Hello Simon, are you sitting comfortably?

Ok Simon lets get straight in with the questions. You are a DJ hosting a show on the award winning Point Blank Fm. How did you get into being a DJ?

‘How long have you got?’

[About an hour]

Well I got into it by accident really. I’ve always loved my music and began buying records at an early age. It started getting a little more obsessive from about 14 or 15.

By the time everyone started having little parties round their parents houses when they were away for the weekend, they started asking me to bring my records and play the music’

So did you have a mobile disco or something you used to take round to these parties?

So when did you discover this ‘art and skill of mixing’?

So you started mixing then?

Ok Simon so you got into DJing by accident, followed by the skills of DJing, again almost by accident. So there were no DJ influences for you at this time?

Oh yes there was. I mean I used to listen to the Soul Session on Capital radio every week and hear a lot of the records I would then go out and buy. There was a young man called Pete Tong who used to present the show. At the end of each show he used to compile the ‘Capital Nightlife 10’ which was the top ten selling records out of, as he put it, ‘London’s cooler record stores’ I digress, basically he never ever ‘mixed’ any records on air so he never influenced me on that score.

Were there any DJ’s who did influence you technically?

There were two. After I left school I went to college and met this guy called Chris Giorgi. He had proper decks and a Vestax mixer. Wednesday afternoons were set aside as free periods so people could do sport. I however used to go round to Chris’ and we’d mix all afternoon. He was a genius. One of the best mixers and scratchers I have ever met – to date even! He taught me a lot. He used to do this thing with two copies of the same record with a ‘one, two, three, four’ vocal at the beginning. He’d scratch the ‘one’ on the left deck, jump to the right to scratch the ‘two’ in then back to the left for ‘three’ and back again for the ‘four’ I found that very difficult getting my head around I can tell you!

A little later, just after Kiss FM was legalised, I started listening to Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson’s mix show on Saturday nights. He really was amazing technically and the energy you got from his performances was unrivalled. That show was an institution for me, right the way through the 90’s. I taped it every week.

So when was your first proper DJ gig?

Was it long before you found another gig?

No I don’t think so. Firstly there was ‘Loved Up 2’ which really went off! My sister had moved to Southampton to go to Uni and she got us a gig at their on campus club called the Beehive. Chris and I did it regularly throughout ‘91/’92.

Did this make you want to go to university?

Did your DJing then continue when you got to Bournemouth?

Yes it did. Well in the summer before I was due in Bournemouth, I spent two months DJing in Magaluf, Mallorca. A friend of mine Brandon was working over there and living the life so I got a box of records, packed a bag and with only fifty quid in my pocket got an open flight to Palma.

The afternoon I arrived I ended up helping my mate out and was washing the car of this guy who used to run BCM (the biggest club on the island, and at the time, in Europe). This guy had a bar called Sounds opposite BCM. To cut a long story short I ended up as the resident in Sounds bar playing for eight hours a night, seven nights a week. It was hard work but I really enjoyed it. This is where I also met Des Mitchell, the BCM resident. Des and I hit it off and he ended up inviting me to play the big one, BCM. With its four decks and Formula Sound mixer etc etc it was a real eye opener for me.

How did you get on playing Europe’s biggest club at 18 years old?

I loved it! It was full every night, over two thousand I think and it was no less busy whenever I played it. I remember the other resident DJ ‘Mental Ritchie’ handing me a copy of Felix’ ‘Don’t You Want Me’ and saying something like ‘If you have moment and you clear the dance floor, don’t panic, just put this on’

What happened next then? International 18 year old DJ?

Ha ha not really! I had a great summer in Magaluf but returned with a lot more than fifty pounds in my pocket - mainly to repay my mum for lending me the price of the flight in the first place!

I moved to Bournemouth as planned and ended up achieving many residencies down there. I was pretty much DJing seven nights a week again, so my summer training came in very handy!

I played all the clubs but they will have all changed hands and names a few times by now. I used to DJ for the BUSU events too which at one stage saw me warming up on stage for The Pogues of all people! The crowd hated me but The Pogues were very nice to me and all thanked me and shook my hand as hastily left the stage.

So no regrets going to University?

No none at all. I got my degree, a BSc in Information Systems Management and I now work in Technology for a well known TV company for nearly ten years. I also went some way to fulfil my DJ aspirations as much as I could simultaneously. The only regret I might have is not playing the Bump and Hustle parties which were legendary down there. I was asked to DJ for Main Source, the leading promoters on the Bournemouth club scene but for some reason I turned them down. They put on a boat party from the Pier and they wanted me to warm them up before they boarded the boat. For some reason I felt I should have been on the boat so I never did it. Stupid really as it was an opportunity missed in hind sight.

Were you a clubber as well as a DJ?

Oh yes sir! And still am, but not as much as I used to. In the early days I used to go to 3^rd Bass at Shaftsbury’s in London, and Garage City – the big Saturday night parties in London. But my main stay was always The Loft in Camden. A Wednesday night affair with Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson and his many, many guest artists. Before that it was ‘Trouble’s House at Legends, Old Burlington St in London on a Thursday. Those nights were all about the music. I just used to go there to dance. Not to get drunk. Not to go on the pull, just dance and have a good time. A good nine years of my life revolved around a mid weeks dancing to the best music in town.

So now you host a show on Point Blank.Fm. How did you get to this?

Well it’s not my first appearance (if appearance is the right word?!) on radio.

I used to do a show on Red Eye FM back in 1993. It was a west London based station that had a good following. Looking back the highlight was probably doing the ‘Bug Jam ‘93’ at Santa Pod. The station was asked to be the official ‘unofficial’ radio of the event so the rig went to Northamptonshire for the weekend!

I guess I was there for about a year before logistics and uni commitments proved it too difficult.

Your show ‘The Troubled Soul Safari’ is quite a mouthful. Where does the name come from?

How does your show stand out from other shows would you say?

Well I was first attracted to Point Blank FM as it sounded the most professional station I’d heard, bearing in mind it was a pirate. I still have this ethos that if something’s worth doing, then it's worth doing properly. Therefore I don’t just turn up with the same box of records each week or just play requests or past hits. I take time and prepare my show each week where I hand pick, what I and I only think is the best new music. I’m not swayed by external forces or trends. If I think something is good then I’ll play it. It takes me, on average, about 3 hours to check out all the new stuff every week.

Because music has become so disposable these days, with tracks having a 2 week shelf life at best in some cases, it’s a constant battle to stay on top of it. This is where I work hard to showcase the best new music and also try and extend the shelf life of those that deserve it. I make my show available for downloader’s each week through Myspace and Podcasts and I also have guests join me now and again. I make an effort to make my show sound and feel as if it could be broadcast on any station around the world.

Have you ever thought about producing your own music and if so, who would you look up to as a producer?

Yes I have. DJing became my passion many years ago but being a producer really hasn’t. Having said that I know what it is about the music that I like and to be able to produce things just the way I like it would be very exciting.

I have dabbled and made a few bootlegs but nothing to write home about. I have had Ableton for about 4 years now and am still getting my head around it! I have a full time job so it’s difficult to find the time to really get stuck in.

I’ve always supported music produced by Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, Hippie Torales, Satoshi Tomiie, Ron Carroll, Byron Burke, Masters at Work, Tommy Musto, Eddie Perez, Dwayne Spencer, Charles Dockins, Danny Tenaglia & Peter Daou, Aaron Smith and Terry Hunter (UBQ), Richard Payton & Doug Smith (95 North), Basement Boys, Dave Lee, crikey I could go on forever and I know I’ve missed loads out but this is off the top of my head you understand!

So what’s for 2010 then Simon?

Well who knows? I plan to keep a tight and steady ship on Point Blank and try and maybe get some more guests on to the show? Maybe someone I’ve just mentioned even?

As far as clubland is concerned I will be involved in The Loft reunion which will be running once a month at Bar Vinyl in Camden. We had the first one on Boxing Day and it was great. It has a good little atmosphere in that place and ironically shares a very similar feeling to the original Loft so hopefully the underground club scene of happy people dancing and having fun will get stronger and stronger and progress throughout 2010

Interview by Sybil (December 2009)

More info: www.myspace/djsimonandrews