DJ Nite
Just for the record, what's the story behind the name "DJ Nite"?
Well, I was born Derek John Knight, so my name actually is DJ Knight. It's like my parents had something in mind for me from the very beginning. Then when I started doing mixes with my mates at school, one of them suggested that I use "DJ Nite" as my DJ name. I just did it for a laugh, but then it's stuck!
What are you up to these days?
Well, I spend my days working in radio, & putting out the odd mash-up mix when I get the chance in the evenings. At the moment I'm working on a longform mix, so keep your eyes peeled for that. My DJ-ing activities are mainly limited to parties as I haven't got round to promoting myself properly. But at the moment that suits me just fine.
What music are you currently listening to?
Ok...let's see. Loving the Charlotte Hatherley LP. Was pleasantly surprised by the Prodigy LP too. Mylo, Radio 4, Barry White, Eric Prydz vs Retarded Funk, the pop behemoth that is Girls Aloud, lots of High Contrast, the new Dizzee LP, some battered Roxy Music LPs I found in Oxfam, Mercury Rev, Dilated Peoples, & lots of great stuff from GYBO of course...
What, if push comes to shove, is the one album that changed your life?
Only one? Wow. Well, if I'm honest, it has to be The Beatles - Sgt Pepper. A dull but honest answer! I copied a cassette of it from the library when I was still at primary school (just don't tell the Feds). I listened to it so often it's sort of imprinted on my brain. Like almost all the Beatles records, I can keep coming back to it & find something new. I can't pretend I was impressed by how amazing the production is, or the social commentary. I just thought it was a great collection of songs that I could sing along to, & that says it all really.
Other contenders have to be Blur - Parklife that resparked my love of music when I was suffering lots of teenage angst, & probably The Prodigy - Experienced & The KLF - Chill Out, both which opened a whole other world of records being more than just words.
When was the last time you bought a record that was shite? Where did you buy it?
Well, I did buy an Ocean Colour Scene record in 1995 that was very bad. I ended up making a sculpture out of the CD with a lighter. And the only CD I ever voluntarily gave away was Oasis - Be Here Now, which I gave to my brother. Probably the most disappointing album I've ever bought.
Which artiste, other than yourself, have you ever wanted to be?
I think there's certainly a part of me that would've liked to have been a Beatle.
Can you recall the most embarrassing & bizarre thing that has ever happened to you while manning the decks?
Embarrassing: DJ-ing at a New Year's party. The dancefloor is rammed. I'm somehow playing a great set despite being half cut. I get a text from my mate asking directions. I text him back. As it's sending, I put it down on one of the decks. Cue *beepbeepbeepbeepburrrrrrrr*. The decks died. The record winds down to silence. The whole dancefloor turns and stares at me. "Sorry! It looks like decks don't like mobiles!" Thank God I had another record cued up (I think it was McSleazy's Madison Avenue vs Song 2 which saved me).
Bizarre: I was DJ-ing at a student night & a girl comes up to me & requested for "Holler" by the Spice Girls.
"Sorry I don't have it." (I genuinely didn't. Why on earth would I?)
"I'll snog you if you play it."
"Well, that's nice, but I still don't have the record."
"My boyfriend will beat you up if you don't play it!"
"I think the bouncers might have something to say about that. BUT I STILL DON'T HAVE IT!"
"You're shit."
"Thanks..."
The First of DJ Nite:
First album you bought (or downloaded) = Queen - Greatest Hits Vol.1
First movie you watched that gave you the creeps = Watership Down. Terrifying! I was only 8.
First book or magazine you read that gave you severe wood = Sky magazine with Anna Friel in it not wearing an awful lot.
First concert you went that was life changing = The Manics at Glastonbury had me crying like a baby. I was slightly drunk, but it was still hugely emotional.
First mash-up you heard that rocked your world = The Timelords - "Doctorin' The Tardis"
What is the most outrageous rumour you've heard that is said about you?
Well, one girl was absolutely convinced that I was gay even after I'd snogged her. Which was a bit confusing!
Which bootlegger, in your opinion, is underrated?
I like a hell of a lot of Jools MF's stuff. I don't think he's underated as such, but I'll give him respect anyway!
On the other hand, which bootlegger deserves a kick in the the gonads?
Richard X for being so goddamn successful without selling out.
Can you list ten of your most favourite bootlegs of ALL time?
I'll certainly have a go! This'll probably change in 5 minutes...
01. Girls On Top - "I Wanna Dance With Numbers"
02. Freelance Hellraiser - "A Stroke Of Genie-us"
03. Go Home Productions - "Sexual High"
04. The JAMMS - "Downtown"
05. Alex C - "Music Has The Right To Know My Name"
06. Stuntmasterz - "Stardust vs Madonna"
07. Jools MF - "The Massive Streets"
08. blo_up - "Burnin'"
09. Schoen von Hinten - "Average Girls & Boys"
10. C.H.A.O.S Productions - "A Fine Dream"
Any boots you wished you've done but didn't?
Go Home Productions featuring Barry Wilson - "Wouldn't It Be Nice To Be Your First", because it's such a wonderfully sublime combination of two of the happiest, most loved up records ever made. I wish I'd made it so that I could play it to any girl I like & make her fall in love with me. It's that good.
What is the one thing that is seriously lacking in the bootleg scene these days?
Pre-1990 acapellas & instrumentals would open up a whole new world of possibilities. And it'd be cool to see more girls, as those few that do produce stuff offer a totally different perspective to the male-dominated ones.
Let's play word association. We mention a name & you give us your thoughts...
Boom Selection = Welcome to the Pleasuredome
James Hyman = Well hung, apparently...
Arsenal = The lads
Kasabian = Overated
Lionel Richie = Sex pesting a blind girl
Slsk = Fntstc
Guinness = Great ads, mine's a lager
Roule = French for 'The Best'
Tyra Banks = Maybe I could be America's Next Top Model
Crazypellas = Never been...
Which decade do you consider the 'dark ages' of music? Why?
The 1930's, I guess. After the roaring Twenties, & pre-the Jazz Age & The Ratpack & Elvis & the whole Rock & Roll explosion. I think every decade from then onwards has got better & better, simply in the quality & quantity of music being produced & listened to. There's a hell of a lot more great music around today, but there's also a lot more rubbish. You just need to filter out all the crap.
What do you remember about the following years:
1989 = My school friend Thomas accidentally poured Copydex in my hair.
1993 = Arsenal Cup Double.
1996 = Finishing my GCSE's to the sound of Britpop.
2000 = Doing my first proper mix tape for a millenium party.
2004 = Mallrats was right. Dicking about on escalators is a bad idea.
What's your favourite Saturday night record?
Deee-Lite - "Groove Is In The Heart"
And your Sunday morning one?
Glenn Campbell - "Wichita Lineman"
Any principles of life you live by?
No sell out. Love is all. Hug your enemy. Fight the power. Stick it to the man.
What are your plans for the future?
To sell out.
What do you think the future for bootlegs / mash-ups / remixes would be like, given that being a home musician is so easy these days?
I think the line between official releases & bootlegs will blur, as recordings become less physical as records & CDs to mp3s & whatever follows them. I think record companies (or whatever they turn into!) will be more happy to take on bootleg mixes so that they can distribute them & make a buck off them. But there'll always be the underground producing them in the first place. And the cream always rises to the top.
*Exclusive DJ Nite Boot*
Falcon's Dreaming (Loleatta Holloway vs DJ Falcon)
You can also check out other DJ Nite's boots at his website here.
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