Hip-Hop-Eration – Friday 2nd May – FourD, Dorchester from 9pm – save the date on your iPhone (& any other good mobile phone brands) now!
Ahead of Dorchester’s most anticipated night, in well, a pretty long time we caught up with one of the organisers behind Hip-Hop-Eration Jay Rees to get the low down on the night.
1. We’re ecstatic about the return of Hip-Hop-Eration to Dorchester – thank you! It’s like a child waiting for Christmas Day. So, what made you guys want to bring it back? How did that all come about?Myself and Mr Si Clacher (Co-Founder of HHE) felt that the time was right to bring this night back to Dorchester. Hip-Hop-Eration started off at Paul’s Nightclub and proved very successful for many years.
We wanted to try and re-create the whole vibe by hosting it in the same building where Paul’s used to be and by playing some of the old Hip-Hop classics we used to play.
Dorchester is starting to get its nightlife back thanks to other like-minded event organisers and we figured a Hip-Hop-Eration night would be just the ticket.
Old skool hip-hop-eration night – can you spot yourself?
Fellow hip-hop-eration organiser & DJ – Si Clacher
2. Tell us what’s planned for the night. Who’s playing? What will the vibe be like?
Did I mention it was free entry? I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be business as usual. We’ll kick things off about 9pm with a nice bit of Funk and Soul then gradually build things up with some Old Skool Classics and a spot of Live MC-ing then go in with Big Hip-Hop anthems for the rest of the night!This time round we’ve enlisted the help of Mr Mark Adams- fellow event organiser and DJ, plus 2 very talented local MC’s – Orin aka ‘Agent’ and Luke aka ‘Poppa T’, not to be missed!!
3. Can you give us any hints on any of the old skool tracks you’ll be throwing down to whet the appetite?
Let’s just say it wouldn’t be a Hip-Hop night without some Naughty By Nature, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill but without giving too much away, the following may be thrown in at some point!
4. For those who don’t know much about you, how did you get into DJ-ing?I got my first turntables when I was 15, about 20 years ago! Man I feel old! I used to play the drums and seemed somewhat drawn to DJ-ing because beat-matching is rhythm based.I’ve always loved Hip-Hop music thanks to my brother Rob who relentlessly played it loud every day after school. I initially started out mixing techno and other dance music as that was my preferred genre at the time.For as long as I can remember I have been DJing and organising music events in and around Dorset. More recently under the name of our promotions and clothing company ‘Farstar’. Our Boat Parties were legendary, easily the hottest party of the year! My full time job at the time required me to work overseas 6 months of the year so myself and Luke Howell (Farstar Partner) decided to take a break from Farstar for the time being as it needed both of us to manage it.
5. Where do you get your influences for your set from?I draw influences from many artists, I would have to say DJ Premier, Jazzy Jeff, DJ Shadow and DJ Q-Bert are my biggest DJ idols. I’m also inspired by new music and try to create original set’s to suit the occasion.
6. What’s been your DJ-ing career highlight to date?Now there’s a question… It has to be playing on the same bill as big name’s such as The Scratch Perverts, Beardyman, JFB, Judge Jules, Anne Savage and DJ Noize to name a few. Saying that, Dj-ing at festivals in-front of hundreds or thousands of people has to be up there. Immense.
7. Do you have any weird rituals you do before playing a set? Any lucky t-shirts?
No weird rituals as such, I think a few pre-beers always help! I do however try to wear one of ourexquisite, reasonably priced, Dorset based t-shirts whenever I play, hit me up at[email protected]! Had to get a cheeky plug in there!
8. What’s next after hip-hop-eration? Any chance you’ll be bringing back the infamous Farstar Boat Party?
I think we’ll see what happens with this night, the event itself has generated a lot of interest, so hopefully we’ll be invited back by the chaps at FourD bar!
I would like to organise a festival in Dorset at some point, as for the Boat Party, Luke and myself are in talks so keep your eyes peeled in 2015!
9. Can you sum up what Hip-Hop-Eration will be like in say 3 (ish) words?
Without using any swear words? Ok, can I do 5?
GET YOUR B-BOY SHOES ON!
That’s the best I could come up with! Ha!
Thanks Jay for being this week’s special guest on the Country Bumpkin Chic Blog. Hopefully that’s got everyone excited for the return of Hip-Hop-Eration. We look forward to seeing you there and throwing some shapes on the dance floor at FourD.Click here to add the Hip-Hop-Eration event to your Facebook calendar.
All the best
Becky Wren
