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Lisa Rose Wyatt aka DJ/producer Lisa Lashes is known from her mixing of numerous Euphoria albums and her Lashed dance events. In 2016 I interviewed her about her DJ debut. "Unknown to me, two promoters were on board."
“My DJ debut was at an extraordinary location in England. We were on a cruise ship that was sailing on the River Severn in Worcestershire. I was 26 at the time.”
That nervous!
“You’re asking if I was nervous? I was shitting myself, that nervous! Those were the nineties and most of the crowd were typical ravers of those days.”
Propellerheads
“I intended to prepare myself well and play a rehearsed set. In the end I never got past the first track: Take California by Propellerheads, that was released in 1997 on the Wall of Sound label.”
Convoy
“Fortunately, I wasn’t alone during my debut. I was supported by a 5-car convoy, so roughly 20 of my lovely friends joined me and cheered me on.”
Promoters
“Funny you should ask if I wanted to impress someone. Because, unknown to me, two promoters were present on board: Dan Prince, the editor of Mixmag, and Madders – the infamous promotor of the very first UK Superclub called Sundissential. I’m glad I didn’t know this, as I would have been even more nervous.”
Pete Tong
“Obviously they liked me, as I was asked at the end of the night to be one of the weekly residents alongside the late Tony De Vit at a new 3000 capacity club. Considering I had only first stepped behind my friend’s decks three months previously, I was thrown in the deep. There I was, warming up for established guest artists including Pete Tong, Graeme Park and Paul Oakenfold.”
Catsuit
“The boat party was a massive success. For a moment, I had a wardrobe malfunction when I decided to dress up in a bright red PVC all-in-one catsuit (photo above). I looked fabulous until I literally melted. This Sunday in September 1997 turned out to be the UK’s second hottest days on record!”
Moving ship
“When I got onto the boat it immediately knew it was going to be challenging. Playing vinyl on a moving ship on Technics 1210’s without cushioning. No sooner had I put the needle on the record, when the boat bumped into the embankment scratching my needle from start to finish. At least I got everyone’s attention.” (laughs)
Chewed chewing gum
“The decks bumped and jumped during my first few tracks before I weighed them down with some well chewed chewing gum and two ten coins. Voila!”
Circle
“So, from my very first gig in September 1997, I feel extremely lucky and honored to still be doing what I love in the music business. Obviously, my music choice and sound is a little different from 18 years ago. I feel I’ve come full circle with what I’m playing today and what parties I frequented when I first started clubbing. On that matter: last month one of my new tracks was released, Acte de Foi.”
“I used to be a regular in the Birmingham rave scene. My favorites were the illegal warehouse parties and the underground DIY techno parties. This is where I discovered my love for techno music and cultivated it right back to the music I love to produce and play today.”
More Lisa Lashes?
This interview was originally published on DJMag.nl on February 4th 2016.