[i:Vibes] So I Married A DJ - Part 3

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So I Married A DJ - Part 3 - Sara Whittaker-Gilbey

00:50 - May 24, 2004

by Andy P

So I Married A DJ returns with a special lady, who sings, produces and helps run a label called ChooChoo Recordings. If you don't know her name Sara Whittaker-Gilbey, chances are that you have heard the voice. She is best known for the Mara hit called "One", which was played by Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong, Nick Warren and others and was the first track on Nick Warren's Global Underground 011 - Budapest. She is one half of Mara with her husband, Barry Gilbey.

i:Vibes: How were you exposed to music growing up? When did you learn to sing?

A: My parents played some really varied stuff, from Mike Oldfield to Led Zeppelin and The Who to Tchaikovsky so I was really lucky to have lots of influences and to be brought up to think that anything I liked was good. I was never brought up to like one thing over another - anything went really. And I never learned to sing, it was just something I loved doing and have been lucky enough to have a go at doing it professionally.

i:Vibes: What were your favorite Groups Growing up?

A: Before I grew into a teenage nightmare I did love Led Zeppelin and 70's rock but then when the hormones hit I got into Adam Ant, Duran Duran and finally Frankie Goes to Hollywood before falling heavily into the rock side of things.

i:Vibes: Was singing, your first entry into the music business?

A: Nope, lead guitar in a rock band.

i:Vibes: What were the opportunities in the music business like before you met Barry?

A: None I was only 15 when we met!

i:Vibes: How did you meet Barry and decide to form Mara?

A: We met at school and it was another ten years before we thought about dance music. We'd been in the rock band together and drifted towards writing as Mara. Dance music seemed like an interesting diversion!

i:Vibes:Was Mara – One, really your first big hit?

A: Yeah I guess so, it was the track that made us more accessible to a wider audience. Because it was on the Nick Warren Global Underground CD, lots of people that had never heard of us before suddenly did and we were given an
opportunity to be heard by a wider circle.

i:Vibes: What made you guys want to start ChooChoo Records?, What’s going on with the label now? What is upcoming for release?

A: We'd been writing for a while and a few labels had been interested in what we were doing but they always wanted changes, so we decided to say 'screw it, we know it's right as it is, we'll do it ourselves' and that's pretty much what happened. Everyone seems to know about the journey to Ibiza where we gave away
loads of white labels but that in a nutshell is what happened. When we got home Kiss FM were using the B-side as the music for an advert and the A-side was a big hit with the Gatecrasher residents (back when the place was cool!). Over the past year we've felt the pinch like a lot of other people in the industry, we've had a few problems with companies going bankrupt on us leaving us with big debts to cover. Our latest blow was 3MV our distributor going bankrupt whilst holding all of our stock. We're still at that position at the moment so it's causing a few nightmares however we aren't going to let it kill us and we've been rescued by Intergroove who will be releasing the next Pappa
& Gilbey single 'Ortygia' on the 7th of June.

i:Vibes: Do you consider yourself a leader, you deejay, you sing and you help run a record label and most of the music business is dominated by men, so do you consider yourself someone that females look up to?

A: No I'm not a leader, I'm just a very lucky person. I get to do what I love, singing and traveling with my best friend to gigs around the world. Barry and I feel privileged to do what we do but for the record, I don't deejay. I think the phrase 'tennis shoes in a dryer' comes to mind! I'm the one with the microphone and the sampler, I leave mixing records to Barry.

i:Vibes: Do you find that people treat you differently because you are female and married to a DJ?

A: I think most people know that I'm one half of the Choo Choo camp and therefore I get a lot of respect. I'm not really sure if it's because I'm Mrs. W-G or because I'm 50% of Choo.

i:Vibes: If you go with Barry to a gig and you are not singing or deejaying, where are you most likely to be, at the bar, in the dj booth, on the
dancefloor or the VIP room or in a few of the four?

A: In the booth. I get claustraphobic on the dancefloor, sad but true. I'm quite small so to be surrounded by other people's elbows whacking me in the head is not good. But if he's playing I'm there from beginning to the end. I
absolutely adore the music that Barry plays and really get into it if I can relax without any pressure to play.

i:Vibes: So how have your opportunities changed since meeting and marrying Barry? Do you find you can do more or less?

A: I really have no idea if my life would be different as I've been with Barry more years than I've been on my own. I'm of the opinion though that anything is easier if you have friends to work with and help you deal with things whether it be business or personal, two heads are always better than one.

i:Vibes: 12.What’s next for Mara?

A: More gigs, more music, more, more, more!!! We've just started to work on a new breaks vocal track and have some slightly down beat tracks which are perfect as second album material.

i:Vibes: What’s next for Sara?

A: Just finished a vocal for a track on Rennie Pilgrem's album which Barry and I have remixed for Rennie, so it's a bit of a Sara / Mara thing, it's called 'Coming up for air'. I've recently dug out my guitar and am enjoying working
on music rather than just 'tracks'. There's a big difference. Now we've done the mythical Mara album I feel like I can do music for the sheer hell of it and not just because I feel like I have to deliver something

i:Vibes: What’s the hardest part of being a producer/deejay/singer/record label owner?

A: Doing everything and being objective and sometimes never getting into the studio because you're working someone else's track. It can make you question, why you're involved sometimes, the fact that you're working for someone
else's career but struggling to have one yourself, but more times than not it's worth it, people like Gene Carbonell, Chris Cargo, D.Ramirez and Ali Wells are all friends now, not just people I'm acquainted with through business.

i:Vibes: Where do you see yourself in 3yrs, and 5 yrs?

A: In 3 years, pretty much the same although maybe a little less of it, but in 5 years I'd hope that I'd have moved over and let someone younger and fresher have a stab at doing what I do. I think everything and everyone has
a lifespan, I'd hate to outlive mine. I have something in the pipeline connected to music but not the performing side of things so I'm going to see how that pans out.

i:Vibes: If you were to quit the music business say tomorrow, what do you want to be remembered for?

A: Being honest, friendly, approachable, one of the lads, oh yeah and for bouncing around behind the decks screaming 'fuck me, I love this music''

i:Vibes.nu would like to thank Sara for taking the time for this interview and we wish her and Barry, the best of luck in the future. Don't forget, their new single as Mara is out in June.