How did you get into DJing?
I promoted and DJd at my own club night in Glasgow, “Pin Up Nights”, between 2003 and 2012. Guest musicians and DJs at our parties included (to name a few) Florence and the Machine, The National, Alex James from Blur, MGMT, Tony Wilson (Factory Records) and the unforgettable Rick Witter of Shed Seven!
What for you are the key cornerstones of a great DJ set?
Sections for all the ages, including at least a few brand-new chart hits for the grumpy teenagers, and a torrent of big hits near the end.
What 5 artists best represent your variety and diversity of musical tastes?
I could go onto Mastermind with specialist subjects The Clash, Blur, Bowie, Madonna and Stevie Wonder. (The Beatles are the best band ever, but everyone knows that already.)
Do you think DJing a wedding differs in any way from a regular DJ set - and if so, how? - or do the core principles remain the same?
I was a clubs DJ for a decade before I DJd at weddings. I think it’s pretty different. You can’t be as self-indulgent, you need to be able to span more genres, you feel a certain obligation to fill the dancefloor, and you have to be fun and try to accommodate requests (as long as they’re not rubbish).
What 10 albums would be your Desert Island Discs?
Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
What’s Going On - Marvin Gaye
Abbey Road - The Beatles
Innvervisions - Stevie Wonder
Hunky Dory - David Bowie
Blue - Joni Mitchell
London Calling - The Clash
Parklife - Blur
Debut - Bjork
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
Do you have any big DJing no-no's?
If a request is terrible, you can’t play it unless there’s express authorisation from the Bride!
1/3
Firstly what a great bloke JD is. The planning process was a piece of cake with JD at the helm, he's bang into his music and is across all aspects and genres, and straight away he tuned into our tastes and fully understood where we were coming from. After that, we just left it to him and what a night he delivered! Corker after corker. At one point we reckon every single one of our guests was on the dancefloor. Thanks Wedding Jam and the great JD!
Scott & Lauren,
Edinburgh
JD absolutely smashed it at our wedding. His selection of tunes had something for everyone and the way he paced the set was top notch. Fantastic to deal with, we struck up a great rapport with him which was a lovely bonus, just a top DJ and fella to have around on the night. A1!
Margot & Jim,
Glasgow
We are so glad we found JD. His musical knowledge is top, as is his passion for music and for DJing. That was very much evident! He took the tunes we told him we wanted and built a set around those and he could not have done a better job. Thanks pal!
Macy & Peter,
North Berwick
Over the 15+ years Tom has been a DJ, he has specialised in pretty much every genre under the sun.
Clare’s musical influences are widespread and far-flung, and after 20 years in the DJ game her repertoire and love of new found music is still growing.
With high profile appearances at Benicassim,Ibiza Rocks, and Unknown Festivals under her belt, style icon Nicola Bear is a firm favourite across the UK and has an increasingly global indie/dance crossover fanbase.
Conrad is a floor-filling expert and a purveyor of bangers across a heap of genres.
