We meet and greet the biggest clubland DJ of the 90s who is now the biggest fashion show music provider and after party spinner in the world…
Hi Jeremy, I once zoomed down the M1 with you trying to escape a groupie following you to The Gardening Club in London from Nottingham – things a little different now huh?
“You could say that! I’ve just had Beyonce’s dad on the phone playing me her soon to be released album that’s coming out Christmas time. It’s great. I’ve had everyone from the likes of Justin Timberlake to The Killers testing me out on their new stuff…”
The 90s saw you voted the biggest DJ in the world from the likes of Mixmag and The Face mags – an extraordinary time…
“It felt really weird. Everyone was so competitive and egotistical, the super clubs were just trying to out do each other buying the DJs – it wasn’t a happy environment to be honest for a DJ. Today, it feels like you can simply enjoy yourself out there…”
So your early days…
“To tell you the truth, I was a little punk rocker firstly, then was one of the first kids who got into hip hop in the UK before it got mass market – great days…”
And now?
“It’s so divided now. So segregated. And hasn’t the welly it used to have in Britain.”
Tell us about the early days clubbing for Philip Salon at ‘Planets’…
“Ha ha. Well I started working there in the cloakroom – I wasn’t happy. Boy George was DJing but the night ended up with about 40 people screaming at me because I couldn’t find their coats. I talked to Philip the next day and we swapped things around, Boy George did the coats the following week and he nicked the money out of everyone’s pockets.”
Recent residencies at Attica in Shanghai and Singapore, Belmont in Perth, Australia and various clubs in the UK like The Empire and Boujis. What are your favourite clubs at the moment?
“A real toughy. Boujis is great at the moment.”
What are you doing studio wise?
“Myself and Cheeky Paul are just doing this Victoria Secrets project with an orchestra. Very exciting.”
Fashion Week. You have just played and supplied the music at Hilfiger in New York, Fashion For Relief in London, Etro in Milan and Dior and Galliano in Paris. What has been the highlight?
“Well last week I did the tunes for a friend’s birthday. Alex de Betak. It was a surprise party and when he walked in Kylie Minogue was sprawled over this beautiful Grand Piano and then sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him acapella. I organised the room to have a real underwater feel, tunes like Van Gellis and Brian Eno mixed in with current stuff, dolphin noises, jelly fish images all over the wall – all at The Rumanian Embassy. Unreal.“
What labels are your own personal favourites at the moment?
“Easy… Dior and Galliano are so far ahead of the rest…”
What has been your biggest celebrity party you’ve ever played at?
The Versaille Palace in France last year was special. It was a Christian Dior celebration, a nine million pound budget, all of Hollywood on the dancefloor with people like Penelope Cruz and Kate Hudson raising their hands to the music. Yeah…”