Morning flights are killers. BUT – I prefer them to mid-day flights. Then your day is totally wasted.

I finish my last gig for the month in Downtown Cipriani and dip into The Cuckoo Club to say hi to some friends before hitting the sack.

I jump on the Tube and whizz straight to Terminal 5. My destination today : Copenhagen. I’m going to play for what will be a very special wedding, set in an estate complete with it’s own historic castle just outside of the city. I assume some sort of Royal association ...

Access to the BA Lounges are really a life saver. After NOT queuing and NOT being short that one pence for my coffee, finding a quiet seat without a screaming kid in sight, I get stuck into finding two versions of ‘Hava Nagila’ – the traditional version and a house version that I could mix it with to start my set.

Hava Nagila for the non-Jews: <noun> / celebratory dance where the bride and groom are put on chairs, typical in most Jewish weddings.

Weddings are tough gigs. I think they're harder than clubs ... You have an eclectic group of people – different ages, different experiences, different tastes. And depending on the amount of alcohol consumed – different moods.

Oh and another important thing – requests. If they’re gonna happen anywhere, it’s right here. So put you’re DJ pride and prejudice back in the case and suck it up. You’re here for the people, not to preach.

Of course the general feeling at any wedding is – LOVE IS IN THE AIR!

Some tracks I’m keen to re-live :

• “Hungry for the Power (Jamie Jones remix) ” – Azari & III
• “Free” – Ultra Nate
• “By Defection” – Dixie Yurie

Below the grand staircase, past the glittering Main Room, through a small corridor that leads to the kitchen take a right before you hit the service area. Find yourself in a dark entrance, a small cloak room before you. Once your name has been screened and it’s assessed that you do belong here (and haven’t just tried to follow the white rabbit) you’re led into a small, intimate space of emerald green.

The Green Room.

One of my first DJ gigs in London was in this room. Notorious for deep house sets that go on into the morning, the Green Room is in a secret space in one of London’s premier clubs Maddox. It takes a lot more than a table reservation to get in. The selective guest list is by invitation only by either the DJ or friends of those tight with the club owners.

I’m returning to the Green Room tonight after almost a year of absence.

I’ve had a bit of a download session this morning and waiting to hear these tracks through a good sound system:

• “Street Life” by Purple Disco Machine
• “Anyway” Dave Aju
• “Highbeams (Maceo Plex remix) by Butch feat. Benjamin Franklin
• “City Lights” HNQO ft. Bip
• “What I Might Do (Moodwax to the Stars) by Ben Pearce

This will be one of my last gigs in London before I move to Hong Kong on Sunday.

But before that, some fun at the Green Room. It’s an envious little playground of good music, people and smooth sexy beats.

I woke up to a stunning blue sky with a view of the sea, from my room’s balcony. I’m not a huge breakfast fan but I’m going to admit – feed me salty white cheese with a smother of rose petal jam on fresh bread and I’ll be eating breakfast every day!

My driver came to pick me up and take me to Xuma. After a little laze in the sun, I was introduced to the club’s very own personal trainer Baris Cunguroglu. As you’d expect from personal trainers – fit, confident and a complete know it all. I was scheduled for a session with him at 1pm.

Apparently he’d been watching me and concluded ‘ you tend to walk with your knees inwards, you have zero arm strength and your ass is too big’.

I was going to say something like – some men find big asses hot, but we’re not in Brazil. Far from it actually. We’re in Turkey, where asses are flat.

So with honesty on the table, we started the work out. Within fifteen minutes, I swore to myself I was never eating again. My legs burned at the second set of pulsing squats. I had to admit though, with almost 3 weeks since my last exercise session, I deserved all the burning and pain. A memorable reminder of how important it is to keep your body in shape.

As my legs squatted for the fifteenth time I cursed the cheese and the jam … (Of course, I was back at the breakfast buffet the next morning. )

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of returning to Turkey for not one, but two gigs. The first was in Bodrum, a holiday resort city in the south of Turkey. A bit like St.Tropez but more wild and rugged, less developed.

I was a guest of Xuma Beach Club – a more bohemian and laid back beach club compared to the other flash and tres chic such as Maca Kizi or Bianca Beach Club.

Flying in a day earlier to enjoy the sunshine and simply hang out was, ever so kindly - my hosts idea. With rain and very un-summer temperatures forecast for London, there was no way I was sticking around.


From the moment I stepped off the plane it was Turkish hospitality to the T.

38*C at 2pm there was only one place I was headed for ... the beach.

I had a quick but fresh lunch with the owner, Kamil by the water. If you ever get to go, Xuma has everything that you would need for a day out in the sun. Plenty of sun beds by the water or under large shady trees, a restaurant serving up great seafood, a cafe, a masseuse and even a gym.

I then met the everyone who worked at the restaurant and sat at the beach bar to enjoy the local drink of the region and enjoy  sunset beats from the resident DJ. The cocktail, called Sandoz was a mixture of freshly squeezed mandarin juice, orange juice and vodka. Let’s just say, I didn’t stop at one.

As a DJ, I like to get the feel of the place before I play so that you can entertain the crowd to the best of your ability. I love to study the people; what are they drinking, what are they wearing, are they young or older?  – all these things tell you the vibe and what music they listen to. Of course, a DJ doesn’t always have this luxury and these details are usually provided to you by the promoter but it’s a bonus if you can do it yourself.