You don't need a dick to do the job!
There’s a new kid on the block in the Vinyl Vixen stables, she’s Irish, fit and she kicks arses! Even Carl Cox says so! I’ve always been partial to energetic DJs and Clodagh most certainly is up there with the bestest (sic)... You know the name: squat parties, telly, clubs, she seems to be everywhere!
Hey Clodagh! Let’s start from the beginning: when you were a kid, what did you think you wanted to do when you grew up?
I was sports crazy & wanted to play professional basketball for Ireland!? And I was also pretty religious & thought about being a nun!
Right. Not exactly the same line of work then! When did you first decide to get into Djing and why?
I grew up in the countryside in the middle of Ireland. I didn’t discover the club scene until 5 years ago when I moved to London & my sisters used to bring me out clubbing! I thought "Wow, this is what I’ve been missing all my life!" I got completely hooked on the music, the vibe, the people & dancing all night long! I really really love to dance! Two years later after clubbing every weekend, I wanted more so started throwing house parties!!
So what do you do? I mean, do you live off music or do you have a "day job"?
This will make you laugh… I’ve been a Fitness Instructor for nearly 11 years! I play really wicked music in my classes & have all these middle aged mothers, Jewish & Muslim women jumping about to House, Trance & Techno! Hehehe!
As a DJ, what’s your sound?
I’m very happy to say that after 3 years of Djing I’ve finally found my sound… TECHNO!! I love big deep phat basslines, tribal percussive drums, big sirens that mess with your brain, Latino rhythms, good melodies & tough beats. Yep, it’s gotta be uplifting but tough techno or tech house too!
Where do you want to go from here? What are your ambitions?
Basically to be one of the Top Professional Dj’s / Producer’s in the world, running my own successful record label, rockin parties all over the world & what ever else the future holds for me of course!
You got yourself on "The Joy Of Decks" and got to be in their 6-part TV program, chosen from 300 nominations, down to shortlist of 23, then 8 nominees and finally 4 finalists. No offence but how the h*ll did you get on the program?
I’m the kinda person that loves a challenge, so when I heard about the competition, I said: "why not" I’d give it a go. I entered the competition on the last day, sending in a 10min video of myself, a music demo, a 20-page application form & some photos. I couldn’t believe it when I made it to the final 8!
Can you explain roughly the idea of the program?
Turn 4 up & coming DJ’s into professional working DJ’s with guidance from a famous DJ (mentor). The overall prize for the lucky winner was a global tour with the Smirnoff Experience & a DJ agency contract for a year! Over 3 months, I played at Bora Bora in Ibiza, Turnmills (The Gallery) in London, Foundation (Shindig) in Newcastle & Nation in Liverpool. I also got to make my first track in a studio "Oiche Mhaith" (Good Night)… an Irish Tribal House track!
4 Mentors: Mr.C, Roni Size, Sister Bliss & Tom Middleton. And Sister Bliss chose you. How did that feel?
I thought that maybe Tom or Mr.C might pick me as they really enjoyed my set, so when each of them picked someone else, my heart sank... I was really surprised when Sister Bliss picked me!!! I will always be very grateful to Sister Bliss for choosing me to be in the final 4 & letting be have a wicked adventure & experience. Unfortunately she was very busy working on the new Faithless album at the same time & I didn’t get to spend much time with her. Instead, I got a Dj lesson off James Zabiela, I learned so much off this guy… check him out if you can. Scratch lessons off Siya from Eclectic Breaks and emails from Mistress Barbara & Carl Cox giving me advice!
Chatting with Carl Cox, playing Bora Bora in Ibiza?!? Must be quite a kick!
I really couldn’t believe that it was happening to me, it felt so surreal. The show really made me think that dreams DO come true. All the professional DJ’s I met on the show were all real people like you or me, but they have such a huge passion for music & have worked really hard & dedicated their whole lives to music. I definitively still have a long way to go, still a lot to learn & experience & a mountain of hard work ahead for me but I’m ready & waiting for it!
How was the finale?
The final was held at Nation in Liverpool. I played a mixture of Hip Hop, House & Trance. This really was fantastic as it was the first time I played 3 decks & used samples on a CDJ in a club! I also did some scratching & used effects units, all with a camera stuck in my face!! I played my heart out, sweated like a pig & rocked 1,000 people! I didn’t win but was told I came a close second! It was a major achievement for me as I’d only been playing two and a half years & it was definitely the biggest crowd I’d ever played to as well as the extra pressure of it being a DJ Competition.
How different is 3 deck mixing?
No matter what people say, mixing 3 decks is really bloody hard! When I bought all my equipment, I bought 3 decks straight away as I was always fascinated by 3 deck mixing & the challenge. You have to choose your records very carefully, be clever & use different sounds from each record & then you can create something very powerful & special!
Close but no cigar... Disappointed I guess?
Yes of course I was upset I didn’t win & I was soooo disappointed for my friends & family, I felt like I had let them down, but then after a while I thought to myself "Clodagh, you gave it everything you got & it just wasn’t meant to be this time." It’s just made me even more determined to make it.
So, what did the program bring you? How do you evaluate it as an experience?
Taking part in the show gave me a lot of confidence & experience & made me realise that anything is possible once you put your mind to it. It definitely toughened me up.
I’ve won 2 other DJ Competitions since the show. Trevor Rockcliffe’s STOMP Techno DJ Comp and The Ascension Awards National DJ Comp where I got to play Tech House at the famous WMF Club in Berlin. Winning both competitions gave me a big confidence boost as I was the only girl in both - hehehe! & it made me believe in myself more!
I’m also with this fantastic new all female DJ agency The Vinyl Vixens. It promotes female DJ’s on the underground techno/trance scene. It gives us a chance to show how serious we are about our passion and to highlight the female talent that is out there.
You got to do a track while on the program, how was that?
It was a very interesting but frustrating experience as we had 2 short days to make the track so there was lots of pressure on us time wise. I’m the kind of person that needs to fully understand how everything works so found the music programmes very frustrating! I know it takes years to fully learn how to used these programmes so that’s my latest goal, get stuck into Logic, Reason, etc... & find out which ones are for me & start making some kick ass Techno / Tech House Tunes!
You played a mix of vinyl and CDs during the competition, what do you prefer?
I am definitely a Vinyl Junkie. I love the feel of it & it’s warm sound, but you also gotta move with the times. I recently bought a CDJ1000 & I’m learning all about it. I’ve seen what James Zabiela does with CDJ’s & effects units, he’s light years ahead of any other DJ I’ve seen. I think if you mix both, you can be very creative. There’s lots of tricks you can do & effects to make your set more interesting. I just hope vinyl never totally disappears.
Sister Bliss said the best advice she’d ever been given was - "You don’t need a dick to do the job". Still, some people around believe that girls are pretty things to look at rather then good DJs. Are you taken as seriously as bloke djs?
I think I shock a lot of people when they see me play. I’m not afraid to work the mixer & I’ve a lot of energy behind the decks. I get so into it, the music just kinda takes over. So once people see me play, they take me seriously! Basically I love to have fun & play with the crowd. It makes me so happy & I get so much energy from the music I can’t help but dance behind the decks, so I think when the crowd sees me having fun they really get into it too! J
Do you think girls are bitchier in the DJ world?
Haven’t met any bitchy female Dj’s yet, but have met a lot of ass-hole male Dj’s & promoters!
Anybody you would particularly like to work with (DJ and/or produce)?
Carl Cox is my hero. His energy is amazing & I love the effect he has on people. My dream is to play with him some day. I also really love Valentino Kanzayni, I love the way he Dj’s & what he produces. I LOVE his sound. Secret Cinema’s LIVE set is wicked. Finally there’s Chris & Aaron Liberator & DAVE the Drummer, I have huge respect for these guys & what they’ve done on the underground techno scene in London. RESPECT!
Now, you’re not only a club DJ, you’re also a regular on the squat party circuit... How different is it from a club? Why do you do it?
I went to my first Squat Party by accident! I was leaving a club in Hackney at 6am in the morning walking along a road to the nearest bus stop when I heard the boom of a sound system, saw all these people hanging around this warehouse & decided to investigate! I’ve been hooked ever since! As I was always broke & loved to party & loved techno… Squat parties were perfect. They’re also a bit naughty & it’s always exciting trying to find the parties... I love playing at squat parties as they like their music hard & I can really let rip!
Let’s talk a bit about your projects... What are your plans for the next 12 months?
I’m really excited about 2005! I want to concentrate on my 3 decks, along with CDJ’s & effects units. Using re-edits, samples & mixing up different styles, I want to continue making my sets as creative & different as possible. I recently started a music production course so I can’t wait to start making some wicked tunes. I also have plans for my own record label! I’ve lots of wicked parties planned with "Spiritualised" in 2005 so don’t miss out! & Last but not least, I’m really interested in doing LIVE sets! God, there’s so much I want to learn… & so much equipment I want to get! I’m just gonna keep on going & gonna try my best to give the big boys a run for their money! So watch out world, here I come!
www.djclodagh.com
www.thejoyofdecks.tv
www.thevinylvixens.com
