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You have long been a part of the music industry, what would you say is the biggest difference now versus the 1990s? What is your favorite distinction? Least favorite?
It really depends on the context of the question; there have been lots of technological advances, which have inspired a change in the way djs and artists perform. Back in the 90’s you had a pair of 1210’s and a mixer and that was pretty much it. Depending on the style of music you played, maybe a mic if you had an MC to accompany you. I laugh, thinking back as sometimes we didn’t even have a mic and the MC would improvise with a broken pair of headphones! I’ve played many a set on pirate radio back in the day where this happened! Nowadays, you have artists finger djin’, controllerism and so much more. I’ve even played a dj set on my iPhone after arriving at a gig without my records, which is testament to how far technology has progressed.
Another striking difference is the pace at which the industry moves. Years ago the industry moved at a steady pace. Records would be hyped for six months, sometimes more, prior to release. A record would stay in a djs box for a month at least and would get played hard. Nowadays, songs appear to have a much shorter life, with some djs only playing a song once or twice before wanting to move on and play something else.
The format of the music has obviously changed. For the most part it’s no longer tangible, which is sad because some of the culture disappeared with it. Ask yourself how many iconic record sleeves or CD covers you can think of? And how you feel about them? I can think of tons. Now ask yourself how many digital albums or singles have had the same impact? With the exception of Disclosure album sleeve, I’m struggling to think of any. Let me put it another way; reading the meta-data of an mp3 doesn’t come close to taking the inlay out of a CD to read the song credits and message from the artist. Unfortunately, music just seems to be less collectable than it once was.
The music calendar is now dominated by festivals rather than by weekly club nights. Ok, we used to have a lot of raves in the UK, which has similarities to festivals of today; big crowds and so on. Back in the 90’s though the calendar was dominated by weekly club nights. In London, you would have a choice of places to go every night of the week, every week. Clubs would regularly pack thousands in. Unfortunately, that seemed to disappear not long after the Millennium.
What would you say is the accomplishment you are most proud of so far in your career?
It depends on how you want to look at it. I worked on a song for Inaya Day for Slaag Records in New York that debuted highest new entry (no.2) in the Media2Radio hype charts, I won dj competitions as a teenager, I’ve dj’ed internationally, I’ve played festivals, I’ve played dj sets purely of my own productions and remixes, I’ve had brand endorsements, I’ve worked for the labels I wanted to work for and I’ve had the chance to work with and keep company with some of my idols. However, it’s always the little things that make me smile the most. Hearing a car drive by, walking into a retail store or turning on the radio and hearing your song. Standing on the dancefloor and seeing and hearing people’s reaction as you song drops in the club, or getting the biggest cheer of the night, hearing someone hum or sing your song, these moments are priceless and what I live for. The personal memories made far outweigh any satisfaction from record sales or commercial achievement.