Meet Carl Deery
What equipment do you Work with?
CS150 Professional DJ Booth
2 x Pioneer CDJ-2000 Digital Turntables
Pioneer DDJ-RZ Rekordbox Controller
MacBook Pro 15"
2 x SL1210MK2 (Vinyl)
Rokit KRK 5 Monitor Speakers x 2
Shure Microphone
Soundsystem
HK Audio Elements 4 x E435 & 2 x E110
Lighting
2 x Martin Rush Wizard 120w Discharge
4 x ADJ - Inno Pocket Spot Moving Head Wifly
4 x ADJ - QA5 LED Uplight / Wifly
2 x Pearl Moving Head - R2D2
AmericanDJ ADJ Wifly Airstream DMX with Apple iPad linked software
When did you start DJ'ing?
Back in 1989 when I was 13 at a club called Whispers Nitespot in my Village of Bamber Bridge. I helped a pal who was 16 and could afford to buy lots of white labels, he was so nervous when we'd persuaded the owner for us to play and we'd promised to get more people thru the doors, we increased from 7 to 200 people in several weeks, I stepped in to help from the start and so began the nocturnal weekends ever since.
What influenced you to DJ?
My older sister was the Original Indie Chick and being the younger brother who got to hear all of her earlier 80's Electro I then started going through my teens with the Blackburn Raves kicking off several miles away. The mixtapes flying around where so varied I wanted to make and play my own mixes at parties too. The music was a way of life for me and helped me concentrate on something positive.
What Style of Music do you play then?
My Main style of sound is Melodic Chunky-Funky Vocal uplifting House Music. Although over the years I have played nearly every cut, fraction and division of dance music produced. So I tend to be adventurous and creative with the tracks I play, reading what the crowd want and what I think will work. I call it Ad Libitum – Music to the performer’s discretion.
What’s the best party you have performed at?
Club wise it has to be Bowlers at Trafford Park Manchester, the club had 3000 people enjoying a fantastic atmosphere and very loud sound system. I'd arranged the transport too, so a coach took us all and it went right off from early til very late!
Although at a farm house at the end of a private road the Saturday night before England got evicted from the 2010 FIFA World Cup, I played a party called Fat Burgers, while cranking the outdoor sound system up to near full at 1am with Prodigy on the platter was probably pushing the Criminal Justice Act boundaries a bit more than I’ve done for a while. Well worth it though! Apparently this will be an annual event for me too!
Is there a particular way you like to play your music?
Loud do? Ha ha seriously! I like to Mix and Blend each track into another, but depending on what type of party, the amount of people and the occasion, you judge it from there. If it’s a Bar or Club then I’d think up the set of dance music beats all night long, with the odd swerve ball track thrown in for good measure. If it’s a party, cuts from different styles and genres on the fly, making sure I cover all bases and everybody happy.
Do you talk much?
I ain't much of a talker on the Mic, not an emcee or the regular verbal party motivator, I can leave that to other Entertainment DJ's although i can do it I have reserve, i find it a much of a muchness. But I will say what I need to as and when but I'm of the opinion when I agree to a gig that the people are there to Dance when they hear good music and chat when they need to, I keep on playing good music and the crowd keep on dancing. I don't have one of those mechanical radio voices either, so don't usually overly inflict it on others.
Where do you see your Future with DJ'ing?
I completed at Preston college the DJ Skills & Technology course and this gave me the impetus to get more involved with production. I have recently started using Ableton Live with an APC-40 controller. It took me a long time to embrace the digital side of DJ'ing through being a little stubborn, but with age comes open mindedness to explore old and new technology and the same with all the different styles of music.
Who do you look up to in the industry?
Ian Bland of Hollywood Hills, Dream Frequency and Dancing Divas et al, he was somebody I kind of stalked while a teenager. He lived in my village and I just knocked on his door as a naive 16 year old asking him to sign a record. I eventually went to nearly all the best Northern clubs helping them out as a roadie, for free entry of course! Also got to meet some great DJ's, MC's and other old skool collaborators along the way.
Any DJ's influences?
Pete Tong's Essential Mix was always a definite record & listen for influences. Scott Hardkiss, Sasha, Basement Jaxx, Roger Sanchez and Freddie Fresh always spring to mind. Locally Matt Bell (Buzz) Andy Pendle (Zone), DJ Welly (Life), Nipper (Angels) and Phil Meredith (The Park Hall) where the ones who I enjoyed dancing and listening to the most.
What is your favourite record of all time?
I was a Tastemaker for record companies a few years back providing a weekly chart and scoring their mixes on best track. I got to hear lots of new music and reference to thousands of samples on original records. So this makes it very hard to answer that question. I really can't, as every time I think of one, another beats it on a different merit. I Love my Music all different kinds too as i draw influences from many genres!
