DJ DAZEE

Dazee loves music. More specifically she loves jungle music. This fact is clear from the moment you meet her, as she uncontrollably enthuses about every aspect of the scene. It's this enthusiasm that has helped bring her success in circumstances where many others may have given up, for recognition has not come easy, as she freely admits. "For the first few years it was a struggle, but I think that has contributed to how far I've got today. I had a campaign - I was practically a jungle Jehovah's Witness back then, but people just didn't want to know. However, when jungle hit the media and it was accepted as a form of music I was firmly established because of my crusade." Look at any of the big event flyers like Helter Skelter, Dreamscape or Tribal Gathering and there you'll find her name, but back in the early 90s it was a very different story. "Before Ruffneck Ting began, my first real DJing break came at Twisted [legendary south west free party organisers]. I had played the time before, where I got a morning slot when everyone was going home, but that was fair enough considering no-one had heard of me, so I had to stand around all night to prove myself. Next time round they gave me a really good slot... it went well and people remember me from that night." However, the free-party scene at the time began to turn its back on jungle and forced the sound into the clubs. Therefore the Ledge crew launched Ruffneck Ting in 1993 with DJ Dazee as their resident. It's in this capacity that Dazee is probably most well known and which has provided the platform for her to develop her skills and launch her career as a DJ.

Four years on and the name has gone international. Dazee has just returned from America where she and MC Jakes took Atlanta's dancehalls and airwaves by storm. She is about to embark on an all girl DJ tour supported by the Venus Apollo Agency, called 'Gift from the Gods', while she is still cramming in the gigs across the country every weekend. This transition from local to national status is every DJs ambition, although the move from small club to big stage can be a nerve wracking one. No such problems for DJ Dazee though! "I love the big rave events, they're always nice to play at and Jakes and I always get a wicked reception from the crowd - they really make you feel like a god when you're up there!" she says, pausing for a brief moment as she recalls some of her most memorable gigs. "My first Helter Skelter was fun, I was a little late for an early set and I was expecting the place to be half full. When we got there, it was rocking and I remember thinking to myself - 'yeah, this is alright, I can get used to gigs like this!'" As well as the high profile mega-raves, Dazee gets as much satisfaction out of the more intimate club sessions. She picks out the back room of Lakota as one of her favourite venues for this type of event, where the set up makes for a very different DJing experience. "It's more nerve wracking playing the smaller clubs where people are watching your hands and leaning over the decks. I don't get an ounce of nerves when I'm up on a big platform in front of thousands because you're slightly detached from the crowd, but if you rinse when you know everyone's watching your every move it's a real sense of achievement."

As well as forging a DJ career, Dazee has also been developing her skills in the studio. As a member of Substance, she has been involved with the production of dancefloor anthems like "Damn Right", "Prisoner" and "L.F. Ant", and is currently poised to release her solo debut on Ruffneck Ting Records - the "Homeboyz" remix. By her own admission she has been "a bit slack" on the production front this year and, with the increasing importance of the DJ / producer role, she is aware of this as a problem. "Not producing the tunes has affected my DJing because when you've got your own fresh set of dub plates each month, it makes playing out a lot more exciting, especially if you're getting good reactions to your stuff. It gives your DJing an extra kick and makes you stand out from the next man... or woman. If you ever let either side slip, it affects the other, so you've just gotta keep on it."

Keeping on it is what Dazee is now doing, but why come with the solo release now? As I discovered there were a number of reasons - so we'll start with a little moan! "Most people know that I'm part of Substance and have been making tunes for a while, but there are still a lot of people that haven't got a clue because people never read the small print on records. You've really got to drum it in that you're a producer as well as a DJ, so that's the main reason for going out under my own name - for those that don't yet know!". The "Homeboyz" remix isn't Dazee's first solo project either. "Fly" and "Prisoner" were hyped as her first solo release but, as she explains, "I just didn't have the guts to put my name to them, especially after "Damn Right", which is still probably my favourite tune we've done. After that, I didn't want to come with a lesser tune under my name - which is mad really, considering the amount of people who've said they love those tunes."

Dazee's insecurity is surprising when you consider the forceful approach she takes to her DJing and the profile she has created, not to mention the fact that the tunes are of the highest quality. Whatever, it shows her in a favourable light, after all DJs and producers are human too. She continues, "I'm not a believer in fillers and I'm not a believer in B-sides. I could never do a track and say 'oh, that'll do for a B-side', because every time I do something it's got to be the best thing I've ever done. A lot of tracks I've written people have liked, but as it's my own stuff I never think it's good enough, so I won't let it go. If someone else has something to do with it, I'm less doubtful over whether it sounds right or not. If they say it's righ,t then it's right, and I don't have to make the decision. I'm a bit of an indecisive type really!"

That someone else making those decisions is often her partner in Substance, Mark Morrison, who has supported Dazee throughout her career. "With Markee, it's like we've got a subconscious understanding. Recently I thought up a little song which I had noted down and I went into the studio where Mark had started making a tune. He had laid down a bassline and some beats and, incredibly, it fitted perfectly with what I had. I think that there's a general musicians' consciousness, because you'll do a tune and suddenly you'll hear someone else with the same vibe and there's no way you could have known what each other had done. That's the way music progresses, someone will lead the way, maybe, but the others aren't copying, they're just on the same tip."

So what tip is Dazee on at the moment? Two words seemed to crop up again and again when this subject was approached, and they are 'future funk'. Having always favoured tunes with melody and a groove, the current blend some cutting edge DJs are rinsing, it's just the sort of music Dazee wants to hear. Without hesitation she name checks Jumpin' Jack Frost as the DJ doing it for her at the moment, recalling the previous Dreamscape where his arrival at 6am had her shocking out to his brand new beats.

In the studio, a brand new vocalist is being nurtured and, as her vocals sear over the crunchy beats and funky bass, you know that this is the sound of the future. The move towards a more human element is something that a lot of producers are down with, Dazee included. "I definitely think that jungle / drum & bass has got to start offering its devoted followers more of a good time vibe. I'm not talking about childish pop music, but tunes that stir you emotionally. I don't want to ram any particular style of jungle down peoples' throats - I just want the people who have parted with their hard earned cash to have a good time while I'm up there."

Looking to the future, and Dazee's jungle crusade continues, although perhaps her beats are now falling on more receptive ears. Her main focus just now is in the studio, as she now has her own pre-production set up, so you can be sure you'll be seeing her name on a lot more plastic. For now though, Dazee's keeping it rolling with some of the liveliest DJ sets on the circuit and remember to keep your eyes peeled for the "Homeboyz" remix, also featuring a brand new track "Westside", coming very soon. In the words of 'De La' - "This is the Dazee age".