I have a lot of nervous energy and can’t stand still too long. I like to keep it pretty basic but from a young age I knew I needed to have a few extra things to play around with when djing. What was your first set-up as DJ like? How and for what reasons has your set-up evolved over the years and what are currently some of the most important pieces of gear for you? The best moments are when you feel transcended yourself in the music and the whole room is totally in the same zone. To lift peoples’ spirits and play with their emotions. To bring people around to your musical way of thinking. The ultimate goal is to connect with people musically and to second guess the next moment and the moment after that. You hope that each show will be a rewarding one. How would you define the job and describe the influence of the DJ? How are the experience and the music transformed through your work? It was a long, tough journey to become a “professional” DJ, I had to trust my instincts and make a lot of mistakes along the way but it was all worth it. It’s funny to say the word “job" because often it doesn’t feel like one, apart from the travel and stuff involved. I thrive on gathering with people, experiencing human emotions, touching souls with music and so djing is a perfect job for that. Making music is quite a solitary process whereas djing is all about the connection with people, often thousands of people all at once. What were some of the main challenges and goals when starting out as a DJ and how have they changed over time? What is it about DJing, compared to, say, producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you? Through all of this process you learn and understand more and more about what kind of artist you are and aspire to be. These guys helped me deliver the musical forms and ideas that I wanted to explore and execute. In 2010 I made my first album, Smoke the Monster Out, working with Arthur Jeffes who is the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and with Luke Solomon. I made my first music with 2 engineers there called Jono Podmore (Kumo) and Laggy Pantelli (Hijacker/Megalon), these guys were incredible producers and they taught me so much.Īt that time I was trying very hard to put all my inspirations and influences into the music, it was too much, and after a while I started to understand that less is more and that I needed to really focus in the studio, experiment and keep working things out until I found what I liked and didn’t want in my music. My first experiences in the studio were at Plink Plonk studios in Kings Cross where Matthew B (Bushwacka) and Mr C worked. He introduced me to bands like Maze and also helped me get into Hip Hop. I was inspired greatly by my older cousin who was a regular at parties like Goldmine and Do at the Zoo. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and the transition towards your own voice? What is the the relationship between copying, learning and your own creativity? I would work at the weekends to earn enough money to buy a couple of records and then I would play them over and over and slowly watch my collection grow.įor most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. I had always loved collecting things (marbles, smelly erasers, smurfs and Star Wars figures), records was the next thing for me. I read magazines like Blues and Soul and would go to shows and watch DJs and try to understand this new culture. I was fully immersed in music, every day I would listen to pirate radio stations in London like LWR and Solar and also to Pete Tong and Robbie Vincent on Radio London and Capital. I was 12 when I started buying records and 14 when I had my own Technics and mixer. When did you start DJing - and what or who were your early passions and influences? What what is about music and/or sound that drew you to it?
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