Author: Reform Radio

Please can you introduce your name, and pronouns, and tell us a bit about what you like getting up to in your free time?

Hi, my name’s Amina (she/they), and I’m on the final day of the DJ course at Reform Radio.

What prompted you to get involved with the DJ Sessions course?

So a lot of my friends are DJs, a lot of my friends became DJs in the past few years as well. I go to a lot of events in Manchester either in the music scene or the writing scene. I love going out and exploring the city. I went to a bit of open decks stuff and I realised I really liked what DJing was.

What do you love most about DJing?

The fact that I can fully just be myself rather than be a certain type of DJ, I can just do whatever I feel comfortable with in the moment. So, the songs I chose were songs I just had on repeat recently and ones that I knew very well. I thought by choosing those ones, I would be very comfortable mixing them, and I’m not going to be sick of hearing them. I really wanted to create a vibe that expressed myself. So all of these songs are songs I really, really love. Every single creative space I’ve been in has encouraged me to solely express my south asian and muslim heritage. But the teaching style here, with Les, Tylah and Femi I did not feel that pressure at all, they did not put that assumption on me.

How would you describe your DJ set in three words?

Girl boss, dancy and slay. Les described it as Mario Kart and I love that.

Do you have any role models in the music scene that inspire your practice?

There is one DJ called Lotus Phaze (Meenakshi). I remember seeing her a few years ago at a Daytimers set, and she was wonderful. A lot of my friends as well, my friend Teni, she goes by Ten3yes.

Let’s throw it back to your first day at Reform versus now, tell me a bit about your first impressions/feelings/emotions in comparison to how you feel now. What has changed?

I was very overwhelmed the first day. I didn’t know whether I was taking it seriously enough, as I was just doing it for a bit of fun and didn’t know if I would even stick with it. On day one, I had a bit of imposter syndrome and thought, “I should just stick to writing, what am I doing?” Today I feel much, much better than I did then. I honestly can’t believe I even thought like that. It’s really easy to be in this space, and I’m very happy about that. Les, Tylah and Femi are so humble and down to earth. Everything felt so personal and intimate, even though there was a big group of us. It’s one of the best teaching styles I’ve ever had.

What will you take from the DJ course moving forwards and what are your plans from here onwards?

Probably the friendships we’ve made in the course. We’ve set up a group chat, so I’m going to encourage everyone to share what they’re up to, even if it’s not DJ-related. The skills that I’ve taken, all the information about DJing and the decks. Also the confidence that I gained here. I will also see keep up to date with Reform Radio and see if there are anymore courses I might be interested in doing. I do a lot of open-mic events, so look into some open-decks events.

If you could DJ at any festival, event, or place in the world, where would it be and why?

Probably a daytimer’s event. That’s where I first experienced proper DJing, so I think going back to that would be a full circle moment.

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The Music Course this January was nothing short of a success. This group of budding musicians were able to hone their skills and build their musical portfolios. The participants got the opportunity to broadcast their creations live on the Reform Airwaves, which you can listen to below.

We caught up with Em at the end of the Music Course to hear about their experience of the course.

Please can you introduce your name, and pronouns, and tell us a bit about what you like getting up to in your free time?

E: I’m Em and I’m a non-binary electronic music producer.

Describe your music in 3 words

E: Expressive, Maximalist and Minimalist.

If you were stuck on a desert island with a record player, what record would you want to have with you to listen to?

E: I love music so much, I’ve thought about this. I think it would definitely be Introducing by DJ Shadow. He’s a really big artist from the ’90s, and the album is made of samples found in a record store basement. So it’s an album almost made of broken dreams.

Did you have much musical experience before? If so, what’s your favourite thing about making music?

E: I’ve done music production for a few years beforehand, but I’ve struggled to finish making tracks. It’s almost like a therapy for me. It kind of unravels what’s within my head and makes things more clear when I’m having issues with my identity, but making music helps me connect to that.

Let’s throw it back to your first day at Reform versus now, tell me a bit about your first impressions/feelings/emotions in comparison to how you feel now. What has changed?

E: At the start, I was quite excited to have an environment to create stuff and meet people. It felt quite refreshing because I’ve not been making stuff as much. And now I’m in a challenged place because I need to finish my track.

Do you have any musical role models that inspire your practice and why?

E: Bjork, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Arca and Dj Shadow. I think because I can see within their music that they really express themselves. The deepest emotions are within their music, and that’s something I’m really inspired by really aspire to do.

When writing new music, where do you begin with the process and what inspires you to make a new track?

E: I think it just depends on what mindset I’m in when I’m making something. I think for this I took inspiration from certain tracks because we did an exercise where we picked certain tracks we wanted to sound like. I chose a few Arca tracks and I went into this sort of digital glitch sound which is not usually something I do.

What will you take from the Music course moving forward & what are your plans from here onwards?

E: I just want to finish as many projects as I can cause that’s something I’ve struggled with quite a bit beforehand.

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The DJ Sessions course (funded by MAES) at the start of September was an absolute cracker. It was the first time that we hosted the showcase at the Reform studios and the vibes were next level. It’s always such a pleasure to see the participants put their new skills to the test. We had a range of music genres and party vibes, from slow, smooth RnB, then some disco bangers all the way to the hardcore drum and bass party tunes. We caught up with Dan and Imani at the end of their two week course to find out how they found it and what they plan to do in the future.

Please can you introduce your name, and pronouns, and tell us a bit about what you like getting up to in your free time?

D: My name is Dan, pronouns are He/Him. My Hobbies at the moment have actually been music and wanting to get into DJing, hence why I’m here. But before that, I was working in the dance industry and now I want to make the switch.

I: I’m Imani, She/Her, and I’m sort of in the midst of a life reset. I used to work in television, and I then moved into charity and organisational work. Once my contract ended, I was sort of like, let’s explore my creative space. I found this opportunity literally the day my contract ended, and I was like, I like music a lot, so why not DJ?

What prompted you to get involved with the DJ Sessions course?

D: So, as I said, I was a dancer, then went into teaching and choreographing in the entertainment space. But I’ve always been around music, a lot of my friends are DJs, or work in the music side of it, and I never knew really how to make the switch. So yeah, a bit like Imani, it’s a bit like a life reset. I decided to take a beat from work and then yeah this is when that job opportunity came up, and I felt like the time was right now to have that space and this course to get the skills to explore this new avenue within the industry.

I: Yeah, same. I’ve always been raised around music, I was always in choirs and praise teams and live bands when I was younger, but I never really transitioned into knowing anything about the production or creation of music, but, yeah, I’ve always been the person at parties slamming on the decks like “play it again”. So, I through you know what, if you have a passion for music and you can also see how it’s a performance in a way, another creative expression, I think that was just enough motivation to be like it’s another creative field that aligns with my interests.

What do you love most about DJing?

D: I always enjoyed music, but now I have a deeper understanding of music and how to use different genres to create a feeling or a moment; it’s a deeper understanding of music. I’ve always appreciated going to gigs, but now it’s understanding how music works to create a moment or a vibe or an energy, which has been really nice.

I: My friends and I always use the term ‘ambience director’, like to create an emotion or an atmosphere, in order to create a level of comfortability, or to find a way to get people on your wavelength and vibe through music. Not necessarily having to talk, but using music as a way to connect with other people, because, as you flow through different genres and flow through different vibes, I want to be able to hype up the energy or I want bring it down and let people be a bit more introspective. It’s just crazy that you’re able to do that with just a collection of three or four songs that just shift the energy or the vibe of an entire space, without having to communicate or talk.

Did you have much experience in DJing before? What’s one stand out thing you’ve learnt at Reform?

D: So, I’ve always understood listening to music, but in terms of DJing, no. I’ve never touched decks properly, never understood the software or the thousand buttons that are on the decks. I think what we’ve learned in two weeks was like months and months and months worth of knowledge and understanding of the foundations, and some a bit more advanced stuff as well.

I: I would just say it’s been a very comprehensive experience. It’s not just been the technical side; the equipment, what the buttons do. This course has actually given us tools in regards to, how do we actually make this a viable living opportunity? How do I approach people? What does a brand look like? What’s the significance of certain things? I think that sort of widened the perspective a bit more.

How would you describe your DJ set in three words?

D: Feel-good, free, disco.

I: Soulful, wholesome, feel-good.

Do you have any role models in the music scene that inspire your practice?

D: Honey Dijon, not just because she is trans and queer, but her vibe is definitely my vibe. I feel like the spaces she creates are of inclusivity and sort of free spaces, which is what I like to party in, and what I would hopefully like to create.

I: I’m not as knowledgeable on the DJ scene as I probably should be, but again, the person that I really enjoyed listening to is this guy called Dodge DJ. I first heard of him as he was DJing at a family funeral. It was the best party I’d ever been to. I think he was a friend of my cousins, or whatever it was, and then a couple of months later, I saw he was headlining like some international event. It turns out, he’s really multi genre. He mixes house all the way down to reggae and soca and even techno. He just does it all, and yeah, if there’s someone that I would love to be able to emulate in terms of the atmosphere that he created, it’d be that.

Let’s throw it back to your first day at Reform versus now, tell me a bit about your first impressions/feelings/emotions in comparison to how you feel now. What has changed?

D: I feel like, on the first day, I was a bit apprehensive, but the mentors and the facilitators have created a real safe space for everyone. The diversity of our course is so varied, but everyone has gelled really well together. I used to work in teaching myself, and some people like to teach with fear and name-dropping… This course has been the complete opposite.

I: I agree, the teaching has been really organic. We’ve been allowed to grow at our own pace. I think if the facilitators can see that you can have the capacity to do more, they’re not sort of holding you restricted with the rest of the group. I think my first day was just, yeah, a little bit apprehensive, because I think when things are free, you know, you can’t even say you get what you pay for. By the end of the week, I’m impressed! It’s been so smooth and very fluid the whole way, which has just been cool.

What will you take from the DJ course moving forwards and what are your plans from here onwards?

D: Confidence in my skills to practice and perfect them and keep pushing them forward. Also, the confidence to put myself out there within the DJ space. We’ve been taught that the reality of learning to DJ is hard work, and it’s going to take time, and you do have to put the graft in, but in a positive way, not in a negative way. So I feel like it’s given me the confidence to sort of take a step into that space, which is nice.

I: I don’t think I want to go and conquer the DJ world just yet. I’m just happy to know how to have the skills, the tools at home. I’m bringing my skills straight to Slug and Lettuce to the local pub where I can get some real exposure. I know how to promote myself now, and what a brand is.

If you could DJ at any festival, event, or place in the world, where would it be and why?

D: I have a few in Manchester. Probably, The White Hotel, Hidden or The Warehouse Project. But then the ultimate dream would be Panorama Bar in Berghain.

I: I’m an aesthetics babe. I think my kind of music fits rooftops with some nice drinks, like somewhere that’s super scenic. In terms of an actual place, I don’t know I would love to go somewhere like Atlanta, like a very historical American place, where a lot of the genres of the music that I like to play originated. It would be amazing to play this music for people who actually appreciate the origins of the music from their hometown.

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