Sydney’s Simon Caldwell rates as one of this country’s finest DJs. He commands a cult following in Sydney and Melbourne and has been known to upstage international guests.
Indeed, Caldwell’s gift lies in his ability to mix in anything from ol’ skool funk to electro and techno to deep house, making for stunningly diverse sets. “I think a DJ is part of an environment; they are in control of the sounds in a room and, therefore, they have a great effect on the mood of those in the room. It’s a DJ’s job to read that environment and then manipulate it. So what I have in my box depends totally on where I am as well as how I feel. I think you have to go with your personal feelings about what to play, rather than try to double-guess a crowd who, hopefully, have come to hear something new or different. I have gigs at venues ranging from pubs to bars to small and large clubs, so my box is constantly being emptied and refilled, leading to a messy record room!”
Caldwell started DJing on independent radio in the early 90s and gradually moved into the club circuit. Over the years he has been booked to play some of Sydney’s biggest parties and has even attracted the attention of interstate promoters – all the more so after putting his name to DJ Excursions Vol 5 on DanceNet. In 1998 Simon headed overseas and landed gigs in Barcelona and Berlin.
The names Simon Caldwell and Ken Cloud are routinely linked; partly because the two DJs shared the bill for the DJ Excursions compilation. The pair enjoy a healthy rapport and often play together. “I’ve known Ken since I worked at Reachin’ Records and, while we are very different individuals, we respect each other’s abilities and complement one another musically. Ken is the smoothest mixer you’ll hear, while I tend to be more eclectic and sometimes more brutal with my mixing. We like similar records, but I don’t think you’d mistake one of us for the other. Of course, Ken’s charming personality, rugged good looks and patented dancing style make it a pleasure to be around him!”
These days Caldwell DJs nationally on a regular basis – spinning in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth and, just lately, even Hobart. “It’s always challenging to play to a new crowd, and crowds in places like Adelaide and Perth are great – very unpretentious and fun to play for because they are open to eclectic music. It’s great to have someone say to you after a set that they had never heard music like that before.”
Back in Sydney Simon continues to host a radio show. He also runs an underground club called The Deep End every Sunday, and is a member of the Mad Racket crew, who have toured Herbert and Tom Middleton. The next obvious move for Simon is to venture into production and he has in fact made modest forays into this area. “I’ve done some collaborations with people, helped on a few remixes, but nothing on my own that I’d release. I’m still playing around at this stage, but it’s something I’d like to try my hand at more seriously in the future.”
Simon Caldwell takes on the famous five hour challenge at Honkytonks in Melbourne this Friday. Doors open at 10 pm. The cost is just $5!
