Just over a year since his last visit, Steve Gerrard is back in Australia for his second national tour, taking on Sweetchilli this coming Saturday 27 November. It's been a busy 12 months for Steve, culminating with the release of his debut mix cd "Thinking Out Loud" and that's not been the only highlight.

Having won Musik Magazine's Bedroom Bedlam competition in 1998 and later that year going on to win the coveted title of Best Bedroom Bedlam DJ, Steve was invited by John Digweed to join the Bedrock roster. Steve has been a mainstay at Bedrock ever since and Digweed only has good things to say about the man some would call his protégé, stating that "Steve always rocks it at Bedrock" and when asked about Steve's "Thinking Out Loud" release, John Digweed had this to say about the album, "Steve Gerrard's reputation as a great DJ is increasing year on year. This mix shows exactly why, with a cool mix of house and breaks".

Steve himself is in no doubt of the influence Digweed has had on his career saying "He's had a massive influence, and I'm a lucky bastard for having met him. He's invited me to record 3 mixes for his radio show, made me resident at his club and taken me on tour with him. He even called me on my birthday and sang Happy Birthday to me. Considering he's one of the first DJs to turn me onto electronic music, it's a pretty amazing thing and I'm truly grateful." Having being invited to join John on a seven date Bedrock tour of the UK in April/May of this year, it's no wonder then that Steve says that along with the release of his cd, that has been his other major highlight of the year.

And what of Steve's other fans? His CD is certainly in high demand. So much so that a friend of mine struggled to find one in the UK. They had all sold out. I asked Steve about this and how he felt the CD had been received, Steve said "Well, we've just had another repressing of the CD due to demand so that's gotta be good. I haven't seen a bad review yet but I'm not looking for one either! The CD is still not released in some countries but hopefully it should be available most places. People have been ordering it from Amazon.co.uk and having it shipped abroad."

I've not see a bad review either and having listened to the CD, this guy is definitely at the top of his game. The CD was recorded in one go, without post editing. Steve confirmed "I did indeed record it live and in one take but that was purely because I think people should get to hear me as a DJ, not just as someone who chooses tunes and then has them stitched together by a computer. Sometimes using additional software is fine, as it's the final listening experience that's the main thing, but for my first CD I wanted the listener to be able to listen to how I use the records as well as enjoying the music. It's not flawless but I think it has more of a dynamic to the mix because you can tell it was done live". In an age when 99% of CD releases are done digitally, that is definitely commendable and pretty bloody amazing considering the quality!

The CD features tracks from some of Steve's favourite producers. I asked who was really doing it for him on the production front. Steve says "Matthew's (Dekay) still up there but there's a ton of new talent breaking through now. People like Subsky,Dousk and Shiloh keep me excited about music. Every month there's a new talent that has me begging for more of their music." Steve's own productions also feature on the CD including "Back to Babylon" which has just been released on Electrofly and Steve says is receiving great reviews.

Wrecked Angle, that is Steve's production pseudonym along with studio partner Russell Pearce, also have a remix due on due on Release Records shortly and called "Girl Nobody", we certainly look forward to that. It is a shame then that when asked how much time he spends in the studio Steve reply's "Not much. Russell and I struggle to find time when we can both get into the studio together so recently we've not managed much on the production front. It's mostly my fault really cos I'm away a lot, but hopefully we'll get back on the case soon enough."

Steve kicks off his tour with a gig in Canberra and then on to Sydney's Sweetchilli, he may extend his stay in Sydney to catch up with pal John Digweed for his one off gig. When asked what Sydney siders should expect from his set he wouldn't give too much away, "I guess I'd probably use words like funky, melodic, deep and dynamic to describe the elements that I would hope make my set work. It's quite varied but all the music I play would have those qualities I think. Add a few shots of Jack Daniels and we should be on for a good night..." And that i'm certain we will.