Radio 1 DJ Dave Pearce talks to Chloe Addo about his hip-hop days, hate for bouncers, the lure of Radio 2, and er, Brookside.

If you know anything about Dave Pearce – Radio 1 mainstay for years and trance DJ extraordinaire - you’ll be somewhat surprised to learn he began his impressive career as a hip hop DJ, helping launch legends such as Public Enemy and the hip-hop DJ everyone loves to hate Tim Westwood.

You started off as a hip hop DJ, how did you make the transition into trance?

When I first started playing hip hop a lot of it made was in small studios and had quite a raw sound. House had a similar vibe to it and they were mainly coming out of America too.

There was great similarity in the rawness and in those days you would play a bit of hip hop then a bit of house in the same set. There was even a thing called hip house; a mixture of hip hop and house with guys rapping over the top.

So that’s how it started - then I got more and more into the dance scene and then trance, which has only kicked off over the last 7 to 8 years. It was a sound I got into when I was in Ibiza.

Some people say there has been a decline in the number of people who go to clubs to see DJ’s specifically. Do you think the days of the superstar DJ are over?

I think the superstar DJ was a bit overhyped to be honest. Nobody in dance music thought it would go to the heights that it did, and it did go completely nuts in the late 90s, but I’ve still got as many gigs as I ever had.

I think what has happened is that the music press have jumped onto the next thing; it was dance then R&B then rock. People are still buying R&B, checking out hip hop and buying dance - it’s just that the focus is more on rock bands now.

What has been the best ever set you’ve have played to date?

One of my favourite sets for being incredibly memorable was in 2001 at the Millennium Dome in London.

It was absolutely amazing because of the sheer volume of people, but it was absolutely terrifying too. It was the equivalent of 3 Wembley arena’s in front of you and just a pair of decks.

It was an amazing atmosphere. It gives you an impression of what it must be like to be in a band like U2 when you see 30,00 people all put their hands in the air at the same time.

It was my ultimate highlight in terms of a live gig.

Where is your favourite club to DJ at?

Ministry of Sound in London. It has the best sound system in the world. The main room doesn’t have a bar or any other light. All the walls are black so you can do amazing things with the light in there and create a great atmosphere which is really hard to do anywhere else.

Are there any bands/Artists/DJs you tip as the next big thing in 2008?

John O Callaghan. He’s from Ireland and he’s got a track out at the moment called “Big Sky”. He’s getting a really good following and he’s actually included on the album (Delirium- out now, showcasing the best new and old school trance talent. For more information visit: www.davepearce.co.uk)

The way it’s looking for him I think he’ll be going up the ladder - as they say. He’s done some really good production and he’s good DJ as well.

Do you ever get bored of DJ-ing?

Not really, I get bored of the travelling, especially in the summer sitting around airports. As you know you might get an hour delay or so but when you’re doing that everyday (he moans); I’ve had ones where I’ve spent 7 hours sitting at an airport.

When I’m at the gig its fine, but you don’t get to recover from all the travelling.

Do you think drugs are still prevalent in club culture?

They’re still there but I don’t think they’re as big as they were. If you look at any kind of social activity - going to the pub or even a football match, drugs are out there in society in lots of different warps of life.

Who have you least enjoyed working with?

I don’t like vicious people - occasionally you’ll get bouncers that are over the top and pushing people around. I don’t like it and I get really wound up by it. Sometimes you give people a uniform and they go a bit nuts.

Apart from yourself who do you think is the best DJ at Radio 1?

The DJ I most like listening to myself is Judge Jules, who does a dance show on there as well. I always try and check his show live or online. I think he plays some really good music.

Who do you think is the worst DJ at Radio 1?

I couldn’t really say (he laughs).

Are you and Westwood good mates?

Yeah, when I started out doing hip hop I worked with the launch people and with people like Public Enemy. I used to let him come to my radio show and meet some of the acts. We’ve known each other 20 odd years.

Do you listen to his show?

I do a bit but I don’t hear it as much as I used to. We see each other a couple times a year and reminisce. (He says giggling)

What’s your DJ booth like in the Radio 1 studio?

It’s quite nice - it’s got lots of controls and I still haven’t worked out what they all are. It’s a bit of a space aged control panel.

I actually record my stuff for the show at home then bring it in. It is an amazing looking piece of equipment and very different from how myself and Tim started off on pirate radio and a knackered old pair of record decks.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a DJ?

I’d still like to do something with music - maybe something like journalism or working for a record label. It really is a nice thing to do to work with music especially if it’s something your really passionate about.

Have you made your own music before?

I’ve only ever made one track. I’ve done a lot of remixes and when I had my own labels I did a lot of re-editing of tracks. Funnily enough it is something I’m thinking of doing this year.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? And will you be making the transition to radio 2?

Well that would be great. There’s a whole load of musical heritage, longer than the last 15 years, that isn’t really played on the radio.

I’m sure in 10 years there will be a lot of people that have been out clubbing and want to hear those tunes on another radio station, so that would be good - I wouldn’t argue with that.

3 things you think people won’t know about you?

I was on the album Public Enemy’s album (“It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back”).
I was once in Brookside and
I like rollercoasters