At the end of this week, the ‘mighty’ Global Gathering is upon us once more.
A big noise in the Midlands, quite literally, most Birmingham DJs are clamouring for a set there. We caught up Godskitchen worldwide resident – Paul Thomas, and Gatecrasher resident – Kris Shaw, to ask what it was like popping their Global cherries.
Paul Thomas
“It was a great feeling,” says Thomas about his first Global Gathering in 2004, “I’d only started Djing for Godskitchen a few months before, so playing for club events was still very new to me.”
Now a Godskitchen worldwide resident, Paul Thomas has returned to “the king of festivals” every year since, as well as playing at Gatherings in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Poland.
“The whole experience was mind blowing,” recalls Thomas about his Stratford debut, “it was the first festival, and by far the biggest event, I’d ever played.”
Arriving on site “about 2 hours early, just to make sure”, Paul Thomas played the 2004 main stage alongside Paul Van Dyk, Armin Van Buuren and Fergie.
“The atmosphere was amazing,” says Thomas, “plus the weather so good I got sun burnt while DJing”. And afterwards, got to celebrate his birthday weekend with about 35,000 “crazy, knowledgeable, colourful, happy and loud” people.
“It would’ve been rude not to have stayed and enjoyed the Global Gathering hospitality,” admits Thomas. Quite, job done sir.
Paul Thomas plays the Toolroom Arena on Sat 28th July (his actual birthday), at Global Gathering 2012.
For more on Paul Thomas, visit www.djpaulthomas.com or follow him at www.twitter.com/djpaulthomas
Kris Shaw
Kris Shaw graced the Global Gathering decks “playing the VIP room last year”, as part of the Secret Party Project. But despite “playing last, so I was there well before my set”, Shaw arrived at Long Marston “in completely the wrong car park, and had to walk the full site to find the VIP area where I was playing”.
Well it’s not a dance festival first without getting lost in a sea of neon and fluff, as long as no one freaks out… “The guy running our room was the most frantic person there” tells Shaw, “I’m sure the bouncers tried to kick him out at one point.” 
Promoters privilege, as long as the punters were happy? “It was awesome” says Shaw, “I was playing in a wooden hut in a wooded area and it was full when I started my set.”
But how was playing to a room of VIP peers, “I was last, so had freedom to play whatever and try out some different tracks, and they went off. It was a great party”.
So you came, you saw, you conquered; what did you get up after the last record? “I finished, shook a few hands, gave out some CDs, grabbed a burger and went home as the party had finished”.
Ahhh, the jet set DJ lifestyle. So who’s your main contender to this year’s dance festie crown? “Well, as I’m from Birmingham I’m going with Global Gathering,” confirms Shaw, “I had an awesome time there last year.”
Kris Shaw is resident at Gatecrasher Birmingham, and half of Dache & Shaw.
For more on Kris Shaw, visit www.soundcloud.com/djkrisshaw or follow him at www.twitter.com/djkrisshaw
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Global Gathering 2012 takes place on Fri 27th & Sat 28th July, at Long Marston Airfield (near Stratford).
For full details & tickets, visit http://www.globalgathering.com/