Tell Me Something Good: The rise of Ewan McVicar
- Published
Ewan McVicar wanted to resurrect the rave scene in Ayr
Two years ago Ewan McVicar was working in a cold storage warehouse when his dance smash Tell Me Something Good hit the charts.
Since then the ear worm has been streamed more than 75 million times, become a huge club favourite and the inspiration for a regular feature on Greg James' BBC Radio 1 Breakfast show.
It was the springboard the 29-year-old DJ needed to help him achieve his long-held ambition to resurrect the rave scene in his home town of Ayr with a huge dance music festival.
That event is now the subject of a BBC iPlayer documentary - and McVicar is also collaborating with another superstar Scottish DJ.
He first dreamed of staging a festival in Ayr when he was a regular DJ in the town's legendary clubs Club De Mar and Furys.
A student by day, he didn't have the money to spend on any expensive kit.
"I was DJ-ing on a £100 laptop with a £50 mixer and PC speakers with an ironing board," he told BBC Scotland,
McVicar brought 7,500 people to Ayr for Pavillion Festival
At the end of the night he would wander around Low Green - a large expanse of parkland next to the beach - thinking what a great festival venue it would be.
"It had been a dream for so long," he said - but he never thought it would really happen.
At the end of his teaching degree, McVicar decided the profession wasn't for him, opting instead to throw himself "hell for leather" into making music.
And then about five years ago he decided to leave Ayr.
"I was kind of lost and I was about to give up music and then I was like... I need a fresh start. So I moved away," he said.
"The week I moved down to England I got signed to Patrick Topping's [Trick] label and my career just kind of went from there.
"But I've never forgotten where I come from. I go on about Ayr as much as I can."
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McVicar's music finally hit the big time in 2021 when his version of Rufus and Chaka Khan's 1974 US hit Tell Me Something Good spent 13 weeks in the Top 40.
"I was working in a cold storage warehouse over lockdown while I was in the charts," he said.
"That was just a mad experience because folk on the shop floor were listening to my tune while I was working there."
Despite moving away, he still had a deep affection for his hometown, even naming an EP Heather Park after the Kincaidston street where he grew up.
Th DJ's father was murdered before he was born, but he has a strong bond with his mother and younger brothers - and is driven to succeed.
The genesis of his career was formed as a teenager, watching rave documentaries with his friends. He now tries to emulate the "soulful and raw" 90s sound of that scene.
In April his two great passions - dance music and Ayr - finally collided when he staged the Pavilion Festival in his home town.
With the help of STREETrave, which was responsible for some legendary club nights in Ayr in the 80s and 90s, they brought 7,500 ravers to Ayr for the inaugural festival.
He said it was "biblical" to work with the experienced promoters, who were returning to the Ayrshire coast for the first time in 30 years.
"I had no idea how to run a festival. I just had an idea in my head," he said.
"I can always picture stuff like that but you never know how it's going to turn out until you have the people there and it's all set up. I just never thought it was going to happen."
McVicar said it was a 'biblical experience' to work with Ricky from STREETrave on the festival
McVicar headlined the two-day event alongside acts like Skream, Kettama, Karen Dunbar and Optimo Espacio.
"It's all about celebrating being Scottish and having a good time," the DJ said.
His house rules were: "Don't be a dafty".
"It worked," he said. "Everyone was so lovely and it was a credit to the punters that came to Pavilion.
"I've put faith in my hometown and they've given that back to me tenfold."
He said he wanted to give a boost to a town which had seen a downturn in fortunes since he left.
"I want folk to have belief and see a different part of Scotland which doesn't normally get talked about," he said.
The event was a huge success - and now the leader of South Ayrshire Council has backed plans for the festival to be held annually over the next five years.
But McVicar is being secretive about his future plans for Pavilion.
"All we're focusing on is making the experience as good as it can be on the site and hopefully we'll increase the capacity a little bit - just a little bit every year."
Calvin Harris has worked with McVicar on a track for his new album
Although he can now add "successful festival organiser" to his CV, he is not letting it distract from his music.
He's working on a new album and a collaboration with one of the world's most famous DJs and record producers.
"I'm writing an album right now and me and Calvin Harris have got a track on it right now... that's an exclusive, by the way, I've not told anyone that," he said.
They're both Scottish - Harris is from Dumfries - but they're from "different realms", according to McVicar.
"We both play different music but the amount of respect I have for him, for everything he's done and the fact he's Scottish as well is just insane.
"And then when he saw me he was like: 'Its good to finally meet you.' He's lovely… what a lovely guy he is.
"I'm looking to release the album next year and I think it's going to be a huge turning point in me going from Ewan McVicar, the wee happy DJ, to actually folk taking me a bit more seriously.
"It's not just fun anymore. I want to show the world the music I've been making."
Watch the BBC iPlayer's Back Tae Ayr documentary about Ewan McVicar's Pavilion Festival.
