Brockie is one of the second generation of DJs to make it into the big-name elite. The first generation are DJs like Grooverider and Mickey Finn: people who originally made their names first time around purely by being DJs and can ram out events on the strength of their name alone. The second generation have come a different route, mostly through producing, but one of the main reasons Brockie has made it to the top is through pirate radio.

Brockie has been DJing just as long as the first generation, but he was playing hip hop, soul, swing, ragga, etc. in 1988. By 1991 though, Brockie was also playing hardcore and some old friends who were starting up a pirate radio station called Kool FM invited him to be a part. He wasn't a regular on the club circuit then, and those first two years were mostly spent playing on the radio, building his and the station's profile. The reward for this groundwork became evident in 1994, with his name appearing on more and more flyers and at bigger and bigger events. Fast forward to 1997. Brockie still plays on Kool, but now is also the DJ manager on the station (which involves scouting new talent and co-ordinating their roster). He's definitely the biggest name to emerge out of the Kool FM / Jungle Fever stable, and he has the visa stamps in his passport to prove it. What is new though, is his production career. He's been working in the studio with Mr Time (of Krome & Time fame) and they are starting a new label together called Undiluted.

What is it about him that has seen him emerge from such a highly competitive field?

'I think the reasons are Kool FM and MC Det,' is the modest answer.
Sometimes it's difficult to step outside yourself for an objective view, but luckily Det is sitting in on the interview, and he has his own opinions why Brockie is popular: 'I know a lot of the top MCs like Brockie's style due to the beats he selects. Even if it's a heavy drum & bass tune, the way he selects it, it's like it's saying something - like a song in itself.'

'People have said to me for years that I play a certain way,' adds Brockie, 'but I just don't know it or can't hear it. It's amazing. I like hard, rolling, aggressive drum & bass within my set, but I've always integrated it with something else to play alongside it.'

What do you think makes a good DJ?

'You've got to love the music and what you're doing. You've got to remember you're booked to make people dance and be biased against your own selfish ego. Some DJs think they are masters, teaching people about music. Having said that, you have DJs like LTJ Bukem who plays what he wants, but does it well, because he makes good quality music and has always stuck to it and never changed. There's only a few though.'

How pre-prepared is your set?

'I have an idea of what I'm going to do, but it's not prepared. It's just what's in the box, I just go there, look at the crowd, listen to what's being played, see what's happening and just go with the crowd. I never really practice either. My practice is every weekend on the radio. In the last five years, I've never had two decks at my house and said 'right, I'm going to play my records before I go out'. I just like to go with the vibe and what's happening. I'm not into 'that must go with that'. None of my sets are ever the same. When I play out or on the radio, sometimes I think I played a good set and I try to remember how I did it, but it's all forgotten.'

You seem to have been categorised in the jump-up end of the breakbeat spectrum, does this bother you?

'In a sense, it's not such a bad thing, but what's happened is a lot of promoters seem to think it's the only way I play. When they start getting like that, it is annoying. I play different sets to different crowds all round the world. Promoters should stop stereotyping DJs and just listen to how people play before they start putting labels on people and saying 'you play this and they play that'. I try not to let those things get to me, because I like the crowds I play to every weekend. In a small club, you can get away with playing a whole hour of what you want, but in a major, big rave you've got to have a balance of everything, across the board, because everyone likes something different.'

Is making music a natural progression from being a DJ?

'It's something that has to happen, even if you don't want it to happen, because I find what's happened now is that there is more emphasis on DJs that produce than just DJs. Financially, you have to do it as well.' Brockie had his first track released on Kool FM's K Power label last year, and also has contributed one of the best tracks, 'Representz' to the current Kool FM compilation album 'The Fever.'

Finally, what gives you satisfaction?

'The awards I've had, because it meant that the ravers took what we were doing seriously and appreciated it. Any award I get, I don't just take for me, I take it for Det and Kool FM as well. It's the only way of getting feedback. Even though they're in front of you dancing away, bigging you up, when they vote for you, you know they appreciate what you're doing. As a DJ, I still don't think I've achieved anything yet. I'm not sure exactly what or where it is, but I know you've got to give things a go and keep on it. That's what got me where I am as a DJ, even when there was nothing happening, I kept trying. Nobody was listening to me, but I didn't give a hell, I still did my thing. All my friends kept telling me I was wasting my time, but I just kept going. That's the sort of person I am, if I get into something, I want to go all the way.'