Interview and Live Mix BY Aphrodite Black House January 30TH 2016

0:00 I've just been told you were born in Aberystwyth?

And with the legend known as Aphrodite, and I've just had this... I've just been told you were born in Aberystwyth? Yeah. Fucking hell man! That is like amazing! How old are you? Oh, I'm in my 40s now. Alright, that is just fucking amazing! Well look, first of all, alright, we'll get some of Aphrodite set. On this video, so we'll have an interview and then you're going to see this man do some wicked kind of set. This guy was using four decks. Now a lot of DJs when they use two decks, they spend time, they're taking forever, one into the other and so on and so on. What this gentleman here was doing, which you will see very shortly, is not only was he playing two tracks together, he was thinking about the third one, putting a third track in. While the third track was playing, one was being brought out, so he had two going and then he was going on for another one.

23:51 You're thinking in advance all the time?

So you're thinking in advance all the time? Yeah, I tend to think about four, five, sometimes six tracks in advance. No, that's beautiful. So have you got, because I've spoken to a lot of DJs around the world, have you got like this imaginary cloud above you that is like the tunes are there and you're pulling them out? Does that sound... Um... No, I get stuck a lot of the time. I have a plan in my head and sometimes the plan doesn't go well when I see the crowd so I have to change it quickly and that involves just looking through but I do it in phrases so I give myself about 178 BPM I've got 22 seconds to change your plan. So I've also always got, it's about 22 seconds is 32 bars. So I do everything in groups of 20 seconds. I noticed that because you, I mean, it was like drop, drop, drop. It wasn't like one bar a bit too soon, one bar a bit too late. Because you can see the display, you can line up the drops and I know exactly...

The most important piece of information I have written down with the title is how many bars there are until the drop. That means that I can time the drops together. So instead you kind of go one to the other to the other to the other. I noticed that. I was going to actually ask you for some tips for new DJs out there, but in a way you've just given one hell of a good tip. Really. Because again, drum and bass is very structured isn't it? Yeah, and if it isn't structured and if you find that there is structure, don't be afraid. Get the track, put it into Logic or whatever thing and change it. Because modern DJing is not only about playing tracks that you like, it's about playing the tracks in your sort of way. So if you don't think the track is doing right, add a beat, add a roll, chop it up, get rid of the vocals because you don't like it or whatever.

Which is what you do. And that's exactly what Modern DJing is all about, because it's like you're playing a remix and you're remixing it as well, so you're always giving the crowd something different. That allows you to play a popular track. For much longer and always be different to the other guys. I'm giving away my secrets, man. No, this is beautiful. What other advice? Because I get a lot of new DJs watching the stuff I make. So for a new DJ whose, you know, their love is drum and bass. The biggest buzz I get from DJing is seeing the crowd go nuts to not just a mix of mine. But a record I've made. Yeah, I can imagine that. So every set, always, I've got work in progress that I'm playing. And so I'll play that work in progress and I'll note, and if it doesn't go well, I'll change it, play it the next week, change it, play it the next week, keep them going until they work, and then I'll finish them off. So sometimes one track may take weeks and weeks. And just make sure you...

27:05 Don't play, don't copy your favourite DJ

But be different. Don't play, don't copy your favourite DJ. Unique. Be inspired. Be yourself. Yeah, like for me I'll play loads of Aphrodite tracks because I'm DJ Aphrodite. Andy C will play loads of Ram tracks because he's got a vested interest in Ram. Ronnie will play loads of Ronnie tracks and Goldie will play loads of Metalheads tunes and all the rest of it. So they're always pushing. They're sound because they want, you know, they're taking things from their labels and their production outlets. How about DJs who they want to produce? Would you say Logic, would you say Fruity Loops, would you say Ableton Live Suite? I would say whatever works. Right, okay. Whatever works and is whatever is easiest for you. It's not about what it looks like or how it's done, it's how it sounds out the speakers that counts.

Alright, couple more questions, sorry, because you know, the guy's just done one blinding set. The best venue you have ever played in your entire life, where like, you walked off with a hard-on? Glastonbury Dance Tent in 19... No, to year 2000. Right, okay. That should be done on set, year 2000, super hot summer. Yeah. The largest, this is the largest tent in the world, the largest marquee in the world. Right. They rolled the sides up. Yeah. There was about a crowd of about 30,000. Shit. They hadn't had any drum and bass all weekend. I can imagine. Yeah. That must have been mental. Kellis came on, then Easy Rollers, then me and myself and Mickey Finn played at a back-to-back set. We did three records each, three records each.

And out of those three records, we made sure that there was a big rewind. David Bowie, may he rest in peace. David Bowie was on the main stage and he had to stop his music DJ tutorial by Ellaskins, I can't give advice on that particularly. All I can say is how I did it. I used to run my own nights. I used to DJ my own nights, but I don't know what it is. I have some sort of gift where whatever I play, people dance. Maybe because I'm really, really into it myself. Yeah. Passion. Passion, isn't it? It's a passion. But it's not just... I'm not in a container. Yeah. I might be concentrating but I've always got eyes on the crowds and your job is to make them dance. That's what you're... That is your fucking job. Pay attention. Pay a fucking attention. Yeah. It is. I get paid to make them dance so if I don't make them dance I won't work again. No. If I make...

If I make people happy through my music, I get booked again. And that's what I love doing anyway. I love making people happy through my music. You're a good guy. Aphrodite, sir. God bless you. Thank you very much indeed. Nice one. Love it. I'll tell you what, can you finish off? I've got a saying. Practice and enjoy. Can you finish off with that? Practice and enjoy. Love it!

This transcript was produced automatically from the audio of the video and may contain mistakes.