Tell us a bit about yourself
I started getting into DJing when I was around 12 years old after seeing a friend of mine’s father’s turntables. Learning to DJ at home on a homemade turntable set up before being able to buy proper turntables and mixer.
My first bar gig turned into a full time residency at Bespoke, Derby, which became the best urban bar in the Midlands, leading to me being booked to play abroad.
UKG was always a passion of mine so with the bookings I took that to Malia, Ayia Napa, Ibiza and Magaluf, warming up for and supporting some of the biggest names in the urban scene, and playing alongside huge DJs like EZ, Luck, Sticky, Judge Jules to name a few.
2008 I had a major motorbike crash leaving me unable to walk for a year and half, whilst recovering; Topflyte from Norwich persuaded me to start producing. Once I had the right studio software, Topflyte and Scott Sumption helped me get started explaining certain things and it all took off from there. The last 3 months my UKG remixes (even though cheesy) have started to attract the right attention.
With this I’ve been putting out Garage Kiss CDs for free download which became the fastest downloaded mixes on facebook, now leading to a garage kiss event at Nono8 December 1st, with MC Neat and KH performing there new single “You Don’t Know”.
How did you get started in the industry?
I started when I was at school, one of my mates used to go to Christian events and his dad used to DJ for Christian hip hop bands and I picked it up from there, bought my first decks when I was at school straight after. Straight after school, I went into the RAF regiment, got bit bored of that so left there, carried on with the music in a local bar in Derby and they needed a DJ so I stepped in and it all built up from there.
Tell us about Garage Kiss
Originally I was DJ’n in Malia in 08 and wanted to sell a CD out there and randomly came up with the name Garage Kiss and probably since the start of 2008 to this day it has so many thousand sales and just short of 30 thousand downloads so I thought I’d carry it on and got Garage Kiss 1 & 2 and they’re pretty much the fastest downloaded garage CD on facebook and social networking sites, so I decided to do an event with it. At the same time MC Neat and KH just released their new single “You Don’t Know” so we decided to put the event on with them introducing their new single and it’s all taken off from there.
Do you have any tips/advice for young DJ’s?
Young DJs I’d say stay away from computer stuff, myself now I use serato, a lot of DJs download stuff that can mix for themselves. They’re not buying music how they used to, everyone if they’ve got a computer or CDs they’re a DJ. I think just keep pushing yourselves keep practising on proper decks and not relying on software and hopefully someone will pick up on that.
Who are your influences?
DJ wise pretty much only DJ EZ the most creative, Wideboys as well they’re brilliant. Production wise there’s a lot, originally when I first started producing it was from Topflyte from Norwich and Scott True Sumption, both of whom were the ones who helped me and advised me on what to do producing garage and electro at the time but now pretty much strictly garage. All the stuff that that I base is pretty much on sunship, wideboys, there’s a lot from the garage scene but mainly Topflyte, Scott true sumption are the ones who helped me get started.
What’s your favourite UKG track/artist?
favourite artist I without a doubt vocally is craig david, I don’t think there is many blokes out there can beat his vocals whether it be garage, rnb anything he does. Production wise I think my favourite producers is definitely sunship, the way that their tracks sound, they way that the way the chops sound I inspire to be like sunship, if one day maybe better, that’s my goal. As tracks goes, I cant choose one particular, there’s way too many.
What have you got planned for the future?
future plans, garage kiss at moment in talks with a couple of different labels about going into printing it and putting into stores, hmv and all the major stores next year, and hopefuly garage kiss will take off with that n be the next pure garage n with events be the next garage nation. That’s the aim that im going for.
If you won the lottery what would you do?
First thing I’d do, my mum would live like a queen, she wouldn’t have to lift a finger again, everything would be waiting for her hand n foot. I think after that both my niece n nephew they’ll be sorted for life n I’ll look at building myself a new big studio and probably buy myself a bike.
Any last words?
check out www.djbeenie.co.uk follow us on twitter @djbeenie and try make it to the garage kiss event, search garage kiss on facebook and that’s about it.