Ministry of Sound Club

Exclusive Interview

• What was your first experience of Ministry of Sound?

  My first experience of the Ministry was around 12 years ago and I went there for a night out - I remember M-People were doing a gig there and Heather Small was up on the bar singing live - the crowd was going nuts, and I was totally impressed!

• How did you become a resident at the club and what does that mean to you?

  I was approached by Ministry to become one of their Resident DJ's around October 2010 and really couldn't wait to get stuck in. It means so much to me to be resident DJ at a world-renowned club that has world-famous DJ's perform, the likes of Deadmau5, Laidback Luke, Fedde Le Grand, Roger Sanchez, and the list just goes on and on.

• How did the Club Residents album come about?

  I had a meeting with the guys at Ministry and to help promote the fact that I'm one of their new residents. We decided to release a resident's mix cd. Originally it was a comprise of tracks and remixes that I had done previously but I wanted to make it a bit special and decided to produce 4 new tracks to be used exclusively for the album.

• What do you love about playing Ministry of Sound?

  I love everything about playing at the MoS, from the amazing custom made Martin Audio Sound System to the amazing production and LED screens that have just been installed but what I love most is the kind of people that come down to the club week after week, they love and know good music and are always up for an amazing time.

• What do you think it is that sets Ministry of Sound apart from other clubs and makes it special?

  The heritage of the club is what makes it so special. They have had the worlds best DJ's grace the decks over the last 20 years and it's always an honour to play there each month.

• What's your best Ministry of Sound memory to date?

  I have nothing but great memories form the Ministry but one that stands out is the first time I got to play in the box, and it was with Fedde Le Grand, who was just amazing.

• What's Michaels best clubbing memory, as a clubber?!

  This has to be my first experience of clubbing, I had up until that point never heard really good music on a big club sound system and when I did it was like a whole new world had opened up to me. This is what inspired me to start making music in the first place.

• What made u want to become a DJ? What was your first ever set of decks?

  I had been producing music for quite some time and was building up good reputation as a producer but I really wanted to connect with the clubbers on a more personal level and so I decided to learn how to DJ. My first set of decks were Technics 1210's.

• What aspects of music production do you find the most interesting, or enjoy the most?

  Creating new and interesting sounds is always a fun part of musical creation, it's the bit the requires the most attention and it's great because before you start tweaking you never really know how it's going to end up sounding and sometimes surprise myself with the strange and interesting sounds I'm able to produce.

• If you weren't a DJ what would you be doing?

  Well I gave up my Saturday football to go to Music College so if I didn't pursue music I'd like to think I'd be playing professional football.

• Do your parents like your music?

  My father is Music teacher so music is very much a part of his life.

• What are you currently working on in the studio?

  I'm currently working on some more original material that I want to release over the summer and hopefully put towards an artist album that I can release at the end of the year.

• You recently worked with our very own Example on his forthcoming single 'Changed The Way You Kiss Me' - can you tell us more about how that came about and what working with him was like?

  Example came to my studio one day and we were showing each other our music. We had a mutual interest each other's style and decided to work on something together. I put together some beats and music, sent it over and within just a few days 99% of the track had been done. The track has been so well received by everyone that it's going to be the first release of his new album in early June.

• What can we expect from you at your next Ministry gig on 7th May?

  I'm going to be showcasing all the tracks from MoS Club Residents Album, including the four new exclusive tracks I made specifically for it, I'll be bringing lots of energy to the night, it's going to be like an indoor festival, so everyone coming be prepared for an amazing night.