Robert Ferguson better known as Fergie has been, in his own words, 'a slave to the rave' for the last 10 years. A loyal servant to electronic dance music, who at just 27 years old has spent over half his short life in clubs and experienced more in his career as a DJ / producer / radio presenter / than many double his age.
As a youngster he may have helped his Grandad race pigeons but no one has been able to pigeon hole Fergie many have tried and failed he was and continues to be prepared to take risks, to be out on a limb, trusting the music that permeates his very blood and soul to lead him.....the more unconventional the better!
Being unconventional is in his very nature. Who else at 11 years old would have the nerve to turn up for his first day at secondary school in the wee country town of Larne in white trainers with his long curly hair in dreadlocks, armed with his walkman to keep out the teachers voice! More often to be found outside the headmasters office, it was hard for Fergie to confine his restless, creative energy to the limits of the classroom and to fit into the restrictive educational system and so, with the support of his parents, he left school behind at the age of 14 to pursue a career as a DJs, leaving teachers breathing a sigh of relief!
By the time he was 16 he had exhausted the Northern Ireland club scene but as fate would have it around this time he was introduced to the late Tony De Vit who later became a mentor to him. It was Tony who brought Fergie over to England and gave him his break at the DC10 of the time, Trade. When Tony passed away it was left to Fergie to continue to champion the harder side of things.
Before long the accolades came thick and fast, the hype kicked in, the scene exploded and everything became a bit of a blur. After picking up the baton from the superstar DJs of the late 90s, in 2000 Fergie had entered the DJ Mag Top 100 poll at 8th position, still the highest new entry to date. It was at this time that BBC Radio 1 entered the frame. Radio 1 brought Fergie in to be the 'King of Hard House'.When the music began to become the stereotype of its self and regular Essential Mixes became a weekly weekend show, he took it as his chance to show what he loved: exciting underground music, from house to breaks, tech house to techno.
The show ran for 5 years and developed into a snapshot of what was going on in the underground electronic music scene. Guests over the years included Richie Hawtin, Jeff Mills, Sven Vath, Dave Clarke (who once covered the show in Fergie's absence), Carl Cox, Slam and Adam Beyer, as well as providing a platform for many aspiring producers and DJs to show what they had to offer.
I think it needs to be said that the majority of the shows took place before today's current techno buzz, and upon reflection they brought a whole new type of music to people's lives who had never listened to anything like that before.
Fergie regularly plays at clubs such as Firefly, Shine, The Stiff Kitten, Meganite, and Colours. This summer he made his second appearance at the Sonar Festival. Today he is free to play how he wants and is not held back by perceptions and tags from the past. On the CDJ 1000s, armed with Serato Scratch and his trusty Mac, the EFX 1000 unit and tracks edited using Ableton Live, he is in full control of every beat he plays. And now with his Excentric concept he is also in full control of his future. The 3 piece project incorporates a record label, a club night and an artist agency.
The Excentric Artists Agency is a platform for emerging talent to get heard. It is a way for his work on Radio 1 to be continued and offers the Excentric club night and label as a direct opportunity to get out there.
The Excentric Club Night - Regularly held in London (The Key), Birmingham (now at the Custard Factory), Scotland (The Ice Factory) and Ibiza (Kanya). Guests at Excentric to date have included Slam, Phil Kieran, who regularly hosted Fergie's Radio 1 show for him , Gregor Tresher, Anderson Noise, Kevin Gorman and Tom Pooks alongside new talent from the likes of The Japanese Popstars, Mistress De Funk, Jus Phil, Ken The Men, Mr Henry Von and Jordan X.
The Ibiza night has been running weekly throughout the summer and its success is something Fergie wants to replicate back in the UK.
The Record Label - Fergie launched Excentric Muzik to be able to fully translate his passion and ideas into his own productions, spending many hours in the studio alongside Dave Robertson. Initially a physical and digital label, the 3 releases so far have showcased the powerful electronic sound of Fergie's sets with an additional remix putting a different slant on things. Excentric Muzik began life with the Fergie and Gregor Tresher remixes of Salt City Orchestra's The Book. The remixes were an update of the original bookin da beats dub from the early 90s and features alongside the updated versions.
This was followed up by El Capitano with a Spektre remix and The Larne Express will be the third release, with a Bigger Than Jesus remix. A compilation penned for late 2007 will be packed with exclusive remixes including one from Phil Kieran as well as some completely new material from Fergie. A collaboration in Frankfurt with Gregor Tresher on a track entitled 'Worms', another with King Unique aka Kupon, and some studio time with Silicon Soul all promise further gems.
In October 2007, Craft Music will release Shifty, Up & Over and Snapper. This 3 track EP looks set to show just how far Fergie has come this year. The last 12 months have seen Fergie planting the Excentric seed and the next 12 will hope to see this grow and evolve. His recent appearance at the Loch Lommond festival in the Carl Cox & Friends tent was an exciting glimpse of the future so make sure you are a part of it at an Excentric night near you.
He has become a global representative for electronic music by consistently breaking down underground barriers and bringing new music to the people, without compromise. He has never forgotten that it's still just a disco, a place where people are trying to escape the realities of urban life each and every weekend. A proven forward thinker, a trend setter not a band wagon jumper, Fergie has become a master of evolving his sound to keep one step ahead of the rest. Constantly developing and never standing still ...... for Fergie this is a way of life.
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