A.M.C: “Sometimes The Best Mixes Are The Ones That Spring Into Your Head Suddenly” [Interview]

After a huge win at last night’s annual Drum&Bass Awards, A.M.C finally took home the coveted best DJ award, beating Andy C for the first time since its inception. And not only that, but his Energy LP from earlier this year also earned him a Top 3 in the Best Album category, a testament to his insane work ethic over the past year. 

Between tearing up the decks and producing dancefloor weapons of his own, A.M.C also runs Titan Records as well as hosts a club night at London’s legendary fabric nightclub with his aptly named Energy series. With over a decade of contributions to just about every corner of the scene, A.M.C’s win certainly feels overdue. After such a historic breakthrough, we decided to have a chat with the man, the myth, the legend that is A.M.C about his win. 

Hey mate, great to have you with us today! First off, congrats on last night’s win – how does it feel to hold the title of Best DJ?

Thank you! Honestly I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, I’m still totally shocked. I can’t thank everyone who voted for me enough, it’s… it’s crazy.

You’ve taken the title off the executioner himself, Andy C – is there any rivalry there?

Haha! Nah there’s not. Although we don’t see each other on the road very often as we tend not to be on the same lineups, we still have a chat and catch up every time we do. The only rivalry would probably be between the footy teams we support.

How old were you when you first learned to DJ?

I was 13 when I got my first pair of decks and learned to mix.

What was the most frustrating thing about it?

Nothing really, it was incredibly fun, I think I was instantly addicted.

And what has been the most rewarding?

Traveling the world playing the music I love to the most amazing people.

What bit of kit did you start out with anyways?

I can’t remember the name of the company but they were semi-automatic direct turntables that my friend and I found on the street after someone had thrown them out. A few months later I had some Numark belt drives of my own and then about a year or two later upgraded to 1210’s.

When it comes to producing, do you find it’s more or less challenging than mixing?

Producing is insanely more challenging to me than mixing! The wave of emotions I go through when I’m making music is like a rollercoaster. Writers block is horrid and when something isn’t quite right and you don’t know what it is I can spend days trying to fix it.

Mixing however is just so much fun. It’s easier to express your self musically when you have all these amazing tracks at your fingertips.

Do you prefer one over the other?

100%. If the music industry as a whole wasn’t so geared towards artists having to produce to be able to DJ out in clubs and festivals, then I’d happily be a DJ and leave the producing to others. Like it used to be years ago.

So, who’s YOUR favorite DJ?

Jazzy Jeff. The guy just knows how to manipulate a crowd and take them on an amazing journey. He’s also ridiculously talented behind the ones and twos.

And what’s the best live act you’ve seen outside of drum & bass?

There are a few, Wu-Tang Clan at Brixton Academy, Oasis at the MK Bowl, Pat Martino at Ronnie Scott’s and Rezz at EDC in Vegas this year.

What advice would you give to aspiring DJs at home?

Don’t be constrained by the programs out there that give you all this information about a track these days. Sometimes the best mixes are the ones that spring into your head suddenly but have no musical correlation at all.

Is there a right or wrong way to mix?

Hell no! Doesn’t even matter if people don’t like it to begin with. As long as you’re enjoying it to the max that’s all that matters.

And finally, what’s your ultimate guilty pleasure that you’d never put in a mix but jam to when no one’s watching?

Well it would have been The Bucketheads – The Bomb (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind) but I already thought sod it and played it at Rampage years ago haha!

Thanks so much for your time and congrats again!

Cheers!