GenQ - For the not so straight individual

GQ: John, thanks for taking the time to chat with GenerationQ!
Firstly, Transitions 3 is the third installment of the Transitions series. Why did you decide to name it Transitions?

JD: Transitions started as a radio show and the album series grew out of that. It’s a word I took because it defines dance music so well: as a genre it’s always moving forward and developing and as DJs we mix the tracks throughout our sets. There’s also the more poignant element in so much as I do use the show as a platform for up coming DJs and producers. I remember when I got my first big break – that’s probably the most significant transition of all!

GQ: Tell us a bit about Transitions 3. You say in your podcast on your myspace that its got a higher energy behind it and that you were really impressed with the tracks selected?

JD: I wanted to create that ‘peak time’ experience with this mix. I was after that atmosphere and intensity you get in a club or festival at 3 or 4am, but thumping sound-systems and 2000+ clubbers are a totally different environment; to recreate it on a CD, which will be listened to on domestic stereo systems meant I had to take a slightly different approach. In this case it became a conscious 20 tunes, exclusively editing each for the mix.

GQ: How do you think the music has changed since the first transitions cd, if at all?

JD: Musically the series has represented a development, I’ve been shifting through the gears over the series, working toward my peak-time sound, picking things up a little with each volume. There is going to be a Vol.4, though I am not sure what we’re going to do with it - if I carry on like this I’ll be giving Coxy a run for his money!



GQ: This might be a bit unsettling, but you’ve been dj’ing since before I was born (I’m 24)! I know it must have started as a hobby, but you’ve since made a highly successful career out of it (with your own label, extensive discography and world-wide tours). What keeps you going?

JD: Actually, that’s not quite true, I began about 20 years ago – I am not that old! Obviously the DJing itself is huge fun. But there are other factors, one is catching the balance between delivering as a DJ and evolving (or as above – another transition!): yes, you want to move forward as an artist, but in equal measure, you know fans and clubbers turn-up expecting you to deliver and provide some form of familiarity. I guess you could describe it as forward-thinking consistency, which is a near contradiction in terms, but playing-out aside, does remain one of the most challenging and rewarding elements of DJing. However, I think the most satisfying thing to happen this year has been my new single ‘Gridlock’. We’re getting stellar responses on it: Top 5 and rising in the Balance and Buzz charts; ‘Tune of the Issue’ in I-DJ and even ‘Essential New Tune’ from Tong on Radio 1. Doing a compilation is great, but there’s no getting round the fact you’re playing someone else’s music. To put an original composition out there, which is entirely your own, and then get such a positive reaction is very rewarding.

GQ: What is your favourite part about dj’ing?

JD: That’s simple – the crowd. I’ve got to thank the fans, all my gigs are so good it’s hard to pick them apart, which is more of a testament to them than anything else, Infact, the whole idea of disc 2 on Transitions 3 was to give something back to all who have supported me to date. At the end of the visual footage we included a sign-off that says ‘thanks for all the great gigs’.

Transistions 3 is available now. For more info, see John's website.