a london-born DJ. he has been a professional DJ for 30 years, with residencies in London, Ibiza, Australia, and now Bali. his music style varies based on the venue, spanning from chill organic to funk, soul, house, and late-night tech and techno.
YOUR BEGININGS?
Well, basically, when I first started going to nightclubs, dance music was only made on vinyl, so if you wanted to listen to the underground music you needed to go to the record shops and physically buy them. So my friends and I started collecting the music we heard in the clubs by going around the London shops and slowly making our collection. Next came the equipment to play them on (Technics 1210’s) and the skills to mix them, which was about 8 months of trial and error. This was before YouTube tutorials and online DJ schools, so you really had to want to do this stuff. Then, once everyone realized you had the music and equipment, you were invited to all the house parties to dj at, and you became the guy that made the party go off. So for me, it was never wanting to be in the spotlight or on stage in front of people showing off, which is where I see a lot of the younger generation coming from with the rise of social media. It was purely about music and still is for me. You can’t fake that and that is what has helped me along the way.
BEST EVER PARTY
This one is easy for me! Ibiza boiler room set with Jamie Jones in a private villa owned by the billionaire owner of Cirque du Soleil. It went on for days and was the wildest thing I’ve ever been to with free-flowing drinks and food plus roving weird entertainment and the usual naughtiness you’d expect. Absolute madness!
DO YOU PRODUCE MUSIC?
I have dabbled in music production over the years and have a few releases under my belt. I help manage a record label out of Sydney called Beatifixed Records. I love the process of having an idea and making that a reality and then playing it in a club and seeing people dance. However, the other part which is very important that I find very challenging, and I’m getting better at, is the signing for record labels and the hustle that requires it. You have to be able to brush off no replies to your emails or, if you’re lucky, someone replying saying, ‘no’ many times before you might find a home for the piece of music you have slaved over. Resilience and consistency, like a lot of things, are key here.
DJ TIPS
As a promoter, I get asked a lot for gigs by other up-and-coming DJs and I say the same thing to all of them. Meet the club owner or promoter in person and be polite and professional and create a relationship with their brand or club. Then, from this point, send them some information about yourself and a mix you think is relevant. Make sure all your socials and online presence is on point, as nowadays, it is looked at by your potential booker. Make sure you are the squeaky wheel without becoming annoying. By this I mean be visual of the club you want to play at, support the night and get behind the party and keep in contact with the person responsible for the DJ bookings, keeping them updated with your movements / music / mixes etc. JUST stay in contact!
FUN FACT
I’m a connoisseur of cinnamon scrolls and have reviews online.
