DJInfo

When did you first start becoming interested in the whole scene?

Well, it must have been about 1996, just before i started my A-levels. Thats the time after I returned from a holiday to Turkey, where i first really discovered dance music (house of pain, wigfield etc!) after being a bit of an indie fan for years. When i returned home I borrowed a load of cheesy dance CD's, you know, the kind with reel2reel and 2-unlimited on, and started making my own tape compilations. Thankfully my tast improved!

...and your first set of decks?

I had to start cheap as my pocket money didn't stretch too far back then, so i went halves with a neighbour on a pair of second hand KAM BDX180's which were fantastic as a starter. Being quite hard to use prooved invaluable later when it came to having a go on proffesional decks, since it made them so much easier

What about your first record?

Tricky one that, and as far as I remember it was Kadoc's Nighttrain, you know, the one that goes 'all aboard!'. Then i think it was some prodigy records, so my first few mixes between about 3 records of completely different styles were pretty abismal!

So how many records have you got now then?

All in all, over a five year period, about 560, with a value of about �4000. Not all are that good though and just sit there gathering dust! I couldn't even begin to name my favourite so don't even ask!

What about your mixing equipment, has it upgraded?

Oh my god yes! After putting on my own my own night, I earned enough cash, with a little loan from my dad, to buy a set of Technics 1210's and have never looked back. They are the industry standard, so no reason to even think of upgrading them. Possibly the best �1000 i have ever spent.

So tell me about your first gig?

What an experience and I can recommend it to anyone who is sitting there in their bedrooms thinking what to do next, get off your arse and get into a club. The nerves are through the roof at first, but after a couple of drinks and smooth mixes you settle down and the night flows so quickly. I did my first gig at the Fruit Cupboard in Leeds which i organised all by myself and charged all my school friends �3 quid in on Valentine's day. I made about �730 profit back which i was over the moon about. Well worth doing anyone who is thinking about doing this kind of event!

...and then?

Well once people had heard me, from school especially, they asked me to do their private parties and so I got lots of experience from then on, playing in various clubs, some dingy and pants but some really nice includint the Pleasure Rooms, famous for Dave Beer and Back to Basics at the time, and most recently Foundation, home to Shindig, in Newcastle.

So whats in the future?

Well once my degree and workload is done with, I can start concentrating on it all again, hopefully finding a permanent residency somewhere. I have also, this year, got hooked on the producing side of music and am slowly building up a range of equipment (on i tight budget) in my room. Once i worked out how to use it all, and it isn't easy, the ideas started flowing, including my first single 'Belong 2 U' written especially for my girlfriend awww!

Any advice to those keen on doing the same thing?

Keep at it, it isn't easy. A lot of people have decks these days, so anyone can be a DJ but it's not all to do with mixing, but your choice of records, style and personality. Each person is individual to their choice of records, so its all about finding an appreciative crowd. I would go down like a lead balloon in a drum and bass club! My first tapes were crap, but lisening to them made me understand what i was doing wrong. Also, make people listen to you, and watch their reactions, and remember, even if the mix ain't good, people are often to drunk to realise!