I have always been musical. I played the drums from the age of five, using mainly an electronic kit. When my father began DJing I was seven and I was very interested in what he was doing. I gradually began to help him and realised I both loved mixing music and had a natural ability when it came to the technical skills required.
I began to listen to lots more music so that I would know each song’s structure when I played out and mashed them up at events. I take a lot of time preparing all the music that goes into my laptop, making sure the BPM is correct and setting multiple Hot Cue points and Loops in the various software ecosystems I use including Engine Prime, rekordbox and Serato. I continue to constantly practise, especially with mixing different genres together so the transition is seamless.
Also, I am always taking advice and learning more to improve my ability on the kit I use and trying to push it to the absolute maximums. Q: How has your DJ career progressed since you first got started? A: I DJ with my dad on a regular basis, mainly at events, weddings and proms. I also attend Access Creative college in Shoreditch London where I am studying music production.
This has enabled me to produce my own tracks and to become more technically aware and proficient with the equipment I use. I attend SEDA and NADJ meetings and have enjoyed performing at a number of their show nights. I have recently started working with Denon DJ in the UK and I have a set of SC5000 media players and an X1800 mixer and am enjoying mastering all their kit including the new PRIME 4. I recently performed at the Xanadu resort in Belek Turkey, DJing a foam party, which was a lot of fun.
At college I worked in collaboration with another student to form a production duo called PRIZZM and we produced club-standard house tracks, played at club nights in Winchester and Southend, and performed a set on House559Music radio. Q: What do you feel are the differences between club/performance DJing and mobile DJing? A: I love to take my club style of mixing and mashing and apply it to all the events I do. In fact, a lot of clients book me because they want this style at their wedding.
As I can mix and mash different genres of music I can cater for all types of events. I am trying to push mobile DJing forward from the classic style and bring it up to date – not necessarily playing different music, but bringing a performance element into it. One of my favourite mashups is Kenny Loggins’ ‘Footloose’ and General Levy’s ‘Incredible’ . Different ends of the genre spectrum but they work so well together!
Q: What do you think makes you stand out as a DJ? A: My range of music knowledge, for one thing. It covers anything from the ‘70s right up to latest releases. This includes knowing what points things happen and the best points for mixing in another track.
This is how I DJ without using headphones because I know the tracks inside and out. Something else which I think makes me stand out is my style of using lots of mashups as well as my impeccable timing. This allows me to bring different genres and eras together to make something new on the spot. Lots of this can be pre-planned, but some of my mashups I come up with during a set.
I am always trying to perfect transitions between different genres, aiming to make them sound seamless. As I am a perfectionist, I want to make my live mixing sound like it was created in a studio so there isn’t a massive cut between tracks and it sounds perfectly blended. Trying to mix every track together no matter the difference in genres makes DJing more fun for me as I’m constantly challenging myself. For example, I was playing Fisher’s ‘Losing It’ and someone came up requesting ABBA, so I worked out in my head how I was going to mix the two, and made the mix seamless by the use of Loops and tempo change.
Q: What have been some of your most memorable gigs so far? A: My first performance, aged twelve, on New Year’s Eve at my local Indian restaurant is one I will never forget. The foam party I played this past summer in Belek, Turkey was also definitely one I will remember. Closer to home, I’ve DJed Honywood School for their proms over the past three years and they are always a great crowd.
I am trying to push mobile DJing forward bring it up to date – not necessarily playing different music, but bringing a performance element into it Q: How are you finding the course you are studying at Access Creative College in London and has it had any impact on your DJ performances? A: The course is very strong. It covers everything from the basics of production to lots of more advanced tools and techniques. The staff are great too.
I know the answers are always there to any questions I might have and they are always happy to give help if I need it. The course has given me a foundation in music production which means that I can now use it to express myself creatively by making my own music. I am always working on new ideas and tracks. Q: How has your career developed within the DJ industry?
A: In November was invited to do a performance for SEDA on my Pioneer DJ NX2 setup using a DJS- 1000 sampler. The Pioneer DJ team were there, and they liked my performance. This gave me a lot of confidence and a sense of belief in what I was doing. They commented that my style was impressive given I was only 16 at the time.
Since then I have done show nights for both SEDA and NADJ. I am also a Young Ambassador for SEDA now. In January this year I was asked to do a performance at the djKit show at Newbury Racecourse. I was very nervous as there were a lot of industry people and a lot of other DJs in attendance, but the guys at djKit made me feel relaxed and my performance went really well.
As I walked off stage Richard Ward from Denon DJ came over and asked if I would be interested in looking at some Denon DJ products. I had a go and loved them! I now have a full set of Denon DJ’s PRIME Series SC5000s and an X1800 mixer and I am really happy to be part of the Denon DJ family. I have done a few performances already for them on my new equipment and at The DJ Show in June I also did a fullon demo of the PRIME 4.
This relationship is moving forward big time, I have been introduced to Denon DJ people from all over the world already and I will soon be involved in creating video content, carrying out demos and helping with product tech support. There is even future talk of possible product design input and all sorts of other exciting things, but I need to keep those to myself for now! Q: What advice would you give to an aspiring young DJ who is just starting out?
A: Listen to and really learn your music and spend as much time practising as you can. Think of mastering DJing as learning a musical instrument. The more you practise, the better you are going to get. My other piece of advice is, of course: be yourself.
Create your own style. What plans do you have for the future? A: Continue to DJ – hopefully at bigger gigs. Produce house music.
Venture into club DJing. Continue to gain product knowledge to be as technically proficient as possible. Hopefully get a place at a studio so I can get experience as a producer, while continuing to work with Denon DJ and furthering that relationship as much as possible. And, of course, I still want to go out with my dad on his events whenever I can! @djlouissmyth Think of mastering DJing as learning a musical instrument.
The more you practise, the better you are going to get
