OZ'S PROFILE
First Influences
Oz’s first ‘real’ musical influences came way back in 1987, it was during a school trip to Holland that one of the girls on the coach put on a cassette she had borrowed from her older brother.
The said cassette featured the then virtually unknown music HIP HOP from the first listen OZ was well and truly HOOOKED. He then proceeded to spend ALL available money (he even started his own car washing round to feed his habit) on U.S. imports from artists like SCHOOLLY D, KOOL MOE DEE, PUBLIC ENEMY, RUN DMC, LL COOLJ and many others.
As he got more into it he later started listening to the more “underground” artists like BIG DADDY KANE, ICE T, BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTIONS and his all time favourite group EPMD (who he still listens to today) before getting into the burgeoning GANGSTA RAP scene like NWA, EASY E, ICE CUBE, AMERICAS MOST WANTED, ABOVE THE LAW, BOO YA TRIBE and many many more.
Scratch Mixing
This is where he got his first taste of a new form of Djing…..SCRATCH MIXING, mesmerised by the DJ’s backing the rappers, cutting between 2 records, scratching, it was like nothing he’d ever seen. Seeing all the early innovators, most memorably his total idol CASH MONEY doing these amazing tricks with 2 turntables and a mixer.
Then came his now “famous” statement to his 2 friends whilst talking about there future jobs “I’m going to be a pro DJ when I’m older..” admits all the laughing it seemed a ridiculous thing to say at the tender age of 14 when the only DJ’s who made a living from it where the likes of JIMMY SAVILLE, DAVE LEE TRAVIS and the don TERRY WOGAN.
But he proceeded to buy his first set of decks, a useless pair of MOBILE DISCO decks with a 2 channel sound mixer, impossible to do anything with but his first step on the road to his dream job.
Acid House
Then came another huge influence on his musical taste, he became friends with a new guy at school MATTHEW WOOD who was into the then underground music ACID HOUSE.
Oz again became hooked on this NEW form of music, often sneaking to Rochdale after school to buy the latest WAREHOUSE RAVES Album, the only way he knew to get hold of this amazing new music.
Within a week of leaving school at the age of 16, he borrowed enough money off his Mum and Dad to buy his first set of ‘proper’ decks- 2 belt drive SOUND LAB turntables and a REALISTIC mixer, again he spent ALL the available money he earnt as an apprentice Aircraft Fitter on the only form of Dance Music available to him through the people he knew and worked with - HARDCORE whilst also making the biggest mistake he will ever make…selling virtually ALL his huge hip hop collection to fund his new taste in music something he has regretted ever since.
He started to frequent some of the legendary clubs around his area namely HIPPODROME in Middleton, BANSHEE in Manchester, THE GALLERY in Leeds and BOWLERS in Trafford Park and although he enjoyed the clubs and atmosphere and liked certain aspects of the music there was certain parts of the music he didn’t like, didn’t get! So slowly his interest drained and he ended up going back “up town” on the piss with his mates.
The Turning Point
It was whilst “up town on the piss” late in 1993 that the biggest turning point at the time in his life happened. Stood in SCRUPLES Nightclub, Oldham at about 12:30am, sober, £40 already spent he decided he’d had enough and left with his mate, he turned round and said “I'm NEVER going up Oldham again! Next Friday I’m going to the Hacienda…on my own if I have to”.
Oz and 2 of his mates went to the Hacienda that Friday to SHINE and had one of the best nights of his life, he loved it, the venue, the music, the atmosphere….this is what he had wanted, where he felt comfortable….this is what going out was all about.
They continued every Friday until a certain “gang” incident shut down the Hacienda one Friday, so they decided to try the more expensive and harder to get in, Saturday Night.
Then came the main influence on his DJ career as it stands to date, hearing the Legendary GRAEME PARK spinning alongside TOM WAINWRIGHT every single Saturday night for well over 12 months persuaded him to start DJing properly.
He bought his fist and only set of Technics SL1200 (which he still uses today) and proceeded to search his local record shops EASTERN BLOC and MANCHESTER UNDERGROUND, not for the well known HOUSE CLASSIC like usual new DJ’s do when they start out but for the “Classics” he heard Parky play on Saturday nights.
Tracks like DONNA SUMMER –MELODY OF LOVE, POLICE – VOICES IN MY HEAD, LONI CLARKE – LOVE GOTS ME ON A TRIP SO HIGH, KIM ENGLISH – TIME FOR LOVE. Tracks, which he still considers classics today.
RUDE
At the same time early 1994, his best mate LUKE had started to ask him to come to a brand new night in Oldham started by his now brother in law NIK CHEATHAM underneath Butterfly’s Nightclub. The night in question was called RUDE. Not being one to turn his back on his second home the HACIENDA he said NO!
Then he decided to go to the opening of a new night in the middle of know where, started by former HACIENDA resident RUSS called OUT IN THE STICKS. This proved to be another massive influence on his musical taste.
The music played by residents RUSS and CRAIG and by the plethora of top quality guest like MIKE PICKERING, BRAIN TAPPERT, FULL INTENTION, DAVE LEE etc made him lean more towards the music then known as GARAGE although he still loved the slightly tougher house played at the HACIENDA.
RUDE then moved to the MUSIC FACTORY in Preston and he decided to get on a coach and make his first trip to RUDE and really enjoyed it! He also met his wife SUZANNE on the coach on the way home but that’s another story.
After one rejected demo tape he gave to NIK, his best mate LUKE left another tape he’d done at NIKS house. He listened to it and decided it was the perfect music he wanted for the upstairs room at RUDES new residency in Oldham at CLUB 57.
After a successful warm up trial he was offered a residency upstairs where he cut his teeth playing with some of the biggest names at the time like TONY DE VIT and CHRIS & JAMES and started to play regularly with another huge influence on his career RUSS from OUT IN THE STICKS.
He continued his residency at RUDE through its high points - 600-800 people every week at Reflections and other residencies at CALISTOS in Huddersfield and a brief stint at the newly opened TOKYO PROJECT in Oldham till it shut in 1998.
Manchester and Beyond
After RUDE shut he started DJing in and around Manchester at some smaller bars like BAR 5 and JOOP when he landed a dream residency at the hot new club ELEMENTAL where he continued his weekly Saturday night residency for over 8 months till it stopped. He then continued to DJ around the bars of Manchester until a chance meeting with PAUL HILTON rudes other resident DJ where they decided to re-open RUDE.
After a couple of sold out one off parties at a small function room called CROMPTON ROOMS in Shaw they moved the night to EROS in Royton on a monthly basis until the the club lost its licence 2 weeks before there biggest event to date.
At the time July 2002, OZ was running a weekly Soulful House night every Friday called INDEEP at a brand new state of the art venue in Oldham called THREESIXTY: THE GALLERY BAR and knew the venue was available at short notice.
The night was switched and proved so successful that RUDE has been there ever since, promoted by OZ and running on a weekly basis it has become one of the Jewels in the Northern clubbing scene bringing the biggest name guest djs and best club nights, it attracts a very loyal local following and has started to attract a lot of people from around the northwest.
It is also home to a HUGELY successful MISS MONEYPENNYS monthly residency, which has been running for over 14 months.
Along with OZ’s residency at his own night RUDE he has also managed to secure lots of other high profile guest spots, residencies and regular bookings around Manchester, North West, England and Europe.
He now DJ’s and promotes his own nights for a living, DJing every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Along with his residencies at RUDE, Oldham, LOAF Manchester he plays regularly for the Legendary Funky House Night MISS MONEYPENNYS in Birmingham and has done every 6-8 weeks for over 2 years which also includes playing for them on Moneypennys tours, Ibiza and at there infamous after party in Birmingham FABULOUS.
He also plays regularly for another very well established club night KINKY MALINKI playing for them at there London residency at PACHA, EL DIVINIO in Ibiza, HOLY CITY ZOO and AMPERSAND, Manchester.
He also plays regularly for TONGUE & GROOVE @ The Club, Bardsley where he has done 2 mixes which were broadcast live from the club on Galaxy 102 he has also done 3 “30 minute mixes”, 2 broadcast on GALAXY 102 and 1 on KEY 103, both in Manchester.
Other residencies and guest spots include – SOUP, THE FUTURE IS FUNKY, HOUSE PROUD and YEAH YEAH @ ELEMENTAL, Manchester, 2RISQUE @ North, Manchester, PLUSH @ Ampersand, Manchester, ON A PLATE @ Haigh Hall Stately Home, Wigan, J2, Bolton, MANCHESTER HEROES and LANDED @ Ascension, Manchester, NAKED @ Hotel Smokies Park, Ashton, GORGEOUS @ The Zap Club, Brighton and many, many more.
With his total and utter passion and dedication to his “dream” job and over 10 years club experience under his belt its no wonder he gets repeat bookings at virtually every where he plays, he is getting a huge amount of interest for his DJing talent and for his “baby” RUDE from Promoters, DJ’s, Press and Media which pleases him no end.
His famous “I’m going to be a pro dj when im older” statement is finally coming true!
