Five Things with Seamus Haji

1. Growing Up

My mum was always playing music from The Beatles and Rolling Stones to Bob Dylan and Gerry Rafferty. Without realising it at the time she subliminally drilled Cat Stevens’ ‘Was Dog A Doughnut?’ into my head – probably the first electronic dance track I was exposed to. As a child I was there at the beginning of hip hop and house in the ’80s in the UK, which have always been major influences.

2. Inspirations

Black dance music has always been my thing from the early ’80s onwards, and I got into a lot of ’70s stuff from soul and funk to jazz funk and disco, so there are too many artists to mention – but people like Roy Ayers, James Brown, to labels like Salsoul, Prelude… all the classic stuff, the backbone of dance music today. DJs that influenced me to teach myself how to mix and scratch as a young teenager were Grandmaster Flash, Grandmixer DST and Tony Humphries.

3. Your Crew

Since I was 18 I’ve only ever made a living out of music. From working in dance record shops, writing for magazines, then at record labels like Hott, Slip’N’Slide and Defected until setting up my own Big Love label ten years ago and really expanding into remix and production work. As long as I can continue in that direction I’m more than happy!

4. The Music You Make

I play house with an electronic edge and I reflect that in the music I play and produce so I’m always trying to keep my sound fresh. I’m influenced by what’s going on in current music but I try to put my own stamp on things. If people check out my radio show and podcast on iTunes they’ll get an idea of what I’m into: bit.ly/13GpYf1.

5. Music, Right Here, Right Now

I think that if you’re a new DJ/producer trying to get your music out there, it’s a lot easier these days with all the social sites. The shift has gone from just being a DJ. As we all know you really have to produce music to progress in this business now, and if you do it well it doesn’t take much for someone to offer to manage you. Dance music is big business right now!