DjHistory

Abigail Ward caused a stir two years ago with her brilliant debut single, I Miss Your Love. Her uncompromising approach to music-making and DJing is expressed brilliantly in this discussion which covers her path to creativity, working in a record store, and her current disillusionment with the torpor of today's dancefloors.

Sean Johnston's name may not necessarily be one that trips off the tongue so readily, but as one half of A Love From Outer space, he's most definitely in the frame. Sadly we lost his partner Andrew Weatherall almost exactly five years ago, but we talk to Sean about his early life in the farmlands of Yorkshire, early forays to the fleshpots of Driffield and Hull, before seeking fame, fortune and Balearic rarities in London. He also has a long overdue compilation out now, which you can buy here.

This month's podcast guest is the indomitable CC:Disco! CC opens our discussion with extremely detailed instructions for her funeral, before we go on to discuss women, Lisbon, radio v club and the importance of Kevin & Perry Go Large.

Richard Sen's entry into youth culture was as the first person to be imprisoned for his graffitti work (under the name Coma). He was ‘saved' when he turned his attention to acid house, becoming firstly a DJ and, in short order, a producer/remixer. We discuss his trajectory towards jail, his career as a DJ and producer and his accidental work as a criminologist.

This month's pod is the multi-faceted Scuba, who broke through 20 years go as part of London's burgeoning dubstep scene but has since wandered all over the place, genre-wise and geographically. We chat about dubstep, Guns 'N' Roses, what makes a good DJ and Simple Minds. It's a goodie, this one.

DJ Kerry is the woman who built a nightclub in her suburban basement in Los Angeles, where she throws monthly parties to a select audience. It may well be the best party in the United States right now. In conversation, Kerry explains how she did it – and why.

Eric Kupper's entry in the dance music world came via a session with Justin Strauss in 1986. Since then he's worked on thousands of sessions (often uncredited) as well as writing 'The Whistle Song' for Frankie Knuckles. In this wide-ranging interview we cover everything from the early days of house in New York to the effect Ronald Reagan had on culture.

This month's podcast guest is a legend of our field, Marshall Jefferson, responsible for many of the early Chicago house classics. We talk about sampling, getting his masters back and why Ce Ce Rogers' Someday was banned in South Africa.

Kaidi Tatham was one of the driving forces in the explosive London scene of broken beat. Subsequent to that, he's guested on keys for numerous people as well as regularly releasing his own, soulful gear. Listen to him reflecting on his life and also winning a Grammy with Jazzy Jeff.

Yet another encounter with one of the dons of drum and bass, Fabio, who talks liquid D&B (new Generation Liquid comp out now), spending a grand a week on dubplates and the hilarious consequences of taking E before DJing in Italy. 

In this month's podcast, we return to Manchester with prodigal daughter DJ Paulette, who tells us about her forthcoming book, Welcome To The Club, and why Ibiza wasn't all that.

DjHistory Podcast - Session Victim (DJH013)

Zakia Sewell is a club DJ, NTS radio presenter at NTS, but also a radio documentary producer, with shows ranging from the Sabar drummers of Senegal to the history of UKG. We chat with her about her start at Honest Jon's, how you define taste and how to stay connected to your DJ roots.

Steve Silk Hurley is one of the founding fathers of Chicago house. His surprise hit hit in 1987, Jack Your Body, was the first house track to hit #1 in the pop charts and announced his arrival as a major talent. In this wide-ranging interview he recalls sneaking out of the house to go to parties, breaking his father's strict curfew, makes a claim for his version of ‘I Can't Turn Around' being the first house track ever made and tells the story of how Farley Jackmaster Funk's hit version was an idea originally stolen from him. 

Hip hop pioneer Monica Lynch was the seminal rap label Tommy Boy's first employee in 1981, where she went on to spend nearly two decades (much of it as president), signing De La Soul, Digital Underground, Stetsasonic and RuPaul, to name a few. In this full interview, she talks about the birth of hip hop, plus her time as a radio presenter, hustle dancer, and topless performer in Times Square. Quite a life, for a middle class gal from Chicago.

Soundtrack composer, DJ and record producer Yuksek is a busy guy. Over from his native France for a show in London to coincide with his latest album, Dance'O'Drome, we talked about his many aliases, inspirations and the difference between composing for movies and making dance tracks. 

Broadcaster, club DJ, compiler, Loft baby and founder of Classic Album Sundays. Colleen Cosmo Murphy is all of these things. We chat with her about all of the above (and then some).

We're honoured to have music industry grandee and veteran DJ, Simon Dunmore, who recently stepped down from Defected. We quiz him on his rockabilly, jazz-funk, house music all life long and what the hell he's planning now he's no longer got a day job.

Charlie Dark is an instigator. Whether it's via his band Attica Blues, ICA night Blacktronica, or even his running club Run Dem Crew (which he describes as a "warehouse party that moves"), Dark has an opinion on everything. So it was a pleasure to catch up with someone who has thought long and hard about what we DJs do and how we do it. There are few people in dance music who use their voice as often and as wisely as Dark. 

Jyoty is one of the breakout DJ stars of the past few years. Her career exploded after her debut Boiler Room performance (now on over 2 Million streams) and her latest live show, at Koko, sold out in three minutes. We talked to her about her Punjabi-Dutch heritage, her smart use of social media, doing gigs before she even knew how to work the CDJs and her relentless determination.

Long-time buddy of DjHistory, Gerd Janson, is this month's podcast guest. We caught up him during one of his regular jaunts to the UK (this time at Night Tales) to talk in detail about his career and inspirations, with an in-depth discussion on the history of German house music and he influence of clubs like the Front, Dorian Gray and Robert Johnson, where Janson first made his name. Other gear for your ears this month, we've got another classic Mystery Mix, this time from Mark Seven, the enigmatic British digging genius who's now ensconced in darkest Scandinavia (all the better for finding unheard records by the Bjørns, Doris's and Ragnars of the world).

"Performing is everything," says Danielle Moore, and you can tell when she's on stage. The Crazy P front-woman is one of the most cherished and acclaimed vocalists in live music. When she is on stage at the likes of The Big Chill, Bestival, XOYO or Wilde Renate, belting out all manner of catchy cosmic sounds, you cannot fail to be captivated by her energy and style. "When I'm performing I feel like I've stepped into my alter ego and am able to take on any mood. It's very empowering to become detached from my own slightly vulnerable self." It is that charming confidence and that unique exchange of energy with the crowd which makes her every performance an utter thrill.

The Northern powerhouse is assured as east squares off against west in the latest DjH podcast. With Bill Brewster in the Grimsby fishwives corner interviewing special guest Luke Una via the M62 from Manchester. Luke is the renowned Balearic eclecticist and A-level forager, known for his sideswipe rants to camera, his discursive Worldwide FM radio show, and as the co-founder of Manc institutions Electric Chair, Electric Elephant and Homoelectric.

A new podcast from Bill Brewster's legendary DJ History podcast each month with some of the best names in music. This month Bill is joined by French producer Dimitri from Paris.