Posts Tagged ‘Wax the Van’

DJ Mustard

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

Name: DJ Mustard

Show: Wax the Van

When are you on?
The show is on on Mondays from 8pm to 10pm.

What type of music can we expect to hear on your show?
Soulful disco and House, quality Soul music – soul food.

How did you discover this music?
I never got into a specific type of music, I’ve been into music all my life. I’m a musician, I’m in two bands and I’ve been playing the bass guitar for 20 years.

I’m in a band called Melaosa we’ve been playing gigs and stuff for a while. My other band called Two Hats has just started getting gigs.

I got into dance music through the early Acid House scene in ’89, ’90, that’s what turned me on to dance music and the origins of dance music are Disco.

How long have you been DJ’ing?
I’ve been DJ’ing since about 1991.

How did you start DJ’ing?
I went back to a house party after a rave, jumped on the decks and it went from there.

Can we find you DJ’ing anywhere other than on Phonic FM?
I occasionally DJ at bars, pubs, clubs, and free parties usually playing Deep House and Soulful House.

What has been your most embarrassing DJ’ing moment?
I’ve had a couple of DJ’ing nightmares but nothing really embarrassing.

I had a gig at the Amber Rooms a while ago and there was just one bar man and no staff. A couple of chavs from the private party upstairs walked in by mistake and asked if I could play some R&B! I told them it was billed as a house night and I’d see what I could do. It really was an upsetting experience!

Also someone once asked me for Christina Aguilera at a house night at the Thee Fat Fish (before it was The Hub). She came behind the decks, I turned around and there was this woman there asking for Christina Aguilera! I said: “Well Rococo’s is just up the road you may have better luck there!”

What has been your best DJ’ing moment?
One of my best experiences was New Year 07/08. I had a gig with Melosa then just after midnight I DJ’ed for four hours. That was a real moment, it was fantastic.

Who is your favourite artist?
My hero bass player is Jaco Pastorius and my favourite DJ is José Padilla the original Café Del Mar DJ.

What is you all time favourite album?
Innervisions by Stevie Wonder, it’s just fantastic music.

Where do you shop for music?
Reform Records or the internet.

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Wax the Van

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

Show name: Wax the Van

Presenters names: DJ Spider and DJ Mustard

Show time and day: Monday 8pm – 10pm.

What type of music can we expect to hear on the show?
DJ Spider: If you tune into Wax the Van you can expect to hear plenty of Soulful Disco and Electronica some of it from as far back as the early 70s.
DJ Mustard: Yeah, Soulful Disco, a little bit of Soulful House and Deep House.

Why appeals to you about this kind of music?
DJ Spider: I find that straight up house music has got no soul and I prefer music that has got more emotion to it. Personally I think they got it right in the 70s and early 80s. So why did they have to change it – although I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who would disagree with me.
DJ Mustard: I like it because it soulful, I like anything soulful, it makes you feel good – soul food.

What is the format of your show?
DJ Spider: If I’m doing the show alone I just go in with a bag of records knowing what the first record will be and see what happens. I play as though I am playing to a crowd of people and see how the music flows.
DJ Mustard: Spider usually opens the show cause he started Wax the Van years ago. He plays three records, I play three records and it seems to work. We have a bit of a chat and a bit of banter in between records.

Why should we listen to your show?
DJ Spider: People should listen to Wax the Van because it is the only Disco show and we play happy, soulful, party music. People have an idea about disco being the YMCA and Abba – it’s not – Disco is a long way from that.
DJ Mustard: If you like quality music you should tune in.

How did your show come about?
DJ Mustard: It was only recently Spider got me on board. I played a gig and Spider DJ’ed after me. He asked me there and then if I would do the show with him because we like similar music.

What goes on behind the scenes in the studio?
DJ Spider: If I am alone in the studio I am completely involved in the mixing the next record and trying to think three or four records ahead but it is good to have Mustard there to bounce off.
DJ Mustard: Usually drinking, chilling, chatting and playing records.

What has been you best on air moment?
DJ Spider: My favourite on air moments are any show where the music flows and I think it sounds like something I would pay money to listen to. Often I play my best shows under pressure, when I’m expecting someone to turn up and they don’t and I have to stretch my records to cover an extra hour or something – for some reason those shows are always really good.
DJ Mustard: I don’t know if I have one in particular. I haven’t been doing it for that long. But the second or third show I did with Spider it gelled and we both had a feeling at the time that it was a fantastic couple of hours. I have a recording of one of those shows and it really did come across well.

What has been your worst/ most embarrassing on air moment?
DJ Spider: I did a show once and realised after the broadcast you could hear me opening cans of beer over the mic!! Also, accidentally saying I played Funky House on air – that describes the worst kind of music played in the worst possible clubs!!
DJ Mustard: I got onto the microphone and called myself Spider who I’m clearly not! At the time Spider completely cracked up - but I think I got away with it!

Who is your favourite artist?
DJ Spider: If you pressed me I would say my favourite singer is Jonny Bristol. Otherwise in Disco terms – Tom Moulton, Todd Terje, Idjut Boys, Rahaan, DJ Harvey, Lindstrom and loads more.
DJ Mustard: My hero bass player is Jaco Pastorius and my favourite DJ is José Padilla the original Café Del Mar DJ.

What is you all time favourite album?
DJ Spider: Hmm, probably mixtapes from DJs Rahann or Harvey.
DJ Mustard: Innervisions by Stevie Wonder, it’s just fantastic music.

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DJ Spider

Monday, June 16th, 2008

Name: DJ Spider

Show: Wax the Van

When are you on?
My show is on Monday nights from 8pm to 10pm. I do share the show with DJ Mustard but usually I do it!

What type of music can we expect to hear on the show?
If you tune into Wax the Van you can expect to hear plenty of soulful Disco and electronica some of it from as far back as the early 70s.

How did discover this music?
I’ve collected records since I was about 13; I have about 4,000 at home and I still play some records now that I brought back then! When I was younger I loved hearing some of the 80s soul DJs like Robbie Vincent and other dance music. And I did a lot of break dancing as a kid. I was pretty good at it and could do all that spinning around on your head stuff. Those things combined opened me up to a lot of music.

How long have you been DJ’ing?
I’ve been DJ’ing since 1993, and I have been doing a radio show since Vibraphonic started five years ago. I began DJ’ing in 1993 at a night called Shakedown in Volts on the Quay playing jazz, funk and soul. It was held on a Thursday and was pretty successful. My DJ’ing career started from there really.

How did you start DJ’ing?
As I mentioned I began at Volts in 1993. Some friends of mine ran the Shakedown night and knew I collected records. One of them went on holiday and I was invited to fill in… after that I got asked to do more and more.

Can we find you DJ’ing anywhere other than on Phonic FM?
I’m involved in quite a lot of stuff outside Phonic FM. I started a night called Wax the Van about three years ago because nobody else plays disco and I wanted to push disco sounds. It’s been going really well ever since.

Wax the Van holds events at Exeter Phoenix where I set up on the terrace and play some tunes. The night generally starts with some soul and reggae then as it gets darker we get more up Tempo. We did the first one of the year a few weeks ago and had a fantastic response. By the end of the night people were dancing on the tables – It was a lot of fun.

I also DJ in the Timepiece on the last Thursday of every month, and regularly play at The Amber Rooms, The Angel and The Velvet Lounge.

What has been your most embarrassing DJ’ing moment?
Recently I accidentally said I played funky house on air.. NOT true – that’s terrible music!

What has been your best DJ’ing moment?
My best DJ’ing moments are any time it clicks and sounds ‘right’. I’m happiest if I think the tunes I’m playing sound like something I would happily pay money to listen to.

I’ve also had some really good times with special guests at Wax the Van nights. Kelvin Andrews, formally of Candy Flip, appeared at one night. Kelvin now writes and produces for Robbie William among others! We also had the Unabombers who founded the Electrik Chair night in Manchester and are now appearing/recording as Elektrons.

Who is your favourite artist?
In disco terms we’re talking producers, re-editors, re-mixers and DJs. So I’d say, Tom Moulton, Todd Terje, Idjut Boys, Rahaan, DJ Harvey, Lindstrom and loads more. It’s impossible to name just one!

What is you all time favourite album?
Hmm, probably mixtapes from DJ’s Rahann or Harvey.

Where do you shop for music?
It’s often difficult to find my kind of music. I get occasional bits from Reform Records and Rooster Records in Exeter. But mainly I shop online at Piccadilly Records (Manchester) and Discogs/Gemm.

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