How Long have you been DJing?
I started DJing in 1997/98 I blew all the money I took to uni on a new soundsystem and a set of decks. I wanted to spend the three years wisely and learn something new. I've never really been that academic. Got the bug straight away, I was already heavily into music, spent all my money on tunes and didn't eat for a year or so but it seems to be paying off now. Started playing out after about 3 months, I was a bit keen! We put our own nights on at first which helped get me gigs at clubs like Essence in Nottingham - a massive venue and probably still the best club the city has ever seen. It all went from there really.
Tell us what you play.
If I'm playing a main set I really like to bang it out to begin with - let the crowd know I've arrived so to speak. Once I've got into the flow I like to drop in a few funky, rolling basslines every 3 or 4 tunes, I find this breaks the set up and keeps the crowd interested. If I'm playing hard and then drop in a funky riff and mix out of it again quite quick I can go in a different direction without the set sounding too loose. It keeps the set rolling throughout the night so I cover more styles. There is so much good music to choose from these days and different styles seem to be crossing over. I like to mix it up at the moment as the clubbers seem to like it that way whereas before you used to lose your creditbility it now just goes right off!
How did you get your residency?
I got my residency by going down to the club, (Hotdog) on every Saturday I had free. A lot of promoters won't book lesser know DJs unless they make the effort to go to their night. Fair enough really, you don't want to book someone who doesn't know what the club is about and is going to do one as soon as they've been paid. The first cd I gave Roman was more funky, chunky stuff as Hotodg isn't just a hardhouse club. He wasn't going to put me on a main set so I gave him a warm up set to have a listen to. I think I played twice at the club before he offered me a residency and I've been their ever since. Bubblelove is Hotdog's sister club so I was quite lucky in that respect as I eventually earned a residency there as well, but it all took time.
How much do you spend a month on records?
Quite a lot. I don't want to even think about it, it's why I wear the same clothes everyday. I'm fully addicted and need a hit every other day. Probably about £150. I like to play a mixture of stuff and I'm some times asked to play warm up and back room sets so I can't just play the same tunes all the time. I get the odd set at clubs like Slinky and Passion as well so I've got to be prepared for anything really. I´m getting sent more and more from different labels so i'm hoping that is going to come down over the next 6 months but it probably won't, i'll buy vinyl just for the sake of it. The internet is also a killer, you don't even have to go out to spend money these days.
Do you carry your own records?
I make tunes at home on a program called Reason and play them out. I like to make loops to play over tunes to make them sound different, you've got to do something to get noticed these days. I've got a few loops that are just rolling basslines to drop in between records so the styles don't just mix into each other... I could go on for ages about the way that I hear music and how using bits of tunes and loops make sets sound better. Unfortunately I've not got anything pressed to vinyl yet I just use CDs but I´ve started going into the studio so I´m hoping I'll have something that I can be really proud of soon and that a proper label will want to release.
Which DJ Inspires You?
I used to go out to all the rave-esques; Pleasuredome, Vibealite, Uprising etc. The music that got me by the balls was been played at Uprising by DJs such as: Mark EG, Chris C and Paul-O. I still love what they do but it wasn't until a year later that my mate started giving me Tony De Vit live in '95 tapes. Those tapes changed the way I heard music and that influenced my style more than anything. I love the way he mixed his tunes to create a set rather than playing 15 bangin' tunes. That's why when I play I don't just get harder throughout the night. Karim is the one for me at the moment. The way he builds it up and let lets it drop, it seems to give the best tunes more energy and sends the dancefloor into a frenzy - it makes him much more interesting to listen to.
How important is a resident to a club.
Essential... The residents are often the regulars favourite DJs, and rightly so. I've found a lot of regualrs ususally end becoming good friends, you get honest opinions then. A resident also helps to shape the music policy of the club and as long as the promoter is happy you can try new things out. The residents are extremely important to Hotdog and Bubblelove as it is more of a party atmsophere, the way you and act behind the decks and on the dancefloor gives that impression to the guest DJs on the night and makes the night more entertaining for the punters. It's what our job is all about at the end of the day, giving people their moneys worth so they come back.
Which clubs would you most like to play in and why?
I've always wanted to play at Trade, just because anything goes. It's not about hardhouse although that is what they are famous for creating. I'd love to play for Sundissential again as they are one of the most influencial clubs up north and the crowd are tottally in awe of what DJs doing. I love playing abroad as well, I'm actually writing this email from Ibiza as I've got a few gigs over here at the moment. People have no worrys when they are away from home and it shows when they're 'throwing shapes' on the dancefloor. I'm trying to get in with the London clubs as they seem to be leading the way. I've played for Freedom in the past and it has been wicked. Frantic is the one at the moment so to play for them would be wicked. I've just started doing stuff with Feersum so my foot is almost in the door down there, fingers crossed.
How would you like to see your DJ career progress?
I'd like to be the biggest DJ in the world! Sounds good but I don't really fancy that. I think Lashes has done well to be as big as she is but remain credible with the diehards. There will probabaly be people who read Mixmag and Lashes is their favourite DJ, they may never of seen her play. Then those those that have been going out for years that still really rate her. I think that is almost impossible to do and would feel blessed if I could also pull it off. I'd like to get into production, I can't find the music that I'm after, which is normally the reason that DJs go that way. It is obvoiusly a smart business move and could be essential to my progress over the next couple of years. I want my fingers in as many pies as possible, I´m currently writing for City Lights Magazine and promoting Fierce in Nottingham it all goes hand in hand but there has to be a balance. At the end of the day I want to make people dance so I try not to get to carried away with too many other things. I'm not just into hardhouse/nu-nrg/hard trance whatever you want to call it so it would be amazing to do Global Underground style music as it is more internationally reconised and would open other doors but one thing at a time, eh!
What is you guaranteed floor-filling tune if it all goes wrong?
Signum 'What Ya Got 4 Me' is an obvious choice but it has been done to death. I had to leave the room at the Tidy Weekender I heard it so many times but I didn't want to let it piss me off as it is such a tune. Felix, 'Don't You Want' always goes down a treat but a personal favourite is Handbaggers 'U Found Out' the TDV Remix, you can get away with it almost anywhere and it always gets the crowd to 'bust some moves' on the dancefloor. Everyone can have a sing-a-long and prance about for a bit. At the moment a real floor filler for me is Mishka's Mad Gay Mafia presents DJ Injector, 'Possesion EP' (Demon Mix). It is almost three tunes in one and has something for everyone it really rocks the roof in a big club. RR Fierce and DMF's 'Rock The Spot' never fails to please, it's relentless. It just rock the roof it ripps the f**ker off!
Which DJ would you most like to warm up for?
I warm up for Lashes all the time at Hotdog. It's wicked, you can never play too hard! I've yet to play with Karim so I've booked him for Fierce. He is one of the most interesting DJs on the scene today so I'm really looking forward to playing with him. He'd be good to warm up for as I'd be able to play whatever I wanted, or saw fit. He can totally change the direction of the night within a few tunes without it sounding badly programmed, I could also have a sneaky peak in his record box.
What makes a good resident DJ?
A good resident listens to the promoter and trys to bring their own qualities to the night to make it more succesfull. Some DJs think that promoters don't know toffee about music. I'm lucky enough to work for Roman, he's been promoting for a good few years and although he is getting on a bit now (only joking Roman) he does know what he is talking about when it comes to putting on a successful night. His musical tastes are not the same as mine but he is good at marketing himself and his product. If I can work with the other residents to make sure that the music is bang on then we're on to a winner. Having the ability to cover different styles is also essential a resident needs to be able to play warm-up, main and last set on request. I suppose it is different for different residents but it is no good if you can only play 'hard as nails' or main room warm-up. A good resident has to take the rough with the smooth, if the night is not a busy as is hoped there is no point kicking up a fuss it looks bad. Good residents are hard to find, as is a good residency so you have to work together to make sure the night is a success. Whatever that work entails do a good job and you will reap the rewards. Helping out in other areas such as PR and bookings never fails to impress, the more you do for a club the more important you are to that night. Play the best you can everytime and don't take regular work for granted, do the best you can for the club. Don't play a full on hardhouse set if a trance DJ is to follow, there has been times where is has been my job to make guest DJs look good. Finally, it is the people on the dancefloor that have paid to get in, not the staff so keep them happy, keep the promoter happy and do right by yourself and you should be a good resident.
Mark Leish's All Time Top 10
1 Tony De Vit 'Don't Stop' (TDV)
2 Funkydory 'Good Times' (Devinyl Records)
3 Quench 'Dreams' (White)
4 Benedict Brothers 'Honey Child' (Tidy Trax)
5 Tony De Vit 'I Don't Care' (Jump Wax)
6 Felix 'Don't U Want Me?'(Deconstruction)
7 Handbaggers U Found Out' Tony De Vit Mix (Tidy Trax)
8 Technotronic 'Pump Up The Jam 96' Tin Tin Out Remix (White)
9 BK and Madam Friction 'Take It To The Top' (Nukleuz)
10 Mark Leish 'Reason To Move' (Acetate)
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