Andy Ward @ Groovenite, Switzerland. Feb 2019. 3 hr+ set

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Andy Ward @ Groovenite, Switzerland. Feb 2019. 3 hr+ set

On Saturday 16th September I made a return to Switzerland for a very rare DJ gig outside of anything VB related.

The Groovenite crew are amongst the first to join us on the shores of the Costa Blanca for VB2009, I’ve been playing for them across Swizterland & Germany for over 10 years and always have a great time with them. When I was asked if I fancied returning (last time I played was some 5 or 6 years ago), after careful consideration I decided it would be a no-brainer. The brief for the music was a ‘classics’ set, so I knew exactly which way to take it, seeing as I’d played for them many times before.

I took Michelle along for a nice little weekend away (we don’t get much holidays, lol) and we had another little break to remember. We were joined by Phil Gill, Lisa Cox and Gill GX from the UK and many of my local friends in Aarau from the Groovenite Family.

Enclosed is a 3 hr 15 min set from myself, closing out the night after a great opening set from Lele aka Miles Numan aka Manuel Walti. On the night, particularly at the beginning of the set, I wasn’t having a great time as I was always trying to gauge the reaction of the floor and had to (in my mind) delicately find my way musically, the Swiss are notorious for being slightly reserved with their feedback so I was never sure I had it quite right. It didn’t help NOT having a Gillman system to romance. Nevertheless, after some ebb and flow with the crowds and the ‘general’ punters left, I felt that I nailed it for the true music fans and what a night everyone ended up having.

Listening back to the set I’m surprised at just how much energy there is from the off and how ‘good’ it actually is, if I say so myself. Even though it’s probably a little ‘obvious’ from start to finish (and that’s just me being fussy) there’s no denying that there is some timeless, outstanding music in this set. There’s nothing you won’t have heard my play many, many times before but having all these tunes together in one mix might just be the stuff dreams are made of for some.

I was reminded why I stopped playing out during this gig, second guessing myself and crowds but that’s definitely an issue I’ve spoken about many times before and something I wish I could get past in my own head. Despite a few wobbles, getting feedback from everyone the next day put my mind at rest and having the wife along to make a mini-break out of the whole thing as opposed to “Just another lonely trip abroad” meant I’ll probably be doing more of the same in the near future.