1.Growing Up
Being of Greek heritage I was exposed to a lot of Greek music – the kind of stuff with a lot of instrumentation such as percussion, clarinet, bouzouki and the like. Then I started to ask for vinyl records for presents from my relatives for Christmas and birthdays. I got lots of Elvis Presley and started choosing out psychedelic rock and even Turkish folk/belly dance was an addition to the collection.
2.Inspirations
Over the years I can’t really say who has inspired me; I always try and look within for inspiration, and it’s pure love of the music that drives me forward. That doesn’t mean I don’t admire other DJs, who are far too many to mention. I do have a network of friends and collaborators with great record collections that are a great source of material and inspiration, such as Brother J’s and Alex D’s collections, which are second to none. The material served up from these guys, which draws from disco, boogie, ’90s house, golden age hip hop, funk 45s and breaks, all makes up the elements of what gets pushed out of studios these days.
3.Your Crew
Fortunately running my label and DJing is a full-time job for me; it keeps me pretty busy. Talking to other artist and DJ/producers from around the world, together with digging around for new music and obscure rarities, takes up a lot of time; then of course there is the production.
4.The Music You Make And Play
If you to come and listen to me play a live set with a dancefloor in mind, it would probably include releases from Rahaan, Essex Rascals, Brown Brothers and of course Superbreak. This is an uptempo disco sound but intertwined with quality house and the occasional boogie bomb. There is no cheese here or anthems, which is a mantra I have always lived by – sure, it might not serve me well as far as getting booked is concerned, but who wants to play tunes they don’t really want to play anyway? I am very lucky to have the opportunity to play overseas where the sound I push is well received and sought after.
5.Music, Right Here, Right Now
The music scene today is kind of exciting because I came from an era where only a select few were producing and had an opportunity to record and play their material live. These days, it seems everybody is a DJ/producer. The important thing for me is that these guys have some integrity in their sets and productions, and conduct themselves professionally – that serves the DJ community well.
The Soul Of Sydney Frankie Knuckles Tribute, withPhil Toke, Scott Pullen and Danny De Sousa, is on Sunday April 19 at a secret location.
