Max HeyraudWe spoke to Sunil Sharpe ahead of his all-night-long set at Wigwam with Subject this Saturday.
The Earwiggle boss candidly shares his approach to extended sets, referencing performances at Berghain, Tresor, and Bassiani, as well as legendary sets closer to home at District 8 and Tengu. He also offers insight into the thought process behind creating some previously legendary dancefloor moments.
To many, Sunil Sharpe holds the title of the greatest Irish DJ of all time, and while that may be contested, his CV speaks for itself. Sharpe has graced Berghain, Fabric, Concrete, Sub Club, Glastonbury Festival, and many more, while also delivering multiple Boiler Room sets, many of which have since earned “legendary” status. His 2020 Art of DJing feature with Resident Advisor, where he mixes four turntables without headphones, is enough alone to bat off any other contender for the title. B2B sets alongside Blawan, Ben UFO, Jerome Hill, Hector Oaks, and Tasha, to name just a few, further showcase his pedigree behind the decks. In many cases, for those DJs, it’s an opportunity to bring their A-game, because if you’ve ever seen the Dubliner in control of a club, you’ll know it’s about as intense as DJing gets.
Sharpe fully embodies the tenacity that Irish DJs are known for, favouring quick transitions and high-energy, often chaotic track selections over the long, stripped-back grooves typically associated with our European counterparts. While he acknowledges slight adaptations to longer blends when playing in certain venues, he has no interest in conforming to a style that isn’t his own. His ability to maintain poise and intensity for extended periods is all the more impressive given his fast-paced mixing approach and dedication to playing only records. Sunil’s ability to sustain his razor-sharp style for hours on end is like watching someone in the ring with a bull, constantly playing on the edge of a sword. He plays without fear of imperfections, straddling his weapons—a mixer and two or three turntables—like a man in battle, maintaining full focus and ferocity throughout the duration of the set. And if you’re lucky enough to see it, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
We spoke to the Irish legend to revisit some iconic moments in Irish club culture and hear his thoughts on extended sets.
Let’s start with your most recent all-night-long set at Tengu. A notable track from the end of the set was a jungle number from Slave To Society. Does that bring back any memories? It’s also a somewhat rare jungle selection for you. What’s your thought process when packing that into the bag? Did you have it set in stone as the closer, or was it something you included just in case the night took that direction?
Well, I’m always excited by new music that is strong enough to be a set closer. The Slave To Society stuff is chaotic, and straddles a few sounds, including jungle and drum n’ bass. I love his intensity and approach to music-making, and if I can find a way to fit his stuff into sets, I will. With Tengu, I guess I’m mindful of how more attuned it is to bass music and faster styles like drum n’ bass versus other Dublin clubs, so it seemed like a natural place to play. With d’n’b or jungle, I occasionally play it near the end of sets, although it was something I was doing more some years ago. I need to get my collection a bit more organised at home, to more consciously pluck certain records of styles like this out. Then I might start playing more of it again. This is a part of collecting where I can honestly say digital excels. Finding things quickly and in one place!
Another memorable closing track from one of your all-night-long sets at The Tivoli Theatre (under District 8 at the time) was Fischerspooner’s Emerge, I believe it was the Dave Clarke remix, if I’m correct. A legendary track by all accounts. Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted to finish with in the lead-up to the night? Those District 8 extended sets were always a bit of a landmark in the calendar, how does the selection process unfold for these significant shows?
I think a video online labelled it as the Dave Clarke remix, but it was the original. It was the second encore that night, so there was no definite plan to play it. With those types of gigs, I like to give myself some choices and decide closer to the time what will come last. Sometimes the tracks I want to finish on kind of find me, in that I accidentally come across them before a gig, while other times I have something in my head that I want to play which I then need to find. That night at the Tivoli, I mostly wanted to ramp the speed and intensity up at the end, to something really ridiculous that wasn’t really being heard in clubs here then, which is why I ended up on gabber before that. Sometimes things can get so over the top that people are openly smiling and wondering what’s going on. I love those moments that are both disorientating and liberating for the crowd. I think that’s one of the rewarding parts of the end of the night, you have an extra licence to play whatever you need to, but that may not necessarily be something you’d play earlier in the set.
In the case of “Emerge”, it was something I wanted a new generation to hear. I remember my mind being blown when I first heard it. That time it was Giles Armstrong in the Temple Bar Music Centre (now Button Factory) when it came out on Gigolos. I think some tracks develop strong relationships with certain cities, then they disappear as a scene or community fades out. I like reintroducing tracks like this sometimes, especially knowing that it could be the first time a new crowd will be hearing it. I’m also thinking of the older ones too who may know it from the first time around.
Staying with District 8 and closing tracks—this time, not an all-night-long set, but a key moment at the venue’s closing night—Visions Of Shiva – Perfect Day. That track has since become iconic for a new generation because of that moment. A lot of thought must have gone into that selection. Can you tell me about the back-and-forth you had with yourself while choosing the perfect track to close such a historic space?
I played it mostly by chance, I was literally walking out the door when the cover kind of looked at me. So I thought “Yeah, sure why not? You never know”. I try to trust my instincts in those cases. Sometimes your bag is stuffed to the gills, but a record is almost shouting at you to bring it. When that happens you can’t risk not taking it.
I’d say more thought went into the rest of the selection, especially near the end. For me, there were some other very distinctly Dublin tracks of old in there, including probably my favourite Sound Crowd track, which they did as Secret Weapon. It never got a full pressing back in the day but they did a Sound Crowd anniversary 12” in 2017, with it on it. No better night to play it really.
On the same night, the track that played just before—Traveling Wilburys – End Of The Line—was the curveball to end all curveballs. Can I pick your brain about that selection?
I wanted to play something that added a commentary to the moment, that focused on the end of something in a more uplifting or feel-good way. I’m sure some people were probably a bit confused hearing it but I don’t mind that. A fair few in the room clapped along to it to be fair, so respect to those who got into the moment! I was thinking especially of the people that would appreciate it, or who like the Traveling Wilburys. I know Martin Smyth is a Bob Dylan fan, which I kind of had in mind also. For him, Fernando, Ro and the others behind D8, it was a bittersweet night having to give up the venue after all that they did with it.
I’m happy that we in the club scene were the ones to blow out the candle on it considering all the history that the place had. There were generations before us, like my gran, who called it The Tivo and would’ve gone to the pictures there, so it had many lives. Something that people might not have seen on screen was a photo collage of the Tivoli over the years, thanks to Kev Freeney. We went back and forth during the week of the gig with ideas and images, and I’m quite satisfied that we did right by the place. I remember randomly seeing Joe Duffy on TV one night a month or two before, just casually mentioning that the Tivoli was soon closing and that the panto would have to find another home. As if it was nothing. Maybe you care less about these things as you get older, but I don’t know, I think our community tends to feel the loss of spaces we have more than most.
Let’s shift gears a bit. Bassiani is another space where you frequently play extended sets. In an interview, you mentioned often bringing two record bags for these long stints. When selecting such lengthy sets, how do you approach your choices? Are you trying to cover all bases and ensure enough variation, or what’s your train of thought?
Yeah the first time I think I had two bigger bags as I thought I was just playing for five hours, but I’ve been bringing more since then. In Bassiani it’s the law that a closing DJ plays until whatever time they want to, so at about 9 am on the first morning I was there, I was told I could keep going. So I finished about midday. I think for those types of sets I’m thinking especially of the later hours and what I’ll use to reduce the intensity and take it into other places. I’m aware of giving people breathers and deepening the vibe too. The room lends itself well to atmospheric sounds, so you kind of have that in mind beforehand too. That said, everything sounds good in there, and the crowd is very open-minded. If you feel like bringing them on a journey, they are very giving in return. In many ways, the scene is still young there and maybe a bit more receptive to different sounds as a result.
Berghain and Tresor are other notable spaces where you play extended sets, often lasting four to five hours—the typical duration of an Irish club night. How does that affect your preparation? Do you tailor your selections to align with the distinctive sound and history of these institutions, or is it business as usual when packing the bag?
Good question. My first time in Berghain was maybe my longest set at the time, like three and a half or four hours, so it felt like a big deal. You’re sort of going into the championship rounds with a set that long! I really wanted to just be myself and not play what DJs felt was expected of them when they were playing there. I played fairly across the board, and quite a few tracks I’d associate with old Berlin like from Cristian Vogel, DJ Rush, UR etc, but also the likes of Ancient Methods. I probably played a bit of new boomy techno of the time like SP-X, Skudge, Truncate and stuff like that, which would’ve worked well in that room. But yeah, it was across the spectrum of techno, electro, Chicago, acid, ravey stuff and so on. That was a bit of a wild time, a lot of Irish showed up and the rowdiness seemed to rub off on the Italian crowd too especially. People often talk about how good the crowd in Ireland is, but they don’t talk enough about how good the Irish crowd is in other countries. It’s like Irish sports fans, we travel well and spread our energy. It can become quite infectious.
Surgeon gave me good advice beforehand to say that longer mixes work very effectively there. He knows I’m generally in a bit of a rush when I play but told me about the benefit of longer blends in there. That’s the thing with that room, there are almost ghost frequencies that just appear in the sound and the journey of playing can be extra absorbing as a result. Knowing that about a room can definitely inform what I’ll bring. With Tresor, where I have played a lot more, I am also mindful of adjacent sounds to the club’s history. For instance, I might play a Gary Martin or Kelli Hand or a Subhead track there, and it sounds so raw but also very precise. Smaller clubs with good systems can be a bit more forgiving to older tracks too I feel. There are many older tracks that you’ll play on big systems today that struggle to be felt, the bass definition doesn’t translate.
Anyway, to any DJ playing in a well-known club who might feel nervous or intimidated. Try to reverse that energy. You weren’t invited for no reason. You have your own story that’s also very relevant. Be the authority, be the intimidator.
Fast-forwarding to your forthcoming all-night-long with Subject at Wigwam, a basement club with a more intimate feel than District 8, are you selecting records that pack a punch in close quarters, or is it once again business as usual?
I’m still working that one out! I tend to prepare for these things much closer to the time than I used to in the past, but yes, a “low ceiling and sweat” set does tend to give me different ideas for what I might play. Let’s see!
You can purchase tickets to Sunil Sharpe All-Night-Long at Wigwam this Saturday here.
Photo Credits: Daniel Rrell
