Confessions of a DJ DJ Stabvest
DJ StabVest is resident DJ at Nailgun, a new night which hits the Cockpit every Thursday. We suspect he may have told us one or two porkies here, but who knows?
Confessions of a DJ: DJ Stabvest
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Let’s start from the beginning. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to DJing.
Well, I’d had to leave Britain in a hurry - for reasons I won’t go into - and ended up in the States working on a building site. Long story short, I fell off a roof on to some dude holding a nail gun. The gun went off and I ended up with four nails in my brain. The doctors got the nails out, but they affected my personality. Suddenly, I was showing up for work wearing weird shit like toreador pants and sequined eye patches. It’d got to the point where I couldn’t tell the difference between a trowel and a cake slice, so I got paid off and bought a couple of decks. The rest is history in the making.
What are your favourite genres of music?
Skullfuck. It’s a genre I invented. It’s sort of like listening to Jimi Hendrix trash his guitar while Aphex Twin welds a calliper to a vacuum cleaner and the Pet Shop Boys observe from a distance, making the odd sighing nose. I also like 17th century chamber music.
So what’s Nailgun all about?
The new world order; year zero; the day the world went day-glo, yeah? First of all it’s an attitude, a new way of life. Nailgun is driving around McDonald’s car park in a F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter while Daft Punk administer Electro-Convulsive Therapy. Totally sik (sic).
Which other DJs will be joining you to provide the fun at Nailgun?
We’ve got Heads Up, three nuttaz who you might have seen wreck the joint at Bad Sneakers, Pigs and Prostitutes and Policemen. Their mix of electro, house and techno is so cutting edge, they use a buzz saw on the Technics instead of a stylus. We’ve also got Heads We Dance, who are a band as well as DJs. They deal out custom chromed, aerodynamic pop with a liberal sprinkling of disco dust. And last, but not least, we’ve got feral freakz Raised by Wolves. Those crazed beasts know how to rock the party, man, savage the floor and strip the beat to its bare bones. We’ve also got gigs and guest DJ appearances by Iglu & Hartly, Futurecop!, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Ocelot, Metronomy & HeartBreak.
What kinds of people do you think you’ll attract?
Party people, natch. Anyone who likes to get their freak on, yeah? You know, people who wanted Rhydian to win the X-Factor because he looked like a gay alien; a ‘gaylien’, if you will. Basically, anyone who likes dressing up and can accessorise a diver’s suit and look uber cool at the same time.
What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you since you started as a DJ?
DJing the Queen Mother’s funeral VIP after-show was a bit of a weird one, but the Queen’s a massive fan, so what could I do?
What’s been your most embarrassing moment in life so far?
I once turned up for school having forgotten to put any trousers on. The kids were shocked, as were my fellow teachers.
What are your favourite places in the world (other than Leeds, obviously)?
Skegness is obviously a rocking town - kinda the Brighton of the north. I also like to visit the more obscure industrial centres of Germany and Belgium. Basically, anywhere with lots of concrete and plenty of industrial estates.
What’s great about Leeds, in your opinion?
That’s a tough one! Well Nailgun, obviously, followed by the fact that Leeds is the urban core and administrative centre of a wider metropolitan borough. That’s so cool.
Nailgun is every Thursday at The Cockpit
Posted on Wednesday 1st October 2008
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