ONE WEEK TO LIVE IS A COOL FREE WEEKLY MUSIC MAGAZINE IN LONDON UK...

1. Please could you give us your Top 7 favourite new tunes?

1. DJ END-JY: ‘El Bazar’ [TERMINAL M 049]

2. C. SMITH & J. SELWAY: ‘Work It’ {Deetron Remix} [Tronic 033]

3. C. FISHER & HYBRID PLAYERS: ‘Hit Me’ [Composure 024]

4. KILLA PRODUCTION: ‘Going Back To My Roots’ {Re-Edit} [K.B. Rec 204]

5. C. FISHER & WEHBBA: ‘First Try’ [YYRWS 001]

6. KILLIAN: ‘Overwhelming’ {Valentino Remix} [Cobra 004]

7. DARREN KAY ‘Splintered’ [Dolls Inc 003]

2. If you had one week to live, what would you do with it?

Take out the biggest bank loan I could get & bring all my family & friends off somewhere hot & sunny, spend the days with my parents & the nights with my mates partying & dancing like crazy! I’d try & give them the best week they’ve ever had!

3. Who have been / are your biggest musical influences?

Growing up I loved Rock, since 1999 it’s been Dance Music. Trance music got me hooked. The underground Techno scene kept me going. Dj wise, Jeff Amadeus, Mr.C and Carl Cox have been very inspirational. But most importantly my family & friends!

4. We’ve got a cookery/foodie feature [don’t laugh] and are looking for people who are into it. Danny Rampling is becoming a restauranteur; Jamie Oliver taught Norman Cook to, err, cook; and Pete Tong owns a share in ‘The Spotted Pig’. Do you fit the bill?

I can’t cook to save my life! And I don’t really care either, I’d rather be a Dj! I do make a mean fruit smoothie so maybe I’d be better running a juice bar! Here’s my recipe… get lots of fresh fruit eg. Strawberries, raspberries, apples etc. Don’t forget to take the skin of the kiwi & the bananas, chop them up, throw them in the blender with some fresh orange juice. Put the lid on, give it a whizz & hey presto… one very healthy fruit smoothie! YUM!

ABOUT YOU

Who are you and what do you do?

Hi! My name is Clodagh McCann. I’m Irish but have lived in London for 7 years. I’m a Fitness Instructor by day & a Dj by night, so I’m constantly moving to music & making people jump around & sweat to music!

How did you first get into music?

I’ve always loved to dance. As a kid growing up in Ireland I did Irish Dancing and loved going to the local discos. When I moved to London in 1999 & started going to proper Clubs, Raves & Parties I was really hooked. It was all new to me, dancing all night long to this fantastic ‘Dance Music’ …Trance, House & Techno! I honestly didn’t even know what Techno was until 1999. I lived for the weekends, then in 2001 I saved up & bought decks & taught myself to mix by watching other Djs play. I also started promoting a night called “Spiritualised” with my mates… and the rest is history!

DEEJAYING

How would you describe your DJ style / sound?

High Energy Kick Ass Pumping Music! Mainly House & Techno, good strong powerful tunes, electronic, chunky, full of emotion. I want people to dance like crazy, hands in the air & forget their problems… YEAH!

Did you ever feel like there were advantages or disadvantages to being a female DJ?

Advantages of being a female Dj is that you are different, there’s not many female Djs out there so you stand out and that’s cool. Otherwise I get treated the same as the guys. The most important thing, male or female is to be able to rock the dancefloor & make people happy!

How was it DJing alongside Carl Cox? How did the experience help further you as a DJ?

Carl Cox is my hero & to get to play alongside your hero is so great & especially Carl! He’s a great person, a true music lover, party person, dancer & to me the No.1 DJ! To see how passionate he is & how much he cares about the people who come to see him play was very cool! He’s helped me so much… imagine in the past year since being on tour with Carl I’ve been invited to play all over France, Poland, Bulgaria, Italy, Tunisia, Algeria, Ireland & I’ve just come back from a tour of Brazil!!!

Do you prefer shorter or marathon length sets?

I like both, it depends, in London you always get short sets… eg 1hour, but when I play abroad I’m supposed to play a 2 hour set but regularly play on till 4 or 5 hours! When I get into it there’s no stopping me!

How was playing in Algeria, what’s the dance scene like in North Africa?

I was pretty scared going to Algeria as everyone was telling me to be very careful, but it was really great, no problems. I didn’t even know I was the first female Dj to ever play there until I got to the airport & some one told me! North Africa is still new to House music (I’ll give them another few months before I hit them with Techno hehe!) but seriously the people are great & they are all wicked dancers. My gig in Oran was really special, I played 4 hours & didn’t want to stop, going from very funky vocal house to more electronic stuff to tech house, tribal, latin, club techno… they loved it all.

Can you tell us about your first ever DJ gig?

My first Dj gig was 2 weeks after I bought my first set of decks, me & my friends hired a small soundsystem & threw a house party… I was terrible! But hey, we had a laugh!

What has your DJ career incorporated so far (gigs, productions etc.)?

I’ve been really lucky & achieved a lot in the 5 years I’ve been playing, from winning lots of dj competitions to being on the “Joy of Decks” ITV Dj Programme in 2003 where I got to produce a track with Sister Bliss from Faithless. Carl Cox spotted me on this TV show & therefore I got to go on tour with him in France as his warm up Dj playing to crowds of up to 4,000 people at his amazing Carl Cox & Friends shows, plus I played inbetween Sasha & Carl at the INOX3 Summer Music Festival in Toulouse, then got invited back to play after Tiesto at their first INOX Autumn Festival. I finished my Carl Cox tour at the Cannes Film Festival! Because I play both House & Techno I get to play in such a mixture of venues & crowds in many different countries, eg, from Underground Techno clubs in London & Poland to posh House clubs in Algeria & Tunisia! Big sports halls in Bulgaria to small bars in Ireland! I’ve played wicked parties where there was only 15 people to parties with 4,000 people! I love it all!

How do you see your career progressing in the future?

Production is the next & very important step for me. Nowadays it’s nearly essential to produce to get to the next level. I feel I’m ready now to do this. I also want to play LIVE in the future plus start my own Record Label or Digital Label. I want to keep pushing & challenging myself Dj & music wise. I want to be creative. I want to be the best Dj that I possibly can be & rock dance floors all over the world.

Have you got your finger on the pulse as far as DJ technology is concerned? Do you incorporate CDJs, Ableton Live, Serrato etc. in your sets?

I use both CDJs & Vinyl when I play, even 3 Decks sometimes along with effects. I’m really interested in Ableton Live & will do a course next month. My dream is to play LIVE. It’s important for a Dj to keep challenging themselves & try to be as creative as possible. Then again, at the end of the day as long as the people are dancing does it really matter? Dj Rush just uses Vinyl, Carl Cox just uses CD’s … Both have the energy & rock parties all over the world!

Which DJs / producers do you most admire and why?

I love really energetic, fun & technically daring Dj’s. I love Djs who really feel it & love it & care about rocking the people… eg. Carl Cox, Marky, Valentino Kanzyani, James Zabiela, Mr.C, Chris Liberator & DAVE the Drummer.

What's been your best gig to date and why?

Oh God… Tough Question!!! I can’t decide so I’ll name my top 3, playing in between Sasha & Carl Cox at the INOX3 Music Festival in Toulouse in France, that was amazing, I played my heart out. Then playing in Bulgaria at the huge Invader Techno parties… the Bulgarians are really special, I’ve never seen or felt energy like that before… full on non-stop dancing, screaming, shouting whistling! Amazing! Then when I started playing at my own “Spiritualised” parties in London for my friends, that was so so cool! (and Poland, Algeria, Ireland… !)

OTHER STUFF

What's your view on the demise of vinyl / rise of the CD / download revolution?

I play Cd’s but I’m a vinyl junkie at heart. The future is Cds & Mp3s etc. Sadly vinyl will disappear in the next few years, it’s getting very expensive, lots of distribution companies, pressing plants, record shops are all shutting down going bust. It’s cheaper to buy on line & download mp3’s. Dj wise Cds are so much easier to carry & for example if you are producing you can make a track, burn it onto Cd & play it out that same night, it’s so much easier. The Pioneer CDJ 1,000 decks are very cool & you can do lots of tricks you can’t do with a turntable. Also did you know that Dj’s living in Brazil have to pay a 60% import tax on top of the price the record… so it’s nearly double the price! Nearly £20 a record which in Brazil is crazy expensive! So yes… Cd’s & Mp3’s are the future!

What would you be doing if you weren't deejaying?

I’d definitely be dancing! I’d be the Dancefloor Queen!

What are your interests / hobbies away from music?

I’m a really hyper person, I never chill out, so I like exercise, walking & going to the gym. I also love to travel, I just came back from 3 weeks in Brazil, I had 6 Dj gigs over there but inbetween I travelled all over …alone, with very little Portuguese! It was great!

Have you got a favourite nightspot in London?

It used to be a big warehouse called Tyssen Street in Dalston, a complete dive, but amazing parties! Then it was the Fortress Studios in Old Street, again, nothing posh but amazing parties, unfortunately both of these venues are gone, boo hoo! So I’m searching for a new favourite place!

Where do you get your records from? Have you got a favourite record shop in London?

Yes, Kinetec records on Little Portland street, near Oxford Circus. (www.kinetec.co.uk), I bought my very first record here & have shopped here every week for the last 5 years. The staff are so cool & they really have the best Techno, infact I think it’s the only proper techno shop left!!

What's your DJ philosophy?

Play from your heart, show the people how much you love it. Make every record count & enjoy it. Have fun with the people! Carl Cox told me “play your best kick ass tunes & have fun, because when you have fun, the people will have fun with you!”

Have you got any DJ-related pet hates or idiosyncrasies?

BAD MONITORS!!!!…..GRRRRR …how the hell are you supposed to play when you can’t even hear what you’re doing!??? It’s so unfair & unfortunately London venues are top of my list for bad sound!

What are your views on London - the good and the bad?

I love London, It’s been my home from the past 7 years but it also drives me crazy! It’s good to leave it every so often. London is exciting & there’s always a party to go to, plus there’s every nationality here. The downside is that there’s a lot of moody people here… I guess the bad weather doesn’t help! When in Brazil I was pretty scared when walking the streets of Rio & Sao Paulo so it made me realized how safe London really is.

Do you have a website/gig/release coming up you would like to plug?

YES! My very simple but cool website…. Lots of Music to Download, Top 10’s, Gig Listings, Photos, Tour Diarys, etc. Check out www.djclodagh.com

Thanks One Week to Live! Keep up the good work with your very cool magazine! xx