BIOGRAPHY
Growing up in South London in the late eighties left DJ Q45 with lasting and impressionable memories of Hip Hop and electronic music’s arrival. There were the breakers in the street, laying down the lino and cranking up the ghetto blaster. There were the early ravers returning home when young Q45 was getting up to go to school or football matches. In 1987, aged 10, he bought his first record – “The Show” by Doug E Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew – A seminal Hip-Hop record which, occasionally, he still plays to this day.
It wasn’t until his move to Sydney Australia 17 years ago that DJ Q45 took up DJing. Inspired by early raves in Sydney and his love of Hip-Hop, it seemed a logical progression. Yes indeed, initially the young DJ mixed Hip Hop but also those early rave tunes that get remixed every now and then. This refusal to side with either ‘rave’ or Hip Hop lead him to Drum and Bass in 1994 and this is where Q45 got his first gigs- including supporting the first Drum and Bass international in Sydney, DJ Rap, in 1995. Apart Drum and Bass, Q45 also played Trip Hop and Hip-Hop through out Sydney bars and clubs at this time, never wanting to be pigeon holed into a “scene”. Over the years DJ Q45’s love of hip-hop and the more electronic styles has led him towards house, electro, and breaks as we know it today.
Over the last ten years DJ Q45 has also been busy promoting his own nights that always have an emphasis on eclecticism. In 1995, DJ Q45 and fellow friends / DJ’s Ritual, Kid Kenobi and Goodwill setup Green & Jazzy, one of the first nights to push breakbeat in Sydney, whilst still keeping up a strong tradition of playing Hip Hop, House and other styles. Following on from this he was involved he promoting “3rd Bass”, “Grand Theft Audio”, “Blueprint”, “Kush” and the one off “Bootleg” parties.
Q45 has also been busy producing. Recently he’s been one half of the post-nu-rave-punk jam that is ‘Q45 & Amy B’. A collaboration of Q45’s most excellent experience and Amy B’s enviable vocal talents, spawning ARIA club chart top 50’s such as ’Delete My Number’ and ‘Naughty’. He has also remixed a wide variety of artists including JDS, Elroy & Piper, Childern Collide, and Turin Brakes.
Essentially, Q45’s sets draw on his past influences, he likes to show the links, build bridges, between different genres. His sets encompass Electro, Baltimore, Breaks, House, Dub, Drum & Bass, Reggae, and his own Bootleg creations. As he says, “its one thing to be eclectic, but the hard part is to be able to mix different styles together so that it flows – that’s where I come in”.
