“I’m not talking 10 people having a few beers listening to music on a bluetooth speaker, i’m talking hundreds of people and the night security from Sainsbury’s being hired as door staff!”
How it all started…
I thought I would use this space to tell a bit more of my backstory… hopefully it can provide inspiration for those beginning a career in music and the wonderful journey it entails, or perhaps you just like a good read!
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My love for music came from a young age. Not as far back as some artists, subconsciously having it instilled within them by parents playing records during all spare moments of childhood, but young nonetheless. My love for music came about during primary school at the age of ten, initially as a cunning plan to avoid having to act in the school play! Having the first name Joseph led me to of course, being first choice to play Joseph in the school Christmas nativity. My plan meant it would be for the last time!
For some reason I found myself fascinated with the sound and lighting desk tucked away in the dark corner of the stage. Most people would have no interest in finding out what all those cables were for, but I had to know how it all worked. I can’t say why, I was just drawn to the intricateness of it, I was captivated by the process of tweaking and perfecting the experience of the production. Without knowing, this was the start of my appetite for music production. Needless to say, I never acted in the school play again and exclusively undertook the role of the sound and lighting engineer.
Fast forward some years, I was at university, a playground for you to discover what you really love and want to do for the rest of your life; alongside like minded people to push you out of your comfort zone. I, like most people in our scene, very quickly got fatigued by the clubs playing Rhianna on repeat.. attempted escapes from the dance-floor resulting in people dressed like they just came from the office pouring drinks on my fresh white trainers… I went in search of something more, fortunately my university accomplices were on board!
All of this planted the seed for a deep routed love for the groove and vibe of house music, it was in my veins to stay. I fortunately managed to land myself in a position where I was getting regular DJ sets at a club in Nottingham called Stealth. My first residency evolved from there, putting me in a position where I could start to build my network. If your looking for a tip as a DJ at this stage in your journey… that’s it right there, your network is key.
I undertook a 4 year university course, which until this point I haven’t mentioned, was in business studies. Not the usual marriage with a love for music! The third year wasn’t a year of studying, but actually a year to work in the corporate world, which in my case was as a project manager. This taught me one main thing, that I wanted nothing more than to be able to make music everyday, and to never sit at an office desk again. With that fire stoked inside of me, I graduated from university and glamorously moved back home with my parents.
My residency at Stealth continued but it was only two days a week. To fill the time I also took on handing out flyers for their club nights, some of which even had my name on them! Of course that didn’t mean anything to anyone at this point, I kept them for memories regardless! Unbeknown to me while walking around the city centre, carrying as many brightly coloured pieces of paper as possible, the few years following would be like going back to University, just without the studying part!
I got welcomed at Nottingham university that year through the social aspect of flyering, to shorten a long story... A group of us ended up starting a house party circuit between all the largest student rental properties in the city. The hosts were on rotation to provide the venue for that weeks party. I’m not talking 10 people having a few beers listening to music on a bluetooth speaker, i’m talking hundreds of people and the night security from Sainsbury’s being hired as door staff! I ended up buying my own sound system and renting it out to house parties along with DJing at them, coupled with my residency at stealth, this became my bread and butter for the following 3 years. Meanwhile, as my dad left his office at the end of the working day, I passed him at the entrance ready for my night shift of music production at his spare desk, leaving only when he returned for work the next day!
Through a combination of lucky networking, good timing and being at every party I could possibly attend, I managed to sign my first notable release, the Def EP on ViVA Recordings. As the release date drew closer, I had no idea how it it would be received, I knew it was something different and hopefully interesting, but for that reason I was also nervous. Not in my wildest dreams did I think that it would start a chain reaction to begin the most joyous and fulfilling journey of my life.
I want to use this last line to thank anyone that listens to any of my music, has danced to one of my sets in the club or even had a chat in the smoking area. I appreciate you all <3
