DJs don’t have lives. At least that’s the perception and it’s what we’ve come to think of as true. For us, whenever they’re not throwing down some dancefloor fillers at 2am in a far away club DJs are in a car or, if they’re lucky, on a plane on the way to their next gig. And if they’re not doing either of those they’re likely hunched over a set of turntables, practicing new mixes and immersing themselves in the new big tracks that they’ll be spinning next. After all, they’re DJs. That’s what they do, right?

Not so much. As it turns out, DJs do indeed have lives to lead, something US deck expert Felix Da Housecat is quick to assert when our interview phone lines at last connect. As much a dedicated family man as he is a globetrotting party starter, the man known to his family as Felix Stallings Jr is spending some much needed time at home, relishing the opportunity to be with his wife and daughter before the clubs call him back to the road.

“I’m just chilling at home here with my wife and daughter,” he says when answering the phone call. “I’m just back from some shows over the weekend and it’s like a ritual for me to play some Fight Night 4 when I get back. That’s like my cigarette. It’s how I get a little release,” he says before deferring to his wife as to where he’s playing next week. “This is a short break at home because then I’m off to Columbia to play at Sensation White. I gotta remember to pack a nice white outfit for that one.”

Following his touring commitments in the northern hemisphere, Felix will then jet down to Australia where he’ll take his spot on the big winter festivals Winter Sound System and We Love Sounds.

“It sounds like it’s going to be big, man,” he says enthusiastically about the festival. “There’s Aoki and there’s Tiga, all these cool dudes. It’s got here so quickly, but I think I’m ready for it.”

As well being the ‘cat’s first trip back to Australian turf since 2008, Felix talks excitedly about his off-duty plans for the visit, explaining that when he’s not smashing out festival tunes he will be polishing off a new album in a local studio.

“I’m going to work on it on my time off,” he says. “I was doing the Maddkatt Courtship album when I was there in, like, 2004 and I really caught up and almost finished while I was there. So this time I’m going to work with Klaus ‘Heavyweight’ Hill, not that I’m bragging about it or anything,” he says wryly. “The thing is, Australia’s just this really good place to vibe out in when you’re making music, so I’m feeling pretty pumped about this trip.”

Having spent his life living in music studios and nightclubs – Felix’s career dates back to the late ‘80s where he cut his teeth on Chicago’s house scene – Felix has had the opportunity to work with numerous high profile artists over the years, including Bad Boy rap mogul Diddy, whom Felix still speaks fondly of.

“What makes Puff so cool is that he’s funny, and people don’t get that about him. I think he is though. You see, he’s funny, when doesn’t have to be funny. It’s hard to explain, sorry” he says, apologising for his vagueness. “People who don’t know him will probably find him really intimidating because, y’know, he’s been there with Biggie, he had J-Lo with her big ass, he’s seen it all. And when I got in the room with him, all I could think was ‘woah, I can’t believe that I’m sitting here with the dude who fucked J-Lo!’. And everyone has that sort of thing with him at first, but then you find out he’s just a really cool, fun dude. And I really respect him, he’s great to work with because he’ll push you. Even when he likes something that you’ve done, he won’t tell you that he likes it because he thinks he can something even better out of you. That’s Puff to me.”

Coincidentally enough, some of the outtake sessions from Felix and Diddy’s sessions together made their way onto German club icon DJ Hell’s 2009 album, Teufelswerk, apparently without Felix’s permission. The track on Hell’s album, The DJ ft. Diddy, caused a rift between the two DJs, with Felix taking to Twitter to voice his distaste towards Hell, calling the German DJ a “dick” online. Despite the bad blood that swelled following the altercation, Felix was pleased to reveal that the pair had patched up their differences at this year’s Winter Music Conference in Miami.

“We actually patched things up in Miami,” Felix said of his reconciliation with Hell. “It was so crazy, I had gone back to my hotel after a show and I ran into Hell in the elevator. I was like ‘woah, no way’. We squashed it though, and things are better between us now. I’m glad because we were good friends you know? We were cool. I accused him of stealing my material that I made with Puff and I called him a dick on Twitter, so I was glad to talk it out and just cut out the negativity.”

The incident has clearly weighed on the nearly unshakably jovial ‘Housecat, with Felix saying he’s since curbed his habit of posting ranting messages on his Twitter account, explaining that he’s “slowing down” his online output.

“It got to the point where I was doing these drunk, mescal tweets and talking crazy shit,” Felix explains. “It was just getting ridiculous so I had to slow down. My daughter and her friends are on there, man. I don’t want my daughter to see her daddy acting like a fool on the internet, that’s not cool,” he says before wrapping up the interview and resuming play with his family at home.

Felix da Housecat hits the Winter Sound System and We Love Sounds circuit this weekend.