Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2012

Titan of UK house, John Digweed had time for a quick Q&A ahead of his appearance alongside the likes of the Chemical Brothers at this weekend’s Big Beach fest on a gritty slab of sand by Tokyo Bay. The event is the brainchild of Fatboy Slim, who will be helming the festivities at a simultaneous leg-up back in Brighton where the whole shebang began in 2001.

Tell us about when you realized your life’s work would be DJing.

I always loved music from an early age. Around 11 or 12 I knew that I wanted to be a DJ. So I guess that having a passion for something when I was so young made it easier for me to figure out what I needed to do and spend hours and hours practicing and learning and listening how to be a great DJ.

What was your first impression of Sasha, and what is the most important legacy of the Sasha & Digweed partnership?

Sasha has always been a great ambassador for the scene and I think some of our compilation CDs such as The Mix collection and Northern Exposure raised the bar in terms of how a mix album could be presented.

Tell us how you created the Bedrock parties and why you decided to relaunch them this year.

Bedrock means a strong foundation so it was always a great name to build parties and a record label on. We have been doing Bedrock parties all over the world—we just felt it was time to start doing a few regular parties in London again. XOYO is a great venue and the parties have all been amazing so far.

Tell us how your sound has evolved over a decade of Bedrock releases.

I think it’s important not only as a DJ but as a record label to move with the times and push new and exciting music forward. As a label I think Bedrock has managed to keep moving forward as a label as well as keeping a great musical identity.

What is right and what is wrong with electronic music today?

I always try to look at the positives with what I do and I think that some of the best electronic music is being made in this period of time. The only negative is there is never enough time to play it all.

Tell us about your connection with Japan.

I love Japan. The people are amazing and they have great taste in quality sound and lighting systems along with fantastic nightclubs. I am always very excited to come to japan and the food is also the best in the world.

Describe a new remix or production.

I work in the studio with Nick Muir. The last remix we did was for the Slam Classic “Eterna” which features on my new Live in Cordoba CD, just out on my label. We have also done a remix of “Electric Rescue—Dope” which is also due out soon.

How do you approach DJing a large outdoor event like Big Beach?

I am lucky that I get to play not only club shows but large events and outdoor shows. Each gig is different in its own way. Usually with the big outdoor shows you have to play slightly “bigger” records.

Vinyl, CDs or laptop. Which and why?

At the moment I use 3 x CDJ 2000s and an Allen and Heath DB4 mixer. I love the CDJ’s and the new DB4 mixer has some amazing EFX on it.

How does Digweed wind down?

In Japan I usually have bad jetlag so I’ll try and go for something to eat and drink some sake.

Big Beach Festival ’12@Makuhari Seaside Park, Jun 2 (listing).