Fire-Dee

Fire-Dee is a 32 year old hailing from West London. His musical journey through Jungle Drum&Bass started because of the pure influence of his older brother. 

His older brother bought his first pair of decks when Fire-Dee was 9 years old but  was never allowed to touch them. When Fire-Dee turned 15 years old he bought his own pair of decks. Since then he progressed through to do a GCSE in music composition and he is known for being a DJ and MC in our music scene.

First off, thanks for the support this year, I see you!

No problem at all it's all my pleasure :)

Did you have a quiet or busy Christmas and how was 2016 for you?

I had a quiet Christmas as my wife is pregnant with our 1st child but unfortunately she suffers from Hyperemesis which is awful and scary but she's much better now. 2016 was an amazing year with so much that happened, 1 with my wife being pregnant  & 2 we've now bought a new house &we're building a small studio room which i'm planning on making many things happen in their musically.  how was your Christmas and 2016?

Wow I had that, so I totally understand I was in hospital! Love to you and your family for real it's awful.

So going back to your childhood, how come you was kept away from your brothers decks? 

They were his decks and i'm 5 years younger than him he never wanted me to touch his expensive equipment in case I damaged it as he spent a lot of his own money to get it all. As he's my older brother I of course agreed with him but I obviously didn't listen :) 

That's so funny... I used to go to house parties and the lads never used to let me so we have something else in common! So tell me... what do you love about jungle drum and bass so much?  

The thing that I love about Jungle Drum and Bass is the fast pace & the rhythm of the drums, snares and high hats all together with of course the amazing heavy thumping basslines just naturally makes me want to dance instantly. Growing up as a child my dad being from the west Indies would play all the Reggae classics and then hearing them being remixed in to jungle & then on to drum and bass just made it even better for me to enjoy. It puts me on a natural high and I've listened to jungle drum and bass religiously from the age of 9.

You had an agent who organised your GCSE course, can you tell us about that?

I can't remember the name of the organisation but they worked with my high school and they would help those who wanted to learn more about music if you had a genuine interest. There was only a hand full of people from my school and other schools in London that would get together in a studio in Elephant & Castle to learn how to produce music. We then moved on to Heatham Studios in Twickenham which only 4 students turned up as the rest dropped out. In the end it was only me in the class and I produced my first ever track (which doesn't sound so great now lol) I had to drop 4 GCSE's in high school to take on this course which i passed successfully.

Your brother was on a pirate, where was that and how did he bring you in?

I'm not entirely sure how my brother got on there but he just knew many people in our area which was South Acton Estate in West London. As I would Mc with him at home he asked the owner of the radio station if he could bring me in and he said yes. i was only 13/14 at the time. I preferred to Dj but again I was only allowed to Mc so grabbed on to the opportunity. I did eventually go on to other stations with my older brother in and around West London where I would Dj back2back with my brother.

So can you tell us about "The Dominion Order" and your link ups there?

I came across 'T.D.O' from being in the Drum&Bass Arena chatrooms and someone posted a link in there asking for people to check it out so I did. It was a live camera internet radio show that was 24/7. after a few times of listening to the Dj's I thoight I really want a piece of this so i messaged the owner in the chatroom if I could come on to play which he asked me for a demo which I recorded on to tape and I drove up to Hertfordshire to drop it off and to meet him in person. After a few days he then got back to me and said he loved my demo and my basic scratching style. he offered me 3 sets a week 2 sets being 6pm-8pm, 8pm-10pm & 1am-3am. I did that for a long while but I had to leave due to travel being to far from London and I was only working part time and I couldn't afford the petrol after a while. I lost all contact with the owner when the station closed a few months after i'd left.

You went to uni in Ealing? I know it well. Tell us about Tube Radio?

I was studying at TVU doing a part time media studies course and myself & friend came to hear about the uni having their own live webcam internet radio station. so we spoke to the people running it and told them we are jungle drum and bass dj's and they took us on without hearing a demo. We did that show twice a week on Tuesdays & Wednesdays 7pm-9pm. We then stopped playing there when my course had finished. 

So what clubs in Leicester, Coventry and London did you hit?

I can't remember them all as I was only 16 then but I managed to get in without ID only because my cousin was the DJ and I would just walk in with him. The club in Leicester & Coventry I honestly didn't take no notice back then as I was just so excited to be in there Mc'ing to jungle drum and bass & a little garage from time to time. The london clubs I remember being Ministry of sound, Tiger Tiger & a few more but again didn't take no notice of the clcub names.

How did things progress to Club Boulevard?

I got introduced to this guy through a college friend who would do a lot of private functions and would sometimes play in clubs around London. He knew that I loved dj'ing but could also Mc and he asked me to Mc and sometimes host his sets in Club Boulevard which I agreed to and we did that for a year on and off. 

You're married now, and your wife is clearly very supportive. Tell us about those comps she entered you in?

Yes I got married in 2012 and my wife Corina is the most supportive person in my life when it comes to my music although she wish it wasn't an expensive talent to have with buying equipment lol. She had seen on Facebook a Dj competition coming soon in Club Cookies&Creams in Dunstable where we now live. She said you have to do a demo and send it in as she really thinks my have great skills as a Dj. So I entered the competition by giving in a demo. Apparently over 50 people entered and only 5 got picked out. They wanted us to play all types of music and not just one genre. I did play different types of music but I was the only one that played jungle drum and bass at the end of my set to end on a high. The crowed had to decide who the winner was by cheering the loudest. I won 1st place and got my gift of the Pioneer XDJ R1.

You have had residencies at A.I.M?

I saw a signage on top of a door on Dunstable high street saying Dj's wanted for radio. I went to speak to the owners and they gave me my own 2 hour show once a week which was at different times as I worked shift work. I decided to drop out from the station after roughly 6 months as the down fall was I had to bring my own decks and mixer as they never had this equipment at the time.

You love radio... what is it that you love so much?

I do love radio!! I just love the fact that I have listeners from all around the world logging in to listen to my shows and that they can see me on cam is a bonus for me as I do tend to jump around a lot and don't care who's watching ?? The support from complete strangers to family and friends showing all this love all because of my passion for Dj'ing and Mc'ing and they enjoy the entertainment I bring to the table. I love engaging with the supporters/listeners as it makes it more personal for them.

So are you more of a DJ or more of an MC these days?

So I see myself as more of a DJ but I love to MC as well but I don't ever write lyrics. I'm more of a crowed hype Mc rather than more of a bars type Mc. I love the fast pace of double time lyrics and bringing that reggae vibe from time to time as my West Indian accent comes from my dad. Shockin-B was definitely a huge inspiration as he does both and I enjoy both.

So your bucket list moment is?

My bucket list moment is to one day perform with all the Dj's & Mc's I grew up listening too. My wife knows how much I enjoy listening to Evil-B and she hired him out for my surprise 30th birthday which I had no idea about until he walked through the door and I was dj'ing whilst he was on the mic. My wife told Evil-B that I could also Mc so he wanted to hear me. He was very shocked by it and decided to Mc with me whilst still Dj'ing. 

If I gave you £500 to spend on music equipment what would you buy and why?

I would definitely spend it on studio monitors to help me with producing my music as I really want to take this to the next level which should then hopefully help me break in to the scene from artists supporting my tracks.

What are your top 5 tracks at the moment?

1. Modified Motion & Faction - Wood Pecker

2.Supreme Being - Popeye

3.Majistrate & Voltage - Big Time

4.Serial Killaz - Jungle Came First

5.Heist & Turno - Information

Who do you see breaking through that has some raw talent right now?

 Ceph is producing some amazing tracks. His production skills are amazing which I think he has his own style that's different to others. 

What's up next for 2017?

2017 my home studio will be ready soon and i'm going to get back in to producing music again and want to use my own vocals on my tracks. I have ideas that I want to try out as I don't think anyone has done before but it will take me a while to get it all together. I'll also have my decks set up which i'd like to commit to a weekly show via Facebook live. I need to get my own logo down which i'm on hunt for. I want the world to know who I am which is thanks to my passion for our music.

Any shouts and thanks?

I would love to give a shout out & a thanks to my family & friends who have supported me from day 1 my Mum Manjit, Dad Fazil, Brother Bobby, Sister Faliesha, Uncle Keith, In-laws Amina & Charles, Neice Zarah, Nephew Jamil, Friends Rawa & Amjad(RIP) and my beautiful wife Corina who has made so many things happen for me in my musical journey and continuous to support me 24/7

All the best for 2017 and beyond!

Interview by Missrepresent