We are superexcited to have Jack Michaels - show-stopping DJ, producer, A&R head honcho at Grin & purveyor of proper dirty, filthy, sick electro & techno - spinning as one of the headliners at Curiousity on 30th January. Curiousity will fuse filthy roof-raising house music from crowd-enthusing DJs with a twist of Burlesque entertainment. Read on to get the the low-down on the hi-jinks in the world of Jack Michaels.

Hey Jack, thanks for taking some time out with us today. How are you?
Yeah, very well babes thank you!

So tell us, what got you into DJing - how did it all start for you?
It all started 7 years ago when I was only 14. Me and my big bro Rich brought our first set of Technics 12-10s and huge Kam mixer. We were both were into our drum and bass back in those days, alongside classic old school house and garage, so that’s what we learnt on. I remember it being so f*#king hard and frustrating learning how to beat match. There were many times I would get so p*ssed off at getting beats together - there would be records flying across the room lol! It wasn’t until my best mate - and now fellow business partner Mark Batch - came and calmed me down and took me through it step by step. Slowly but surely, I got the hang of it and it was then I started to get addicted to mixing and buying records.

Which DJs really inspired you and who do you really rate today?
Over the years there has been so many acts and so many DJs that have stood out and inspired me to go further with my DJing. But the one that stood out for me the most and has given me a goal in this industry has got to be Carl Cox - the guy is sick & every time I’ve seen him he has blown my mind!

Tell us about the Jack Michaels sound – what can people expect from a Jack Michaels set?
I play everything spanning between Electro / Techno / Tech-House. My sound has got to have loads of energy, dirty bass lines and nice techy grooves. A lot of material for Grin Recordings and my own productions always feature in my sets too.

As well as your residency with Grin (more on this in a moment), where else can people catch you DJing?
Apart from Grin, my other residency is for Summit Dirty which is held at Hidden, Babalou & The Mass club in London. Other club events you can catch me at are: The Gallery @ Ministry Of Sound; Lock n’ Load Events @ KoKo and the Scala, Twisted Peach @ Digital Brighton to name but a few.

2008 saw you jetting off to DJ in Prague and Ibiza – have you got any international gigs in the pipeline for 2009?
In June, we are heading back out to Ibiza with Ibizan Heat & Lock n Load Events on a tour from the 19th - 28th. This will be my 3rd year on the island, I can’t wait. We also have some up and coming gigs in Sweden and I also have a booking on the 23rd of May in Mallorca.

What’s been your most memorable gig so far and why?
The memorable gig for me so far was in 2007 in Ibiza for our first Grin Boat Party. I met so many sound people on that party, including my fiancé Lindsey Forrest. Also all of my best mates were on board so it was it wicked party not just a gig.

Grin is the name of both your record label and flagship clubnight. Where did you come up with the idea for the name and what is the concept of Grin?
Well, Grin started with me, my brother (Richard Bowditch) and my other brother from another mother Mark Batch at my house, where it still is based. The name Grin came from a nickname for me and my brother, given to us by our mates. Everyone used to call us the Brothers Grin after the stories about the Brothers Grimm - because me and Rich are always up to mischief and always have a grin on our faces.

Then when we were coming up with ideas about what we wanted on our label and what sort of music it would be, we immediately wanted music that would make you grin in a club…either by it being an uplifting track, a subby dirty bass line track or even minimalistic. Also with our club events we like to bring an atmosphere of fun down with face painting, dancers and loads of free party bags full of silly gifts.

What have you got planned for Grin in 2009?
Loads and loads! We have our new resident event which is in Kingston @ AMA-GI (formerly Bar Evissa) which is on the last Saturday of every month. We also have our regular Grin events at Inigo in Clapham. On the 21st of February we will have Chris Lake and Filth & Splendour headlining and for our follow up Inigo on the 16th of March Jnr J will be returning to our Grin Stage. On March the 7th we have Grin @ Koko with UK House Mafia and then it’s off to the White Isle in June for our Ibiza Tour!

Additonally, you can catch me on the Electronic Sessions 3rd birthday Boat party on the 28th of February and then Jnr’s Jamm on the 4th of April.

So on the production side, your release with Mark Batch “R.I.D” was released on Big In Ibiza last summer and had massive support a host of DJs including Space resident Jonathon Ulysses. What plans do you have for productions and releases in 2009?
We have lots of releases scheduled for Grin in 2009 and are hoping to have a couple of releases per month from myself, Mark Batch, Yiannis Balkizas, James Edwards, with remixes from Filth & Splendour, Jnr J, Stealth & Kit. These guys will be bringing some intelligent Drum and Bass to the Grin table. Jamie Bracken will also be hitting us with some euphoric style trance.

So what producers are really hitting the mark with you at the moment?
There are so many sick producers at the moment…Ingo Staar is one of them his stuff is sick: really techy electro. The other producer always stands out is Deadmau5 everything he does is just banging - he also has 2 other aliases: BSOD and WTF!? This is the sound of the sickest tracks I’ve got in my bag at the moment…proper dirty filthy electro techno…love it!

If you could work with any artist on the scene right now, who would it be and why? Deadmau5 or Trentemoller - they both are musical geniuses

You are quite well known for getting into the spirit of fancy dress (Jack and his Grin crew are often seen out and about dressed up as Red Indians, whilst at the Grin Halloween event at Scala Mr Michaels was resplendent – and quite scary - as The Joker!) Will you be getting in the spirit of dressing up Burlesque stylee at Curiousity?
For sure - there are a load of us coming down, going to be all dressed up for the occasion!

Well it seems you are keeping pretty busy – no rest for the wicked ‘eh ;-) But when you do get a chance to relax what do you like doing?
Sticking my feet up and watching WWE! F*#king love the show, its like Eastenders but with fighting -pure genius.

Hit us with your top 5 current tunes:
Perfect Motion - Ingo Staar Remix
Something Suitable - Format:B
Choplifted - BSOD (Original Mix)
You Can't Afford This - WTF? (Original Mix)
Changes - Daley Padley, Jon Johnson - Ingo Staar Remix

And what is your favourite tune of all time?
Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Nice choice! Finally - tell us a joke!
What do you call a deer with no eyes........................ no idea.

Thanks for your time Jack, see you at Curiousity!
Pleasure babes. I've just recorded a new mix so be sure to check it out!

Jack Michaels Curiousity Mix
sendspace.com

Track Listing
1. Get Off - Sharooz - (Miles Dyson Remix)
2. Anthem - Miles Dyson - Filthy Rich's Tek No Shit Remix
3. Choplifted - BSOD (Original Mix)
4. Edding 850 - Format:B (Original Mix)
5. Something Suitable - Format:B
6. Changes - Daley Padley, Jon Johnson - Ingo Staar Remix
7. Champange Dreams - Mark Batch - Grin Recordings
8. Game Over - BSOD (Original Mix)
9. MusicSexual - Jack Michaels - Grin Recordings
10. Zeppelin - Ingo Staar (Original Mix)
11. Eat What You Kill - KiKo Remix
12. Calanga - Mastiksoul
13. Work This Pussy - Mad8
14. R.I.D - Jack Michaels & Mark Batch – Big In Ibiza
15. Perect Motion - Ingo Staar Remix
16. To Find Me - Jack Michaels & Mark Batch - Grin Recordings
17. Credit Crunch - Jack Michaels & Yainnis Balkizas - Itch Records
18. Why Not - Alter Ego - Tim Deluxe Remix
19. Some Polyphony - Petter