During my time at Radio 1, the show has had five different producers. Each of them has brought their own knowledge and skills to the table. Some have been more schooled in the art of radio, whilst others have been music fanatics who've given me an insight into tracks and genres that would otherwise have passed me by. Over the past 18 months I've had Kat Wong, who came over from producing the Network Chart Show. With her background in commercial radio, she focused predominantly on my speech and what I had to say to the listeners. When she came on board I didn't realise just how much I had to learn in this department, but her arrival made me think so much more about connection with the audience.
This week marked Kat's last show- she's moving over the BBC 6 music. On Thursday 19th I had lunch with Kat and my new producer Tom at the Rivington Grill in Shoreditch - this was to run through the handover, and generally say 'thanks'.
Our lunch nearly didn't happen. Later that night I was due to play in the Macedonian capital Skopje. Living in London, one assumes that there'll be direct flights to every location on the dj map. However Skopje must be the only European capital without a direct departure from my home town. At first my manager Charlie and I could only find connections leaving London at the crack of dawn, which would have forced me to postpone the lunch with Kat and Tom. It was only via exhaustive searching through our somewhat anal flight bible (the OAG flight timetable, listing every European flight) that we found a way of leaving London later in the day.
It wasn't convenient- I flew with Easyjet from Luton to Budapest, and then had to re check-in and change terminals onto Malev down to Skopje- overall journey time roughly 6 hours. Having played in most countries, I have the luxury of knowing what to expect when I turn up in any given location. This was the first time in 2007 that I was hitting a nation I'd not been to before. The flight touched down at 12.30am, the last arrival of the day. It landed early, so there was no promoter to collect me. As the other passengers grabbed their bags and departed the terminal I was the last one left standing outside, finding myself touted by hoardes of local taxi drivers. They looked unconvinced when I told them that I was being picked up. In fairness to my hosts, the flight was early, and wherever I go the person collecting me seems to be late at least a third of the time. I always fly with hand baggage only and shoot through Arrivals .
Because I had to race virtually straight to the decks I didn't have time to put the promoter through the customary grilling regarding history, demographics and culture in a new location. But what I had discovered is that young people in Macedonia speak very good English. My syndicated radio show "The Global Warm Up" goes out there weekly (amongst other countries.)
The club couldn't have been busier, with roughly 2000 in attendance- not bad for a Thursday night! The photos are already posted in the 'Gallery' section of the site, and speak volumes about an excellent party.
An alternative routing back to London was being driven over the border into Greece, and onto the second Greek city of Thessaloniki for a direct flight back home. It was a three hour drive, and forced me to get up at 9am after hitting the sack at 4. Although Greece is in the EU and ex-Yugoslavian Macedonia probably won't join for at least five years, the Macedonian roads were far better. I enjoyed a comfortable sleep for half the journey, up until the border crossing into Greece when I needed to be awake for passport control.
I try to use airport lounge and flight time productively, and the game plan was to listen to 100 or so promo tracks on the journey out, and edit those I liked on the trip back home. The return flight from Thessaloniki was with BA, and my area of the plane was very empty, providing a good opportunity to concentrate on work. However, the situation wasn't helped by BA's inflight bar. In their inflight magazine "High Life", British Airways devotes a whole page to the harsh penalties meted out to drunken unruly passengers. Yet they're the only airline to serve 50% proof vodka on board. I didn't even know that 50% vodka existed. Don't get me wrong, I'd never be a rowdy traveller- a few drinks and I smile sweetly and go to sleep, but perhaps British Airways bought a job lot of industrial alcohol.
The Gallery at Turnmills in London is one of my most long-standing and regular gigs. However, there have only been a handful of occasions when it's been my solitary outing on a Friday night. It stays busy and at its peak so late that I usually squeeze in another port of call earlier in the evening. However, this time round it was only Turnmills, so I played an earlier than usual 2 - 3.30am. Sandwiched between Seb Fontaine and new Judgement Sundays Ibiza resident Sander Van Doorn, I recorded my set, which has now appeared on the site as the 'April mix'. With Tiesto playing the London leg of his 'Elements of life' tour a few miles up the road at Alexandra Palace, Turnmills' numbers could have been affected, but there was no difference. Turnmills was as rammed as ever.
There are some other dj's who schedule their entire diaries around football fixtures. I wish I could be that organised. As an Gooner, the Tottenham v Arsenal match is an essential unmissable date in the calendar. Coming after a late night, the 12.45pm kick off wasn't appreciated, but what could I do… Unleashing a volley of foul expletives at the plasma screen as Tottenham scored an undeserved equaliser in the 94th minute seemed only natural.
After my Radio 1 show I played two gigs fairly close to London, both in the county of Essex. The first was at the Hub in Colchester, owned by a buddy of mine Lee. He also runs the 'Rogue Presents' nights that will take place fortnightly in the back room of Judgement Sundays Ibiza this summer. Starting in six week's time Judgement becomes a three room club, with Indie dance being added to the house and banging soundtrack of the other arenas. The Hub was busy, and the crowd are so close you can smell them. Not that I'm suggesting that anyone had an odour problem.
Our second stop off was up the road in Basildon Essex. Beyond one or two locations such as the Hub, I've not played too much in Essex, and it's important to show your face in unexpected spots every now and again. We arrived as a car load and packed out the dj booth- I hope the management didn't mind an anarchic invasion. At only 45 miles from home I didn't get far into REM's before my driver Pete had me rocking up to the front door after the gig.
My final weekend landing saw us bowling into the Glasshouse in Coventry on Sunday 22nd. Not before I'd spent a testing time in Ikea earlier that afternoon. My only advice re Ikea on a Sunday is don't do it. On the one hand I love Ikea- it's like a bubble of society. At our nearest branch, under the shadow of the new Wembley Arch, you get everyone from posh Hampstead ladies to penniless duckers and divers. Nowhere attracts such a broad cross section of society. However, Sunday is a no-no. The sheer volume of human traffic could make a homicidal maniac out of any of us.
Back to the matter at hand. Sunday nights attract only the hardcore- it's not a night for casual observer clubbers. The Glasshouse is one of the smallest venues on my circuit, but close crowd proximity make it all worthwhile. I signed countless entry tickets with a marker pen, and my fingers are still ink stained four days later.
I'm now en route to the US for three Californian dates. More about that next week…