Uncle Dugs and his famous #RCFF radio show on Rinse FM are looking for one lucky DJ to provide a guest old school mix. Think you’re up for the challenge? Then read on to find out more..
This is the first time you have offered a guest slot to a potentially unknown DJ, what was the initial thoughts behind the competition?
“I have been meaning to do this for ages but never got round to actually launching it. I have such a loyal family of listeners many of whom are DJ’s so I really wanted to give one of them a chance to shine. I have done DJ comps for slots at my parties in the past but this is something different.The show gets listened to by many people so hopefully the right mix from the right DJ may go on to help give someones career a little nudge in the right direction.”
In general, what are you expecting from the mixes?
“Just good solid mixes from a DJ with confidence in his ability. All DJs will have come through the same process as me meaning the whole learning how to mix and select onto first gigs at parties etc. By the time you get to sending mixes out to promoters and competitions you should feel like you are at the stage where you are ready to prove to the world you have what it takes.
Of course people are nervous in new situations, that is natural but actually mixing the demo at home to send should be something the DJ is confident in doing. Solid mixes and tunes from a solid DJ, if there is any slight mistakes I wanna hear the recovery process.”
I’m sure you heard countless DJ mixes over the years but what really stands out for you when listening to a mix from another turntable technician?
“First and foremost the intro. It amazes me how many mixes I hear with terrible introductions. Whenever I have put out a mix or sent demos when I was younger I always make sure that first mix or idea is perfect to my ear as that is the only bit you can be sure will be listened to by the person you are sending it to.
If the first mix is a bit sketchy then where else is the rest of it gonna go. If the first mix is bang on, maybe even a bit of mix trickery or double dropping or something clever involved then you have more chance of grabbing the person listenings attention for the full mix. You’d be surprised how many demos don’t make it past 5 mins!
Also as I said above, no DJ is perfect so if there is a mistake on the mix I always like to hear how the DJ recovers from it, mistakes and recovery are part of your DJ personality, seamless perfect synced mixing (to me) is robot like, no DJ stands out when it’s not them actually mixing. Dont be scared to try new things, get your skills practised and in place before the mix then fling it down like a pro!”
Custom samples, scratching, beat juggling and VIP remixes – do these get bonus points from the judges?
“Yeah everything that makes you stand out helps of course but selection is always very important thing to me as well. If you can get a good balance of all the above and selection then you are already on your way to the winners podium.”
Are you expecting to hear some of the mixes and pick up on tracks that you have potentially forgotten about over the years?
“I hope so, I always like a memory jogger but saying that its not essential so please don’t feel you have to fill the mix with forgotten gems or b sides to grab my attention. Play what you think suits you, some people love anthems, some people love the proper underground stuff. Every DJ is different so just be yourself and play what represents you as a DJ.”
On the flipside, can you name a track you will no doubt expect to hear from a few mixes?
“If its a jungle mix then maybe ‘Pulp Fiction’. I only say that because its a track I play all the time in the clubs so maybe people will try to get into my mind with some musical Jedi tricks playing that haha.”
Can the mixes be hosted by the DJ?
“I’d rather they werent. Even though its a competition for a radio show guest slot I dont really need to hear them talk although if they feel confident enough to do that then by all means crack on. Hosting it will not get extra points though so my advice is concentrate on the mix and dont worry so much about the chat.”
Are DJs limited to vinyl mixing?
“No any style is good with me. Whatever the DJ wants to mix on is all good in the hood.”
You’re no stranger to radio that’s for sure but if you could name one thing that still makes you nervous about the whole experience what would it be and why?
“I miss the days of butterflies in my stomach before shows, I wish I could say that there is something left in radio that makes my belly turn over but there really isn’t. I actually thrive off that feeling of nervous energy. I still get it now and again in other aspects of my DJing but radio wise I just think I have done so much of it over the years that it really has become my second home. Nerves are good though, they make you feel alive, you just gotta learn to harness them and turn them into a positive vibe.”
Do you think you will run a similar competition in the future but for old school MCs or even producers?
“Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm, possibly. One thing at a time haha.”
Finally, what’s your Christmas and New Year schedule looking like?
“Busy just the way I like it! I am in London, Leeds, Cardiff, Brighton, Bristol, Newcastle and Essex in the month of December alone so its all go as usual.
My book ‘Rave Diaries And Tower Block Tales’ comes out at the start of December as well so there is the launch party for that on December 2nd at Aquarium in Old Street (book and launch party tickets both available from www.musicmondays.co.uk). The book is something I am very proud of, I cant wait for everyone to read it, pre sales have gone far beyond my expectations so going into 2017 everything is shaping up nicely.
Oh yeah and of course we got Jungle Fever on the 17th December at Brixton Electric, Rinse FM Xmas party on Boxing Day at Ministry Of Sound and the sold out in a couple of hours New Years Day Vibena Jungle party as well. December is gonna be very lively indeed!”
Any shouts and big ups?
“To everyone that supports the show and all I do, thank you to every single one of you. Hopefully i’ll see you all out in raveland in the run up to new year but if I don’t have a lovely Xmas and a wicked new year. Good luck to everyone entering the competition, you got till Monday December 19th to get the entries in.
Thanks to Jamie and all at DNBA as always for the continued support for the last 10+ years as well. Peace guys, Dugs.”
To enter this wicked competition simply record a 15-20 minute old school mix (anything from 1988 to 2000 roughly), upload it to SoundCloud, MixCloud or YouTube and send the link to Uncle Dugs at rcffmail@gmail.com.