Hiya Egoiste lets start with the beginning, where did it all start for you?
Hey hows it going, urm well for me the love of dance music and all things clubbing began long before I went to live in Sheffield in 1998, whilst there I found myself in a City where clubbing was at the forefront of all things and Gatecrasher was the mecca of clubland! You would always find yourself playing around at house parties and so from there I guess it all began. Upon returning to Northamptonshire, there was the rumblings of the hardhouse and dnb scene so I made it my mission to bring house music to the area.

What gave you that initial push?
In 2001, Xtra in Kettering was one of the few pubs in the town that was pushing dance music. Initially it was very hard stuff but upon the arrival of a new landlord, Ioannis Grammeneous, he changed this and brought the idea of house music to the town center. For me, I was first letting a friend use my records, that then grew to djing on a Tuesday night and then became a Thursday night residency. That soon became a Saturday night gig and there I was every Saturday night, playing the freshest sounds in house music to the Kettering public. For 2 years we were the place to be seen in town and we were packed out all night long!

So the DJing came before the production & Promoting then?
Yeh definitely I had been building up the tune collection since 1998 and found myself buying vinyls as 1) I had a midi system which had a turntable on the top and 2) you could buy them in 'normal' records shops in Sheffield. I couldn't remember before that the last time I had seen vinyl freely available to buy. Then came the promoting at Xtra where we got used to pushing ourselves culminating in the 'EPIC Easter Weekender' where we raised over £5,000 for charity in 5 days of continious DJs. Finally the production has come into play and I now have several tunes behind my name, plus many more in the pipeline. This is defo the route I am looking to focus on for the near future.

Its great to hear your focusing on the production side we'll be looking out for the new material for sure. So who’s throwing the best parties at the moment?
There's so many to choose from! And they're not necesserily the big ones. In Northamptonshire we have a fantastic thriving house scene with Jadore, Disco Dirt, FUNKdeluxe etc pus the new Blush party this weekend. All these events have a great crowd which reminds me of the old days of clubbing where everyone knew each other and had the same love of dance music. Nationally, Deja Vu up in Hull continues to pull in the crowds with huge lineups week in, week out. Not many other venues are pushing weekly parties like that anymore.

Now...you don't just play in the UK do you, what other countries have you played?
There's only two! But I have played in both several times. The obvious one is Ibiza. This year will be my 4th season out there. Its been great to be a part of such a big thing and to be asked to play at some amazing events has been out of this world! The other country is Latvia. Again I played now played here several times and each time has been awsome. As the country has only been free for 17/18 years now, its still learning, adapting to the new world and new music which they simply were not allowed to hear before. The crowds are the most up for it I have ever played to and would recommend the place to any DJ who is looking to go out there.

What’s the best event you’ve played at?
For shear size, both playing at Manumission in Privilege and on the Terrace for Cream at Amnesia are up there. Both are two of the biggest parties on the island of Ibiza and events that I will never forget. To look up and see thousands of people dancing to the music you are playing is such a rush and really what its all about. I'll also never forget the first time I played in T2 at Turnmills. Awsome room, awsome crowd, awsome club, nuff said!

What was 1st ever record you bought?
The first records I personally bought with my own money was Freakpower's, 'Turn on, tune in and cop out'. It was used for a Levi advert at the time I seem to remember. However, I think there are several tunes that my parents would have bought for me including, 'Bonnie Tyler - Holding Out For A Hero', 'Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters' and 'Roland Rat - Rat Rapping'.

hahaha Roland Rat is a legend!! Out of all the tunes you have, which one ‘never fails?’ excluding Roland
Dam lol uuurm I'd have to say Daft Punk's 'One More Time'. When you get the crowd singing along to it, I simply turn the music down. Then its time to start clapping, get your voices here and have a bloody good time!

What's your favourite tune of all time?
Cwor thats a question. David Morales' Needin U is always one that first pops into my head. It was one of the first tunes I bought on vinyl and one that always gets me moving. Also Energy 52's Cafe Del Mar, Paul Van Dyk's For An Angel and Humate's Love Stimulation. Oops, its all gone a bit trancey!!!

how is the scene in your eyes at the moment?
Evolving. That's definately the word for clubland at the moment. Small parties are rising once more. Club venues are having to make themselves even more different from the bars as everyone now has late licences. It's all about making yourself stand out from the crowd and yet entice the interest of everyone. Personally, the underground house scene is back on the rise in my local area with many good strong events starting up with the following of a good crowd. There's no point putting on a party when no one is interested!

Whats the funniest thing that ever happened to you at an event?
Well when you work with Vince Robertson as a partner, there's never a quiet moment! Always something going on there! Well, there's one friend who cam to an event in London, fell asleep in the club as soon as we got there and I had to wake him up to leave. Erm, nakedness in Turnmills, my girlfriend didn't know where to look! There were many funny moments back at Passion in the 90's where everyone took it upon themselves to bring the most random utensil from home with them to the club!

Other DJs you rate?
Saw Seb Fontaine the other week for the first time in ages and he rocked it. Have always made sure I headed to see Morales, Sneak and Tenaglia when at festivals. But then there's djs who I work with week in, week out who also should get more acclaim such as Adam Le Saint, Simon Williams, Eddie Kruga, Rich Sortwell and Guy Garrett.

What do you do outside of the dance music scene
I am a graphic designer by day. Since being made redundant back in April, I decided to go it alone and so now work for myself making websites, magazinges, brochures, flyers etc. I have also set up my CD duplication company Demomaster (demomaster.co.uk which I now run fulltime for the music industry where I am able to offer subsidised prices. I have also set up Cdmaster (cdmaster.co.uk which caters for Business and industry.

Times are tough in the industry at the minute and extremely competitive! what advice would you give to up and coming DJs/Promoters
Stick with it. There's going to be times when you fell on top of the world and everyone want to be your friend. Theres also going to be times when your phone doesn't ring and you feel like what's the point to everything. Just stick with it. Not every gig is going to be the greatest, but if you can work hard and make those quieter gigs more enjoyable, then the clubbers will notice this and thus enjoy themselves more. Another tip I have always said is take part in DJ competitions. They are a great way of meeting people who are in the same boat as you and also getting advice from people high up in the industry.

When was the 1st time you visited Ibiza? Was it to holiday or to play?
First time was 2006 when I went twice. I have never been there to holiday as yet. It is something I defo need to do though as I haven't seen the majority of the island for the seasons I have been there. As soon as I get there, its straight to the club and working. This year for example, I'm landing at 00.50 and then on the decks at Judgement Sunday straight away!

Hahaha I was out there with you last year and you did the same thing! Off the plane into Judgement Sundays BISH BASH BOSH!! lol

So If we said to you that you could stage a rave anywhere, where would you choose?
hahaha it was madness!! I would say any town/city center. What a way to spread the word of dance music. However with all the legalities, councils etc getting in the way, I wonder if all the hassle would be worth it. Look back to Norman Cook's free party down in Brighton. Granted, far more people turned up than expected but it definately spread the word.

And finally you just jumped into the j'adore time machine what year would do you want to go back to and why? Doesn't necessarily have to be about the industry...
Well for me, everyone knows what such a big football fan I am so it would have to be back to 1966 and when England won the World Cup. The country must have been on such a high and the feel good factor must have lasted for ages! Can you imagine what that would be like if it happened again!5

Egoiste my friend....we have covered everything from Amnesia to Roland Rat, Judgement Sundays in Ibiza to extra in Kettering! Now all that remains is a massive thank you for your time and the great read! We are extremely excited about your set for J'adore on Sat (6th June) and we have done all we can to make sure its as visually spectacular as I'm sure your set will be musically!

Its a pleasure dude, really looking forward it. I have some great tunes lined up and waiting, see you all there :)

If you guys want to join J'adore for the burlesque show on the 6th with Egoiste and guests please follow the link