Marc Vedo

Marc Vedo’s profile has reached unprecedented levels in years gone by with everyone from CNN and E! News to The New York Times and The Guardian newspaper giving coverage on his profile.

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The Top 100 DJs 2010 Awards Party at Ministry of Sound in London saw Marc Vedo listed Best Breakthrough DJ for 2010. The evening, where Marc Vedo mixed alongside Boy George, was so successful that the heads of DJ Mag requested Marc, alongside George, mix the magazine's Christmas covermount CD (Dec. 2010). The B2B mix was used as a spring board for the pair's new label VG Records. On the other side of Europe, Marc Vedo was also requested to be the cover feature artist and cover mount mixer for Greece’s #1 dance publication Freeze (Dec. 2010).

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Having played at many of the worlds leading club brands from Godskitchen and Ministry of Sound to UK festivals such as Homeland’s and Escape in the Park, some have said Marc Vedo (only 26) has the complete package and the makings of a modern day superstar DJ.

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Marc Vedo will headline an evening at Club Midi in Cluj-Napoca, Romania (DJ Mag's 25^th Best Club to be in 2011) along with pop icon Boy Gorge on November 25^th, 2011.

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RiCo for CZB: You've just recently lost your flight back to Birmingham from Istanbul, having to fly to London and get to your car parked in Birmingham to get it home to Bristol ... how much did the three hour flight take in the end for you to get home?

Marc Vedo (Koolwaters, VG Records): I actually had a nightmare of a journey home, instead of taking 3 hours it took from 11.30am Sunday until 5am on Monday morning before I finally arrived home. I wasn't even late arriving at the airport, I was so tired from a long weekend of shows that I got the departure time wrong so was sitting in the business lounge, oblivious to my flight leaving!!!! I was at the gate 3 minutes after it closed so I ended up having 20 hours of traveling....

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CZB: What was the reason you moved to London after growing up in Portugal and what do you miss most about Portugal?

Marc Vedo: I moved to London because I was always keen to come back to the country I was born in and my mother was from. I am really proud of being Portuguese and having my roots in Portugal (my father is Portuguese), I grew up in Portugal but I am also really proud of being half English and the opportunities are better in the UK for music so that was the main reason for moving over.

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CZB: You wanted to be an airplane pilot. What happened to that dream and how did you get involved in music?

Marc Vedo: I applied for a scholarship to join the Royal Air Force but got rejected so I decided to pursue a new career, which was music. I fly about 4 times a week now anyway so I kind of get to do what I wanted, but with the added advantage of playing music as well :)

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CZB: How did you decide to start Koolwaters? Are you getting ready for the 11^th Birthday compilation?

Marc Vedo: I decided to set up Koolwaters so that I could book some of the biggest DJs in the world and create my own brand, plus it also got me to play on the same line-up as some iconic names from electronic music, ranging from Techno to House. It was a great way for me to create exposure and awareness as a young budding DJ in the industry. I had only just started DJing back then so promoting my own events brought the attention of various magazines and agencies, essentially this kick started my career. 11 years on, I DJ all over the world and Koolwaters releases regular CD compilations, we work with everyone from Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Pete Tong, as well as manage one of the biggest artists in the world, Boy George. It's an incredible journey, something I always imagined would happen but when you first start, you're never sure if you're going to make it or not...

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CZB: Why did you decide to move to Bristol?

Marc Vedo: I moved to Bristol because I went to school around this area when I was 14 years old and the southwest of England has a great vibe. My English side of the family are also from Bristol and I was born just down the road in Devon. I live right by the sea, have access to all the major airports, fairly close to all major cities and live in a city famous for its atmosphere and great music.

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CZB: How did you first meet Boy George and how did the relationship turn into a record label collaboration?

Marc Vedo: I met Boy George many years ago, I used to book him to play at my events when I first started promoting shows nearly 11 years ago and we have been great friends ever since. We started touring the world about 6 years ago and the relationship has continued to grow. I now manage his DJ career, we are in business together and run VG Records together, we are also studio partners, producing dozens of tracks together. We now DJ all over the world together every week as a double act, so we pretty much spend all our time together either on a plane or in the studio. My wife calls him, wife N2! lol

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CZB: Are you currently involved both on VG Records and Koolwaters and how do the two labels differ regarding genres and scouting for artists?

Marc Vedo: I own both labels, as well as A&R for both of them. VG Records is much more about big room house tracks, with various remixes of the original to make it an interesting package. George and I co-produce tracks together and then release them on our label. I also spend much of my time finding new artists to remix our tracks. The Koolwaters Label is more of an underground house label, without so many vocals. We are also now concentrating heavily on our Compilation market as Koolwaters Label. The latest Koolwaters 365 Compilation has been a huge success so we are looking to branch out further into the CD market and take this into the labels, main priority. I am basically always busy, I never stop :)

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CZB: Michael Jackson had a huge input on dance music. How did his untimely death affect you?

Marc Vedo: I was sad but not surprised. The man was a troubled soul and it was only a matter of time before something went wrong- AGAIN! It's an incredible the legacy he's left behind, so many amazing tracks. I used to listen to his music when I was young kid and still love his stuff. He had a huge influence on me musically. There was a certain groove and vibe to his music that had real character and it was impossible not to move your body to his beat. They do say that being a genius is only one step away from madness.

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CZB: How did it feel to get to the point where you were being plugged by Pete Tong and Tiësto – or being asked to remix George Michael’s forthcoming record?

Marc Vedo: It's really surreal to be honest. I still get very excited about everything I do, releasing new tracks, working in the office sorting out events, remixing people's music and playing out in clubs and at festivals is amazing. I have worked really hard to get where I am, so it's great to get the appreciation from other major artists and be asked to remix or collaborate with them. I never take anything for granted, I am always looking to progress as an artist and move my sound forward. I think that is why I am a workaholic....

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CZB: You were voted DJ Mag's 2010 Best Breakthrough DJ. Would you like to keep your music in tune with both mainstream and underground crowds or is this an impossible idea?

Marc Vedo: I think this is a possible concept but there is a very fine line to making this happen successfully. I want people to understand that I like various styles of electronic house music. I always try and produce underground tracks, but some of them might have a more commercial edge to them. The line between commercial house music and underground music has shrunk so you never know, something you make purely for the clubs, could end up being a huge commercial success. Take Benni Bennassi's Satisfaction: he told me once that he made the track as a Techno track, purely for the clubs and it ended up being his biggest track ever, launching his career as a worldwide super star. The same thing goes for Eric Pryds, Fedde Le Grant and many more. David Guetta is different, he has created his own style and his collaborations with some of the biggest artists in the world make him unique. I personally think he is great for the industry, although I know many people disagree with me. You have to respect how hard he has worked and how he has become the biggest DJ in the world, as well as one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

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CZB: You gigged for 5,000 people at the 2006 New Years Eve Party in Mombassa (Kenya), you mixed for 900,000 people at the 10^th annual 2011 Zurich Street Parade ... I am sure you aimed at being successful from the start but what is the feeling you have now that you have accomplished this and what is it that you will be striving for in the next decade?

Marc Vedo: I have always dreamed of playing the biggest events week in, week out, around the world so it's amazing to finally have reached a stage in my career where I regularly play many of the biggest events, but this is only a fraction of the events I want to be playing at. I still want to improve from where I am now, my ambition is to become one of the biggest DJs in the world, so there is so much hard work to be done. I always wanted to have a successful club brand like Ministry of Sound so I am working all the time in developing Koolwaters as a globally recognized music brand. I would love to break the commercial market with my music, have a N1 track worldwide but still continue producing my underground sound. I love working with big artists like George Michael so this is something I would love to continue doing in the future. There is so much to do - still I feel like I need another 20 years before I reach my goals......

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CZB: What do you consider to be a vital track for 2011?

Marc Vedo: That's a really tough question to answer???? Anything by David Penn is usually outstanding and this year I have played lots of his productions... one of the tracks I have constantly played all year round has been by the Italian duo, Supernova and track title is Beat me Back. It's so simple but works on all dancefloors!

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A CZB Exclusive Interview taken by RiCo

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Our sincere thanks going out to Club Midi - Ben Crew and Marc Vedo for the e-mail interview we received on 15.NOV.2011.

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Tourdates

MIDI Club, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
25th Nov 2011
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Club Amadeus, Northallerton, UK
26th Nov 2011
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Setai, Bergamo, Italy
16th Dec 2011
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Saxtys, Hereford, UK
31 Dec 2011
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Vanity Cruise, Royal Carribean, Brazil
30 March 2012

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www.facebook.com/marcvedofanpage

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www.facebook.com/vgrecords

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www.myspace.com/marcvedo

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Marc Vedo’s recent club classic track Escada has been chosen and licenced for inclusion on no less than 15 different dance compilations this summer, with more being added to list list week by week.

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Boy George. The CZB INTERVIEW

http://czb.ro/articol/2488/

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