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: ClashMusic has another double header of disaster for your DJ delectation.
In one corner: PillowTalk. Sammy D, Ryan Williams and Michael Tell are a product of San Francisco's clubland, fusing classic R&B, boogie and disco with the Utopian futurism wroughy by cutting edge House.
Not to be outdone, here comes Nic Fanciulli. Emerging from the UK, the producer has notched up credits alongside Kylie Minogue and UNKLE, as well as peddling his own unique line of intelligent, probing techno.
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This wasn’t as much as a disaster as it was more of a mindblowing coincidence that happened one evening during soundcheck for my Kontrol event. This was back in 2005.
As I recall, we were at the now defunct RX Gallery, in the famed Tenderloin District in San Francisco. We were there early, around 7pm for soundcheck. We had Isolee performing live that night along with Justin Martin playing a special techno set.
So, before setting up for Isolee, we went to do our quick standard house sound check on the turntables and needles etc... This was back in the day when we all still played vinyl and never really played cd’s. There were a pair of the old Pioneer CDJ 100’s hooked up to the mixer but we never used them. So we get back in the booth and I pull a record out to soundcheck. I think I check the right turntable first and everything is good to go, great signal etc....here is were it just gets quite eery and weird. I place the record on the left turntable and press play and turn the channel up on the mixer. It sounds good and it’s good go and so I stop the turntable and pull the record off. To my bewilderment the song is still playing over the PA system. At first I thought it was some crazy delay, but no, it was as if I never took the record off the turntable. I looked at the mixer and the channel I just used was up so I pulled it down and the track stopped. I pulled it back up and it was still playing!!! I looked at Will, the owner of the club, and just shook my head. A haunting feeling came over both of us. I literally felt chills up my back and my hair was standing up.....”How is this happening?”
This went on for about minute until I finally realized what had happened to scare the shit out of us. I noticed that one of the CD-J’s was playing and whomever had DJ’d the previous night had left a cd in the player with the exact same song cued that I was sound checking with. The channel was switched to line so I was always hearing the CD and not my record. The chances of that ever happening is so unbelievable it felt like there was a higher power at work. Just in the background of our minds sort of toying with us. Needless to say it was one scary, weird and overwhelming experience and one I will never forget.
- - -
I think the main DJ Disaster that stands out for me, not to mention the one that people still remind me of today, happened back in February 2005. We had a weekly club night called Club Class where we invited regular guests from James Holden to Carl Cox etc. I was the main resident there for 7 years and as such it was the place where I learnt the most about becoming a DJ. Radio 1 decided that they would broadcast their live Essential Mix from the club as it was our 8th Birthday. Pete Tong was the guest that night and he played first, leaving me to close the club as normal. I was really nervous as all my friends and family were there; plus it was my first live Essential Mix. The club held about 500 people but I remember that there was nearer 1,000 people in that night, so it was really hot and everything was steaming up on the CD players. I went on around 2am and things were going great. I got about 20 minutes into my set and for some unknown reason, I decided to stop the wrong CD player! I stood there and did absolutely nothing for about 10 seconds. Pete actually got on the mike and made an announcement, something along the lines of there being a problem with the sound system, but really it was my fault. At first it really bothered me, but in the end I just laughed it off as the rest of the night went really well.
Another time was when I was travelling from Milan to Valencia. I had done a gig at Il Muretto in Venice on the Saturday and we went straight from there to Milan as it was the only flight that would get me to Valencia in time. There were a few of us in the car and we were all still partying as it had been an amazing night in Venice. I decided to book my agent a flight to come with me to Valencia while we were in the car so we grabbed his passport on the way to the airport. My brother was actually flying to Valencia from London as he was playing the party too. It was the club’s birthday and was sold out so we were all buzzing. The driver dropped us off at Milan airport and as I got out I put my bag on the roof to get my record bag out of the boot. We went to the check in desk andtried to check in. But I had left my passport, wallet and DJ wages from thenight before on the roof of the taxi, which by now had sped off into the city never to be seen again! It was a national holiday the next day and the embassy was closed, so I spent the next 2 days trying to get back home from Italy. To top it all off, the club in Valencia never booked me again.
- - -
But don't let that put you off... PillowTalk's new single 'Strange Love' is out now on Bang The Box while Nic Fanciulli's 'Lost Remixes' are out now on Saved Records.
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: ClashMusic has another double header of disaster for your DJ delectation.
In one corner: PillowTalk. Sammy D, Ryan Williams and Michael Tell are a product of San Francisco's clubland, fusing classic R&B, boogie and disco with the Utopian futurism wroughy by cutting edge House.
Not to be outdone, here comes Nic Fanciulli. Emerging from the UK, the producer has notched up credits alongside Kylie Minogue and UNKLE, as well as peddling his own unique line of intelligent, probing techno.
- - -
This wasn’t as much as a disaster as it was more of a mindblowing coincidence that happened one evening during soundcheck for my Kontrol event. This was back in 2005.
As I recall, we were at the now defunct RX Gallery, in the famed Tenderloin District in San Francisco. We were there early, around 7pm for soundcheck. We had Isolee performing live that night along with Justin Martin playing a special techno set.
So, before setting up for Isolee, we went to do our quick standard house sound check on the turntables and needles etc... This was back in the day when we all still played vinyl and never really played cd’s. There were a pair of the old Pioneer CDJ 100’s hooked up to the mixer but we never used them. So we get back in the booth and I pull a record out to soundcheck. I think I check the right turntable first and everything is good to go, great signal etc....here is were it just gets quite eery and weird. I place the record on the left turntable and press play and turn the channel up on the mixer. It sounds good and it’s good go and so I stop the turntable and pull the record off. To my bewilderment the song is still playing over the PA system. At first I thought it was some crazy delay, but no, it was as if I never took the record off the turntable. I looked at the mixer and the channel I just used was up so I pulled it down and the track stopped. I pulled it back up and it was still playing!!! I looked at Will, the owner of the club, and just shook my head. A haunting feeling came over both of us. I literally felt chills up my back and my hair was standing up.....”How is this happening?”
This went on for about minute until I finally realized what had happened to scare the shit out of us. I noticed that one of the CD-J’s was playing and whomever had DJ’d the previous night had left a cd in the player with the exact same song cued that I was sound checking with. The channel was switched to line so I was always hearing the CD and not my record. The chances of that ever happening is so unbelievable it felt like there was a higher power at work. Just in the background of our minds sort of toying with us. Needless to say it was one scary, weird and overwhelming experience and one I will never forget.
- - -
I think the main DJ Disaster that stands out for me, not to mention the one that people still remind me of today, happened back in February 2005. We had a weekly club night called Club Class where we invited regular guests from James Holden to Carl Cox etc. I was the main resident there for 7 years and as such it was the place where I learnt the most about becoming a DJ. Radio 1 decided that they would broadcast their live Essential Mix from the club as it was our 8th Birthday. Pete Tong was the guest that night and he played first, leaving me to close the club as normal. I was really nervous as all my friends and family were there; plus it was my first live Essential Mix. The club held about 500 people but I remember that there was nearer 1,000 people in that night, so it was really hot and everything was steaming up on the CD players. I went on around 2am and things were going great. I got about 20 minutes into my set and for some unknown reason, I decided to stop the wrong CD player! I stood there and did absolutely nothing for about 10 seconds. Pete actually got on the mike and made an announcement, something along the lines of there being a problem with the sound system, but really it was my fault. At first it really bothered me, but in the end I just laughed it off as the rest of the night went really well.
Another time was when I was travelling from Milan to Valencia. I had done a gig at Il Muretto in Venice on the Saturday and we went straight from there to Milan as it was the only flight that would get me to Valencia in time. There were a few of us in the car and we were all still partying as it had been an amazing night in Venice. I decided to book my agent a flight to come with me to Valencia while we were in the car so we grabbed his passport on the way to the airport. My brother was actually flying to Valencia from London as he was playing the party too. It was the club’s birthday and was sold out so we were all buzzing. The driver dropped us off at Milan airport and as I got out I put my bag on the roof to get my record bag out of the boot. We went to the check in desk andtried to check in. But I had left my passport, wallet and DJ wages from thenight before on the roof of the taxi, which by now had sped off into the city never to be seen again! It was a national holiday the next day and the embassy was closed, so I spent the next 2 days trying to get back home from Italy. To top it all off, the club in Valencia never booked me again.
- - -
But don't let that put you off... PillowTalk's new single 'Strange Love' is out now on Bang The Box while Nic Fanciulli's 'Lost Remixes' are out now on Saved Records.
