Rattus Rattus - Urban Nerd

Rattus Rattu,s a rising star in the underground DJ scene and an Urban Nerd Selector has done an exclusive mix for Pulse, check it out below. Starting out as a Hip Hop DJ he plays everything from UK garage to Jungle. Rattus Rattus plays this Saturday at the Urban Nerds Carnival Warm Up which you can buy tickets for here. 

What’s the story behind the name ‘Rattus Rattus’? A Rat pissed on me once he was such a gent I thought I'd name myself after him.

If you had to give one reason why you started as a DJ what would it be? When I started you couldn't get most underground music on CD or tape it was only Vinyl, so at the time if you loved music you became a DJ.

What’s been your favourite set over the last 12 months and why? It's always hard to pin point a best set, but soley on crowd reaction it'd have to be Lounge On The Farm. The dance tent was absolutely rammed and the crowd were up for anything I was able to play some real underground bangers as well as throw in some cheeky classics, everything went off it was a great atmosphere.

You’re playing the Urban Nerds Carnival Special but which do you prefer – festival or club gigs?  They are both so different so I can't pick I tailor my sets very differently for both I play a much more commercial set at festivals as it's all about creating a great vibe for the people there while at clubs I can push newer sounds and producers a lot more. If I had to pick I guess just for that freedom it would be club sets (but not by much).

You’re known for dishing out some outrageous mash-ups, was this always a conscious choice for your sets or did it just come naturally? At the time I started doing them there was not a lot of DJ's pushing mixes of straight pop or indie with Grime and Dustep, so it was a way of putting in a different twist to my sets. But it's not something I force into my sets if it works it works.

What can we expect from your Pulse mix, then? Any exclusives? It's a mixture some unreleased, untitled stuff next to some more classic things from the year. All bass heavy and with a strong garage edge from some wicked producers. It's been tailored for IC3 to spit over so it's less vocal than what I've been playing out lately.

You’re an Urban Nerds selector, so what is it that makes an act right for Nerds parties? A great DJ first and foremost they have to know how to work a crowd otherwise it's not a party!

How did you get involved with Urban Nerds? I met the guys when they were organising the first night they loved the fact I mixed everything from Indie to grime and everything in between, it fit perfectly with what they wanted the night to be about.

Describe your DJ style. Has it changed much since you started? What inspires the changes? My style has always been fast paced due to starting off playing Hip-Hop but in terms of musically it changes all the time to keep up with what I love and what i think people want or should hear. It's all about evolving with music and club culture. I'd get bored otherwise.

If you could go b2b with one DJ who’s around at the minute, who would it be? Roland Rat he's supposed to be wicked!

Listen to Rattus Rattus on Pulse Radio.