When it all goes wrong...
Every DJ has one.
A night when everything that can possibly go wrong does - and it does so in spectacular fashion. ClashMusic brings you DJ Disasters, featuring some of the most respected figures in the dance world reminiscing about those moments when it all went badly wrong.
Next up: DJ Wrongtom.
Best known for his association with Hard-Fi, DJ Wrongtom has built up a unique identity by sifting through crates of house, techno, hip hop and indie rock. A crowd pleasing DJ, his sets have taken him across the globe, playing all manner of venues in the process.
Invited to accompany Hard Fi at Wembley Arena, DJ Wrongtom's dream set quickly turned into a DJ Disaster...
- - -
Not being known for one specific genre or style means I've had my fair share of iffy gigs over the years with many a confused audience, angry indie fans not wanting to hear hip hop, even angrier reggae purists not wanting to hear dancehall, and on one occasion when I was told to "stop playing Prince you poof", angry homophobes who didn't want to hear Minneapolis sex-funk. So it's tough to pinpoint the worst disaster but two recent calamities instantly spring to mind.
The first was about 4 years ago on the last date of a tour with Hard-Fi.
To set the scene I spent a few years on the road with Hard-Fi, warming up for them with pretty much anything I fancied playing, culminating in a 4 deck mix up which led into their live set. These sets were probably the only times I've ever actually practiced a mix or pre-planned a set since I started DJing, and aside on going disagreements with the band's soundman, (and one gig when I got the sudden urge to vomit on stage at Brixton Academy) they all went pretty well. That is until we played Wembley Arena. Yes, the biggest gig of my career and I was sufficiently nervous enough to get the adrenaline pumping.
So the Rumblestrips finish their support slot, I march out on stage, step on the DJ riser to look at a sea of patient faces including Clive Owen, and hit play on the first record. No problems so far, I'm embarking on a slow-mo disco trudge through the likes of Drrrty Haze, The Clash and even a bit of Belle Stars, even the strange detachment of being so far from the audience on my own on that massive stage wasn't phasing me.
Over the next half hour I managed to get in everything from Miami bass to acid house, Shut Up & Dance to a U2 guitar solo, and it was all building up to my usual crescendo of the Promised Land piano-pella mixed up with LCD Soundsystem drums and a bass line from something else I can't remember. In it went, the familiar members of the audience raised their hands in the air to the piano chords, people begin to sing along... first verse, all's well... second verse, still going strong. I mix in some extra handclaps and pull that stupid superstar DJ fist in the air pose as the final chorus comes in when *click*, silence. Dead, unforgiving silence. I'm feverishly flicking switches trying to find out what I've done, with the front row hurling abuse in my direction as I stand there under a spotlight in front of 10,000 bemused people.
After what felt like a lifetime, the stage manager sauntered over, told me they had to reboot the mixing desk before the band came on and ushered me off stage, my moment of Wembley glory brought to a premature end and punctuated with an awkward exit, stage left.
I'm not sure what the moral of this tale is, maybe don't play piano-house mash ups to Clive Owen…
- - -
DJ Wrongtom is set to play a New Year's Eve party at the Queen of Hoxton - click HERE to buy tickets.
A night when everything that can possibly go wrong does - and it does so in spectacular fashion. ClashMusic brings you DJ Disasters, featuring some of the most respected figures in the dance world reminiscing about those moments when it all went badly wrong.
Next up: DJ Wrongtom.
Best known for his association with Hard-Fi, DJ Wrongtom has built up a unique identity by sifting through crates of house, techno, hip hop and indie rock. A crowd pleasing DJ, his sets have taken him across the globe, playing all manner of venues in the process.
Invited to accompany Hard Fi at Wembley Arena, DJ Wrongtom's dream set quickly turned into a DJ Disaster...
- - -
Not being known for one specific genre or style means I've had my fair share of iffy gigs over the years with many a confused audience, angry indie fans not wanting to hear hip hop, even angrier reggae purists not wanting to hear dancehall, and on one occasion when I was told to "stop playing Prince you poof", angry homophobes who didn't want to hear Minneapolis sex-funk. So it's tough to pinpoint the worst disaster but two recent calamities instantly spring to mind.
The first was about 4 years ago on the last date of a tour with Hard-Fi.
To set the scene I spent a few years on the road with Hard-Fi, warming up for them with pretty much anything I fancied playing, culminating in a 4 deck mix up which led into their live set. These sets were probably the only times I've ever actually practiced a mix or pre-planned a set since I started DJing, and aside on going disagreements with the band's soundman, (and one gig when I got the sudden urge to vomit on stage at Brixton Academy) they all went pretty well. That is until we played Wembley Arena. Yes, the biggest gig of my career and I was sufficiently nervous enough to get the adrenaline pumping.
So the Rumblestrips finish their support slot, I march out on stage, step on the DJ riser to look at a sea of patient faces including Clive Owen, and hit play on the first record. No problems so far, I'm embarking on a slow-mo disco trudge through the likes of Drrrty Haze, The Clash and even a bit of Belle Stars, even the strange detachment of being so far from the audience on my own on that massive stage wasn't phasing me.
Over the next half hour I managed to get in everything from Miami bass to acid house, Shut Up & Dance to a U2 guitar solo, and it was all building up to my usual crescendo of the Promised Land piano-pella mixed up with LCD Soundsystem drums and a bass line from something else I can't remember. In it went, the familiar members of the audience raised their hands in the air to the piano chords, people begin to sing along... first verse, all's well... second verse, still going strong. I mix in some extra handclaps and pull that stupid superstar DJ fist in the air pose as the final chorus comes in when *click*, silence. Dead, unforgiving silence. I'm feverishly flicking switches trying to find out what I've done, with the front row hurling abuse in my direction as I stand there under a spotlight in front of 10,000 bemused people.
After what felt like a lifetime, the stage manager sauntered over, told me they had to reboot the mixing desk before the band came on and ushered me off stage, my moment of Wembley glory brought to a premature end and punctuated with an awkward exit, stage left.
I'm not sure what the moral of this tale is, maybe don't play piano-house mash ups to Clive Owen…
- - -
DJ Wrongtom is set to play a New Year's Eve party at the Queen of Hoxton - click HERE to buy tickets.
