I'm in my 50's and been loving dance music since I was 12 years old, with the import of breakdance and DJing. I spent 4 years collecting dance and club mix tapes as well as watching DJs at local discos. At 16 years old I was DJing at my local youth club trying to beat mix with twin disco desks that lead to the purchase of my first, and only, pair of technics 1210s.

A year later I was organising acid house parties, which included 3-5 mates taking over the living room whilst the grown-ups were on holiday with mixed bedroom tapes specially produced for the night's entertainment. Build confidence and looking to recover the cost of vinyl collecting I started DJing in various local bars but this was without any real recognition or satisfaction.

The love of house led me to various clubs with the greatest influence coming from the legendary Hacienda and the trips down to Manchester that followed. In 1989-1990 and closer to home, was Club Havanna, Middlesborough and a selection of early commercial raves including Butterloggie and Rezerection, as well as all-nighters in Scotland with the Slam DJs Stuart MacMillan and Orde Meikles with headliners Mike Pickering and Paul Oakenfold.

DJ slots at the local Tunnel Club, South Tyneside built my confidence and at 20 years old (1992), I decided I wanted to stretch my wings with the end of my traditionally engineering apprenticeship. Instead of the obvious choice of Ibiza, I ventured to Greece with my mates where I started working the first night I got there at the Garage Music Factory in Rhodes town center. Returning home a few months later with the experience of DJing overseas I began my technical music training at Newcastle College and sitting-in on studio sessions that cemented the theories of sampling, sequencing and mixing.

Clubbing continued with weekly trips to established clubs The Arena, Middlesborough and Shindig, Newcastle. Struggling to get anything started locally and without competing with the established club nights, DJing took a back seat and as with the rising cost of vinyl imports tipping £10. Early CDJs were good; however, weren't anything different from vinyl other than sound quality.
Time for a proper job working 9-5 and becoming a grown-up followed for nearly 10 years with the odd night clubbing and the religiously recording of Pete TongÕs Essential Mix radio show.

2008 and nearly 20 years later, the love of house was re-ignited with a trip to Shindig, Newcastle and John Digweed at the controls. An Apple iPod followed and 64GB of house music, which was, believe it or not life changing and made me listen to my soul that resulted in me pushing to re-educate myself of all things music technology and digital. A regular at Shindig, Newcastle made way for new experiences with Glastonbury 2011 dance village, with exposure to festival sound systems.

2013 and 2 years on, celebrating Shindig's 21st anniversary and I want to be a DJ again.

House music all night long!

Cooksta72