DJ Johnny Bloomfield interview by Adam Cotier
Johnny Bloomfiled I salute you because whether you are aware or not you helped shape my career!
I am very pleased to bring you an interview with Johnny Bloomfield, a DJ I met just over two years ago but regularly attended his night Deluded, still to this day one of my favorite events to party at. After running my own successful ‘urban’ house event for just over a year Johnny made contact and reached out for me to host room two at Deluded, I jumped at the chance.
After that night my outlook changed on where I wanted my DJ career to go… I wanted to play the main room, I knew I had the talent but I needed to change my style, I felt that the ‘urban’ house scene was about to die so the timing was perfect.
From this point on I’ve never looked back, having headlined Pacha twice and now playing regularly at some of Londons top underground house events, Johnny Bloomfield I salute you because whether you are aware or not you helped shape my career!
So now lets see what he had to say when we met up:
Q: Could you tell us a little about yourself, how long have you been DJin, what made you get into it?
A: Well I learned how to mix on an old pair of belt drive soundlabs at about 15 years old that my lifelong friend Claus Willhelm (whom still produces & dj’s) owned. We used to tour the record shop circuit together – he was my main reason for getting into djing.
Q: Every good DJ reaches a point when they move into production, you being one of them, how did you find the transition and where has it taken you?
A: Well I actually started making tracks a long while back, some stuff that will never see the light of day for various reasons, I did enjoy it but I felt that at the time I was far too young and it was eating into my precious partying time. Nowadays, it just feels like the natural route (we aren’t getting any younger). I have played consistently over london and a bit abroad for a good while now and there is only so far you can go nowadays without making your own tracks. I have so much in my head that I want to lay down into tracks, I have loads now started, only a handful finished though.
Q: First gig in Shoreditch and how did it go?
A: Played at a basement in Old street to a crowd of about 70 people off a table, the room stank of damp and the guy asked me to bring my own decks – it was coincidentally my birhday so most of the people there I knew, I was so nervous I felt sick… I had fun in the end but couldnt wait to get off and I don’t think I was old enough to even drink at the time.
Q: Favourite place to play and why?
A: Owww that’s a tough one.. I love the main room at Cable on the Connected nights, the last one in February ft. Waifs & Strays and Krankbrothers was unbelievable, atmosphere was unreal and the feedback on the event was amazing.. Other than that Cargo in Shoreditch for sure!
Q: Favourite club or bar in Shoreditch to party, and why?
A: I love Basing House, a good friend of mine Jason Colbert is doing great things down there and the names that are passing through on the decks are unreal for such a intimate venue, always a special vibe down there..
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Johnny Bloomfield & Jesse James play this years SW4 Festival!
I am extremely pleased to announce that Johnny & Jesse will be playing at this years monster festival, SW4 on Clapham Common, the number one London based festival. The line up is immense and it’s more than pleasing to see some of Shoreditch’s long serving talent being given the big stage!
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Q: How do you see the Shoreditch house music scene at the moment and where do you see it going?
A: Melodic and deep is the order of the day if you are playing anywhere remotely credible in shoreditch in my opinion. The lasting memory for me before it became shoreditch as we know it today was everywhere playing funk & northern soul and I loved that too, it’s a very diverse place though and the music policy in most bars refelects that.
Q: Have you seen any major transitions or notable turning points within the past year or so?
A; Having been resident here for 27 years now I have seen massive changes. It became trendy because it was so central and cheap – therefore attracting young, worse off creative types which then attract bars, this then encourages the property developers and big chain companies which obviously raise property prices, that then drives out the young worse off creative types and finally they will move onto somewhere else. Commercialism in my opinion needs to be kept low to keep the vibe and spirit of shoreditch alive and people coming back here.
Q: Who do you see as iconic within the Shoreditch house music scene?
A: For me it will be someone who a lot of the youngsters maybe even wouldn’t of heard of – JB.. He played at some of my favourite ever shoreditch parties and I really loved what that guy was doing a few years back.
Q: Who is hot at the moment?
A: Far too many to mention but Mr Enzo Siragusa (Fuse) will always be a good shout and really like some of his releases aswell as running a cracking sunday party at 93 feet east.
Q: Anyone to look out for, any rising stars?
A: Definitely know a few rising now – there are the obvious my friends No Artificial Colours (Ryan & Lewis) seen these guys form a partnership from early days and they are gaining so much momentum now at an amazing rate, all the lower east guys are smashing it right now as well as Rich Nxt from the fuse stable and without a doubt Claus Willhelm – watch out for him…
Q: As we launch our search for the next big thing in Shoreditch with our DJ competition, what would you look for if you were a judge?
A: Get a sound that you love and stick to it, it sounds so cliche but try not to follow trends so much , I think its mostly important to love the music that you are playing, if you don’t you will enjoy your experience a lot less.. If you must use a laptop use it to be creative and keep the crowd interested.
