Sunil Sharpe
DJ | Producer | Label Boss
‘So what’s gonna happen is, Blawan is here, I’ve got my records and we’re just going to get on with it. Let’s see what happens from here on in.’ This was what Sunil Sharpe told the crowd at Life when British Airways forgot to load in Karenn's gear for their slot at the festival back in 2013. Subsequently, Sunil stepped in last minute for a B2B with one half of the duo, Blawan, who managed to get to Westmeath in one piece. It was a last-minute and on-the-spot decision, something which Sunil has done on more than one occasion.
The Irish DJ, producer, teacher and head of the Earwiggle imprint has been DJing for over 20 years and has enjoyed plenty of moments going to plan while others have not. Despite facing the challenges of dodgy needles during live-streamed Boiler Rooms, cancelled flights, misplaced record bags and a whole load of unpredicted problems along the way, Sunil just gets on with it. Chaos suits him, and the same could be said for the sound of his record collection.
Vinyl is his format of choice. Sunil's assortment includes barrelling techno, wonky electro, acid, trance, happy hardcore - if the time is right - and old-school bangers, all of which have ricochetted off the walls of Berghain, Tresor, District 8, Corsica Studios and Warehouse Elementenstraat to name a few. Over on the Earwiggle label, Sunil has released productions by Freddy Fresh, DeFeKT, Swarm Intelligence, I Hate Models and Imogen into the wild, as well as his crafting own productions for BPitch, Blocaus, Analogue and more.
In the last decade, Sunil’s name has cropped up above the haze of underground clubs and appeared in mainstream Irish media. As a spokesperson and one of the main driving forces behind Give Us The Night, Sunil heads up the campaign which challenges age-old venue licensing laws in Ireland. With a focus on Dublin in recent years due to the rapid decline in spaces for nightlife, Sunil has continued to be active on the platform over the last few months, even though all Irish clubs have remained closed.
Sunil also teaches in Ireland’s only DJ Techniques and Music Production course, which changed up its approach once the pandemic hit in March. This is something Sunil has had to adapt to swiftly, along with other issues brought on by Covid-19 but considering Sunil’s ability to keep going no matter what, he has found some elements of this year quite manageable.
Sharing a memory from his base of Dublin, Sunil also talks about what it’s like to teach online, what has changed for him since March, the latest happenings with the Give Us The Night campaign & more…
Where was this photo taken and how does it relate to music for you?
This was taken in Temple Bar in Dublin on October 25th 2009. Was the Sunday of the first weekend of DEAF (Dublin Electronic Arts Festival). It was the last ever DEAF after almost ten years. I was the club programmer of the festival that year and put on a gig of my own that night too. It was the first gig under the name of Earwiggle, from before I started the label. So, in this shot obviously is Surgeon (he played in the basement of Kennedys the night before), Ancient Methods when they were a duo of Michael and Conrad, and a friend Jack who used to help with Earwiggle things in the early days. That night Planetary Assault Systems live, Ancient Methods live, Rory St John live, Giles Armstrong and myself played in what was the old Andrew’s Lane Theatre, later to become Hangar.
For me this period in time was sort of like the beginning of a new era in techno. Luke Slater was on the comeback, Ancient Methods had been coming through and there was a lot of crossover between techno and fans who had been into dubstep/UK bass. I remember the reaction to certain tracks and records that night, the appetite for the music was palpable, also as if many people hadn’t been experiencing it much in that type of setting in Dublin. For me the best gigs have the old heads and the new crowd on the dancefloor. That night was one of those. We weren’t long into a recession at that point too actually. When our club scene eventually relaunches it’ll be the start of a new cycle and during a financial downturn too, a bit like it was then. We may be down some venues this time ‘round, but I’m hopeful that Dublin and Ireland can start to reach its true potential when we return.
How have you found this year? There has been a lot to adjust to…
Yeah it has been a bit weird, but on the other hand I live a bit like this anyway, so parts of this lockdown haven’t changed things for me too much. Actually the severe lockdown, where you weren’t allowed to travel beyond a few kilometres, I quite liked that over time. It made me examine more what my ‘local’ scene could look like if I only had access to local spaces and if we had to start more local events and gatherings. I tried to see the positives rather than focus too much on the negatives. It made me ask a certain question and one that I hope others may ask themselves in the future - how local can you go? Is a local scene the one in your nearest city or can it be more local than that? Can we make scenes more local again? That’s one of the challenges we may have in the future as city centres become more built up and lacking available space.
In terms of gigging and those kinds of things, it was definitely a very sudden stop, and disappointing to see so much get cancelled. I just hope venues can survive the hammering they have taken, and that over time our weekly scenes can become much healthier than they were.
As a spokesperson for the Give Us The Night campaign, what have you been working on as clubs remain shut at the moment? It is still quite unclear when they will re-open…
Quite a lot of things, but the frustrating part is that we can’t really try out our ideas yet. We’ve been constantly developing new plans and ideas. Unfortunately Ireland is a quite conservative country and it disregards most things relating to nightlife. I’d go as far as saying that music (especially that enjoyed by the young) is largely overlooked here. As a campaign we’re on a few city council committees and groups, and after a number of proposals to the government they recently set up a night-time economy Taskforce that we’re also on. So we’re in a lot of these conversations, but in terms of a return for clubs, serious talks of a return are still some way off. The general hope is the second half or last quarter of 2021. Let’s see.
You’ve resumed teaching at BIFE but this time it’s online. How have you tailored your ways of teaching to keep things engaging?
Well for each class it's half in the classroom and the other half online. It’s pretty annoying to be honest. We use Microsoft Teams. Sometimes it can get a bit glitchy, and just generally delay things. I've used it for meetings before but with so much remote teaching taking place from the college at once, I think it drains on the system a bit and it doesn't always perform. I’ve actually been encouraging students to leave their mics on in it as well. I don’t like the silence in Zoom or Teams; it’s too civilised and almost like you’re talking to yourself! You sometimes have to check if people are still there too.
Have been taking short 5-10 minute breaks to split up the class a bit more. It's a bit like DJing; you can tell if the crowd is tiring and if something has been going on for too long. When it comes to music industry things, or promotion etc. where we're going deep into conversation without it being a physical activity like DJing, it’s important to stop here and there. Also, keeping doors and windows open, everyone wearing masks, using hand sanitisers and keeping a distance, this is all standard in the classroom now. Let’s hope the changes in relation to Covid-19 won’t lead to a deterioration in learning or grades. I don’t think it will but we do have to be mindful of everything and how it may potentially impact. Personally I think there will be special bonds built this year between everyone in the class, including the teachers. We all know this situation is annoying but we’re getting through it together and discussing what will actually be possible in the coming months, especially in the closing part of the year which is when they tend to put on events, and play out. The events world is so uncertain now, and it makes ‘DJ life’ all the more interesting at least.
What would be your advice to both established and beginner DJs who might be feeling a bit lost at the moment? The ones starting out can't gain experience with club-based sets or perhaps do not have access to decks right now, and some of the more established artists could be feeling uninspired currently...any advice?
This pandemic has been an equaliser in that it has halted all DJs at once and brought them to the same level essentially. For those wanting to rise up the ladder when things start back, it provides a big opportunity. Similarly those with relatively little experience or new to the game may accelerate a lot quicker when this all starts up again, depending how driven they are. And that’s another thing, you might not feel inspired or driven right now, but that’s exactly how many others are feeling too. Inspiration can’t always just be there or suddenly come back because you hope it will. Sometimes longer breaks from music can be exactly what you need too, especially if you’ve been doing music for a while. Those rests can be like refuelling, and lead to you having a more laser focus in the long run. As long as your general desire is there, inspiration does return.
If you’re making club music and don’t feel so inspired, don’t worry. Clubs are shut and they naturally inspire club music; it’s no surprise that you could be lacking inspiration during this time. Also, it’s sometimes a bewildering experience in today’s music scene. It has become a lot more plastic overall, and lost some of the magic. I’d like to think we’ve maxed out on that by now though. It happened at the peak of the minimal scene too. Just concentrate on the talented people, the knowledge that’s out there and your craft. If you don’t feel productive or creative, then see what you might be able to learn in the meantime. On that note, the sharing of knowledge and educational content by DJs and producers during Covid has been a really positive development. I hope we see that continue.
Your feature The Art of DJing on RA was published during Dublin’s first hardcore lockdown. Have you found your desire to mix or dig through records has been affected since then or has your relationship with music stayed the same?
Yeah the interview itself was done in February, but as everything went into lockdown it wasn’t filmed until early May I think. Was kind of a strange occurrence; a feature like that is one of the main promotions you can have as a DJ, but it came as the whole industry and scene was shut down entirely! I haven’t done too much mixing or digging through records in this time. I've still been buying records but I haven't been looking to music for refuge or going through old stuff too much. I’m gonna be moving to a new place soon also, and a lot of my records are packed up at the moment. I think once the move is out of the way I can get set up properly again and finally get all of my records in the same room hopefully.
What has been a source of comfort for you throughout the year so far?
Probably getting more sleep than I used to! Enjoying dreams a bit more and getting more into them. In general having more free time around weekends has been enjoyable too. Of course I’ll look forward to being able to DJ again I’m sure, but I’m appreciating less of a rush at weekends for now. It’s a pity not being able to socialise too much though, given the restrictions that are still in place.
I think one of the nicest parts of this year has been enjoying nature more. I sometimes look at dogs or cats, birds, insects or wild animals, and am happy that Covid doesn’t really affect them too much, it goes over their heads. In some cases they’ve gained more freedom even. Then again with less restaurants or hospitality businesses open, many of them have to forage more for food. I really hate when I hear people laugh because they saw a seagull swallow a pigeon or stuff like that. Don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of those big seagulls, they’re characters, but I’m a bigger fan of pigeons. They’re like little ravers bobbing their heads back and forth, and they generally mind their own business and get on with things. Maybe that’s why I relate to them that bit more during this pandemic…
Listen to Sunil’s mix for Ravage here and follow him below: