Its not everyday you get told by your friend that they've just started seeing your number one DJ. However, that is exactly what I was told by my gorgeous friend Cally Gage in February 2004 when she began dating Andy Whitby! I could not believe it!!!

It was only last year after Tidy Weekender 9, however, that Andy and I became good friends, as until then I had remained totally star struck, not being able to see past this amazing DJ who, on most weekends, made me dance and scream like a girl possessed!

Over a year later, now knowing Andy on a more personal level and seeing a side to him that many others don't often get to see, I thought I'd take the time to interview my lovely best friend before his highly anticipated gig at Nu Religion's 1st Birthday at The Collosseum, and give you a little bit of an insight into the the Andy Whitby I’ve got to know and love!

He needs no major introduction to describe his talent and achievements as a DJ....his Best DJ and Best Resident Awards at the 2006 HDAs say it all!

Nu Religion is taking over the Colosseum on the 12th May for its 1st Birthday, after its successful collaboration there with Frantic’s Timeless, at which you played a rocking set! Are you looking forward to gracing the decks once again at this venue?

I most certainly am! Timeless was an absolutely brilliant night, and I was really excited about playing at a venue I hadn’t been to before. It’s going to be great getting back on the Colosseum decks and contributing to what I’m sure will be one hell of a party! I’m on @ 2a.m kids, so try not to burn yourself out before then!

Since launching their first night a year ago at Hidden in London, Nu Religion has really pushed forward to become one of the leading hard dance clubbing nights in the UK. What in your opinion has made Nu Religion so successful in achieving this?

Nu-Religion has just stepped up its game in the last year and shown their definitely the leading new hard-dance night in our scene. They take the risk of booking new and fresh artists and performers and it’s paid off; Nu-Religion is now seen as one of the best nights a hardhouser can go to and I’m sure come 12th May, it’s going to be packed!

As we know, you won Best DJ and Best Resident in the Hard Dance Awards 2006, which in my opinion, and obviously many others opinion was totally deserved! However, if there was an award for Worst DJ who do you think should take the trophy?!

*Laughs* Wow! Talk about trying to stir up trouble! Well firstly, thanks for the kind words, it really meant the world to me!

Regarding Worst DJ, well I can’t really say. . .there’s some DJs in our scene that are absolutely outstanding but at the same time there’s some awful acts but that’s not me to judge or comment on I’m afraid.

What do you think it is about you as a DJ that made so many people vote for you in the HDAs?

Well, with my DJing, production and mix c.ds, I just try to play and make the music that I think people want to hear.

With my DJing I imagine that if I was on the dancefloor, after working all week and saving my money up for a night out, what would I want to hear? What tracks and mixes would make my night absolutely outstanding? Then I try to create those moments, make people feel like they’ve got their money’s worth!

With my tracks I try to create new fun hard-dance that people want to hear; big, hooky, stick-in-your-head hard-dance which isn’t trying to educate a dancefloor with some clever double percussion loop like so many of the hardhouse coming out nowadays.

And finally, with my C.D’s I try to make a mix that can be listened to when your getting ready for a night out or when you’ve come back from the club and even during the week; to-and-from work. I feel a lot of C.Ds nowadays aren’t really planned or thought through, DJs are just taking their latest 15 tracks and trying to mix them as tightly as they can; this isn’t what a good mix c.d is about.

So, all in all I think (hope!) people voted for me because they enjoy what I do and enjoy the moments I create on the dancefloor.

To everyone that did vote; thank you. . .it meant the world to me!

You were also nominated for Best Producer & Best Remixer and your AW5 mix was nominated for Best Compilation. Which of your productions and compilations has been your favourite?

My favourite production has been ‘U Ready?’ without a doubt; the riff really sticks in your mind once you’ve heard it a few times, plus the vocal works really well.

My favorite compilation has been Frantic Residents 05, mainly because it was so different than other mixes due to the amount of acapellas featured on it. The one I get asked about mostly however is the blue Frantic Euphoria from 2004, the bounce one…that still seems to be popular among my supporters.

In the past, many have compared you to Eddie Halliwell with regards to your technical proficiency, and a younger Fergie with regards to your showmanship and charisma. These two DJs, once known for playing amazing hard house, have since moved away from the hard house scene towards other, more commercial genres of dance music. Can you ever see yourself moving in a similar direction, away from hard house?

No. The way I feel about hardhouse right now is stronger than ever. I LOVE it!!

I eat, breathe and sleep this scene and it’s music and although there was a time when Fergie and Halliwell felt like this, their feelings changed, but I’d rather have DJs in our industry who are passionate about hardhouse and wanting to help move things forward.

If I do branch off to other music genres it won’t be to leave hardhouse, it’ll be to express my passion for other scenes while still playing the good old ‘ard stuff, so don’t you worry kids…Whitby’s never leaving.

Who was the last DJ to blow you away? What was it about them that made them so good?

Ah, I’m going to appear really boring here, but I never really have time anymore to catch other DJs playing! I’m literally in the door, on the decks and then straight after my set off to another place. . It’s a wild way to live!

You’ve said in previous interviews that you started off listening to happy hardcore. You’ve recently worked on some hard house projects, with hardcore DJ Gammer, under his real name Matt Lee…Have you ever thought of making a hardcore tune with him or another hardcore producer? Also, what is your favorite hardcore track?

I have thought about it, and I do like hardcore. I’m especially impressed by the amount of tracks hardcore producers make, there’s literally new material weekly from the top ones! Something our scene should learn I think!

I won’t however be making any hardcore any time soon. My work with Gammer is strictly hard-dance.

Has there been any progress with your AWSUM label, as I know many who are desperate to get hold of your productions right now?!

There has, and I know I’ve been saying the same thing for the last year but it’s SO close to finally coming together and I’ve got some amazing releases lined up.

The label is going to be the main place to find Andy Whitby material and also brand spanking new Matt Lee tracks including his latest offering ‘Hands Up!’ which I debuted @ Goodgreef vs. Sundissential this past weekend.

As soon as the label is rolling I’ll be sending out a press release so keep your eyes peeled!

If you could live these past 25 years all over again, would you do anything differently?

Not at all. I’ve always said you have to live life to the full, as it’s only coming around once! I don’t want to get 25years down the line from now and wish I’d tried harder or done more.

I try and live my life like that in all aspects really, I think happiness is a very important issue and if you’re not happy with the way your life is; change it.

Seeing that in many previous interviews, you have been asked what your favourite tunes of all time are, please could you name your top 5 worst tunes of all time?…all music genres welcome!

*Laughs* I swear your trying to stir trouble, but I’m not falling into that trap!

I can’t really list the worst 5 tracks I’ve ever heard BUT a few weekends ago everyone came round to Whitbytowers and your boyfriend Toby, as always, took it upon himself to provide the soundtrack for the party. Now I don’t know where he found them, but the Scouse House C.Ds he was putting on my stereo were so bad, I almost cried.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Scouse House, I think it’s fun, uplifting and always brings a smile to my face, but these mixes Toby was putting on…they were something else, they were new levels of bad bounce gone wrong…they were, in short, crimes against human ears!

The first time I ever saw you play was at a Sundissential competition at the Sanctuary in 2003. You opened your set with Bass Keeps Pumpin’ and proceeded to scratch (Oh yes…Whitby can scratch!) over it amazingly, making me eat my own fist with excitement! How come you don’t scratch anymore because, to be fair…you are bloody brilliant at it?!

Ah, I knew this would come up! It’s true…I can scratch, but I find it hard to find time to now, as unless you’re in the booth with me, a lot of people don’t know I’m usually mixing 90% of my set. The second one track has finished I’m usually straight into the mix with another, that’s the magic of hot-cues!

Saying that, the amount of mither I get from you and a few others, I should really bust out my scratch hands to keep you happy shouldn’t I?!

What was the first and last non-dance album you bought?

The first non-hard-dance album I bought was Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers, on tape cassette! In a way it really opened my eyes not only to music in general but also mixing, and how you can put vocals of different tracks over different instrumentals. It’s also a little surreal that I’m now appearing on line-ups alongside 50% of Jive Bunny (Andy Pickles from The Tidy Boys).

The latest C.D I bought was ‘The Simpsons Sing The Blues’ for £1.70 from Tescos, an absolute genius piece of musical history that I bought originally on tape cassette when I was a youngster. I thought I’d re-visit such classics as ‘Do The Bartman’, ‘Deep Deep Trouble’ and my personal favourite ‘Look At All Those Idiots’ – a rap/guitar-lead number featuring Mr.Burns & Smithers.

How do you like to chill out in your spare time?

I sleep odd hours; I get up between 10 – 11a.m and I go to sleep between 2 – 4a.m, so usually later in the evening I stop doing music-based activities and try to unwind a little. Usually this involves playing video games. I’ve treated myself to a Wii, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 so I’ve got the full range! I also like reading, or watching basketball on Sky, can’t forget my roots can I!

If a film was to be made of your life story, who would you like to play yourself?...and no, you can’t say you!!! Who would you want to play Cally?!

Well, I’m not really a cinema person; in today’s age of HD 43” TVs with surround sound what is the great thing about sitting in a big dark room with a load of randoms, listening to them talk through-out the film whilst sitting on chairs that feel like they’re made of stone?

However. . .if someone made a film about my life, I think it’d have to star Nicolas Cage as he’s my favorite actor, although I’m not really sure how he’d look with a shaved head and Nike rifts, still…would be interesting!

Cally can be played by Jenna Jamison, who I would have to personally audition for the role.

You are one of the best-dressed DJs in the scene, but have you always been such a fashion fanatic? Any fashion disasters you dare to admit to? Shocking Sherman shirts? Fluorescent shell suits? Hi-Tech trainers?!!!

Why thank you! I do like a good clothes shop, and sometimes things get a little out-of-hand on how much I spend on them, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look nice is there!?

My mother used to moan at me ALL the time about how much money I spent on clothes; I remember the first time I bought some Evisu’s she couldn’t believe I’d spent so much on a pair of jeans! She always asks me what the difference there is between them and a £25 pair from Burtons! God knows what she’d do if she knew I have 9 pairs of them now…that’s Evisu jeans, not Burton’s!

However, there are some simply outstandingly awful pieces of clothing sitting in my wardrobe…I’ve got a lovely range of Ben Sherman shirts I used to wear back when I was 15, there’s even a glow-in-the-dark one! I was so happy when I found that bad boy!
There’s also some turtleneck knitted jumpers for those colder months and a few pairs of Reebok classics for lunch times @ school, hanging with the cool kids!

When I moved out of my parents back in 2005 I sorted through my old wardrobes and it came to my attention that I used to buy everything in insane sizes, like XXL! I wish someone had told me I looked like an idiot!!

Last year you got yourself two amazing yet meaningful tattoos, one on each arm. What do they translate to and do you have any intention on getting anymore tattoos…if so, what of and whereabouts would you have them?

The one on my left arm, your right, means ‘live my dreams’ as I am! There are not many people who can say they’re doing that, so I thought that’d be a good choice to remember no matter how hard it can be in the DJ industry sometimes, I’m a very lucky guy to be in this position.

The one on my right arm means ‘music is life’ as it is. I wake up in the morning and it’s the first thing that enters my head. Music makes me feel so many incredible emotions; I really couldn’t imagine living without it.

I will be getting some more when the time is correct, but right now I’m just not sure what I fancy…maybe something down my shoulder, something a little wild that I’ll no doubt regret later in life when I’m old and wrinkled.

I’ve had the great pleasure of visiting Whitby Towers on a regular basis, to chill out, eat, drink etc but as of yet, I have not been blessed with your culinary skills! (I’m not even sure if Cally has actually!) However, if I were to come over and demand you cook me something of sheer yumminess, what would you rustle me up?!

I’d rustle you up a 13” Dominos full-house of course! Extra dip darling?

No, seriously. . .I’d come with something old-skool like a hand-made lasagne but with extra things thrown in you never usually find in there, like garlic balls or fruit. I think the one occasion I cook for you would have to be special wouldn’t it!

For dessert it’s home-made cheesecake all day long baby! I LOVE cheesecake, so I’d love to have a bash at making one from scratch.

If you hadn’t died of food poisoning by this time we’d retire to the lounge for a few glasses of 1664 Blanc (sounds so posh doesn’t it!).

Finally, if you’d behaved yourself up to this point I might, just might, treat you to a visit to ‘the room where the magic happens’…that’s right, my music room. For a mix.

Ah yes...Domino’s! Mmmmmm! You and I share a HUGE love for Domino’s pizza (yes…u know me well Andy…a 13” Full House all the way!) and also Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and we always get excited when new toppings and flavours come out! If you could design your own Domino’s pizza and B & J’s ice-cream what would they comprise of and what would you call them?!

I like meat. . .simple as that. So for my dominos pizza, I’d have it made in a special 18” only size, with triple cheese and the following toppings; ham, sausage, beef, bacon, doner-meat, chicken and salami with random chunks of cheese added on top. It’d also come with 3 garlic dips so you didn’t run out…how thoughtful of me!

It’d be called ‘Whitby’s 18” Meat Fist Surprise’; the surprise being if you finished it in one sitting you’d get a t-shirt with your next order announcing ‘I rode Whitby’s Meat Fist and survived!’.

As for Ben & Jerry’s, I’d come up with ‘Whitby Woo-Woo’s Frozen Love Cream’, which is best described as: “Super-creamy quadruple chocolate ice-cream, coated in stream after stream of hot sticky caramel, with little Belgium chocolate bears filled with marshmallows and all topped with candy sprinkles”.

It’d be eaten with a special spoon that came with each tub; a battery powered warming spoon that melted the ice-cream perfectly before it touched your lips. . .am I thinking about this too much?!

Room 101, was a TV programme where celebrity guests were able to chat about their pet hates and then throw them all into “Room 101“...what things would you love to throw into Room 101?

There are a few things I’d throw into Room 101:

• Jealous people; don’t hate on people for chasing they’re dreams.

• Slow drivers; by slow I mean middle-of-the-lane sitters doing 50mph.

• Bad weather; possibly a hard one to do, as physically grabbing hold of weather is unheard of, but I want it in there. I love the sun.

• MSN Smilies; I fucking hate them, especially the animated ones.

Where’s the most random place you’ve ever been recognized as superstar DJ Andy Whitby?!

There’s been a few places; in the street, in shops, in the pub, the woman at the bank surprised me the other week as she thanked me for her free KeepItWhitby mix, and most recently I rang BT about my internet and the guy on the phone told his colleagues he’s ‘on the phone with Andy Whitby!!’.

The most surreal has been when I was mixing one day with the windows open and someone came to the door…I stuck my head out of the window and asked the guy what he wanted, but he was more interested in the fact he could hear hard-dance and that this was Andy Whitby’s house. He asked if he could come in, then rang his boss to tell him who he’d met…all very strange and I never did find out what he was selling.

What would we find in/on your bed-side drawer?

I have a lot of books next to my side of the bed, mostly autobiographies as I love to read when I go to bed, mainly to relax and get my head away from music so I can have a decent nights sleep!

As well as books, you’ll find:

• A pint of water (one of my biggest fears in life is dehydrating in my sleep and shrivelling up, thus being too weak in the morning to move and being stuck in bed forever).

• Herbal sleeping pills (for when I get back from a gig and it’s sunny outside, my head says “SLEEP!” but my body says “IT’S DAY-TIME!!” so I have to knock myself out).

• A note-pad (I like writing down ideas for mixes, tracks, business ideas).

What ringtones do you have on your phone?

I have personal ones for everyone! All my close friends have their own special hard-dance track so when it goes off, I know exactly who it is before I look at the phone.

I also have personal photos of them all, so when (for instance) you ring me Nathalie, a lovely photo of you doing what could only be described as ‘sucking on a donut’ appears, mmmmmm!

Any ideas when you’re finally going to get Cally her puppy Henry you’ve been promising her?

*Laughs* The amount of people who have asked me this…the time just has to be right as we’re not in the house much, and you need to be around a new puppy all the time when you first get it! Can’t be having a baby Henry growing up all naughty can we?

But seriously, when I get him, I’ll make sure I post some photos up on keepitwhitby.com so keep checking kids!

www.andywhitbyworld.com