Jimmy

How did you get into DJing?

I used to play in punk and hardcore bands - and when we were teenagers no pubs would let us play gigs because we were underage. So we used to hire out village & church halls, under the guise of hosting a birthday party for an older relative - and set up live gigs which we'd charge people a small fee for attending. My friend Greeny was a happy hardcore and hip-hop DJ (what a combination) and I was fascinated by it. I started collecting vinyl shortly after, first record I bought was Still D.R.E/The Next Episode. My Dad was the next influence - he collected northern soul records, and when I was 16 he bought a pair of turntables and set them up in our house to play his records. I of course, wore out all his needles trying to scratch hip-hop, and blew speakers playing bassy early 00's classics, like "The Game - How We Do" at full volume. The real turning point for me, that moulded my world of live music and DJing was a book and a mix. I read a book about DJing, which in the first chapter said "If you play in a great band, you might have one song people will remember forever. When you are a DJ, every great song ever written, is yours to pass off as your own". And then I heard Radio Soulwax vol.2. Pop, punk, funk, dance, boogie - all mixed into one melting pot of incredible music. 2manyDJ's changed my life.

What for you are the key cornerstones of a great DJ set?

A great DJ set should be full of groove - it should have your toes tapping, with songs you know and songs you don't. It should make the room feel good. It should have energy and passion. It should be seamless - sounding effortless, even though it's carefully curated. It should take a risk every now and then. There should be some moments that test the audience - by surprising them with something they might not have expected, or a song they have forgotten - as these moments usually elevate the room to fever pitch.

Yes! What 3 records are impossible for you to leave out of any DJ set?

• Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved? (12" mix)
• Daft Punk - One More Time
• Basement Jaxx - Do Your Thing

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 think wedding sets are more personal than a general DJ set. I like to work closely with a couple to make sure that not only are good songs going to be played, but the songs that mean something to them, even if people don't understand why, are worked into the set in a way that keeps the party moving. When me and my wife got married, we had Talking Heads - Nothing But Flowers as our first dance. When we met, we were both into Talking Heads and sort of meticulously going through their back catalogue. We fell in love quickly - and Nothing But Flowers was a song we used to listen to when walking together, holding hands and sharing wired headphones, in the heat of the summer. Some years later, whilst we planned our wedding, we were visiting Kendal for a weekend away, and sat in a bar, whilst that song played. We stood up immediately, danced to it and we knew in that moment that would be our first dance. Why am I sharing this story? Because I know that you, as a bride or groom, will have those exact musical moments with each other - your friends and your family. Let's customise your party for you - with music you love - and music that means something more to you.

And finally...fundamentally, what can a couple expect from you as their wedding DJ?

A DJ with nearly 2 decades of experience DJing and making rooms of different people move, around the world. From the coolest back rooms of Berlin to Apres Ski - from student club nights to intimate rooms of 30 in a dark sweaty venue. I'll work with you to customise a killer on the day playlist - and mix it accordingly.

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To find out even more about Jimmy, read the full Q&A here