A DJ needs to take you on a ride. No playing one tune, fading it over and playing another. That’s not my kinda DJ’ing. I like creativity. An exciting journey.
Earlier this month we presented the latest in our UKF Meets series… The unstoppable Hannah Wants. Eschewing the standard producer-turned-selector approach, she describes herself first and foremost as a DJ and recognises every minutiae of the dark art. What’s more, DJing is in her blood… Her granddad was what you might call an ‘early adopter’ and has gone down in history as one of the first men in the UK to realise the creative potential with turntables and use them to entertain a crowd!
In case you haven’t caught it yet, here’s the episode.
Head’s up: DJs watching it will leave feeling 100 per cent inspired and motivated!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhwXnSDWTXk
You might notice a certain amount of praise for the undisputed UK garage king DJ EZ. We called her up for more on this specialist subject of hers.
Hannah Wants Salutes DJ EZ!
In my opinion there’s more to DJing than just playing tunes. A lot more. And EZ is a prime example of that.
“The best example of a proper DJ I could ever give everyone is DJ EZ. He’ll mix, he’ll blend, he’ll cut, he’ll blow you away. I love his fast-paced aggressive mixing style and I’ve been a fan of it forever. Even before I knew about DJing, I knew I loved his style thanks to his Pure Garage albums which I would listen to when I was growing up from about the age of 12. I loved his music back then and I still love it now. He’s a legend in my eyes: A true DJ. I’ve never seen anyone with his ability behind the decks. Technology nowadays makes it a lot easier for anyone to call themselves a ‘DJ’ in a second but he’s been doing this since day one and his skills show nothing other than talent and years of practising and perfecting his trade. I respect that. In my opinion there’s more to DJing than just playing tunes. A lot more. And EZ is a prime example of that.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him as we have played at a few events together over the past year or so which has been a dream come true – he is a genuinely nice guy too which makes him even more deserved of his success.
He gets the crowd so hyper and it’s always the hardest job following him but I’ve also learnt a lot in doing so! It’s also pretty cool to catch his set from behind the decks and learn from some of his tricks and skills! For me I always try to be three or four tracks ahead of my set. If I see something isn’t working then I’ll dig even deeper for something extra special to bring the crowd back up again. I want my sets to stand out for being live, different and exciting and so I’ve constantly got to think about what I’m playing. A few people have actually said ‘I’m a female DJ EZ’ and that, to me, is the ultimate compliment! I don’t think I’m there just yet though (haha) but I’ve got a good few years to get there! That’s what I want to be recognised for! DJ EZ, I salute you!”
Not had the satisfaction of a DJ EZ show? Here’s his Boiler Room set from earlier this year.
READ
