The KISS FM superstar live and direct
Interview by Simon Tillotson
Hi Charlie, welcome to DMCWORLD! Where are you in the world right now?
“Hellooooo, thank you for having me DMCWORLD. Right now I’m in London, just finished my breakfast show on KissFM and now about to record a mix for my new radio show podcast.”
First up, we hear massive congratulations are in order with the listening figures on your Kiss FM show! Must be a good feeling to be a part of such a successful operation?
“Ahhh thank you so much!!! It’s crazy because every year we’ve gone up figures wise and every year I honestly can’t believe it, we’ve build up a really nice family of listeners but always recruiting for more – hope you’re listening in hehehe…”
Did you see the transition into DJing as an obvious path to take alongside your work on the radio? IS there a goal or direction you want to take the DJ side of things in from next year?
“Yes totally, to be honest I’ve always wanted to DJ from day one, I pushed for radio and to work in radio with the means to always learn to DJ and am so grateful I’ve been able to do just that. Exciting news as well, this week I launch my brand new Charlie Hedges Radio Show Podcast which you can check out via www.soundcloud.com/charlie-hedges I’m on Kiss Breakfast every morning plus I have 2 house shows one on Kiss Fresh Friday 7pm and one on KissFM Saturday evenings/Sunday 2am however this new podcast enables me to play exactly who I am in clubs DJing and the music route I’m going down producing my own material.”
The Charlie Hedges Podcast? Sounds intriguing – what can we expect to hear on that? Do you think that artist podcasts are an essential means to communicate what your current sound is like?
“I’m so excited, this podcast is ME totally, as you know commercial radio has some restrictions musically with what you can and can’t play at certain times of the day obviously, but this podcast enables me to mix exactly my sound and what you guys can expect if you come and see me play in a club. They are massively essential yes as people then know what they’re buying into if they come and check out one of my live sets, plus it gives people a chance to get in touch personally via my twitter and Facebook pages to request tracks and shout outs which I’m excited about.”
There’s been quite a bit of buzz surrounding Charlie Hedges this summer and you’ve played on some serious line-ups – must have been a few “pinch yourself” moments to add to the scrapbook?!
“Sounds clichéd but I honestly wake up after a night when I’ve played with the likes of Steve Aoki for example and go…did that actually just happen, I actually get choked up sometimes that I’m actually living my dream. I’m also a right geek and keep every single flyer, memorabilia from the nights I’ve played on.”
Some of the most iconic tastemakers in the world of electronic music started off on the radio and we can think of a fair few who have successfully managed to combine the two aspects of their career – is it something you find easy balancing, or does one side affect the other sometimes?
“I think anyone can juggle as much as possible as long as it’s all well managed and you’re totally focused. I have a wicked team behind me at Fresh, great family and friends, and I have untold amount of passion and drive to juggle and balance both until naturally one might take over the other, or I might continue to manage both, at the min its working fine though.”
And how about production? Can we expect to see Charlie Hedges hitting the studio in the near future?
“Heeeellll yes, now in fact! I’m working on my first release of my new sound which I hope you guys are going to love, keep an eye out – I’d say it’s best described as a new hard house.”
Thanks Charlie, we’re looking forward to seeing the next few months unfold for you!
“Thanks for the time guys, appreciate it, get to a gig soon too x”
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Check out the DMCWORLD Charlie Hedges Back To Mine here…http://www.dmcworld.net/features/entry/features/back-to-mine-with-charlie-hedges
The first episode of the Charlie Hedges Radio Show is out now…
Soundcloud – http://bit.ly/1tHavqy
iTunes – http://bit.ly/1xd6D2O
YouTube – http://youtu.be/A8VELyhnxzY
Charlie Hedges…
https://www.facebook.com/charliehedgesfriends
https://twitter.com/charliehedges
https://soundcloud.com/charlie-hedges
