{"id":688,"date":"2018-05-15T21:12:56","date_gmt":"2018-05-15T19:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?p=688"},"modified":"2019-03-26T10:21:08","modified_gmt":"2019-03-26T09:21:08","slug":"please-meet-dj-format","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?p=688","title":{"rendered":"DJ Format: &#8220;It was very daunting to get up on stage in front on 5,000 people&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With pleasure we present a DJ icon from the UK Hip Hop scene. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DJFormatUK\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DJ Format<\/a>\u00a0has an obvious and definite taste for the Funk origins of a good groove. Similar to Our Label and Origo, where we highlight Funk and Hip Hop on vinyl, he has his now ways of focussing your ears. So here is the first Hip Hop <a href=\"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?cat=226\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><strong>DJ you should know<\/strong><\/em><\/a>. Sit back, press play and enjoy the interview.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mixcloud.com\/widget\/iframe\/?hide_cover=1&amp;light=1&amp;feed=%2Fmatt-ford%2F\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Which style \/ genre do you mostly play:<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nFunk\/Soul\/Hip Hop<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Residency (current or previous):<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\nI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever had a residency, I\u2019m lucky that I get to travel around for my gigs.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>DJ gig farthest away from your home:<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\nSiberia? Reunion Island? Australia? I\u2019m not sure which is farthest away from England but I remember that Siberia felt like the most remote!<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Most memorable DJ gig and why?<\/em> <\/strong><br \/>\nOpening for Jurassic 5 at Brixton Academy in 2003. I played a DJ set for 30 minutes and then Abdominal joined me onstage to perform our 30 minute live show (as we did every night in support of J5 on their European tour). It was the most memorable gig for me because it was (and probably still is) the biggest audience I\u2019ve ever played to. I\u2019m not a very natural performer and don\u2019t feel comfortable in the spotlight so it was very daunting for me to get up on that massive stage in front on 5,000 people\u2026.but in the end I had the time of my life.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Since when have you been a DJ?<\/em> <\/strong><br \/>\nI started DJ-ing when I was 16 in 1989 and was mostly just a bedroom DJ until I started releasing records in the mid-late \u201990s. I\u2019ve been a professional DJ since 2003 when I released my first album. I really consider myself a producer first &amp; foremost, but I do enjoy DJ-ing and appreciate that I\u2019m very lucky to still (just about) make my living from it.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>What was your first ever record?<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nMy first solo track as \u2018DJ Format\u2019 was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cUWJFBX_j3w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vinyl Overdose<\/a> which was featured on Return Of The DJ vol.II on Bomb Records in 1997.<\/p>\n<p>The first record I can remember owning was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discogs.com\/de\/Madness-Complete-Madness\/release\/370989\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Complete Madness (by Madness)<\/a> which I got for Christmas in about 1983 I think. I used to have copies of all their albums on cassette but I really wanted to own the LP!<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Favourite record of all times and why:<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nI have so many favourite records it\u2019s impossible to choose just one. My favourite Hip Hop album of all time is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discogs.com\/de\/Ultramagnetic-MCs-Critical-Beatdown\/master\/58269\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Critical Beatdown by Ultramagnetic MC\u2019s<\/a> and my favourite Jazz album is probably <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discogs.com\/de\/Herbie-Hancock-The-Prisoner\/master\/163789\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Prisoner by Herbie Hancock<\/a>. Soft Machine\u2019s first 2 albums are my favourite Rock albums and I still can\u2019t even choose between them. It\u2019s hard to explain or justify why a certain album is your favourite because it\u2019s just a personal feeling you get from the music, or sometimes the associated memories. I still remember the day I bought Critical Beatdown in my local record shop when it was released in 1989. I asked to hear it, just to be sure if it was any good, and within about 10 seconds of the first song (Watch Me Now) I said \u201cI\u2019ll take it!\u201d. I\u2019ve never got bored of that album in all the years that have passed and it still makes me feel the same excitement &amp; exhilaration that I felt as a 16 year old kid.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Record that surprised you most and why:<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nOne album that springs to mind is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/A_Book_of_Human_Language\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Book Of Human Language by Acey Alone<\/a> (produced by Mumbles). It was released in \u201897 or \u201898 and I totally missed it at the time because I wasn\u2019t listening to much Hip Hop. When I did eventually hear it (after a friend strongly recommended it to me) in the early 2000\u2019s I was totally blown away. The music &amp; lyrics are a perfect marriage on every single song, I personally consider it a masterpiece.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Record you usually play at all your DJ gigs:<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nSomething by James Brown.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Vinyl or other media:<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\nVinyl. [Note from the editor: That&#8217;s a full stop!]<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Favourite club to play at:<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nYears ago my favourite club to play at was <a href=\"https:\/\/thejazzcafelondon.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Jazz Cafe in London<\/a>. Aside from having a perfectly designed DJ booth, you could always guarantee the audience would be open to whatever records you played because the venue attracted proper music lovers. Things have changed over the years and now I generally prefer small\/intimate venues, although I can\u2019t think of any in particular off the top of my head.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Your favourite DJ:<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nI think <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DJMrThing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mr Thing<\/a> is still my favourite all-round DJ. He has the technical skills, an amazing record collection, and he\u2019s funky\u2026.such a natural party rocker! There\u2019s definitely some incredible DJ\u2019s out there like DJ Scratch (USA) and Koco (Japan) just to name a couple, but I don\u2019t get to see those guys live in the flesh like I do Mr Thing.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Band \/ Musician you strongly recommend everyone should listen to:<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nFor Hip Hop production, right now I\u2019m really digging Chairman Maf. I would also strongly recommend MNP, a funky Psych\/Rock band from Brighton.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>[Photo: Missing Stewart &#8211; I Shot Hip Hop]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With pleasure we present a DJ icon from the UK Hip Hop scene. DJ Format\u00a0has an obvious and definite taste for the Funk origins of a good groove. Similar to Our Label and Origo, where we highlight Funk and Hip Hop on vinyl, he has his now ways of focussing your ears. So here is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":691,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[181,226],"tags":[262,255,253,69,261,254],"class_list":["post-688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-djs-you-should-know","tag-abdominal","tag-brighton","tag-dj-format","tag-hip-hop","tag-jurrasic-5","tag-vinyl-overdose"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/DJ-Format-Missing-Stewart-I-Shot-Hip-Hop-2_1050w.jpg?fit=1050%2C700","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7rpNx-b6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":785,"url":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?p=785","url_meta":{"origin":688,"position":0},"title":"DJ Andy Smith: &#8220;People would steam over the hill to hear me and Boca 45&#8221;","author":"Tom","date":"23rd October 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Another proud moment, as we are honored to present DJ Andy Smith. A veteran in the DJ landscape, who has been promoting the good foot grooves. He shares some insights in this latest installment of \"DJs You Should Know\". Which style \/ genre do you mostly play: 50s & 60s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Articles","link":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?cat=181"},"img":{"alt_text":"DJ Andy Smith (Credit: Andy Smith)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DJ-Andy-Smith_Credit_Andy-Smith.png?fit=1050%2C700&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DJ-Andy-Smith_Credit_Andy-Smith.png?fit=1050%2C700&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DJ-Andy-Smith_Credit_Andy-Smith.png?fit=1050%2C700&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DJ-Andy-Smith_Credit_Andy-Smith.png?fit=1050%2C700&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DJ-Andy-Smith_Credit_Andy-Smith.png?fit=1050%2C700&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":621,"url":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?p=621","url_meta":{"origin":688,"position":1},"title":"DJ Prestige: &#8220;It\u2019s all on 45 and we go three for three all night&#8221;","author":"Tom","date":"27th April 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the people we got to know through the Funk is DJ Prestige, founder and heart of Flea Market Funk. Based in Jersey City, NJ USA has made his mark not only in Cyberspace through his source for Funk inspiration\u00a0(which regularly features Our releases and one excellent review of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Articles","link":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?cat=181"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DJ-Prestige_1050w.jpg?fit=1050%2C852&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DJ-Prestige_1050w.jpg?fit=1050%2C852&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DJ-Prestige_1050w.jpg?fit=1050%2C852&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DJ-Prestige_1050w.jpg?fit=1050%2C852&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DJ-Prestige_1050w.jpg?fit=1050%2C852&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":587,"url":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?p=587","url_meta":{"origin":688,"position":2},"title":"DJ Mr Lob: &#8220;We rocked a 7.5 hour set of 45s&#8221;","author":"Tom","date":"16th April 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"If you ever travel down under, make sure to stop by Melbourne, Australia to catch DJ Mr Lob (Rob Steer) and shake your stuff to his eclectic selection of\u00a0funk, soul, hip hop, reggae, jazz, latin, ethio, afro, disco, jazzy hip hop! For a taste, check out his Mixcloud shows, which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Articles","link":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?cat=181"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DJ-Mr-Lob_Melbourne.png?fit=1050%2C591&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DJ-Mr-Lob_Melbourne.png?fit=1050%2C591&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DJ-Mr-Lob_Melbourne.png?fit=1050%2C591&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DJ-Mr-Lob_Melbourne.png?fit=1050%2C591&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DJ-Mr-Lob_Melbourne.png?fit=1050%2C591&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":744,"url":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?p=744","url_meta":{"origin":688,"position":3},"title":"Boca 45: &#8220;There were 5,000 people in the tent waiting for him to play &#038; asked if I could fill in&#8221;","author":"Tom","date":"14th June 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Let us introduce to you Boca 45, a DJ and fellow producer of 45s in the good old style. This founder of the 45Live initiative put smiles on the faces of punters all over Britain during his several residencies and shares some insights into what it is like to play\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Articles","link":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?cat=181"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Bildschirmfoto-2018-06-14-um-21.57.17.png?fit=751%2C501&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Bildschirmfoto-2018-06-14-um-21.57.17.png?fit=751%2C501&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Bildschirmfoto-2018-06-14-um-21.57.17.png?fit=751%2C501&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Bildschirmfoto-2018-06-14-um-21.57.17.png?fit=751%2C501&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":475,"url":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?p=475","url_meta":{"origin":688,"position":4},"title":"Likwuid &#038; 2 Hungry Bros feat. DJ Evil Dee &#8211; IllFayted B\/W Hold That","author":"Gu","date":"23rd January 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Available for pre-order NOW, we are happy to present\u00a0the second single by the fabulous The Getup on Our Label Records! After the slammin\u2019 7-inch \u201eTake You Down\u201c, Britain\u2019s acclaimed Funk combo The Getup returns to Our Label with another heavy Funk-Doublesider.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Articles","link":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?cat=181"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/A_Origu_6_Ansicht_neu.jpg?fit=531%2C531&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/A_Origu_6_Ansicht_neu.jpg?fit=531%2C531&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/A_Origu_6_Ansicht_neu.jpg?fit=531%2C531&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":641,"url":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?p=641","url_meta":{"origin":688,"position":5},"title":"DJ Edward Bear: &#8220;I got schooled that night&#8221;","author":"Tom","date":"4th May 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"From the land of Grizzlies comes Funk fan DJ Edward Bear. Stratford, Ontario in Canada gets its fair share of Funk, Soul and everything groovy during his regular gigs. Having also travelled as far as Japan to keep the crowd on their toes, we are thrilled to host him virtually\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Articles","link":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/?cat=181"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Edward-Bear-RVS-photo-by-Mista-D_1050.jpg?fit=1050%2C651&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Edward-Bear-RVS-photo-by-Mista-D_1050.jpg?fit=1050%2C651&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Edward-Bear-RVS-photo-by-Mista-D_1050.jpg?fit=1050%2C651&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Edward-Bear-RVS-photo-by-Mista-D_1050.jpg?fit=1050%2C651&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ourlabelrecords.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Edward-Bear-RVS-photo-by-Mista-D_1050.jpg?fit=1050%2C651&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=688"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":917,"href":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688\/revisions\/917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ourlabelrecords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}