November 21, 2012 11:54

Calvin Harris furious at BBC for alleged edits to 'DJs just press play' comment

DJ posts furious Twitter defence following Newsbeat interview

Photo Gallery: Calvin Harris
Photo: Emilie Bailey

Calvin Harris has claimed he is looking into taking legal action against the BBC following an interview with Radio 1's Newsbeat.

The Newsbeat feature focuses on the issue of DJs and whether or not they "just press play" during live sets. In the piece, which also includes quotes from Swedish House Mafia and A-Trak, Harris is quoted as saying that it does not matter if DJs do pre-record their sets as long as fans have a good time at their shows.

Speaking to the BBC, Harris is quoted as saying: "I think it's not a problem. In the club you want to hear a produced piece of music, you want to hear the bass, you want to hear it as good as it can sound. I used to perform with a band putting all sorts of work into a live show and I can tell you that the reaction was worse than it is when I'm DJing."

He adds:

If you're a real purist live music fan then you probably want to see some kind of talent with an instrument. On the other hand you may just want to go to a show because you've heard these songs, you love the artist and you're going to see some kind of mind-blowing light show - you're quite happy to be there, lost in the moment.

However, Harris has disputed saying these things in relation to the question "Is it OK for DJs to just press play", stating that he was asked a different question to elicit his answer and demanding the BBC release the recording of his interview to clear his name. In an extended Twitter conversation, which you can see in full below, Harris said: "Find the audio where I say 'It's OK to prerecord a DJ set'. It doesn't fucking exist, and I don't know ANY DJ that actually does that."

An insider at BBC Newsbeat reports that the audio has been double-checked. "We are confident that the quotes were used in context and we stand by our journalism," they say.

Scroll down the page to see all of Harris's tweets on the subject.

Harris recently released his album '18 Months', which features collaborations with Dizzee Rascal, Example, Ellie Goulding, Rihanna and Tinie Tempah. The Scottish producer admitted that his song 'We Found Love' with Rihanna changed his life forever.

See below for a video interview asking 'How rock'n'roll is Calvin Harris?

Video: How Rock N Roll Is... Calvin Harris

The world's greatest music magazine is now available as a digital edition! For exclusive content you won't find on NME.COM, download here on your iPad/iPhone and here on your Kindle Fire or Nook.

Share on Facebook