Caz Wood chopping, back spinning and throwing in mixes in Contagious glamour!

This article is about Contagious Presents.....The Valentines and Heart Breakers Ball @ Club Ice (Westbury) in Salisbury (UK), Fri 08 Feb 2008

Question: How many new DJ’s can say that they entertained the crowd at the mighty Global Gathering, almost straight out of graduating from the bedroom? Then going on to play at high profile events up and down the country including not only the massive festival ‘Escape in the Park’, but Global Gathering and The Tidy Weekender, all in the space of one year?

Answer: Not many!

Caz Wood has done just that, and is one rising star who seriously bucks the trend. You’ll find her behind the decks, getting the troops on the dance floor in a club, stomping with her high energy and uplifting style of Hard Dance. Pay a little close attention, and you'll see her skilfully chopping, back spinning and throwing in her mixes.

Contagious Clubwear certainly know great talent when they see it and that’s why they installed Caz Wood as their resident DJ. Now come Friday the 8th of February @ Club Ice in Westbury, the love gets spread at Contagious Presents: The Valentines and Heartbreakers Ball. We sat down to find out how Caz’s Hard Dance set is going to get the clubbers hearts pumping……….

Caz, the Valentines and Heartbreakers Ball is looking like one superb party. What are you most looking forward to about playing there that night?

Contagious always endeavour to put on a good party, with great outfits, dancers, dj’s and more with the atmosphere always being a happy, energetic and hyper one, with big smiles all round! For the Valentines and Heartbreakers Ball I will be looking forward to contributing to that atmosphere, donning a new sparkly valentines Contagious outfit and dropping tunes that will make the night a memorable one for everyone there!

Its one great line-up that Contagious have managed to put together, with DJ’s such as Alex Kidd, Amber D, Lisa Pin-Up and Rob Tissera all playing. The latter two are ones that you have taken a lot of inspiration from. How does it feel to be playing alongside names that you seriously admire?

It is a complete honour to be on the same line up as the dj’s who even today still inspire me! When I first started to go clubbing, Lisa Pin Up and Rob Tissera were the dj’s I followed, if their names were on a line up then I would go along to the night because I could be assured that the music would be good! Without fail both dj’s would impress me with their mixing and happy bouncy tunes! To now be on a line up with them is brilliant and something I always dreamt of, but it’s also quite scary! I hope clubbers will come along to the Valentines and Heartbreakers Ball to see me play and be assured that the tunes they are going to hear will be uplifting and happy as what I danced to when I started clubbing and following djs!

Contagious are going to be putting a lot of work in to the other essentials such as the dancers and Valentines themed décor; plus loads of extra’s such as the chill-out room and the club-wear give-away. What’s your take on the extra mile that they’re going, in to putting on a great night?

My general belief is that it is the little touches in life that go a long way! The past events that Contagious have organised, it’s been the little touches like colourful inflatables and themed dancers outfits have worked well and people have enjoyed the night that little bit more! Clubbers like to know that the promoter has thought about the night in its entirety, and is looking after them in more ways than one! In 2006 Contagious put on a Boxing Day bash, and they had balloons falling from the ceiling! This was a fantastic touch and made the night interesting and memorable!! This extra mile is what clubbers remember!

You are of course the Contagious resident DJ. Over the years, the company have built up a very strong reputation within the industry for their supply of clothing, dancers and staging events. How have you enjoyed working with them so far?

Yes, I have enjoyed every second of my time with Contagious as a friend, outfit wearer and Dj! My routes with Contagious go back to 2005, when I was the proud owner of the very first custom made Contagious Outfit now formally known as Galactic Red! Since then I have seen Contagious grow from strength to strength, and Claire and Gordon’s hard work driving the business to where it is today is both admirable and inspirational! I feel honoured to be able to work so closely with them, and it is very exciting to think about the future and where Contagious will be in 10 years time!

In Hard Dance, the focus is very much on the new generation of artists at the moment. So this night is really your chance to shine; how are you going to show the world that Caz Wood means business?

I plan on providing a powerful, high energy, fun filled set, with my usual run of happy hard dance tunes and some bounce thrown in too! There are some exciting tunes about at the moment, with a hefty number of remakes of classics that I simply cannot get enough of so you can expect some of those with some stomping baselines, including my very own new tune made with Paul F and Kye Shand! I will of course too be wearing my favourite clubwear, big smiles and doing my dancing wiggle so I hope the crowds will enjoy!!!

You make a habit of performing in Contagious club-wear clothing. Do you feel that gives you a bit of added style behind the decks?

I absolutely love wearing Contagious clubwear; the outfits are fun, sexy, comfortable to wear and stand out amongst the crowd. As a clubber I would always wear Contagious outfits out, so as a DJ I did not want to change that! A big part about going out for me is getting a good outfit – I have drawers full of clubwear as it is very exciting getting new outfits, each night needs a great outfit! My newest one is a Pink Union Jack Uber Outfit, personalised by Claire for me! It’s great! I feel that by sticking to my routes and wearing what I would normally to a club to Dj in makes me more comfortable behind the decks and approachable by clubbers. I have had people coming up to me in a club after I have played saying to me how cool it is to see a Dj in clubwear which is brilliant as I love wearing it so much!

You got seriously in to clubbing circa 2002. Did you ever dream that one day, you’d be playing for the clubs that you were going to? And playing alongside the jocks that you were dancing to?

I have always been interested in music and djing, and so when I started going out clubbing I was inspired greatly by the dj’s I followed to start playing tunes myself! As a bedroom Dj I always had dreams of one day playing in the clubs I went out in and at home practiced hard on my decks. My passion for the music kept me inspired and as I discovered new tunes and mixes I became more and more excited by the prospect of playing out in front of people so that they could hear my sound. Playing for Slinky, Tidy and Frantic seemed like a far away dream and so to have fulfilled that so early on in my career I feel extremely lucky and happy!

From cutting your teeth on the DJ ladder at a night in Basingstoke, how did you manage to get people to take notice of you, get further gigs and generally work your way in to the scene?

In 2006 I was kindly offered my first set playing out, at the Bang Bar in Basingstoke for a night called Bounce. A few of my friends were already playing there and encouraged me to take the gig. I did and despite a nervous start, I absolutely loved playing and got the djing bug big time! Soon after this gig I put together my first printed demo, and uploaded it online for people to listen to and download. It was this that helped me get more gigs both locally in Bournemouth and Basingstoke and also a bit further a field in South Wales and Birmingham. I think by playing out more and more people started to hear of me and my demo and liked what they heard. Backing up the gigs I was getting, I used online websites such as Dontstayin.com and Myspace to help promote the nights I had been booked for and speak to people about my djing. By building up a close community of friends and buddies on these websites I think I have helped myself get noticed, and with further demo’s and mixes done I have worked my way into the scene in a very positive way!

When you played at Global Gathering 06, it was only the third time that you’d ever played out. How did you manage to handle that ‘baptism of fire’?

When I received the telephone call asking me to play at Global Gathering I was completely ecstatic and excited but also very nervous too! I had only played locally for a small night a couple of times at this point; therefore I was a complete novice to playing out. So Global Gathering was to be a huge challenge at this stage in my career! However, not being the sort of person to dismiss a challenge, I used the weeks ahead of the event to practice hard and prepare myself for the big day, so that by the time it arrived I could play with confidence! It was the first time I played in Contagious Clubwear and as I opened the soundstage with complete pride, it turned out to be one of the most terrifying but amazing experiences in my life! It all felt very surreal – as I played people were pouring into the festival and the stage was still being built around me as the sunshine beamed down! I can still picture it today and know that I won’t ever forget it!

You’ve managed to carve out a very energetic and fast paced style. How does it feel when you see that sound, getting your dance floor livened up and in to the swing of things?

It is a fantastic feeling when you play a tune or do a mix or spin back and you see the dancefloor going crazy for it! I like to make all of my mixes interesting by using different baselines in tunes to contrast with each other and keep in the mix for as long as possible, chopping and finishing with a slow wind down or spin back. This style of mixing I have adopted has proved to have received a great reception from the dancefloor, I think that people like to see a Dj at work and the more effort they put into each mix the greater the response. It is a direct forum for feedback when you play out, and I absolutely love it!! Nothing can beat the roar you get from a crowd when you drop a banging baseline!!

A big part of playing in a club is choosing the right music for the right time. With that in mind, what particular factors do you take in to account when tailoring your set for the occasion?

It is important to make sure the music you are playing suits the mood of the club at the time, although sometimes it is also powerful to instantly change this mood (in a positive way) by starting a set with a ear catching intro! I always start with an intro, because I feel it is important as a Dj to start a set with “hey this is me now, the last Dj has finished and now you have got me!”. The general rule I have adopted is that the later the set the more freedom to play as you wish prevails. Steaming in with bounce in the first or second set of the night may not always be appropriate but it does depend on the night and the promoter. I always check the music policy of the night before playing, maybe see who I am playing before and check things like the speed they will be playing at and the genre of music that people may be going to that night or club for. Preparation is the key to a good set!

You’ve had to play first set of the night before. That’s a vitally important and much underrated job, as you’re building a starting base which the rest of the night depends on. How do you normally go about this?

Warm up sets are always a challenge and not always the preferred set of the night. When I walk into a club, I want it to be upbeat and energetic. I want to be assured from that first set that I am going to have a good night! I don’t personally like waiting around for the night to start and so with this in mind I tend to play very upbeat warm up sets. As mentioned in the last question steaming in with bounce in the first set of the night may not always be appropriate but it does depend on the night and the promoter. I have played different types of first sets, ranging from slow funky sets at 140bpm playing Scott Fo-Show and Paul Maddox tunes as well as slightly more upbeat warm ups playing faster and more euphoric tunes such as Feelin Me (Disco Brothers, Breeze and Styles). Researching the type of night and the music policy is key, and although I do not try to play too differently from my usual style of energetic happy hard dance, respecting the policy is important to people listening and enjoying your set.

You fairly recently completed your demo CD ‘Sound of a Nation 2’ (check it out! http://waxdj.com/djs/2342) which you obviously put a lot of work in to. How did you aim to have your CD stand out from the pack?

I like to think long and hard about the tunes on my mixes and make sure each one is upbeat, fun and has longevity. With my mixes I like to hope there are no tunes on there that would have skipped through, and that people would still be listening to the mix in years to come. With this in mind, I pull together tunes I love playing and ones that I hope are individual to me and my style of mixing. I like to throw in a few classics alongside new tunes that people might not have heard and put them in an order that maintains interest and energy. This I hope, along with a colourful cover makes my demos stand out from the rest and encourages people to download them. Sound of the Nation 2 follows all these rules and I have had great feedback from it from people who have listened to it!

You’ve already had a lot of glowing praise with comments such as: “Caz Wood – in my opinion, the most exciting star DJ I have ever witnessed” (Joe Pearce, Tonk Promotions, 11.04.07) How did it make you feel, hearing things like that said about you?

It is absolutely amazing to have such kind words written about me. It’s very encouraging and rewarding, particularly when you have worked hard on something. I just hope I continue to please people in this way and they like what I do!

One of the best ways to further your DJ career is to produce tracks. So have you got any plans to get to work in the studio in 2008? And if so, what type of music could we be expecting?

I have made two tunes since I have started djing. The first I made with the Audio Hedz and is a rework of the original classic Screwdriver, which we named “Screwed”. It is a bouncy driving tune with a punchy breakdown and fun noises. I have always loved Screwdriver but wanted to bring the tune up to date to play in my sets. The Audio Hedz are very good at what they do and fun to go into the studio with, so I hope to go back with them in 2008 to make some more tunes.

The second tune I have made is another remake of an old classic, this time a trance classic! I made it with two Birmingham producers, Paul F and Kye Shand! However, I am keeping this one under wraps until I have played it out, so if you want to hear it you will be able to at the The Valentines and Heartbreakers Ball. I do not want to ruin the surprise of what tune it is – sorry people!

I do have plans to further go into the studio and make some more of my own tunes. There are some brilliant producers out there including Technikal, Leigh Green and Scott Fo Shaw, all of whom I hope to get working with in 2008!

Its still very early days for Caz Wood; what aspirations have you got and how high do you want to climb?

I hope to continue as I am playing out as much and entertaining people with my mixing and tunes. It has always been a dream of mine to be able to give up the day job and concentrate fully on djing and production, so that is my main aspiration (I can dream cant I?!). I plan on continuing to work as hard as I am now, promoting and playing and most of all enjoying the whole experience!

And finally, on the 8th February, what else is going to make people glad that they came to the Valentines and Heartbreakers Ball, instead of that wet weekend in Paris?

Contagious have promised a pleasure room, featuring a large Heart Shaped bed, massages and body painting along with a few other Valentines surprises, plus the sexy Contagious Dancers, featuring Fire Breathing, Poi and Stilt Walkers, special Contagious Valentines cocktails and lots of free give-aways. This alone I think will make people glad they came to The Valentines and Heartbreakers Ball and that’s even before they’ve heard all the dj’s on the line up!! Oooh and I have heard Gordon Contagious will be giving free foot massages, now that can’t be missed lol!!!

Remember to catch Contagious resident Caz Wood – one of the most promising DJ’s of the new breed @ Contagious Presents: The Valentines and Heartbreakers ball @ Club Ice, Westbury, Wiltshire, Friday 8th February!