DjHistory

After a couple of mini disasters, for this month's podcast, we dipped into the archives and exhumed an interview we did during the pandemic with Norman Cook, which has never been seen or heard before. Norman talks about playing the stooge on Tik Tok, his fascination with Suzi Quatro's all-in-one leather outfit, being played on the Rovers Return jukebox, pole dancing dancing with Sheryl Crow and having a dildo named after him. Oh and how to make a hit record.

Abigail Ward caused a stir two years ago with her brilliant debut single, I Miss Your Love. Her uncompromising approach to music-making and DJing is expressed brilliantly in this discussion which covers her path to creativity, working in a record store, and her current disillusionment with the torpor of today's dancefloors.

Sean Johnston's name may not necessarily be one that trips off the tongue so readily, but as one half of A Love From Outer space, he's most definitely in the frame. Sadly we lost his partner Andrew Weatherall almost exactly five years ago, but we talk to Sean about his early life in the farmlands of Yorkshire, early forays to the fleshpots of Driffield and Hull, before seeking fame, fortune and Balearic rarities in London. He also has a long overdue compilation out now, which you can buy here.

This month’s podcast guest is the indomitable CC:Disco! CC opens our discussion with extremely detailed instructions for her funeral, before we go on to discuss women, Lisbon, radio v club and the importance of Kevin & Perry Go Large.

Richard Sen's entry into youth culture was as the first person to be imprisoned for his graffitti work (under the name Coma). He was ‘saved’ when he turned his attention to acid house, becoming firstly a DJ and, in short order, a producer/remixer. We discuss his trajectory towards jail, his career as a DJ and producer and his accidental work as a criminologist.

This month's pod is the multi-faceted Scuba, who broke through 20 years go as part of London's burgeoning dubstep scene but has since wandered all over the place, genre-wise and geographically. We chat about dubstep, Guns 'N' Roses, what makes a good DJ and Simple Minds. It's a goodie, this one.

DJ Kerry is the woman who built a nightclub in her suburban basement in Los Angeles, where she throws monthly parties to a select audience. It may well be the best party in the United States right now. In conversation, Kerry explains how she did it – and why.

Eric Kupper's entry in the dance music world came via a session with Justin Strauss in 1986. Since then he's worked on thousands of sessions (often uncredited) as well as writing 'The Whistle Song' for Frankie Knuckles. In this wide-ranging interview we cover everything from the early days of house in New York to the effect Ronald Reagan had on culture.

This month’s podcast guest is a legend of our field, Marshall Jefferson, responsible for many of the early Chicago house classics. We talk about sampling, getting his masters back and why Ce Ce Rogers’ Someday was banned in South Africa.