Adventures in the Land of Dj'ing - Early Years

We've all got to start somewhere when we have a passion or belief in something.
So I'd like to take you back to a time when I was a raw disciple to the wheels of steel.

I was an avid collector of music (still am to a certain point), predominantly soul music, but many other genres were included.
I got that bug from my father. His record collection was ridiculous and the fact that he never really liked anyone going through it unless he was there to supervise.
That's something I fully understand now at cost (I'll deal with that at some other stage).
Santana, The Beatles, James Brown, Otis Redding and so many other great artists were all introduced to me via his record collection.
Not content with just playing me the records, he would have either a background story on the artist, the track that was playing or both.
All valuable information for a boy developing a great interest in music in general.

From the house to the car, music filled the air, be it Sam Cooke or Henry Mancini..just great tracks everywhere.
In fact whether it was music on records or theme tunes from the television, Black Beauty to Hawaii Five-O...it didn't matter.
The first record i ever bought was 'Shake Your Body Down to the Ground by the Jacksons which was on a 45.
Although I loved it, I found it was a little too short and so began the process of taping and extending the track by pausing and re-recording until i had at least ten or so minutes worth of track on cassette tape(remember those, of course you do)
I couldn't afford the twelve inches back then.
In fact it was that successful, I started making cassettes for my school mates and as the tapes got better, for a small fee.

It was actually my cousin Sted, that introduced me to the wonderful world of the twelve inch record (that i couldn't afford)
He was a dj in the true sense of the word, the music, the knowledge and the look - short-sleeved shirt, baggy trousers and the quintessential funky belt( get in!!)
I so wanted to look like that, but more than that, I wanted the tunes he had.
I remember when he came round with the import 12'' of Mystic Merlin - Just Can't Give You Up. Subliminal.
And then there was Lipps Inc - Funky Town and Crown Heights Affair with You Gave Me Love.

I knew what i wanted to be.
I wanted to be a dj!!

I still wanted to be a footballer, an artist and some other things I forget, even if some teachers thought I would end up a little sh*t.

Fast forward to a bar tending job I had in a Midlands nightclub and my first dj opportunity.
Slick Street was uber-cool. 3floors, two dj booths that only allowed serious djs.
The music was serious and the night owls were serious about their music.
I worked the weekends - Fridays and Saturdays to be precise, but occasional Mondays too.
This particular Saturday was strangely busy. I say 'strangely' because the weather was atrocious. Sleet, snow and a temperatue to free the nuts off a polar bear.
Yet, folk still slipped and slided their way to the club.

I was busy mixing drinks and being my usual effervescent self(hmm..)

''Hey Ed?'' That was Mark the club owner.''We've got a bit of a problem''
''What's that then?'' I asked.
''Pete can't get here due to the weather conditions, how do you fancy spinning some tunes?'' (Pete was the dj for the second floor)

You know when your hands go clammy, throat gets dry and body switches between hot and cold- almost like when you're sitting on a train and hear the immortal words 'Tickets please' and it suddenly dawns on you that you (a) forgot to buy a ticket(yeah,right) or (b) didn't bother(bingo) or (c) were so broke you couldn't afford it(some of us have been there)

I mean don't get me wrong, I wanted to dj or at least try, but due to my position at that time of World Procastination trophy holder, I was suddenly unsure.
''I don't have any records, here'' I replied.
''No matter, we've got a couple of boxes in the office''

Mark used to dj too, but having become manager he never bothered with it any more.
''Well, do you fancy it or not?'' he continued.
''Sure, why not'' I said.
I mean what's the worst that could happen? Exactly! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The crowd had been restless and had been drifting from floor to floor.
Floor 2 was where the really serious music usually was, floor 2 was where the walls normally dripped with sweat, with bodies bumping. The night owls saw me headed for floor 2 and followed.
Floor 2 expected.

I opened up with Maze featuring Frankie Beverley with Twilight.
A stormer at the time.(still is, in my book)

Mixing was an unknown quantity to me at the time, but hey ho - trial and error.
I faded in and out of the tracks...one club banger to the next.
Wally Baderou - Chief Inspector...James Cobbin, Kleeer, Kashif, Melba Moore...brilliant music.

I felt good, really good.
The night owls were very appreciative.

A pretty little red-head hanging around the booth(I will talk about booth-hangers at some stage, but not now) who was obviously new to the place asked me if I dj'd there, every week.
Yes I said, wondering where the hell that answer came from.
Redhead bought me a drink, rum and blackcurrant I recall...I was sailing by now.

The vibe was nice, the people were nice, I was Nice (no pun intended).
Loose Ends - Hanging On A String got another rewind and I was in my element now, getting brave, pushing my elementary mixing schools to new boundaries they had no passport to cross...and then came officially my first dj faux pas and it was a corker...

I lined up Mantronix - Got To Have Your Love and let go.
I'm now shuffling to and fro in the booth in an almost Carlton-esque way like a Fresh Prince of Mad Air, but the problem was I had actually taken off the record that was playing live and continued to bop to what I could hear in the headphones, having not pushed up the fader to the track or moved the mixer slider across.
Stunning!

I was rummaging through the boxes for what would be my piece-de -resistance, still dancing in the booth.
I turned round to a round of applause from the crowd as they were all stood waiting for me to realise that there was no music playing in, only in my head.lol

Wonderful.
Ground, swallow, hole, big..you can do the mathematics.

Wiping away the beads of sweat, I perspired some more and perserved.
Redhead couldn't stop laughing as she placed a note in my top pocket and went over to join her friends.
As I sat in the cab home thinking of the evening's proceedings, I reached for my top pocket and unfolded Redhead's note which had her number on.

I could really get used to this Dj lark, oh yes indeed.