William Noglows is best known as the voice behind Super Progressive — a podcast-turned-platform that’s become a go-to archive for conversations with progressive house’s most influential names. But his work isn’t just about documenting the scene; it’s also shaped his own journey as a DJ, curator, and promoter.
In this interview, we talk about the crossover between journalism and DJing, the overlooked craft of warm-up sets, and how digging into the genre’s past is helping him build something new — one set, show, and conversation at a time.
When you first launched Super Progressive, it was rooted in a sense of education and heritage. Has the process of curating conversations with progressive icons shaped your own sound as a DJ?
Definitely. One theme that’s consistent between all the DJs I’ve interviewed is that Progressive isn’t a single genre like it’s marketed as. It’s really the way you bring different genres together. So when I’m going through music for my sets, I’m not just going through the Progressive House releases. There are gems under all sorts of genres that can fit into a Progressive set. Recently, I’ve been playing out Space Fly from Stereo Underground and D-Nox at the end of my sets. That track isn’t a typical progressive house track. It’s a remake of Space’s ‘Magic Fly’ from 1977. But it still works great because it’s a perfect ending to the story I’m trying to tell in my set.
You’ve spent hours deep in conversation with some of the most influential names in the genre. Are there recurring ideas or philosophies from those interviews that you’ve found yourself carrying into your own sets?
The main recurring idea is that Progressive isn’t a genre but more an approach to the music and the way you blend tracks of different genres together, as I mentioned above. But another thing I’ve learned is that all of the top DJs are true professionals in terms of their approach to the music. If I’m interviewing a DJ in person, it’s often just before their set, and they are putting hours into their preparation. I always thought that DJing just came naturally to a DJ like Danny Tenaglia or Danny Howells. Even with all their experience, they still prepare thoroughly before each set, going through their music, getting up-to-date with all the promos in their inbox, and it’s really inspiring to see such a professional approach at the highest level. So when I’m preparing a set, I’m spending as much time as I can not only searching for new music, but thoroughly combing my promo inbox to make sure I’ve not let any tracks fall through the tracks, and I’m thinking ahead of time of creative ways I can sequence these tracks in my set. Obviously, once the set starts, you see where the audience wants to go, but you can always do that most effectively with as much preparation as possible. All the time, DJs I interview say know your music, and it goes beyond just knowing how the track sounds or the energy of the track. What it really means is to be able to take your set in any direction at any time.
Warm-up sets are often misunderstood, but you’ve made them a signature. What’s your approach to crafting that opening energy — and how has it evolved across gigs with artists like Tenaglia and Pappa?
For me, the opening set is really just about getting the dancefloor excited for the acts that follow. This comes naturally for me, because I’m just as excited as the clubbers on the dancefloor are for the headlining acts. My approach to opening sets are really about playing out some tracks that the dancefloor won’t hear later in the event, whether because they are a little weird or not the typical sound of the DJs that are playing later. I like tracks that are melodic, but I’ll often take out some of the low end so the music can be a little more welcoming, which is all I’m trying to achieve with an opening set. It’s like greeting people and welcoming them to your party. Another thing I’ve been doing recently is to have a few simple percussion loops at the ready to fill in any breakdown sections in the tracks I’m playing, because I really try and avoid breakdowns in an opening set, but most tracks naturally have them.
You’ve played to very different crowds — from Super Progressive’s London shows to nights at Skyline in Glasgow. How do those dancefloors differ, and how do they shape your track selection?
I try to understand who is on the dancefloor. In London, our dancefloor is filled with younger clubbers typically. They have a little more stamina, and the events are only 6 hours in total, so you can go one from the start with a little more energy knowing that the dancefloor will still have energy for the headliner. But for a dancefloor like Skyline, when the event is 12 hours long with loads of DJs and a more experienced dancefloor, I really like to play more chilled out, and just create a nice soundtrack where people can get comfortable in the room, enjoy a few drinks, and look forward to the legends that are playing later on. The dancefloors are different, but are both awesome. I can’t express how much I’ve learned DJing at Skyline. The dancefloor is so knowlegable, and it really demands you to step your game up and really stay on top of your music because you want to be unpredictable and exciting without having to push the energy of the music too hard. I’ve learned more playing a few opening gigs at Skyline than I could anywhere else in the world. I have to give a huge shoutout to the residents, especially Kevin Austin, Andy Newland, and Alan Dobson who have really taken me under their wing. And of course to Graham. He’s the one who first reached out to me when I moved to the UK about having Super Progressive cover Skyline events, and it’s turned out to be an amazing partnership on both the reporting front and DJ front.
Can you talk about the crossover between being an interviewer and being a DJ? Do you find one feeds the other in unexpected ways?
For me, being an interviewer has given me a heightened level respect for the art of DJing. It’s been amazing to interview legends like Danny Tenaglia, Hernan Cattaneo, Dave Seaman, Nick Warren, and Danny Howells. I could go on and on. But for me, after speaking with them and hearing their stories and learning about their mindset, you come away from the interviews saying “Wow, that’s a real DJ right there.” It’s extremely humbling. After speaking with them, you don’t even consider yourself a DJ, because you know just how much on another level they are. So if anything, the interviews have just made me have ultimate respect for what real DJing is all about. In some ways, the research that goes into an interview really helps me come across tracks I probably would never have come across before. I’m always taking notes during the interviews of specific tracks the DJs mention in random stories. I never would have come across these tracks, most of them are 25 or 30 years old. But they are still amazing and sound like they belong today. A big lightbulb moment for me was learning about how many DJs I admire come from a journalism background. Dave Seaman was the editor of Mixmag. Dave Dresden worked as a journalist. Elif worked as a journalist. A lot of people made the jump, I think because at the core of both being a music journalist and DJ is just an appreciation for the music. I’ll always consider myself a journalist before a DJ, but my passion for journalism and DJing come from the same place, which is just that this music gets me stoked.
You’ve built Super Progressive into a global platform — but behind the decks, how would you describe the DNA of your sound today? What are the textures, tempos, or moods you keep gravitating toward?
I think of Dom Phillips’ original definition of progressive house and how it actually perfectly describes the tracks that I most like. ‘Mad but melodic.’ ‘Hard but tuneful’. ‘Banging but thoughtful’. These are the kinds of tracks I love. I like a lot of melodies, and I like when the synths sound like you’re being beamed into space. That’s about the best I can describe it.
With Balance Croatia on the horizon, how are you approaching programming for that kind of environment?
I’m in charge of programming a Super Progressive Boat Party with a guest soon to be named as well as general marketing for the event. I really want to make a documentary of the event, because at least in my time with Super Progressive, it’s the first festival dedicated to the progressive sound. To me, it’s historic, and I think it deserves to be documented in a way that reflects that. I’m also hoping to conduct interviews and maybe even build a small interview stage, just to add a sense of intimacy where the audience can ask their favorite DJs some questions. At festivals, with all the stages and everything, the DJ can feel quite far from the clubber, so helping create that intimate aspect is really important to me.
You’ve been steadily bringing Super Progressive from the digital world into physical spaces. Has promoting your own events given you more clarity about what your ideal party looks and feels like?
When I first started Super Progressive, I never thought of doing typical DJ events because I really hated promoting them. For the first three years, I only did interview events because I guess it was more in my lane. But working on the Super Progressive events with my mate and rising talent Lloyd Barwood has been amazing. We have focused on day parties. But I think what has made the events so enjoyable is that they have transformed clubbing into a more healthy experience for me. The events start at 2 PM, I play two hours, Lloyd plays two hours, and our special guest will play two hours. The event is over by 8PM. The sets are long enough where they are not rushed, but you definitely don’t feel trapped at the venue. There’s windows and natural light. It doesn’t dominate your weekend. I just turned thirty, my health and fitness is a huge priority for me, and it’s been great to find a way to have my passion for clubbing compliment that rather than be at odds with it.
Looking at the younger crowd engaging with the scene now, do you feel like there’s a new kind of progressive fan emerging? And how does that affect the way you play?
I think progressive is always changing. The one thing I will say is that for a lot of experienced clubbers from the 90s and early 2000s, progressive is this serious thing. It’s about knowing all the tracks, being somewhat critical of the DJs, and I respect that. This music is serious. But I think the younger generation show up to the events first and foremost looking to have fun, and that’s what clubbing and these events have always been about. So when you merge those two groups together, it makes for a great dancefloor experience. The younger clubbers are learning a lot about the music and the heritage of this scene and what it’s really about by chatting with the older clubbers. And the older clubbers might loosen up a little bit and be reminded that this music can be serious and fun at the same time. So bringing these two groups together is why I’ve enjoyed the Super Progressive events so much.
Beyond the podcast and the decks, where do you see Super Progressive heading next? Are you thinking about music production, label work, or expanding the event side even further?
I would like to write a book on the history of the progressive scene. I think something like a published book would legitimize this whole Super Progressive project. I would like to host a Super Progressive radio show on Sirius or the BBC. I think something like hosting a radio show would tie together my passion for interviewing and my passion for DJing. I also want to continue to teach the next generation about the history of progressive music, so I’m working on some projects where the pioneering DJs can pass on their knowledge to the next generation.
Super Progressive here: https://www.youtube.com/c/superprogressive