I am sure all of you would agree that a great day was head by all, that there was some serious DJ talent on display and the excitement at the end before the winners where announced and after the play off was ecstatic. Well done to all of you who made it thru to the final. I must also say that the competition was tight and there were only a few points separating the top 5 DJ’s.

DirtyLittleFuncker :

The look on your face when you where announced as one of the winners was one of total shock. Based on your set and your performance, would you say that it was good enough to go through?

I was shocked! I really enjoyed the set but I know I’m not the greatest mixer in the world. The competition was really good and there were some almost flawless performances. All the guys did really well so it was a bit surprising that my name was called out. I know that I can play better than that, but I think everyone that was there enjoyed it and part of that was because I loved playing and really got into it myself.

The only lesbian competitor in the competition, you have been around the block a few times, had the experience of being resident at a top night at Pacha and have also had the privilege of playing some big sets at some of London’s finniest clubs, compared to HotBox which would you say was your finest set to date and what can we expect from you in the final?

I’m sure there are a few other DJ’s that can admire the female form… I’ve still only been playing for a couple of years, but definitely the experience of playing to large crowds and being under pressure helped a lot. There have been a few highlights along the way, like my debut at Turnmills, but I don’t think I’ve been that nervous getting behind the decks since I first played out. I’m looking forward to the final because I know there’ll be some seriously great talent on show. All I can say is I’ll give it my usual energy and I’ll hopefully have a few new tricks up my sleeve by then.

Concpet :

Your skills behind the decks are very impressive, you offered a fresh and different style of music compared to the other DJ’s when it came to track selection, you where also a very late entrant due to a DJ dropping out at the last minute. How does it feel to have made it through to the final and what did you think of the competition so far?

To be honest I’m a little taken back making it thru to the final, I’ve always let my skills do the talking rather than my gob! I played what I did to stand out from the rest, you have to put yourself on the line and take a gamble. The standard of the competition is high and I’m looking forward to final

Even though you had a relatively early set, you still seemed to grab many of the people off the roof terrace away from the sun and onto the dance floor. Everyone was really enjoying your set and most were amazed by your skills behind the decks. You also love your breaks, which in my eyes is becoming more and more popular. You integrate house and breaks very well into your sets what is your view on DJ’s that play more than one genre?

No matter where you play your playing for the crowd, not everyone in that crowd will know your music but its down to you to get everyone interested. By limiting yourself to one genre you are limiting the interest in the crowd. I like to play many styles of dance music, in doing so you have a wider appeal.

I hope these answers make sense and I’m not off on some tagent, global gathering has taken its toll on me!

Great competition once again, thanks to everyone involved, see you at the 3rd heat!

Rustic Groove :

You were the last DJ to play in the 2nd Heat, it has it’s advantages and can in some ways also play against you. Spending 6 hours drinking, waiting and listening to the other DJ’s can take it’s toll, what did you think of the other DJ’s and do you think that the time you played increased your chances of going thru?

If im truely honest, yes, i do think playing later increased my chances. simply because the dance floor was alot busier than it was for alot of the other dj's, and by that time, the clubs enviroment had electrified from previous sets and gathering numbers. I didnt really have many of my friends come to support me because of the travel into london, so having a dancefloor full of up for it clubbers really helped, as im the sorta a dj that always plays better to a crowd, and the reaction that came once i finished was breath taking. i really didnt expect such a wicked response! thanku up 4 it clubbers :-)

At the same time though i really hope, and im sure they did, that the judges took set times into consideration when they scored, as it would be unfair to mark a dj down on crowd reaction, if theres only a few loyal followers on the floor.

On the flip side, yes it was a long day. I came into the comp positive and with the expectation of myself to at least make it through to the final, but after listening to all the other dj's play throughout the day, and hearing there skills, i really started to feel the pressure as there was so much quality and talent on display. Every dj gave it there all and it was hard to keep focused as the atmosphere, intamacy and friendlyness of everyone, could quite easily of taken over the fact that i had to play, so trying to pace my beverage consumption was quite a task!

You have played at Deeper before where you certainly did rock the dancefloor, you have your own Radio Show and from the sounds of things you are quite and experienced DJ. You enjoy playing music across many genres whish has been the flavour of the day at HotBox. What did you think of the competition? And what can we expect from you in the final, bearing in mind that you will be playing against some serious talent!

Firstly, thankyou for ur kind words, i enjoyed deeper alot. You have a great party there with so much potential,and im glad to of been a part of that.

Unfortuntly because of other commitments i had to quit the radio show earlier this year, but watch this space, im currently in talks with a few stations, including the station i left, about a new show, so will hopefully be back on air soon.

As for the genre thing, i find it hard to even put alot of tracks into genres these days as producers take electro elements, and drop a techno loop behind it, with touches of trancey synths and allsorts.

i just like tunes with energy and that aren't too predictable.

i started as a tech trance dj 8 yrs ago and was locked in that for years, but on returning from 6 months in tenerife and movin to london from devon, i lost contact with that whole scene. A friend introduced me to fabric and the weird world of minimal techno, and from there i developed a new understanding for dance music. Since then i've pretty much delved into everything, from jaking chicago house and funky, to acid breaks and techno.

If i had to put myself in a box and tick it, i would say i play more along the lines of tech house and techno more than anything else. I do like electro and its always incorporated in my sets somewhere, but always the darker, or more heavier side with a few cheeky ones thrown in for good spirit.

The thing that i find most interesting when it comes to genres is peoples reaction when i say i play techno. Immediatly they seem drawn to thinkin, 'the typical banging hard stuff', but when i give them a cd, quite often they enjoy it, and its suprising wot u will find under the techno genres when searching for new tunage.

In final u can expect.... wait and see! ha.

The competition is definatly unpredictable with oppourtunity for any dj to shine, but theres no doubt if im to have chance, i'll have to put on something pretty special.

I have a few ideas im looking into, and it would be great to win, but its not going to be easy by any means.. and i need to put in some serious practice!!

The main thing is that i'll be giving it my all, if that will be enough or not i dont know, but i know i'll enjoy it, and as long as i got some funky dancefloor groovers in front of me enjoying it too, im happy.

John :

You where given a lucky second chance as a wild card to get through to the final, it was close between you and Roland all the way to the bitter end but you managed to get enough crowd support in order to get through based on your set on the night which was absolutely smashing! How does it feel to have made it through after the play off and do you think the way the winner was chosen was fair?

Yeah it was very close on the night, but I had a completely different tactic to the first heat. In the initial round I played tunes that would link together nicely and sound like a set crammed into 40 mins. It obviously wasn’t good enough to get me through automatically, so I knew it had to be changed round. This time I played all sorts of music from old rock to pop sampled funky house. As it was late on I had to do something to get the crowds attention, rather than concentrating on technical abilities. I hope that because of this it meant that the crowds reaction and the independent adjudicators decision, were without bias and I was chosen because of the tunes that I played. Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail!!!!

You certainly upped your game for the play off, and I am sure you will up it again in for the final. I believe that it is very possible for a Wild Card to go through and actually win the competition. What do you think your chances are?

I definitely believe that a wild card can win the final. Everyone’s skills are closely matched so far, with two that really stand out for me. Andy Boph and Concept are the ones to watch, but I will try and beat them on tune selection and tightness of mixing. Watch out chaps

Thanks guys, it’s been good talking to you… well done on getting through and all the best for the final. I am sure we will see some of you at the next Heat on Bank Holiday Sunday!