Naughty Parrot Radio

Sam Phonic, winner of the first ever Boxed In DJ competition by Ministry of Sound and the Faded Back to Back DJ Battle, joins the Naughty Parrot Podcast for an honest, funny conversation about DJ battles, imposter syndrome and finding where you belong in dance music.

From staying behind after school on "the worst decks I've ever seen" to winning a battle on four decks at Egg, Sam shares what it's really like to compete in a room where everyone is watching, why three months of seven-nights-a-week in Greece made him the DJ he is, and why some of his best nights out have been the ones he went to alone.

In this episode we cover:

Learning to DJ at 12 and turning the school music room into a rave
Entering (and getting rejected from) the Back to Back DJ Battle before going on to win it
What a DJ battle is actually like: 5-minute rounds, 4 decks and zero room for mistakes
Imposter syndrome, even straight after winning
A 3-month residency in Faliraki, 7 nights a week
Teaching primary school kids to play in a band by day

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Why getting rejected once isn't the end: Sam didn't get in first time, then won the whole thing
Using the decks as an instrument rather than just pressing play
The "jump scare" approach: mixing tracks nobody expects to work together
Why competitions and platforms matter for DJs trying to grow
How going to a gig on your own can lead to the best night of your life
Partying with balance: knowing your limits, sleep, and (a lot of) ginger shots
Why you have to do this for the love of it, not the glamour

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Intro
01:21 – Meet Sam Phonic, Back to Back DJ Battle winner
02:20 – Starting out at 12 and the worst decks in school
04:20 – London Sound Academy and first gigs at Egg
05:10 – Finding your people in the dance scene
07:12 – Entering the Back to Back DJ Battle
08:22 – How a DJ battle works: 5 rounds, 5 minutes, everyone watching
10:35 – Amplify Academy and learning to position yourself as an artist
12:47 – Going first in the heats: "Please like me"
13:45 – Final night at Egg
16:31 – The Eminem x Prodigy "jump scare" on 4 decks
17:33 – Winning and "feed the ego"
18:45 – Why DJ battles and platforms matter
20:28 – Defining the Sam Phonic sound
21:40 – Going to gigs on your own
23:50 – Imposter syndrome, even after winning
25:35 – Partying with balance (and ginger shots)
27:25 – The School of Rock day job
29:20 – 3 months, 7 nights a week in Faliraki
31:58 – The mix and guilty pleasures
33:45 – Murder on the Dancefloor, Saltburn and "Perfect"
36:05 – The most ridiculous booth moment
36:48 – Quick-fire round: Carl Cox, frozen pizza and ghost chillies
37:55 – Echo Note tradition
39:32 – What's next: new remix and Bob Sinclar
40:32 – Sign-off

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Follow Sam Phonic Instagram: instagram.com/samphonicofficial

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RIJ.: instagram.com/rijmusic_

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Steven Braines, co-founder of HE.SHE.THEY and a working artist manager, joins the Naughty Parrot Podcast for a raw, funny and unfiltered conversation about inclusive nightlife, class, and building a brand without diluting what you believe in.

From growing HE.SHE.THEY into a 25-country movement to living life as his drag alter-ego Sandra, Steven shares behind-the-scenes stories, industry home truths, and what it actually costs, financially and mentally, to build something real in music.

In this episode we cover:

- The real economics of artist management (what managers actually take home)
- Building HE.SHE.THEY from a fashion label to a global inclusive party brand
- Drag queen Sandra, and using comedy to talk about hard topics
- Class, privilege and trust funds in the music industry
- Campaigning against Keir Starmer to be Newham's next MP
- ADHD, hyperfocus and getting medicated (or not).

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

- Why diluting your values to avoid controversy doesn't actually work
- The real math behind what an artist manager takes home
- How to get noticed without being annoying (the follow-up email rule)
- Why "just be nice" is the actual long-term industry currency
- The hidden cost of a music career for people without family money
- How Sandra, his drag character, became a way to talk about hard topics through comedy
- What running for Green Party council taught him about PR and storytelling
- Managing ADHD, hyperfocus, and burnout without losing the plate-spinning

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Intro: meeting SteveN Braines, HE.SHE.THEY co-founder

00:52 – Why the brand talks politics openly

04:52 – Building a genuinely inclusive brand, not a gatekept one

07:16 – Safer spaces vs. universal spaces

11:32 – Origin story: HE.SHE.THEY started as a fashion label

14:16 – The lockdown pivot: community, livestreams, Web3

16:45 – Growing to 25 countries and the DMs that show the impact

19:44 – Steve's own journey with queerness and not fitting the mould

24:06 – Failing on purpose: screenwriting, drag, wrestling

26:53 – Breaking into artist management

29:19 – What artist managers actually earn

33:22 – How to actually get noticed: the follow-up email

35:40 – Why "just be nice" is the real industry currency

40:34 – Trust funds, privilege and the "scales of justice"

46:16 – Class, access and the hidden cost of a music career

51:21 – Meet Sandra: the drag character born in lockdown

57:01 – Comedy as a way in to talk about diversity

1:00:55 – Running for the Green Party

1:06:52 – Partying with balance: sobriety, steam rooms, anxiety

1:15:36 – Escaping the spotlight: wrestling, comedy, Reiki

1:18:49 – ADHD, hyperfocus and the medication debate

1:21:31 – Artists to watch / shoutouts

1:24:26 – Quick-fire round

1:29:27 – Final quick-fire questions

1:31:10 – Echo Note tradition & sign-off

🎧 Subscribe for more conversations with DJs, creatives and cultural tastemakers.

🦜 Naughty Parrot Podcast. Be Bold. Dance Free.

Follow Steven Braines Instagram: @stevenbraines

Follow HE.SHE.THEY: @he.she.they

Follow Naughty Parrot: Instagram: instagram.com/naughtyparrothq

TikTok: tiktok.com/@naughty.parrot.hq

Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/rij_music

RIJ.: instagram.com/rijmusic_

Naughty Parrot Radio. 

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Groovy, uplifting, and full of live-sound energy, this is the DJ mix that captures exactly who Holly is behind the decks. Recorded exclusively for Naughty Parrot Podcast, it's the perfect soundtrack whether you're winding down or getting ready for a night out.

This mix from Ibiza-based DJ Holly blends funky house, tech house, and disco influences with a focus on groove-driven, live-instrument sounds, think warm basslines, soulful chords, and vocal-led moments that build a real journey rather than just a string of tracks. Recorded as a companion to her interview on Naughty Parrot Podcast, the mix reflects her personal taste: fun, energetic, and unmistakably her own.

House music lovers, Ibiza culture fans, and anyone who wants a groove-heavy, feel-good mix to soundtrack their day (or night).

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
A true reflection of Holly's personal sound, groovy, warm, and full of energy
Influenced by live instrumentation: strings, guitar, and soulful vocals woven into house and disco
Recorded fresh off real Ibiza club sets, including Hï and UNVRS.
A mix built for both home listening and warm-up sets

About our guest:
Holly is an Ibiza-based DJ known for her high-energy sets and residencies across the island's biggest venues, including Hï Ibiza and UNVRS. Originally from Durham, she built her path into music through hospitality and ski-season travel before settling into the island's club scene.

Follow Holly:
Instagram:   / hollyhutchdj 
TikTok:   / hollyhutchdj 

If you enjoyed this conversation, follow Naughty Parrot Podcast on your favorite app and leave us a rating, it helps more listeners find these stories. We'd love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to reach out and share your favorite moment from this episode

Naughty Parrot Radio. 

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She played Ibiza's most iconic rooms, closed UNVRS, and lived through the chaos of the island's party scene, but almost gave it all up before it started. On this episode, Holly opens up about burnout, sobriety, and what it really takes to survive as a woman in the DJ industry.

Holly takes us through her journey from running restaurants in Durham to becoming one of Ibiza's most in-demand DJs, playing legendary venues like Pikes, Hï, and UNVRS. She shares the real story behind her nerves before her first big gig, why she stepped away from DJing during her most "chaotic" years, and how going sober transformed her creativity and production skills. We also dig into the double standards female DJs face on lineups, the friends and mentors who've shaped her journey, and why slowing down has become her biggest lesson yet.

This episode is for fans of house music, Ibiza culture, and honest artist interviews, and for anyone curious about the real, unfiltered life behind the DJ booth.

What we cover in this episode: 
   • Why sobriety became the key to Holly's creativity and production growth 
   • The nerves and pressure behind playing a closing set at UNVRS Ibiza 
   • Why representation for female DJs still lags behind on major lineups 
   • How burnout shaped her approach to boundaries and self-care 
   • Advice for anyone building a creative career later in life 
   • The behind-the-scenes reality of what DJs actually do to prep a set

About our guest:
Holly is an Ibiza-based DJ known for her high-energy sets and residencies across the island's biggest venues. Originally from Durham, she built her path into music through hospitality and ski-season travel before settling into the island's club scene.

Follow Holly:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyhutchdj/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@HollyHutchdj

If you enjoyed this conversation, follow Naughty Parrot  on your favourite app and leave us a rating, it helps more listeners find these stories. We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Naughty Parrot Radio. 

Be Bold. Dance Free. 

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What happens when music becomes more than a passion - when it becomes a lifeline?

In this episode, Rij sits down with Antoine, a French-Canadian DJ now making his mark on the UK scene, who won a spot at the Naughty Parrot launch party and hasn't looked back since. But this conversation goes far deeper than music.

Antoine opens up about moving countries to chase a dream, the journey from professional dancer to filmmaker to DJ, and his experience living with HIV: what it took to process, how it shaped his strength, and how it lives inside every set he plays.

He also talks about finding balance in nightlife, the power of soul in music, and what it felt like to play in a castle with dancers and live musicians on either side of him.

This one will stay with you.

Key Moments in This Episode:

The journey from Canada Antoine grew up in French-Canadian Quebec, trained as a contemporary dancer in Montreal — commercial style, working with drag queens, Pride shows — before pivoting to filmmaking and eventually landing in London on a youth visa at 29. He arrived knowing almost nobody and started from zero.

From filmmaker to DJ The frustration of filmmaking — months of work, a network that didn't materialise, projects going nowhere — pushed Antoine to try something different. He walked into Pirate Studios, bought a USB, and started building. Six months later, he was playing a castle.

The Naughty Parrot launch night Antoine submitted his competition entry at 11:30pm on deadline night — nearly didn't send it. Rij was about to close the entries when it came through. He listened. Antoine won. On the night, with dancers and live saxophone on either side of him, he lost himself completely in the set: "I looked at the time and I was like, my hour's almost gone. I completely lost track of time. It was another dimension."

Living with HIV In one of the most open and courageous moments the show has had, Antoine shares his experience of being diagnosed with HIV in 2016. He talks about how the world was different then, how he processed it, and the years it took to find acceptance. His response was extraordinary: he wrote and directed a 30-minute film about the diagnosis — a deeply cathartic process that helped him forgive, grieve, and eventually find a positive light. The film is available to watch on IndieCinema.co (7-day free trial).

His message to anyone going through something similar: talk. To your friends, your family. "They help you in ways you would never expect, and that you don't even think you need — but it just feels so good to express yourself."

Music and soul Antoine describes his sound in three words: nostalgic, heavy, soulful. His dance background lives in the rhythm and groove of everything he plays. He's currently influenced by Brooklyn-based artist Jules Grant — discovered the track Alive and played it on repeat for three days straight. "You can feel it when an instrument is played and recorded live. He does it to perfection."

The mix Antoine recorded the mix the day before the episode — and cried at the end of it. Tech house with a disco soul, built to hit hard at the start and pull you into a dream. "I want people to have a good time. That's the journey."

Partying with balance Antoine is in his 30s, teaches fitness classes, does breathwork, stretches daily as a meditative practice. He used to party hard — until he physically moved away from the environment that made it too easy. "How can you create memories if you don't remember anything?"

What's next Antoine is heading to Barcelona with his friend Misconduct to start something new — a new event, details TBC. Five-year goal: play World Pride.

About Naughty Parrot

Naughty Parrot is a nightlife and lifestyle brand built around one belief: music, moments and people leave echoes. The Naughty Parrot Podcast sits at the intersection of electronic music, culture, wellbeing and human connection.

Naughty Parrot Radio. 

Be Bold. Dance Free. 

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A curated Naughty Parrot Podcast music mix by Darren James, the DJ who built the world's smallest club in lockdown. 

This mix reflects the energy, emotion and atmosphere behind the conversation.

🎧 Created to accompany Darren's episode on the Naughty Parrot Podcast.

Listen to the full podcast episode here:

https://youtu.be/9YxkE59KVJQ

Much love, 

🦜 Naughty Parrot x

Naughty Parrot Radio. 

Be Bold. Dance Free. 

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Darren James has been DJing for over a decade. He’s played Ibiza, built a fully soundproofed club in his spare bedroom, and spent years quietly watching social media slowly drain the soul out of the scene he loves. In this episode, he finally says what a lot of DJs are thinking.

Topics Covered

• The World’s Smallest Club: a lockdown passion project gone properly
• The 2012 deep house era and how Darren got into DJing
• Why social media is a net negative for electronic music culture
• Career vs. hobby — the distinction that changes everything
• Longevity hacks from someone who’s been in it for a decade

Darren James is a London-based DJ and electronic music artist known for genre-fluid sets rooted in deep house and melodic electronic sounds. Find him on SoundCloud at darren.james._

Follow the show so you never miss an episode.

Naughty Parrot Radio. 

Be Bold. Dance Free. 

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A curated Naughty Parrot music mix by Nick, Manager of Pikes Ibiza and founder of Manoeuvre Records. Mixed by Danny Beck. 

This mix reflects the energy, emotion and atmosphere behind the conversation, pulling from the sounds of Ibiza nightlife, afterhours moments, and the culture that shapes unforgettable nights.

🎧 Created to accompany Nick’s episode on the Naughty Parrot Podcast.

Listen to the full podcast episode here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tvpk9SRR5k 

Much love, 

🦜 Naughty Parrot x

Naughty Parrot Radio. 

Be Bold. Dance Free. 

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Nick, Manager of Pikes Ibiza and founder of Manoeuvre Records joins the Naughty Parrot Podcast for a raw, hilarious, and deeply honest conversation about nightlife culture, Ibiza, and the realities behind the scenes.

From running one of Ibiza’s most iconic venues to navigating sobriety in an industry built on late nights, Nick opens up about balance, boundaries, and what modern club culture really looks like. We also unpack that viral voice note that took on a life of its own, plus stories from Pikes Ibiza, 528 Ibiza, and the wider global dance music ecosystem.

This episode goes beyond the DJ booth: touching on culture, chaos, community, and the human side of nightlife leadership.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• THE viral voice note everyone was talking about
• Life behind the scenes at Pikes Ibiza and 528 Ibiza
• Nightlife culture, chaos, and connection
• Choosing sobriety while working at the heart of club culture
• Building Manoeuvre Records and curating unforgettable events
• DJs and artists currently on Nick’s watchlist

Featuring:
Guest: Nick – Manager of Pikes Ibiza & Founder of Manoeuvre Records
Host: RIJ. (Founder of Naughty Parrot)

Vibes: Nightlife Culture, Ibiza, Club History, Sobriety, Music Industry, DJ Culture, Events, Community

🎧 Subscribe for more conversations with DJs, creatives, and cultural tastemakers.

🦜 Naughty Parrot Podcast
Be Bold. Dance Free.

Follow Naughty Parrot:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naughtyparrothq
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@naughty.parrot.hq
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/rij_music
RIJ: https://www.instagram.com/rijmusic_

Listen:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Mixcloud

Naughty Parrot Radio. 

Be Bold. Dance Free. 

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MixCloud

In this special guest episode of Naughty Parrot Radio, host RIJ sits down with KINGDON – a DJ and musician whose love for house music and jazz shines through in every beat. This conversation dives deep into his musical influences, his background as a drummer, and how live performance continues to shape his approach to electronic music.

Together, they explore Chicago house, disco, and the powerful relationship between music and the Black community. King Don shares his appreciation for spiritual jazz – a concept new to Rij – and unpacks how the genre’s freedom and soul have inspired his DJ sets.

As always, Naughty Parrot shines a light on fresh, emerging talent. For his artist spotlight, King Don features a rising producer blending jazz and dance music in an exciting and unexpected way.

What to Expect:

• The deep roots of house and jazz
• Influence of drumming and live music in electronic sets
• Chicago house and disco history
• Jazz-meets-dance music artist spotlight
• Cultural conversations on Black and queer dance heritage
• A soulful, groove-driven guest mix from King Don

Featuring:
Guest: KINGDON
Host: RIJ (Naughty Parrot)

Vibes: House, Jazz, Chicago, Disco, Live Music, Black Culture, Fresh Talent

Follow:
Instagram: @rijmusic_
Brand: @naughtyparrothq

Listen:
Mixcloud | SoundCloud | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Tag it: #NaughtyParrotRadio #GuestMix #KingDon #JazzHouse #ChicagoHouse #DiscoInfluence #BlackCulture #QueerDanceHistory #CommunityDriven

Naughty Parrot Radio. 

Be Bold. Dance Free. 

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