Welcome to the very first instalment of HOT FIZZ. A brand spanking new series in which we here at Givafizz HQ will be tracking down & showcasing some of the hottest emerging talent in house & disco.

To launch this series, we are delighted to bring you SION, real name Sion Elliott. The boy has been making some series waves in the House music scene over the last six months. He has had a string of releases on Independent labels including Nasty Funk and Sleazy Deep, but it wasn’t long before he got snapped up by Chase & Status’ label MTA Records, shortly after Solomun opened his Mixmag Live set with one of SION’s tracks – ‘Make You Do’.

Since then, things have been full steam ahead, with a series of free downloads in the build up to the release, a whole host of gigs lined up across Europe, including Ibiza, and a string of festivals appearances arranged for the summer, SION is well & truly tipped to become one of the hottest artists of 2013.

And yes, we are delighted to be one of the first to catch up with SION, and find out more from the boy who’s records will surely be rocking dancefloors all over Europe this year. Let the HOT FIZZ games begin!!

So let’s put all the hype to one side for a second and find out about your musical influences growing up. You were born & bred in North Wales, what music did you listen to back then? Anyone or anything that has influenced you along the way? 

I’ve been there done that, listened to loads of stuff growing up but one thing that has always been consistent from the beginning was a fixation on a tracks groove and production quality no matter what the genre it belonged to. One of my earliest musical memories was my dad blaring out Dire Straights’ ‘Money For Nothing’ and fell completely in love with its ace guitar hook and big drum sounds.

Tell us about your musical background. When did you decide that producing music was for you? And a little bit about the early stages of development? 

I’ve always had an interest in making my own music. By the age of 17 I’d taken up the guitar, piano, bass and even managed to get grade 8 on the drums. After taking up Music Technology GCSE at school I’d have to record tracks encompassing a full band and always ended up playing every part myself but was never too good at getting it sounding right.

The day I found out about midi was intense because I was hooked from that moment on. It was much easier! Trial and error followed and its just been years of practice ever since. I’m still trying to figure things out, even my setup is just a pair of old dell speakers on top of pint glasses and a 25 key keyboard. I’m doing most of the work in my room uni halls at the moment so I’m keeping it basic (and as quiet as possible-ish).

As new genres start to emerge, many producers follow, all trying to get noticed. Our inbox for example is awash with new & upcoming producers – some hot, some not so hot! How did you go about getting noticed?

There are a few key things I think that will always get you on the right path. I’ve always believed in saying that if the track is good enough someone will pick it up. At the moment there’s too many people that put more effort into promoting themselves than putting effort into getting better which is a shame. It’s the music that will do the talking mostly if your starting out but it helps to be as professional as possible and not a pest!

Following on from the previous question, what do you think has made your productions stand out from the crowd? Could you attempt to describe your own sound?

I’m an avid fan of vocals in my work, something that has held me back recently as stuff signed with MTA is going to attract the suits that nose pick about copyright issues. We’ve even had to re-records the vocals for ‘Make You Do’ with takura to bypass this. Along side my vocals I’ve always got to have some heavy bass line somewhere! I take so much influence from the likes of Amine Edge and Kolombo but also love the sounds of Maceo Plex and Todd Terje so the results are always mixed in my opinion. Some people are calling it this ‘G-house’ movement but I’m jut not into all this flashy ‘always f**k with my gun’ mentality. I’m sure some people know what I’m talking about!

Whilst you had some very nice releases on Sleazy Deep & Nasty Funk, everything seems to be happening very fast for you now that you’ve signed to MTA Records. How did this relationship come about? 

Well, I submitted ‘Make You Do’ to them as a promo after Solomun played at Mixmag live. The whole thing kind of reminded me of when he was smashing Ben Pearce’s ‘What I Might Do’ way before its release, then MTA picked it up. I’d made the track a while back and not really thought much to it but it grew on me. In fact, I’ve got no idea how Solomun got hold of it as I only gave it to Kolombo and he swears he didn’t share it! Haha. The whole team at the label loved it and from then on Will & Saul (Chase & Status) have been mega supportive and really keen on all the new material I’ve sent them since.

Going back to the hype, you’ve been getting lots of support from the likes of Annie Mac & Solomon. Which I’m sure is really exciting for you! If you don’t mind us asking, how have you coped with being propelled into the spotlight so quickly? I’m sure you’re both nervous & excited about the times ahead?

At the moment I’m just enjoying meeting all these new people and traveling here, there and everywhere. It’s a blessing to be part of such supportive teams from MTA right through to Kumasi music and my manager Tim who are all on hand to sort out the issues. I’m super excited to finally be able to share my music out in my live sets but its really put pressure that I’ve never had before in areas like track selection and mixing. I’ve only used CD’s maybe 20 – 25 times to date, I don’t have any to practice but I do all right for myself!

The first time I heard your music, was when Solomon opened his set with your “Make You Do” track. It was another one of those “OMFG, what the hell is that tune” moments! So tell us about how this track came about / influences that went into producing it? And is there an expected release date – don’t have us waiting too long ;-)

It seems so long ago now and I’ve really no idea how that track came about! I think it was a Friday night and I’d just bought a crate of becks and decided to make a track. It usually happens really quickly and I think I started and finished that in the same night. Its been a while coming but I’ve got a date through for the end of July with some wicked remixes from Kreature & Kolombo.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You’ve been booked for a whole host of nights & festivals this year. What can we expect from a SION set? Any nights or festivals you are most looking forward to playing? 

I’ve always been a fan of playing very vocal driven party music, non of this nu-disco slow stuff that I think has just about had its day. I usually get a little too carried away with everything! I remember playing my first gig for Kumasi at their be@tv takeover in Shoreditch, defiantly had too much to drink and was going mental in front of 40,000 people online. Anyway it went off a little too much and the camera fell off missing 10 minutes of the set and the part where I downed some straight whisky before a drop that someone from the crowd bought me. I guess you had to be there but it was mental and I think there is a clip up on youtube somewhere…

I’m super excited to be traveling to Croatia to play a few sets at Love system in a few weeks and then straight back to the uk for a number of club nights and returning to home soil for gottwood festival in wales around end of june!

 What 5 tracks are doing it for you right now (you can’t say your own!!)

1. Studio R Feat Capitol A  – A And R (Llorca Remix)
2. Electricano – Roc-a-Fella (Original Mix)
3. Renato Cohen – Suddenly Funk
4. Marlon Hoffstadt & Dansson – Shake That (Original Mix)
5. SION – Make You Do [Kolombo Remix]

I’m allowed that one, right? ;)

Finally, Givafizz has just invented a time machine and we’re going to fast forward 10 years. Where will SION be then?! ;-) 

Returning to the slopes of aspen, eating and drinking too much whilst defiantly still making music. Possibly a beard too

 Thanks a lot Sion, good luck for 2013 ;-)

Big upssssss!

Hope you enjoyed our first HOT FIZZ feature. If you like what SION has going on, well then head on over to his soundcloud where there is plenty more action to wrap your ears around. And as he builds up to the ‘What I Do’ release later this year, he is putting out some sexy tracks for free download. Get involved!