Baz Hickey - Interview
How and when did you first get into djing and when did you fall in love with the 45 format?
Around ’93 my friend Glenn was working for Virgin Megastore and bought their studio 1200 for £25 and their 1210 for £25 (!) . We’d have sessions in his bedroom all the time before my brother and I bought 1210s between us. I would dub cassette mixtapes and drop them into bars and clubs in the city. DJing with 45s is fun and keeps the interest up. A strict time limit to mix tunes in and out keeps me on my toes. It’s a challenge too to do tricks on 45 that are easier to master on a twelve inch.
I knew Boca from his days working at Purple Penguin Records in Bristol. In 2014 I rang him up to wish him a happy birthday and he invited me to join 45 Live. I was absoluterly blown away by the talent on the roster and I absolutely love being part of the crew. There’s always friendly competition, that’s a good thing.
You promote a lot of new artists and 45s releases through your posts and mixes. Can you list 5 current artists releasing 45s that we should check out?
- The Allergies – I recently supported The Allergies in Bristol and it was so great to finally meet them. Their live show tour is now in full swing and is not to be missed. Go check out The Allergies 45s on their label Jalapeno Records.
- Double A – Double A’s Mountain 45s label is now on it’s fourth release and each and every one has been certified gold. Double A also releases 45s for the Friday’s Funky 45 label among others. A producer that I always check for.
- Jim Sharp – Dusty Donuts DJ crew member Jim Sharp is a producer I have come to rely on for dancefloor friendly edits. His latest 45s from his own imprint aswell as the aforementioned Mountain 45s are a must have.
- Paul Sitter – Everyone’s favourite Russian can be seen tearin’ up the wax every Friday on the socials. His Funky Shit edits sell out super quick so be sure to follow Paul Sitter on Bandcamp to get the instant notifications.
- Djar One – This prolific French producer has 45s out on many labels but he keeps his best work for his own Beats House Records label. His latest 45 where he teams up with rapper MC RYT and producer Kooler Kester is featured on the 45 Live website. Check it!
- Soopasoul – This producer is another artist with so many 45s out there on so many labels. There is always a Soopasoul 45 in the play box. Collect ’em all!
The cost of even new 45s is constantly rising. Do you think there will come a point when collecting 45s will just become prohibitively expensive to collect them?
What advice do you have for anyone just starting out as a DJ?
If you’re starting out I would say learn the basics on vinyl. Hands-on beat matching and scratching will stand to you.