"fabric was my first 'real' clubbing epiphany" Introducing George Fitzgerald

Upon speaking with George FitzGerald about his recent goings on the notion of transitions seems to ring out; relocating from East London to Berlin, his stylistic change from 2 step to four four beat structures and then his move from our Room Two to One this coming weekend are all prime examples of this. Yet, there’s consistency in these changes in that FitzGerald is showing to an artist who is developing into a figure of prominence right now. Starting out, he instantly hit it off big with his debut productions released on Scuba's essential Hot Flush imprint which earned him an influx of support from press and artists alike and now has just announced news of his signing to big player Domino Records just three years on from that first release. It's really this summer that's seen him make a break for the big time, as well as the big label news the busy producer has been enjoying a densely packed run of dates in Ibiza in addition to the full festival run but we’re more than excited to welcome him back to his home territory this Saturday night where he’s set to join Craig Richards and Waze and Odyssey in Room One. It’s that full schedule that’s to blame in the late in the day publishing of this interview, but, better late than never as George is ever becoming a closer part of our family with his regular visits so it’s high time we get to have a proper chat with him on the blog. So George, considering the length of time you’ve been playing with us it seems weird we haven’t spoken yet. Over the last few years what has playing the club come to mean to you? Having grown up in/around North London, fabric was my first 'real' clubbing epiphany. I've only had two since - Berghain and Golden Pudel, so that's pretty good company. I remember being so blown away by it when I first came about 12 years ago. It means everything to be playing there as it's been such a fundamental part of what shaped my musical taste over the years. It feels like my hometown club, if that makes sense. You’re based over in Berlin now right? Is that where you see yourself staying what does it offer you over east London? I just wanted a change. London is my home and I'll be back eventually, but I needed a break. I used to work in Berlin as a translator so that made the transition much easier, no language barrier problems. The city is much more chilled and there's a wonderful infrastructure for DJs and musicians here. London is much more chaotic and cosmopolitan though, and I miss that. It's very inspiring if not quite tiring. How’s your summer been, have you been enjoying the full Ibiza experience? What’s your take on the place? Well obviously there's a mountain of terrible music out there that you have to wade through. But once you get a feel for things, it can be quite a magical place to be. Dc10, We Love, Zoo Project and a few others push really great music. I hope to go back there a lot without becoming an 'Ibiza DJ' - that would be terrible. Are you any closer to your first full album release? I'm about half-way done with the material. I'm still to decide definitively if it will be released as one album or a series of substantial EPs. I'm just focusing on the creative side right now though. How has the actual way you produce changed – have you been able to add and build on the content of your studio? I have a lot more hardware in my studio now but I try not to let it dominate my production process - that has remained largely intact since I started. I won't buy any hardware if it radically slows down my work flow. For me, it's all about letting the ideas flow, rather than obsessing over all-analog signal paths! Since you’ve been enjoying the busier and busier schedule with your building success, how has that impacted elsewhere like on your studio time and running Man Make Me? I initially ran the label pretty much alone and in parallel to the parties the other guys from the crew organised but Sam from Man Make Music is now heavily involved. That's been crucial because it's allowed us to grow and get busier release-wise whilst I've personally become busier. I'm so excited about how the label has developed in the past year, it feels like we're finally getting to where we wanted to be when we started out. What do you have in the works for the label in the coming months? More releases from our stable of artists - Laszlo Dancehall, Trikk, U, and Fold, plus some new material from Shenoda, and some completely new people who we've been developing over the past year or so. And for yourself? Album, album, album, album. Hopefully it won't destroy me!