If you are familiar with the London club scene, you may have heard of Conti. With current residencies at Love Tec @ Pacha, Casa Elisa, Rio Calling, Bad Chemistry, Electrofuq and having played alongside acts such as, Norman Jay, Xpress2, ATFC, Alex P. Brandon Block and the Hoxton Whores, if you haven’t heard of him, where have you been?!

Coming from a musical background, Conti started on the decks at the tender age of 16 starting with Break Beat and Hip Hop. In 1991 Conti started to play Chicago and New York House playing for various pirate radio stations and club events abroad, in particular, in Sweden alongside Swedish DJ PJ. In 1997 he moved in to Trance, loving the euphoric feeling he got for the crowd and he was often found playing at Bagley’s Freedom, Purity and also Plasma held at the SoundShaft, now known as The Island. In 2005 Conti moved back to the sound he loved, House. Conti is currently working hard producing a couple of studio tracks which are soon to be released, but we managed to pin him down and get him to answer a few of our questions………

Hello Conti how are you today?
Hello mate! I’m very well thank you!

Right, lets get down to business! You have been in the industry for 15 years, a very long time by anyone’s standards! I’m sure you must of seen plenty of amazing sights, have any experiences stood out for you?
Yep! The one experience that IMMEDITATELY springs to mind was when I was on tour with the Ministry of Sound in Ayia Napa. Some of the staff, evidently not realising that there was a club night on, decided to take down ALL the lights in the club and left them down! We had to do the entire night without any lights whatsoever! Haha! It was a good night though!

With the recent closure of two of London’s main clubs, Turnmills and the Cross, what is your opinion to those people that say the London club scene is on its way out?
No (very emphatic then pauses for a second), I think what it is that the people who first started it are getting older and the general house and club following is slowing at the moment, trust me it will get back to the way it was.

You have DJ’ed at some of the world’s best clubs; do you have any aspirations left that you wish to achieve?
Yep! I would like to go back out abroad to do some DJing I have really enjoyed DJing in London but want to get back out and do some different countries.

To anybody unfamiliar with your style of DJing, could you give a brief description of what people should expect from one of your sets?
(Has a really long hard think, but one of his housemate Hannah Barrett, a veteran of clubland answers before Conti can open his mouth!) The tunes Conti plays are always uplifting, very vocal, it makes everybody want to get up and dance. (At this point Conti chimes with a very emphatic) NO MINIMAL!! I like to new tunes stuff people won’t have heard before but I always think it’s good to mix and match so I’m never afraid to put in a classic once in a while. If the crowd are enjoying themselves then I get off on it!! haha!

Nice answer! Vinyl vs CD, what are your thoughts?
If somebody would have told me five years ago I would be using CD’s I would have told them they were having a laugh. But having used them for so long now I must admit I find them better.

Last but not least here’s a few randoms for you to answer.
Top five tunes in your box?
Happy Clappers – I believe
Pete Heller - Big Love
Johnny Crockett – E for Electro
Out of Office – Break of Dawn
DJ Conti – Don’t Break It

You’re in a club and someone hands you a lollipop, pair of shoes and a pair of pink knickers, what do you do with them?
Hahaha! Keep the pink knickers hand the rest back.

Kinky! Cheers Conti! Is there anything else you would like to say?

Cheers Joe and thanks to XpressDJs for having me, also if anyone wants to book me please use the contact details below.

Mobile: 07866941483
Email: bluerose_star@hotmail.co.uk
Alternatively, you can speak to Joe at XpressDJs please email joe@xpressdjs.com

Catch Conti at BLISS Bank Holiday Sunday with Casa Elisa! on Sunday 24th August

Article written by Joseph Towner @ XpressDJS