GW Harrison on 15 Years in House Music, ABODE and new single ‘Look Into My Eyes’

GW Harrison’s relationship with house music began long before DJ booths, festival stages and Beatport number ones became part of his lexicon. 

His roots stretch back to childhood, to stories of Britain’s early rave culture passed down by his father and the house music regularly found blaring through the speakers in their family car. “I came into music through my dad. He used to attend illegal raves back in the ’80s, so the stories he told and the playlists in the car were always full of house music,” GW recalls. “That planted the seed.”

It was a formative introduction to dance music culture and the values instilled into him as a boy continue to resonate through his music today. Over the course of more than 15 years, GW has gone from working London’s underground circuit to becoming a founding member of ABODE, releasing music through labels including elrow, Sola, Kaluki, Saved, Toolroom, Nothing Else Matters and Nervous, while performing everywhere from Printworks and Creamfields to Amnesia Ibiza and Café Mambo.

His latest single, “Look Into My Eyes,” released on Andhera Records, arrives at another transitional point in his career, a groove-led house record built around rolling low-end, crisp percussion and a hypnotic vocal hook, but also a reflection of a producer who has become increasingly comfortable trusting instinct over expectation.

GW Harrison’s path into the industry was never defined by one overnight breakthrough. Before becoming a full-time DJ, a parallel creative career in graphic design unexpectedly opened doors into club culture. “I think that creative background gave me a different perspective on branding and storytelling,” he says. “It also gave me an in with some of the bigger promoters through my design work.”

One particularly fortuitous moment came while working as a designer for We Are FSTVL. When Heidi unfortunately became ill and was unable to play her set, GW was asked to step into her slot on the festival’s main stage. “At the time, I was working as a designer for the festival, so I was definitely in the right place at the right time,” he remembers. “The arena was at capacity and the set ended up going viral online.”

Yet he is reluctant to reduce his career to that single moment. “My big break wasn’t one defining moment,” he says. “It was years of grinding away in local clubs, making music and helping build ABODE from the ground up.”

London was also a big part of his education. Studio 338, fabric, Number 90 and the city’s smaller warehouse parties showed him that successful club culture depends on something less tangible than just big line-ups or production budgets. “London’s underground scene had a huge influence on me,” he says. “Places like Studio 338, fabric and Number 90, along with smaller warehouse parties, taught me that atmosphere is everything. Those experiences shaped both my music and the way I approach events today.”

That philosophy would become fundamental to ABODE. From its London roots, the brand grew into one of the defining UK house institutions of its generation, a record label and party that expanded into Ibiza and destinations around the world. The success of ABODE was rooted in something straightforward. “Authenticity,” GW tells us. “We built a community first. Every decision was about creating the sort of parties we’d want to attend ourselves. Consistency was another huge factor. Week after week, we delivered quality line-ups, production and an atmosphere that people trusted. Social media helped spread the word, but it was the people coming to the events who became our biggest ambassadors.”

ABODE’s journey hasn’t been without challenges. The pandemic reshaped nightlife, competition intensified and the team had to take some time to reconsider the brand’s future and evolve in a scene that has always been faced pace, to achieve true longevity. And so rather than attempting to recreate its past, GW says the focus shifted towards rebuilding deliberately. “Rather than forcing things, we focused on rebuilding with the right events and the right people,” he explains. A recent ABODE On The Rock event in Malta proved particularly significant. “Malta really felt like a turning point. The energy was incredible and it reminded everyone, including ourselves, what makes ABODE special.”

Throughout the ongoing journey with ABODE, GW has faced another challenge: ensuring his own artistic identity exists independently of the brand he helped build. “The two complement each other,” he says. “ABODE has always given me a platform, but I’ve always wanted my music to stand on its own. When I’m producing, I don’t think about ABODE, I just make records that excite me. Then, when I’m DJing or touring with the brand, I can bring that music into the wider story.”

His background in visual design remains another thread connecting those two worlds. GW approaches sound and imagery as extensions of the same creative instinct. “Design taught me about emotion, simplicity and attention to detail,” he explains. “Whether it’s creating artwork, building a breakdown or thinking about a campaign, it’s all about making people feel something. I also think very visually when I’m making music or selecting tracks. I’m constantly imagining colours, textures and environments, which helps shape the atmosphere of a record or set the tone for the dancefloor.”

That philosophy of simplicity is particularly evident on “Look Into My Eyes.” The track revolves around a vocal that Harrison immediately recognised as its focal point. “The vocal was one of those moments where I instantly knew it had something special,” he says. “It’s simple, but it’s incredibly hypnotic. The phrase sticks in your head after hearing it once and I wanted to build a track that let the vocal breathe rather than overcomplicate it. Everything else was designed to support that hook and create those big, memorable moments.”

It represents a confidence he admits took time to develop. Earlier in his career, external expectations sometimes clouded his instincts. “I never sit down thinking about commercial versus underground,” he says of his approach today. “I just want to make records that DJs want to play but that also connect with people emotionally. I got this confused earlier in my career. I was guilty of forcing tracks that I thought would get me radio plays or put me in the good books with certain brands. These days, I don’t think like that anymore.”

The litmus test now much simpler: whether a record connects. “If you can make something that works in a sweaty basement at 2am and on a festival main stage at sunset, then you’ve probably found a sweet spot.”

That idea reaches directly back to the rave culture that first inspired him. While production techniques and trends continually evolve, it is the emotional character of ’90s dance music that remains most important. “The positivity,” GW says when asked what he carries from that era. “There was something really unifying about it. The pianos, uplifting vocals, memorable hooks and sense of escapism still resonate with me today. Dance music has always been about bringing people together and I think that’s something worth holding onto.”

The emphasis on emotion and community is now feeding into GW's HOUSE, his own touring concept, developed alongside a summer residency in Greece. Rather than treating it simply as another branded event series, he sees it as an opportunity to apply lessons learned across more than a decade of building parties. “GW's HOUSE is about creating a memorable atmosphere rather than just putting my name on a flyer,” he explains. “I want every event to feel personal, whether that’s through the music, the production or the people in the room. The Greece residency has been the perfect place to develop that because it’s allowed us to build a community week after week rather than just doing one-off shows.”

Even the gradual shortening of GW Harrison to simply GW reflects this process of refinement. “It wasn’t about leaving the past behind; it was about simplifying everything and making the project feel more authentic to who I am today,” he says. “Musically, I’ve evolved a lot, and the shorter name reflects that. It feels like a fresh chapter while still building on everything that’s come before.”

That fresh chapter follows a period in which Harrison admits his confidence faltered. “For a while, I found myself in a battle with my own confidence,” he says. “I stopped sending music out, stopped posting online and honestly lost belief in myself for a period. Getting through that has reminded me why I started making music in the first place.”

With “Look Into My Eyes” now marking his latest step forward, the priorities have become clearer: more music, more ambitious events and a renewed commitment to longevity. “I want to keep growing GW's HOUSE, continue expanding ABODE internationally, release the best music I’ve ever made and play even more dream venues around the world,” GW says. “At this stage, it’s all about building something that lasts.”

GW Harrison – Look Into My Eyes is out now on Andhera Records. Grab it on Beatport HERE.

Read the full interview with GW Harrison on The Night Bazaar HERE.