A Chat with Mulletover Man Stuart Geddes

London lad Stuart Geddes has carved out a colourful career on the underground house and techno scene by dipping his DJ fingers into a myriad of musical pies.

HE’S just wrapped up an Ibiza summer residency at Space’s Kehakuma club night and made his DJ debut at DC10. His record label presence has had a recent boost with the addition of his label murmur, and his venerable production platform mulletover is celebrating six years of party making.

mulletover’s regular events, habitually clouded in secrecy, have become synonymous with underground revelry, hosting random gatherings in warehouses and wilderness alike, both in the UK and beyond. Parties over the years have cropped up at UK fiestas like Lovebox and Glade, at Croatia’s Garden Festival and Space Ibiza’s We Love…

Geddes recalls his all-time best Ibiza memory as mulletover’s party in the hills behind Amnesia back in 2006. ‘Having come to the island for the last seven years,’ Geddes says. ‘This is most definitely my favourite moment. Still, five years on, people tell me they were there and often remember it as their first mulletover party. The location, the soundsystem, the people and the whole ambience gave something to everybody. It was a special moment for both Rob, my partner in mulletover, and I.’

Geddes clearly relishes immersing himself in assorted creative projects. This summer he took his signature deep, ethereal sounds to Glastonbury’s fortieth birthday bash and then to Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. ‘This summer has been amazing for me, the best of the career so far. Playing at Glastonbury has to be up there as one of my top highlights, it’s such an amazing festival. Matt Tolfrey and I played back-to-back in the WOW! Stage and completely tore the roof off. So far this year has been incredible. I’m a very lucky guy.’

Where do you live these days?
‘London. It’s my home town. Best city in the world – but not the cheapest!’

How did you first get into electronic music and DJing?
‘My sister got me into dance music when I was like 10 years old; from there I was hooked on the culture and everything that surrounded it. It’s a lifestyle choice and a way of expressing yourself and being creative, for me that was a massive turn on. I am very fortunate to be doing something I love. I couldn’t imagine turning up to an office doing nine to five. I mean I’ve done that but I could never go back.’

How would you define your sound now?
‘Deep and tracky tracks that have feeling and emotion and lock me into a groove. I like to mix things up from the deeper side of things and I’ll always try and tell a story along the way. For me that’s what DJing is about. There’s a lot of DJs out there who just play the same loop – or that’s what it sounds like – for their entire set and for me it does nothing.’

What was your Ibiza highlight this summer?
‘For the majority of the summer I’ve played at Space for Kehakuma. I had one gig at Privilege for Warung and I was lucky enough to have my debut at DC10 playing back-to-back with Clive Henry.

‘Space has been wicked this year. I’ve had a great time there. The team have been fantastic and always make me feel welcome and make sure everything is looked after from the moment you step on the island. Apart from their great hospitality the club has been rocking on Wednesdays and has been my best year featuring at the club.

‘Playing at DC10 was also amazing for sure. It’s always been a stable place for me to hang out over the years and some of my best memories are in that place.’

What is your favourite venue to play in Ibiza?
‘My favourite club to play in is Space. I’ve played there so many times and feel I know each room inside out. I’ve been lucky enough to play on the terrace, inside and the Red Box. When I spent a season on the island in 2006 we did mulletover in the discotheque every Sunday morning for We Love… That was a massive learning curve for me playing the same club week in week out, learning how to build something together with the crowd and the experience of playing in such a big room for the first time was a massive point in my career. That’s why it will always be massive part of my history.’

How does the Ibiza DJing experience differ from elsewhere in the world?
‘People go to Ibiza to have a good time, whichever club you play in you know the crowd wanna dance and have fun. Nine times out of ten the people in front of you are there because they’re into the music. You don’t always get that, and the difference with Ibiza is that it’s a destination to party.’

How important is it for you to play in Ibiza?
‘I think it’s very important to play in Ibiza. It’s a social hub as well as a holiday destination for dance music. To have a presence on the island is important. To increase your fan base, Ibiza is the place to do it.’

What do you enjoy doing in Ibiza when you’re off duty?
‘When off duty I like to relax on the beach and eat nice food, read and switch off from club land. This year that’s been difficult because I’ve flown in and out, spent a few days in between gigs and that always leads to party times. To really wind down and switch off ideally you need a villa and to have spent the whole summer on the island to experience its other assets. There are so many other beautiful parts I don’t have the chance to see often enough.’

Is there anyone in particular you would like to collaborate with musically?
‘Tom Demac. Tom, stop smoking too much weed!’

Where in the world have you never been that you would love to go?
‘Skegness.’

Who inspires you creatively?
‘My friends. I take something from all of them.’

Who is the most exciting DJ in the world right now?
‘Rickey Ahmed from Hot Natured Camp. Watch him move behind the decks and you’ll know why. Coming in second is Glimpse – amazing live act who can also pull a few moves.’

What releases can we expect from you in the near future?
‘I have some more remixes in the pipeline. There’s been a few out this year but with such a busy summer schedule I haven’t had any studio time. Once September is out of the way I’ll get some original material written.’

What other projects do you have in the pipeline?
‘I’ve got my labels murmur and Nofitstate. Nofitstate is something I really want to concentrate on once the madness has calmed down. We have a few parties happening in October and November, and our legendary New Year’s Day shenanigans. This party for me is all about the intimate vibe with no more than 400 attending. The first event has Tensnake live, Gerd Janson, Tom Demac live. In November Dyed Soundorom, The Revenge, Matt Tolfrey and of course myself.

‘As well as it being a new night there’s a sampler being released and maybe next year a compilation, although we’ll try something different as I feel times are changing and producing CDs is kinda old hat. As and what we do is still up in the air but whatever we decide it will be interesting.’

First published on I Voice, Ibiza, September 2010.
© Abbey Stirling