{"id":5306,"date":"2022-01-02T20:00:24","date_gmt":"2022-01-02T19:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sonicrampage.org\/blog\/?p=5306"},"modified":"2022-01-02T20:05:11","modified_gmt":"2022-01-02T19:05:11","slug":"25-for-25-a-new-project-for-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonicrampage.org\/blog\/2022\/01\/25-for-25-a-new-project-for-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"25 for 25: A New Project for 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Happy New Year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February 2022 I will have been officially a dj for 25 years, which is pretty cool!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also a sign that I am now getting … old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which is OK – it happens!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bitten hard by the bug of electronic music, I’d been frantically saving money through 1996 to become a dj – saving my allowance money, money from part-time jobs, from regular babysitting gigs, and, sure, from my Dad kicking in some money on my birthday and at Christmas. Thanks Dad! Finally by February 1997 I had enough and my Dad and I drove up to the outer reaches of northwest London to visit the Sapphire dj equipment store and pick out my first dj setup: two Technics 1210’s and a basic mixer. With a good quality amp and tape deck (remember those?) and some basic speakers already in place, I was ready to fulfil my destiny and become a superstar dj. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Um, life has different plans!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say, since I didn’t actually know any other dj’s, it took me a while to figure out how to mix (sorry neighbors!), and I never actually became the big name dj that I dreamed of becoming as a teen, mainly because within a couple of years I realized it wasn’t something I wanted for myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over all, though, I would say that being a dj for so long has been a fantastic privilege. I have accumulated so many wonderful memories over the last 25 years; I’ve played at places as diverse as illegal London squat parties, a free party on a Scottish farm, the function room of a Finnish sauna, in a rich guy’s custom-built rave room on the Black Isle, a tunnel deep in an East Berlin forest, innumerable house parties, and a whole variety of clubs from the famous (Berlin’s Griessmuehle<\/a>, London’s The Drome) to smaller but still respected (Club 414 in Brixton, or YAAM<\/a> and Urban Spree<\/a> in Berlin, amongst others) to a whole range of tiny random sweatboxes in a variety of cities and countries. I’ve been a promoter for one mad, hectic year with Rampage in Edinburgh<\/a>. I even released an EP<\/a> last year! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps most importantly, I’ve made lifelong friends through music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And all along the way I’ve made mixes. Many, many mixes<\/a>. Mixes from all kinds of genres. Mixes that I planned with military precision, recording over and over until I got them just right<\/a>. Mixes that were completely improvised<\/a> with no preparation. Short mixes<\/a>. Long mixes<\/a>. Really really long mixes<\/a>. Mixes with carefully thought-through themes<\/a>. Mixes with, uh, no real theme<\/a>. Some were better than others, as with anything in life, but I have a soft spot in my heart for all of my sonic children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since I never need any encouragement to embark on daft, overly-complex mix sprees (see The 780 Project<\/a> or Get It<\/a>) I’ve decided that to celebrate 25 years of being a dj, I’m going to try to do 25 mixes this year. Which is one every two weeks, give or take. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be totally honest I think that this plan is a bit, um, ambitious, and I’m not sure that I will be able to do this, but it will certainly be fun!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily enough, I start this project with three mixes in the bank, so I have a bit of a runway to get this plane off the ground:<\/p>\n\n\n\n