Ewan McVicar

Ewan McVicar is doing things differently. He's not following any existing blueprints, nor is he adding a filter to what you see. As a result, DJ Mag's recently crowned Best British DJ is taking the electronic scene by storm. If you combine the spirit and ethos of the rave generation with a forward-thinking approach to music, vivacious energy and drive to push things in the right direction, you end up with McVicar.

While his journey may have started in Ayr, Ewan McVicar's path has shown he doesn't intend to rest until he's left his mark in every corner of the globe. That formative period in his humble Scottish hometown is the bedrock for his success today and after years of honing his craft across hip hop and commercial-leaning sounds in clubs that didn't quite fit his direction, he launched his own enterprise. TEN, the club night that started it all, was the introduction to underground music that he and his town so desperately needed.

It wasn't just McVicar's hunger for something with a bit more bite that was satisfied once TEN was established, it was a huge success within the town and beyond. A new movement had picked up steam.

His unwavering dedication to pushing a sound that's intrinsically his own had paid off and after a string of releases via Trick, 'Tell Me Something Good' became a runaway success, all over the planet. The platinum-selling single catapulted Ewan into the public eye and since then, he's not left it, not even for a second. His trajectory has been skyward but crucially, it's been on his terms.

Musically he's made sure that he's stood firm on his commitment to the underground with releases via Heras Records, Optimo Music, Unknown To The Unknown, Shall Not Fade, Nervous and perhaps most notably Ninja Tune's singles imprint Technicolour, where 'Heather Park' found its home. The track acted as a platform for Ewan to recognise and celebrate his origins while facing forward with his sound. With that, the ode to his former home is one of his most beloved productions to date.

Remixes for The Chemical Brothers, Groove Armada and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs further cement his demand as a technically proficient producer and one that can create music for the main stage as well as sweat-soaked basements. Throw singles like 'Groove Thang' into the mix, alongside hyped collaborations with producers like Kettama, and what you have is an artist who's able to straddle both sides of the fence with ease, a rare feat in today's publishing landscape.

Ewan's popularity as a selector and performer is arguably the strongest part of his arsenal and with one of the most engaged and active fanbases in the world, his sell-out shows prove to be one of the biggest draws in dance music.

His sets at Creamfields in the Steelyard have become the stuff of legend, and they showcase his technical ability and prowess performing to crowds upwards of 30,000. His curated club brand 'Handpicked' is a no nonsense night that gives the truest insight into the brain of the clued-up Scotsman and he's welcomed acts like Kerri Chandler, Optimo, Stevie Cox and frequent b2b partner Special Request to play, perfectly surmising his musical tastes.

Taking curation one step further, 2023 saw the inaugural edition of his beloved Pavilion Festival, Ewan's own festival located in the heart of Ayr on the Low Green, a location that he unsurprisingly holds dearly, in a community that he's now able to lovingly give back to. The sell-out event brought acts like Skream, Kettama, Optimo, K-Klass and Hayley Zalassi to the Pavilion, as well as introducing the now infamous TEN Tent, his affectionate way of getting the band back together.

The success of the first event meant that the Council approved a lease for an extra five years for the festival, no mean feat for just a wee guy from Ayr. The second edition will bring forth an even bigger line-up to his hometown as Derrick Carter, Patrick Topping, Octave One, Special Request, Jerome Hill make the trip to the Southwest coast of Scotland. Where the festival goes from here is a mystery but one thing's for sure, it will have that unique McVicar mark on it.

And that McVicar mark runs fluently throughout all of his endeavours. Whether it's in his sets, his curated line-ups or his powerful sound, he's always paying homage to those that laid the rave foundations the scene is built upon. These founding figures from all over the world; from Chicago to Detroit, Glasgow to Manchester and Paris to Berlin are respected and learned from by Ewan. His unrelenting passion when it comes to illustrating the real roots of dance music is ever-present.

Ewan's vast knowledge and appreciation of what came before and what's coming next is a rare trait and one that defines his shows and productions. The new army of fans he picks up along the way often get their first taste of dancefloors through his spell-binding sets and it's a pretty potent education. More often than not, they're only one Shazam away from a discovery that will send them down the same rabbit-hole McVicar found himself falling through all those years ago.

At the end of 2023, Ewan embarked on one of his most ambitious and gratifying projects to date. The Wee Toon Tour saw Ewan travel all over Scotland on a 16-berth tour bus with his best friends, to play nine shows in eight days, bringing his sound to corners of the country that rarely have DJs travelling through, let alone one that has captivated so many over the last few years. With a documentary in the works detailing the great adventure, Ewan's allegiance to his home country cannot be understated and by delivering his message through music to thousands of fans on the Wee Toon Tour, he's only set to strengthen that bond as time goes on.

There are a whole host of new musical projects in the works and most importantly, an album is coming. One that he's been working on tirelessly in the background of his relentless gig schedule and release calendar, one that's set to tell the story of how an ambitious boy from Ayr decided to take over the world and how he's only just getting started.