may not play the latest cool genre."

"There is no need for that mentality and I think it's bad for music. In a community you need all kinds of players for different reasons and they should all be respected and accepted for their contributions. A lot of DJs out there have stopped playing for people and have limited themselves to one sound out of fear of being tagged 'uncool' neglecting why we all started to dj to being with; to play for people and not for other djs and a few hardcore followers in our click. Too much emphasis is put on seeking acceptance and being cool via the cool genre of the day."  

"I consider myself an artist with deep roots in house music, and I let that drive itself."

So if I was to ask you to describe your musical direction now or where you want to go, what would you say?
"If it's good it will be played. If it's inspiring it will be produced or remixed, and if that throws people for a loop to try to figure out where my head is at, then I think I have achieved what I want to achieve."   

Is it important to you to produce or play "cool" electronic music? Do you consider yourself underground? Do you consider yourself commercial?
"I consider myself an artist with deep roots in house music, and I let that drive itself. I need to constantly be challenged and inspired. Sometimes I get it from the underground tracks and sometimes I get it from a pop song I hear on the radio. I feel stagnant if I do the same thing over and over. I also feel I am cheating the fans if I just try to be cool and only play the latest trendy tracks. At the end of the day you have to follow your heart and your love - whatever that maybe. But it's equally important to be open minded. So wherever that lands me, that's my sound."

What else are you working on in the studio?
"As said, I have been working on my album for the past two-year choosing to stay away from remixes for the most part. I have done a lot of tracks that people haven't heard yet. I'm currently putting the final touches on some tracks and making some last minute additions. I'm very excited to finally get them out there as singles and in the album." 

What is the objective behind the album then?
"The concept is to showcase where my head is at musically. So naturally it will be a mish mash of different vibes. There is some exciting (eyebrow raise alert!) collaborations; there is house stuff, vocals tracks, techy and techno cuts. I've organized it so that one side is darker mixed like a compilation and one side lighter and more song oriented mixed like a traditional album of short(er) tracks. but all original material." 

In a recent interview, Mark Knight was describing how for him and Toolroom, branding was essential. Is he right? What does the Sharam brand stand for?
"These days you need to have a brand to stand out. So he is quite right. The trick for me is to not let that 'brand' create a proverbial wall where all of a sudden you are not supposed to do anything outside of it." 

"I'm always striving to do things differently and broaden my reach with the music I produce and play."

Who else is hot that you have heard play out recently?
"Last time I played with Nic Fanciulli he totally blew my mind. Very inspiring set. He is truly come to his own as a dj. I'm very happy for him. Sven Vath is of course on fire now. last year he played two inspiring sets both times I visited him at Cocoon. He is recapturing the Tenaglia style of music that started a huge musical movement where the lines between house and techno became blurry 10-15 years ago; dark, twisted and crazy with a foot nicely placed in the future."

"I love the fact that he covers a broad genre of music - all of highest quality. This year I was at Cocoon when Luciano and Ricardo played together. Never really heard them dj before that night, and I gotta tell you, they were just amazing. They created a rare vibe of fun and serious music playing everything and just having fun. I loved it. It was refreshing and inspiring and took me back to the old days." 

What other producers are you into at the moment?
"I think D-Formation has produced the best music in the past 2 years and he really deserves to be a lot bigger as he is also a great DJ. He will be playing with me on the second Get Wild show at Amnesia on Sept. 2^nd. There are a lot of great producers out there churning out great music though. Too many to name, but Perc stands out for me. His stuff is so different, dark and twisted they should create a new genre for it! Shit! Did I just say that?"  

Where is your favourite place to play at the moment? Why?
"Eastern Europe has been wonderful this year, especially Croatia and Slovenia. Warung in Brazil remains my favourite club/place to play in the world 3 years running. But I have to say California has made its way to the top of my list. My LA gigs are just out of this world. It's really refreshing to see the US scene coming to its own."  

What ambitions do you have as a DJ and producer?
"I'm always striving to do things differently and broaden my reach with the music I produce and play. So the quest will continue on until I feel I am done."

Do you have much free time? What do you do away from work?
"Free time is very hard to come by these days. But when I do find the time, I like to spend it with the family. I like to throw barbecue parties and invite friends. I also do some gardening and attend to my rose collection.  On the road I read books and watch movies/shows. I am currently watching The Wire, which is a series on HBO based in Baltimore. I think it's the best show ever created."  

What part of the world do you like to chill out in/explore?
"Home! There is no place like it, I do my best chilling there and I definitely feel like I need to explore home more. :o)"  

What do you think of the new afterhours law in Ibiza?
"I think it goes against what the island stands for and is known for. It seems they are taking things for granted and shooting themselves in the foot in a way."  

20 years from Dance music's Summer of Love, share a story or memory with us from Ibiza Back in the day……
"Don't have a crazy one to tell you off the top of my head, but ask me again in 20 years and I should have something."

www.myspace.com/sharamdish | www.deepdish.com