Nuria Haering meets Cormac - one of the DJs behind the enduringly brilliant Sunday session Wetyourself.
Anything-goes electro party Wetyourself (WYS) celebrates its third birthday this Sunday at Fabric with an exclusive appearance from the uber-cool Miss Kittin. The onetime electroclash queen also inaugurated the night's residency at the London mega-club one year ago, but if you think that WYS has merely come full circle and there's nothing new in store, think again.
Cormac, one-third of the trio responsible for organising this weekly mayhem, was nice enough to meet me at The Breakfast Club in Hoxton Square to discuss the ethos behind the brand. The softly spoken Northern Irish DJ/promoter/producer is an incredibly warm character who articulated his passion for music in the most entrancing manner. I came away wanting to turn back the clock, discover clubbing for the first time and become a bedroom DJ on the side – which is precisely the effect that a party like WYS aims to have.
But if like most nine-to-fivers you can't hit up London's coolest Sunday session, fear not: this year there will be even more chances to catch WYS at different venues, and you can always count on their riotous Bank Holiday specials. Equally exciting is the opportunity to purchase releases on the soon-to-be-launched WYS Records.
Cormac revealed all this and more while sitting cool and poised under a life-sized Elvis cardboard cut-out. So it went:
Hi Cormac. How did the idea for WYS come about?
There are three of us behind it: me, Peter Pixzel and Jacob Husley. Peter and I knew each other and Peter knew Jacob. Jacob approached him about doing a night at the Aquarium in Old Street, Peter then talked to me and we decided to do it together. The London club scene is really special, with a strong intensity and some real characters. But we felt that there were parties where the scene overshadowed the music. We thought, wouldn't it be great if there was somewhere where once people have embraced the peacock side of themselves they can let their make-up slide off and have a really dirty, sweaty rave? That's how WYS kicked off.
Why make it a Sunday party?
My favourite nights in London are Wednesdays and Sundays. Wednesdays because it's that midweek feel and Sundays because, well, it's just always been less pretentious. All nights have real validity, to be sure, but there's pressure for Fridays and Saturdays to be this huge release… On a Sunday that pressure’s gone and it's more relaxed.
The times I've gone, WYS has had a very fun, inclusive vibe. Was this the aim?
Yes. Scenes can be ghettoised in London; people want to go where they feel safe. But we're open to everyone. Of course, this can shift. Sometimes we pull a more gay crowd, sometimes a more Euro crowd, sometimes a more industry crowd. We're not strictly one thing. We get club kids, fashion kids, art students… We love our crowd!
What about the music policy, in terms of genre and artists?
It always opens itself up. Genres are subjective and flimsy. We just like to think that we play shit-hot great music! If someone is doing what they do really well, it always translates. We work on a weekly basis with one room and we like to build a concept around one artist. We choose artists that all three of us are interested in and who have made an impact on us. We also think of who the crowd will love, because we try to stay connected to our crowd.
Who can we then expect to see on the decks at WYS this year?
We're going to have some of our favourites back: Miss Kittin, Ellen Allien, DJ Hell, Martinez, Chris Liebing, Marcel Dettman, Ben Klock… And some new people as well which we want to keep a surprise!
Speaking of Miss Kittin, she plays on Sunday for the night's third birthday…
Yes, she's a really incredible and unique artist. There's more of a concept this year, as it's the London debut of Republique of Kittin. Normally it's her and a DJ of her choice performing back-to-back but for WYS it will be her for an hour, then a resident for an hour, then her, and so on. We'll be on the stage rather than in the DJ booth, so it will be more visual and in-your-face. Plus Kittin's designs will be used throughout the club. We're over the moon to showcase this!
Besides the weekly party, are there plans to keep exporting the brand?
This past year was more about growing roots in our new home, although we did do a few things to test the waters, such as the Distortion Festival in Copenhaguen. This year, though, we might branch out more. We're going to Southampton this weekend, for example. Oh, and we’re launching our record label at the end of March. We want to showcase our sound and work with the artists who have sampled the club. We want to give everyone the WYS experience!
What about your own productions – any releases coming up?
Yes! I'm releasing my first EP in March on MEMO, a sub-label of Ellen Allien’s Bpitch Control. It's called Merlin and consists of two tracks on the 12", three digitally. The title track is a collaboration with Deepgroove and can be described as late-night moody vocal techno. There’s a remix by Thomas Muller which has blown me away. This release is a dream come true for me.
Finally, Cormac, what’s your take on London clubbing at the moment?
In my twelve years here I've seen a lot happen. There was a lot of dissatisfaction the last couple years and a lot of people left, leading to a lull. But we're at the start of an ascent now – over the next five years clubbing will really come back. I love places like Berlin, but as far as the industry goes, it's very saturated. Peter, Jacob and I are happy in London. There will always be a demand for big venues where you can let loose and where the focus is on the music. That's what WYS is about!
Thank you, Cormac. Hope Sunday is a blast!
WYS's third birthday special with Miss Kittin is this Sunday from 11pm to 6am at Fabric. You can buy tickets here.
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