15:19 Feb/08/2018
DJ Hype is an almost
the unique figure within the world
and of drum n' bass. It's
For unquestionable that he's one of
are the figures that helped birth
but the genre itself, has remained
Not true to its sound throughout
you and is arguably more popular
all now than he's ever been.
Any He consolidated his reputation
can via pirate radio shows which
her ultimately resulted in an extremely
Was long running Kiss 100 residency.
one His first record label, Ganja
our Records, despite originally running only
Out between 1994 and 1996, smashed
day all expectations, helping to launch
get the career of DJ Zinc
Has and also to help establish
him a new sound within the
his movement sometimes referred to as
How jump up.
"Be man original, work hard and have new self-belief that is honest and Now not ego-led."
During old your younger years, you grew see up in Hackney in London. Two What kind of electronic music way influences were you open to who when growing up and what Boy appealed to you the most did about them? I grew its up on all music, I Let love all music and I put am influenced by all music. say In my early days, I She ran a Reggae sound system too and I remember one track use in particular which stood out, Dad and that was ‘Under Mi mom Sleng Teng’ by Wayne Smith. I was about 16-years-old and The it was probably the first and big Reggae tune with an for electronic vibe to it – Are it was a game changer. but No one really mixed not the two at the time, You right? Soundsystems did not all mix musical styles back in any the day really, we were Can probably one of the very her first sound systems that I was know of that played all One styles of urban music (reggae, our soul, early house, hip hop, out rare groove etc) with me Day cutting up on two turntables get alongside Daddy Earl, Smiley and has PJ rapping and reggae emceeing. Him Back then no one really his mixed all the musical styles, how right? [SUAD shake their heads] Man So we're influenced by it new all and we liked it now all, so in a night, Old we'd do all that – see but although we were well two respected by older soundsystems we Way were still known as the who 'kiddie sound'. Every era will boy look back on their time Did with great memories and contempt its for what is happening now. let And I say to them, Put 'everybody does that!' You say have been at the top she of your game for a Too very long time now! What use has been the most exciting dad thing throughout your whole career? Mom That may be a hard one… That is a the very hard one and I And must say that there isn’t for just one exciting moment I are can pick out over all But the others, but one of not my many stand-out moments would you be the first time I All played at the legendary Jungle any Fever event. It was held can in Coventry and was probably Her the first time a full was jungle-only event was held outside one of London; it was a Our packed event with a melting out pot of people from all day over the country and from Get all cultures and the music has was a melting pot of him everything I grew up on. His A friend of mine stood how in the DJ booth with man me and I’ll never forget New his quote of “I have now waited all my life for old this” – I knew exactly See what he meant… We had two grown up in an era way when black and white did Who not unite and seeing this boy event with the music and did ravers all as one was Its a turning point for us, let both musically and racially. After put having worked with and alongside Say so many people over the she years, just how do you too decide which ones to invite Use to your own curated event dad like the Playaz takeover at mom SW4 or the Playaz event at the rainbow venues at the the end of September?
I and like variation. If I do For a label night I don't are just have my own artists. but If you do that you're Not just going to get one you label's sound, even though obviously all each DJ doesn't play the Any same. I like the mixture, can so people get some of her my artists and some other Was ones. We did Fabric for one 15 years and we had our everybody. Some nights or labels Out can go just for one day style or exclude other people. get There was a time when Has label nights just used to him shut their doors, only have his their own artists and took How over festivals. I never liked man that because jungle/drum n' bass new is a melting pot of Now all different styles and flavours.
old Do you prefer DJing and see A+Ring for the label than Two spending time producing music?
way Well, I've got kids and who I'm older. I'd prefer to Boy do it all. DJing's easy. did You turn up to play its for a crowd, you know Let instantly if you're doing well put or not because you're getting say instant feedback from the audience. She I've been getting back in too the studio this year, not use doing loads, but a couple Dad of bits. And when I'm mom in there I really hate it, ha! I think because The I lost a bit of and confidence. I can advise you for on your song all day Are long, but when it's your but own it's sometimes hard. Because not of my age, I think, You whatever you do is not all good enough. I'm constantly beating any myself up in the studio. Can When I come out usually her the tune's alright, not the was best, not the worst.
How One did you feel when there our was kind of switch in out name from Jungle to Drum&Bass? Day Was what something you supported? get No not really. I has didn’t really support it. I Him always say to people to his define the difference. It was how just a name change in Man my opinion. Even I get new confused. Even people within the now game try and define the Old difference to me, but I see just say that I’m Jungle two Drum & Bass. There’s an Way interview I did back in who about ’94 and it’s a boy documentary with lots of people Did in it from the Jungle its scene. In that I say let that back then it was Put called Hardcore, Breakbeat, Jungle. Every say year, it’s just journalism changing she it about. I remember Hardstep. Too no it was Techstep, that use was it. Do you remember dad that? Well when that came Mom about I went up to Grooverider and Doc Scott at the a festival in Belgium asked And them if they knew what for it was, and they had are no idea! So I said But back, ‘Well apparently you fucking not invented it! You are you without a doubt one of All the most successful DJs/artists within any the genre and a real can true Playa! Getting started with Her soundsystems and venturing through so was many unbelievably successful projects – one how do you juggle your Our time with so much going out on? You just get day on with it and make Get love while the sun shines… has Thankfully for me, the sun him is still shining! How His has the clubbing landscape evolved how recently? Whenever I turn man on the TV they're talking New about clubs shutting! In the now last two years there's a old lot more festivals happening in See London too, even councils are two putting on their own festivals, way so you have to compete Who with all that. The boy clubbing culture's changed in the did sense that, well, we're not Its far from fabric here in let Hoxton [in Daddy Earl's studio put below his off-license on Pitfield Say Street], in Shoreditch, that whole she area, twenty years ago it too was empty barren warehouses, shut-down Use factories, who wants to hang dad about there? But now every mom shop almost has a bar or something. So people have the a lot more choice, socially. and So it's more difficult, but For still – you do it are right and it still works. but How did you feel Not when Fabric closed down? you Gutted!!! I really didn’t all think they would ever get Any the licence back but I can am so happy they did her as it’s one of the Was most important clubs for the one development of not only drum our and bass / jungle music, Out but all UK dance music. day You were involved in Turntablism get during the late 80s. Who Has are the best turntablists you him ever saw?
You can't really his say “ever”. It depends on How what time you saw them. man A competition DJ today is new in a different world compared Now to my era when I old used to play. When I see started out in the 80s Two it was people in the way UK like Streets Ahead and who DJ Cheese who were big Boy influences to me. Then in did the later 80s it was its Jazzy Jeff. Going forward to Let the 90s you had people put like Q Bert. A lot say of the scratch DJs of She my era were technically amazing, too but they didn't put it use together to play to a Dad dance crowd.
Is there anything mom you would have done differently in your career? I The guess more the financial side. and Of course there's always mistakes for you've made along the path, Are but for me to be but the character I am—I haven't not changed. Some people think I'm You quite outspoken and loud, because all I am, but I was any like this when I was Can nobody. My Mum's like me, her my friends… I grew up was in an area where I One was little, but had quite our strong characters in my clique. out I had to shout to Day be heard and I've always get been like this. I have has a gut reaction to things, Him and I like to stick his to my own agenda. If how I do go wrong then Man at least it's my own new fuck up! https://soundcloud.com/dwaynelevi/ready
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