G-FORCE 001: Club Fitness (Bahrain)
It’s here! The first race week of the 2024 season and with that, the launch of G-FORCE 🏁
Both filled with adrenaline, fast-paced environments and exhilarating experiences, G-FORCE brings Formula 1 and music together by putting the DJ in the driver’s seat. A racing mix series putting DJ’s to the test, G-FORCE’s accompanying Q&A digs into their F1 obsession and musical connection.
Kicking off the season is none other than G-FORCE co-founder Club Fitness who leads us into the Bahrain race weekend. The London-based DJ takes the pole position and leads us through a focused and thrilling mix, opening with a statement of motivation from her favourite driver Lewis Hamilton and leans into that race day anticipation as the mix dials up the tempo.
The first race to be held in the Middle East, Bahrain was introduced to the calendar in 2004 and is one of the few night time races on the calendar. Turn 1 is named after Michael Schumacher who was the first driver to win at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Since then, Lewis Hamilton has the most wins at 5 times and Max Verstappen’s win in 2023 was the first in over 10 years for Red Bull Racing.
Introduce yourself?
Hii, I'm Club Fitness. London-based DJ and co-founder of G-FORCE.
My favourite corners in Formula 1 are Turn 8 at Baku street circuit and Turn 1 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). My favourite circuits are COTA, Interlagos & Silverstone.
Who’s your favourite driver?
Lewis Hamilton.
What’s your favourite race?
My favourite race was the 2021 British Grand Prix. It was my first time attending a grand prix and Silverstone lends itself to so much action. It’s one of my favourite circuits. Seeing your favourite driver win and win at their home race is insane, the energy was unmatched. One of the best days of my life.
Honourable mention: 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix!!
What is it that draws you to Formula 1? Do you find yourself drawing influence from the sport?
I love that at its core, Formula 1 is one of the few sports on Earth heavily based on maths, physics, and engineering. I studied sciences and engineering throughout university and graduate school. I enjoy listening to technical analysis and strategy commentary. I think Formula 1 activates a curiosity in me to understand which cars are going to be on form on any given weekend, what upgrades have been given, how strategy calls can give a team an extra edge, what tyre allocations are available, and how the weather conditions play into a race weekend as well. There’s so much to consider, and it's amazing that it all comes together each weekend.
I also love the element of performance. The performance of the car, engineers, pit crew, and drivers. Intense focus is required when you step into the car. You undergo so much preparation, and it can all go up in flames with a turn 1 incident. I love that you can never anticipate what is going to happen. Regardless, you have to show up and give your absolute best. The parallels with DJing are obvious in that way.
What are some of your favourite memories watching Formula 1?
I have many memories of watching Formula 1 at home while being on Facetime with my sister who lives in Canada. We would watch races together and I had to try really hard not to react when there was an incident because my stream was usually a couple seconds ahead of hers.
I also cherish the fact that I’ve been to Silverstone quite a few times. Every year the racing is thrilling. In 2022, we sat at Abbey - just north of the grid. My sister has a video of the turn 1 incident when Zhou Guanyu’s car flipped and rolled behind the barrier into the fence. It’s amazing how the halo literally saved his life. We did a track walk after the race and you could see an indent in the tarmac from the impact of his car when it was upside down.
As we’re putting you in the driver’s seat for this series, what would be your go to hype track or mix to listen to before a race?
976-EVIL by Deftones. Anything by Deftones.
Every driver has their own pre-race rituals from Max Verstappen playing FIFA on the morning of race day to Michael Schumacher peeing his race suit before the race started. When you are about to head to a gig or to the studio, what helps you get in the headspace for the environment you are about to enter?
Ahead of a gig, I don’t have many rituals. Anything that makes me feel relaxed and comfortable helps massively. Usually that's a good meal + a chat/hang with the promoters or friends i’m playing with. I also love to do NSDR before a gig to help with focus.
During intense touring periods or dealing with creative blocks, what is your favourite way to disconnect? Do you usually have a go-to solution for when you’re feeling creatively tired?
I find dialling in on my self-care really helps when I'm busy travelling or if I'm stuck in a rut. For me, self-care is hitting my workouts, being outside daily, speaking to my sister and eating well-balanced meals. It makes doing all the other things in my life much easier mentally, otherwise I have a tendency to become hyper-focused and it brings up a level of perfectionism that can be crippling and counter-intuitive.
What was your approach to creating this mix? Any anecdotes related to the soundbites used within it?
My aim for the mix was to create a story, building the energy, picking up pace and intensity throughout. It begins a bit contemplative - with a young Lewis Hamilton speaking about his F1 aspirations. I opted for tracks that hone in on feeling focused, lifted & in the zone. I’ve included soundbites from v10 engines, recordings trackside at Monza, a recreated pitstop, as well as a car with DRS.
What are you most looking forward to for the 2024 season?
There’s so much to look forward to this season! Although there’s no driver line-up changes coming this season, we’ve got Lewis’ last season at Mercedes and the re-introduction of the Chinese Grand Prix which I'm really excited to see.
Tracklist:
Vernon Douglas - The Tone Is Set (Sean Dimitrie Rub)
Sascha Funke - Bass Boris Bode
Kai Kurve - Du Gut (Daso Remix)
Cirez D - Hoodpecker
Incognito Project - Dojoja (Martin Fisher Miix)
Vince Watson - Funx Patterns
Alexander Koning - Esa Lola (Devilish Remix)
Darren Kay - Splintered
The Meridian - Yello Ombre (Chong Mai Mix)
Kasperr Marott - Klokkeblomst, I'm calling you!
Christopher Ledger - A Deeper Thought (CK’s 5am Remix)
Sam Goku - Pearl Jab
Crush3d - A True Story
Xupid - Material World
Text Chunk, Windowsekeer - Fresh Water Aquarium System
AceMo - Raver1