This month’s DJ of the month is from one of our favourite places, where you might find your ultimate Daddy! DJ CHRIS TODD, is behind the decks every month at DILF London and DILF Brighton — here are some of his favourite tunes
Tell us a bit about your DJ journey so far
Like a lot of people, I kinda fell into it by accident. I was working in the dance section of a record shop in Leeds in the mid-90s and had exposure to a lot of local DJs. At the same time I got into music journalism and over the next few years started running club listing sections for publications like iD Magazine, The Big Issue and Muzik, so I was going out a lot and being wowed by the like of Carl Cox, Goldie, and Tony de Vit— or not being wowed at all by others! It was the latter that got me thinking maybe I could give it a go.
I moved to London in 97 and a flatmate had just bought a pair of decks, which I learnt to mix on. I soon bagged a five-year residency at the now-legendary hard house club Frantic and got to play all the big venues in the UK and travel to places like Cape Town, Sydney, and Ibiza. I’m currently theresident DJ at DILF London and DILF Brighton, and also regularly guest DJat DILF’s other events across the UK and Gran Canaria.
What’s a song that sums up DILF?
Vocals, piano lines, dirty basslines, and big euphoric riffs get the biggest reaction, so the Soulwax reboot of Sylvester and Patrick Cowley’s ‘Mighty Real’ hits the spot every time.
Give us a record you’ve fallen in love with from the past year
For the club, David Penn and OFFAIAH’s ‘Satisfied’ has been dropped in most of my sets since its release. The throbbing bassline, cheeky hook, and Italo piano riff is a total weapon. My fave non-club record is the ‘Woof’ album by Fat Dog, which is an intense punk rave up, total anarchic chaos and a glorious mess.
And what’s an oldie that never fails to please?
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been asked “Have you brought I Feel Love?” over the years — the answer is always yes and I never need much nudging to play it.
Which artist do you turn to when a dance floor needs bringing to life?
CASSIMM has been on fire the past few years, one of the best house producers right now and always sounds brilliant on a big system. If I see his name, I just buy it, same with Claptone. Keep Me in the Light has a bunch of great mixes of old school tunes on his Bandcamp that really get people going, I like most things on Cormac’s Polari Label, and anything by Maceo Plex is good if the floor needs some techno heat. I also feel no shame in dropping a cheesy Italo disco banger from ‘85 if the time is right.
When can we catch you DJing in the upcoming weeks?
I’m at DILF Brighton on 24th May and 28th June, and DILF London on 14th June and 12th July. I’ve also got DILF Brighton, DILF Leeds and DILF Manchester Pride events coming up later in the year!
USE CODE “DILF10” TO GET 10% OFF TICKETS!
