Rising Stars: D.O.D

 

D.O.D is a 22 year old self-confessed Pioneer Pro DJ addict who’s energy, turntable wizardry and partying antics will tear the roof off wherever he plays. After recently being crowned as the ‘Mixmag & Blackberry DJ 2010′ and things look promising for the young rising star. D.O.D’s precise but inventive use of CDJs really does set him apart from alot of other DJs. Before every show, he digs out the finest acapellas, bootlegs and instrumentals to bridge the gap for switching genres of music. D.O.D’s unique sound can only be described as ‘Jump-Up Electro with the Unexpected’. He has just recorded a set for Kissy Sellout on Radio 1 and on NYE will be warming up for Pendulum, so it seems that now is the perfect time to check in with this rising talent:

Can you remember the first time you heard electronic music?

Yes, it was in my brother’s room when I was about 8 years old. I think he had bought a dance music compilation CD. I loved it so much that I was trying to steal his CDs when he had gone out to listen to. It was something completely new for me, growing up I had to listen to my mum and dads music which was predominantly Motown based. The sounds involved were amazing, like nothing I had ever heard before!

When did you first get into DJing and producing?

I first got into DJing when I was around 12 years old. I had been nagging my parents to get me a set of decks for a long time. Back then, I thought it was a cool thing to have, I never imagined that it would become my profession years later. Production just kind of came with the DJing really. I was DJing a lot in local bars in my hometown Bury and thought it was the right choice to make when deciding what to do at college. I studied music technology for 2 years at Bury College then 3 years at Lancaster University.

How has your year been? What has taken up most of your time?

This year has been unbelievable! Six months ago I would have never predicted how far I have got, its insane how quickly things progress. Winning the Mixmag competition has massively raised my profile as an artist. Most of my time gets taken up with days in the studio, DJing, making edits, curating my own clubnights and looking for new music, the perfect job really!

Have your musical taste evolved as a result?

My musical taste is constantly evolving. I could never just stick to one specific genre of music, that’s not what I am about as a DJ. Obviously my heart is still with electro but artists like Chase & Status, Magnetic Man etc have made dubstep and drum & bass so much more accessible to the masses. This has made my DJ sets more interesting. Two years ago it was quite difficult to get a positive reaction out of the crowd when you played a dubstep track, now people go mental. I will play anything that works on the dance floor, that’s what I love about my style of DJing. Again, most of my DJ sets are based around electro but I throw a little bit of everything else in there too just to shake things up. All genres of music inspire me, especially when I am in the studio making my own tracks. There are so many different sub genres breaking into the dance music scene at the minute and I think it’s fucking brilliant! 

How has life changed since winning the Mixmag comp?

It has changed massively! I am very grateful for Mixmag choosing me, I wouldn’t be in the position I am in now if it wasn’t for them. It’s great too because I have made some really good friends form the people that work for Mixmag, I just feel very fortunate that they enjoy what I am about as a DJ. Things really progressed after becoming the Mixmag Ibiza resident. I have signed to a very respectful agency, PFAgency and now I am on the same books as the likes of Eddie Haliwell etc. Again, these guys have helped push me to a whole new level, we are both working our socks off to try and achieve new targets, it’s great.

And what was life like in Ibiza this summer as their resident?

Amazing, I love Ibiza so much and going over there to become a resident for one of the world’s biggest dance music magazines was just insane. I played some great DJ sets, met a lot of cool people and saw some amazing DJs. I could easily get used to the Ibiza lifestyle, hopefully I will do next year 🙂

Why do you think you won it? What sets you apart?

I think I won it by being creative and doing something that other DJs aren’t. I try to be as technical as possible when DJing. I use a lot of acapellas to bridge the gap between switching genres of music and make everything flow nicely. I always like to be a little daring, try out new tricks and generally be a little bit of an animal behind the decks, the crowd buzz of you so much when they know that you are into what you are doing just as much as they are.

How prepared are each of your sets or are they all done on the fly?

A lot of it is done on the fly; it really just depends on how the crowd are reacting to what I am doing behind the decks. I do a lot of preparation beforehand, making edits, digging out bootlegs, acapellas and discovering old classics that I know will definitely work on the dance floor. If I were to plan out exactly what I am doing and it doesn’t work then I’m pretty much fucked – The main aspect of being a good DJ for me is knowing what the crowd want to hear next and putting your own, technical style on that.

What else have you got coming up?

I just did a Radio 1 guestmix for Kissy Sell out which was aired on Thursday 18th November. The mix consists of tracks that influenced me when I was growing up, a couple of new tracks and my own music. I have some really high profile gigs coming up over Christmas which I am very excited about. NYE at the UK’s biggest club, The Syndicate warming up for Pendulum should be lots of fun! I have an EP that is hopefully going to be released by the end of the year too, but again as I am my own biggest critic I want it to be perfect for my first major release. Basically just lots of great shows all over the UK, it’s all very exciting! There are some very big shows that I am playing for which I can’t release just yet; I am looking forward to what’s to come.

http://www.djdod.com

http://www.soundcloud.com/d-o-d

http://twitter.com/dj_dod

http://dodofficial.wordpress.com/

http://dodofficial.podomatic.com/

Kissy Sell Out Radio 1 – klassroom mix

http://soundcloud.com/d-o-d/d-o-d-klassroom-mix-for-kissy-sell-out-bbc-radio-1-18-11-10


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