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Open Dex 2008
Open Dex is the DJ competition that takes one DJ from bedroom obscurity to a festival stage.The next Open Dex 2008 heat kicks off at 7pm @ The Big Chill Bar on Wednesday, 14th May.
At the monthy Open Dex heats, non-professional DJs battle it out for a slot at The Big Chill Bar. In July, the winners of each heat come together for the final to compete for a coveted slot at Eastnor.
Entries for subsequent heats are now being accepted from non-professional DJs.*
No experience is necessary and the Open Dex hostesses will show you how the equipment works on the night, but you will have to bring your own records, CDs and or laptop!
To enter, please email your DJ name, email address, mobile phone number and a description of the style of music you would like to play to opendex@bigchill.net - and please put 'Open Dex' as the subject line.
The winner of each monthly heat will be booked to play a two hour Sunday DJ set at The Big Chill Bar. They will also be entered into July's Open Dex Final. The winner of the final gets to play a Sunday slot at one of the Big Chill festival's legendary cocktail bars.
*A non-professional DJ (for the purposes of this competition), is any DJ who has NEVER BEEN PAID TO DJ. If you've ever been paid to play records or CDs, you are not eligible, sorry.
**If you cannot make it to Brick Lane on a Wednesday evening, or on a Sunday afternoon/evening, or if you cannot be near Ledbury in early August 2008, then please don't enter!
Open Dex 2007 - A Winner's Story
As the Open Dex DJ 2008 competition prepares to roll into town, once more firing up the hopes and dreams of aspiring Big Chill DJs everywhere - we take a minute to catch up with the Open Dex Champion 2007 to find out about her journey from obscurity to festival superstardom, and beyond...
What's your name?
DJ Darlo (aka Rosie Pagan)
Where do you call home?
Born and bred in Darlo (Darlington), hence the name, but Finsbury Park is where I've laid my hat for the last three years. Brighton, where I lived for 8 years is also a very special place for me, and where I started dj-ing, on one deck with some antique speakers which had pulsing disco lights.
What inspired you to enter Open Dex?
Power, fame, glory...and...er...the thought of a free ticket...yes, I am that cheap.
How did you find the heats and final at the bar?
So much fun! A absolute blast from start to finish and I'd do it all again in a flash. Kate and Nettie were so friendly, welcoming and reassuring, that any preconceptions I might have had about making a complete fool out of myself and getting booed off quickly evaporated! The other contestants were all really supportive and encouraging too which was really nice. I also absolutely loved playing at the Big Chill bar on the Sunday Sundae, which was the prize for winning the first heat. My set was between 2-4pm so I thought it would be quite mellow but I couldnt have been more wrong - there were Sunday shoppers and post Saturday night clubbers all going for it and dancing on the tables both inside and out and what felt like the whole of the Big Chill festival all in the one bar!
What music do you play?
I'm a bit of a showgirl at heart so Dj-ing gives me a chance for me to perform and show off a bit, with different costumes, props and lots of dancing. I aim to get my crowd to interact and get involved so I hand out bits of percussion like maracas, tambourines and toy instruments etc to create a holiday/carnival/cruise ship atmosphere and get people participating so its not all about me! I'm influenced by old Hollywood musicals (like South Pacific) and animations (like Dumbo) so a typical 'Darlo set is like a circus on a tropical island! I'm pretty retro but I try not to pigeon hole myself too much as I'd hate to exclude any genre of music but my record collection consists of quite a load of old treasures from charity shops, bootfairs and my parent's hand-me-downs, so there's a definite leaning towards a 50's and 60's r'n'b, jive, doo wop, rock n roll, soul, girl group, ska and latin sound...but thats not to say I never chuck in a bit of Paul Simon, Steve Miller Band or Madness if I feel like it and I'm cultivating a passion for big and brass bands right now...while also trying to explore the music of '30s and '40s. Anything goes and as long as I love it, I can convince a crowd they do too with a good vibe and a party atmosphere. Getting and keeping people dancing is a real priority so I try and keep the energy high at all times.
How did you feel when you won?
A bit emotional and over the moon but really shocked and surprised as the standards of the other finalists was so high I thought they must have made a mistake...I got a bit starstruck when Pete Lawrence, who'd been hiding somewhere in the bar pretending not to be a judge, came up and shook my hand and told me that he'd been compiling an album of late 60's flower power music and I'd played a couple of the songs he was planning to include on it, which might have swung it for me I reckon. That was such a buzz.
What was it like playing at the festival?
Awesome!!! I was so impressed with how well organised everything was and how nice it was to be 'an artiste' with a wristband that said so and everything! It was a really beautiful hot sunny day on the Sunday when I played so absolutely perfect for starting the day off at the Finlandia bar and getting everyone in the mood for a cracking Sunday at the Big Chill, which is always the best day. My set started at 12 noon so I was a bit nervous playing so early and for some of the same time as Norman Jay but i managed to pull a bit of a crowd and get people warmed up and dancing, which was quite a feat at such an early hour when they had just got out of bed! I'd never played on such a big soundsystem so it was amazing hearing my old '45's sounding brilliant played really loud and being in such a big stage, although small in comparison to other Big Chill Stage's it was quite intimidating at first but I made sure I'd danced all over it by the end so I made myself at home!
Have you played anywhere else since?
Yes I've been a busy bee this year since the competition, my record bag feels like its been permanently attached to my shoulder! I did a show for Radio 6, The Burning Love Masked Ball, Fashionista Friday at the National Portrait Gallery, Lockside Lounge in Camden, Restless Night's Burlesque Cabaret, Cover Me Baddly at the Old Blue Last, a few Friday nights at Bar Lorca in Tufnell Park, a few weddings, lots of birthday, Christmas and New Year's parties too! I've got a few things up my sleeve for this year as well and also am looking to develop the performance element a bit further with some more cabaret nights so watch this space!*
Have you got any tips for aspiring Open Dex DJs?
You've got to know your way around the mixing desk and the equipment but please dont be put off by the technical aspect if you're not an expert mixer, I have so much respect for those who are but I'm not and I didn't let it stand in my way! It's hard to say what the judges are looking as talent in this field is something so open to interpretation, which is why its so exciting and i'd recommend anyone thinking about it just to go for it and see what happens. I think you could win it on being either a pioneer of a style or musical genre, or for playing an established genre really really well, being a mixing or scratching genius, choosing brilliant tunes or for just being someone who tries to embody the spirit and sunshine of the Big Chill, which is what I tried to do. Each year will bring something different to the competition and the standard that the other contestants set is something you can't possibly predict....so play songs you love, have confidence in what you do, have fun and enjoy it!
You've got one record to play in a DJ battle. What record do you play and why?
At the final I started the night with 'Gonna Fly Now' by Bill Conti (the theme from Rocky). I had on a DJ DARLO sweatband and boxing gloves (quite hard to DJ in) and made a big show of limbering up, running on the spot and throwing punches in the air to get the crowd on my side and cheering, I had some friends playing along on toy trumpets etc too. I was on first so it was a question of trying to build an atmosphere from nothing but I think I pulled it off so I would have to say that song. Needless to say I had to abandon the boxing gloves fairly quickly in favour of a Captain's outfit for my next tune, 'Captain of the Ship' by Reparata and the Delrons...
Thank You!
Written: 9th Jan, 08
Read: 10237 times
