DJ Target Interview

A member of both garage crew Pay As U Go Cartel, alongside future legends Wiley, Slimzee and Geeneus, and then chart topping grime act Roll Deep, this time also working alongside JME and Skepta, DJ Target was at the heart of two of the UK's biggest new musical movements. Not bad considering he was still a teen when it all started.

Tracks like 'Champagne Dance', 'Good Time' and 'Green Light' stand as a legacy of this period, but since 2007 he's also been a mainstay of 1Xtra, now presenting three weekly shows. Representing everything from R&B to the new wave of grime sweeping the country on air, he joins house duo Tough Love on Friday for the July instalment of their Get Twisted party, alongside Ryan Blythe, Blaise, N:Fostell and more...

With a housier set in store, we spoke to Target to find out more. Buy tickets for Tough Love on Friday July 8th here.

The sound of garage has swung back around again but what was it like being part of Pay As U Go first time around? How did it all start and when did you realise it was all taking of?

At the time I was like 18 or 19 years old, so it was crazy! It all started in East London, just some friends sharing the same love of music and vibes. Collectively we knew we had something special. UK garage blew around the same time as Pay As U Go started, getting big via Rinse FM and raves around the country. We had some mainstream success as well with 'Champagne Dance', which myself and Geeneus produced. We had no idea it was going to blow up like it did.

The remains of Pay As You Go then gave birth to Roll Deep. At what point did you your interest in garage morph into grime? Did the chart success the group had surprise you considering the darker roots of grime?

Garage was cool, and at the time garage wasn't really known for MCs or lyricists, more for hosts on the mic. As the next generation, we had other ideas and our MCs wanted to spit actual bars and tell stories over the beats. That's when our productions started to cater to that becoming harder, grimier with less female vocal samples. It was more like a metamorphosis; the media called it grime and before you knew it, it was its own scene.

How tight are you still with people like Slimzee and Wiley? The renaissance of grime has rewarded everyone who stuck with it during its lean years. What did you learn from your success last time around that you'd tell new stars coming through now?

I learnt to mix in Slimzee's bedroom. Wiley was my friend since I was 9 and we are still close, although he lives abroad now so we see each other less. Without those two, I wouldn't be DJ Target.

How did you get involved with 1Xtra?

I got a show on 1Xtra originally back in '07 after doing a Roll Deep Christmas guest show on there. They liked my presenting skills and I kept in touch and a few months later I got offered a show, which then grew to two shows. Now it's three on friday, saturday and sunday. The saturday show is also on Radio1 which is huge for me.

What's your connection with the Tough Love guys? Have you played alongside them before? Is there a difference now between garage, deep house and jackin' house?

I've known Alex and Stef a few years now and got intro'd through a mutual friend. I've always supported the guys, and their stuff aways gets a great response in the clubs and on radio. There's definitely differences between the sounds of garage, jackin' house and deep house, but I think ravers are more open to hearing various vibes when they are out these days. I'm a fan of all three.

You just won an award for the BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra documentary ‘Growing Up Without a Dad’. How was it opening up about your own experiences and what does it mean for the doc to achieve such recognition? Is this the start of you moving into wider presenting.

Yeah, I've been doing various documentaries for a couple of years now. We did '10 Years of Grime', I went to Mexico to do one and there have been a few others. The 'Growing Up Without a Dad' doc was defo something I was well up for doing, mainly to highlight the fact that it's not always a bad outcome if you don't have a dad growing up. The feedback has been amazing and we won an international award in New York for it.

What are three tracks that sum up what you're likely to play at Egg?

Chris Lorenzo feat. Alex Mills - 'Sleep Talking'