Hi, please introduce yourself to those unfamiliar with your work.

Hi I’m Natalie aka Natz. Conversely to all the other fabulous Djs on your podcast series I’m quite fresh to the scene. I don’t have years and years of experience under my belt but I hope to make up for that with innovation, passion and a fresh energy.  

In fact it was about this time last year that I was newly separated and was saving up some money to get a divorce. I’ve always been into music so Dj friend of mine suggested I get a controller and learn to mix. I spunked all my savings on a second-hand Pioneer RX I found on Gumtree and spent my evenings on YouTube looking up video’s on Djing. I was hooked and coming from a musical background picked it up quite quickly; plus its easy to pick things up quickly when you’re doing it for 6 hours a day! 

I love finding tunes that resonate with my soul. When I’m in the mix I feel it almost has a meditative effect; when you’re focusing on the beat and purely in the moment. It’s needed when you’re a single mother and holding down a professional job. I don’t watch TV as I’d rather listen to Podcasts from my favourite record labels and see what tracks are going off in Ibiza. When I got to a stage where I wanted to play out and share my love of what I was doing I would slack off social plans to record mixes to send off to promotors, spend evenings doing my research and getting in touch with the right people and work on raising my online presence. I’m not going to lie, a lot of graft has gone in behind the scenes, and while the vast majority have been supportive I know that there are some who hold the misconception that the female dj angle (aka tits and teeth) means I’ve been given it on a plate, which just isn’t true.

How would you describe your DJ sound? 

Four to the floor that makes you move! I know that sounds like a cop out but I love such an eclectic mix of house and techno its hard to narrow it down further. When I play out I would describe the energy as ‘fun and feel-good vibes’ but I also love mixing things up to keep the sets interesting. As a punter I’m just as happy having a boogie to some funky disco grooves at a Glitterbox night to pulling a proper bass-face while listening to some industrial techno, so I don’t see the need to pigeon-hole my sound as a DJ at the moment.

How has 2019 shaped up so far?

I can’t even describe it! I’ve been blown away by the amount of support for a newcomer to the scene. From local Dj’s giving me my first opportunities to play out, to running and promoting my own night in Newquay through the Summer. The highlights for me have been a tech house set for the Lizard Party in July and a soulful house set for Orbital Gathering. Just awesome people dancing to great music; its like a little family.  

In addition to that I was lucky enough to meet another DJ, Danae B, with a really similar energy and music taste, who I’ve played out regularly with for B2B sets. Personality-wise we are like chalk and cheese but we get a lot of attention for our energy when we play out - for us its 100% about the music and having fun. We love interacting with the crowd, dropping tracks that get the whole room going and keeping the crowd on their toes. We are particularly excited about a couple of sets we were asked to play for NYE, starting off at the stunning Watchful Mary at Watergate Bay and then shooting off to play the peak time set in the main room of Dead Famous Liquor Lounge.

Plans for 2020?

Danae B and I have some great bookings locally to look forward to for some of our favourite festivals such as the Award-winning Great Estate Festival and Cornish Orchards Cider Festival to name a few. In addition we are delighted to add we’ve secured a monthly residency at one of the hottest venues in Newquay town; The Dead Famous Liquor Lounge. We’ve also had interest nationally so who knows what that will bring! 

One gig I’m super hyped for is Clockstock in June which is alongside some of my fave Dj’s and producers, I almost need to pinch myself to know that its real, especially as its happened in such a short space of time.

I view Djing as an awesome opportunity to share a love of music with the masses, but as well as this I’m going to be looking at making beats of my own in 2020. I have a musical background, having been a keen percussionist in various orchestras and a drummer in various bands and jazz ensembles through my youth, so I’m hoping a knowledge of music theory will help me pick it up quickly and the passion will give me the drive.

Talk through your podcast mix.

I like to start off mixes with something attention grabbing like ‘shut up and listen’ so my first track, Short Dick Man, certainly holds up to that! The mix is a journey through genres with the first half featuring a ghetto house flavour. Then I take it a bit darker with some of my favourite techy beats, and ending with a more progressive sound. It includes some of my favourite tracks, but even though the vibe changes I think its obvious the sounds that get me going; vocals that speak to your soul, filthy basslines, crazy percussion and melodic harmonies. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I did making it!

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