@ The Fridge

"I started clubbing about 7 years ago, and I noticed just how much like a 'live' band the DJ had become in the eyes of clubbers. The paradox was that loads of musicians I knew always thought the 'scene' didn't have a clue about 'real' music as they put it. In fact, they never took the Dance scene seriously. So I vowed that if I ever ended up involved I was going to try and put the 'live' back into it, seeing as many people consider the death of the live band down to the DJ. My instrument has always been guitar, and I learnt to play by soloing along with tracks from the radio that I had never heard before. This I feel really has helped me to nurture my style of DJing, because I basically make it up as I go along!

I also think that in time, clubbers are going to demand more than just someone beat matching a bunch of records. More and more people in clubland are becoming DJ's, and I get the feeling that more and more clubbers are demanding a bit more from the person lucky enough to get the chance to play. In fact there are now a whole host of DJ tools available that more and more DJs are starting to use such as the Korg Kaoss pad etc, which help to make a set more unique and inject a more 'live' feel. The clubbing experience is becoming more like going to a concert. People go out to see their favourite DJ's just as they used to go out to see their favourite bands. The trouble is there is only so much that can be done musically with two decks, and seeing as so few clubs have a third deck or CD mixers, I decided to break the monotony one night by bringing my guitar along with me and plugging it in. Whatever the case, at least I am keeping to my vow!"