Interview: In Bed With Space' Smokin Jo Lawler

In Bed With Space returns at Sankeys, Manchester.


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Interview with Smokin 'Jo'


I always like to start off an interview with a fun question, so this time I think we'll go for one relating to international hits. If you could pull a one off "hit" (as in a murder) on a politician or famous statesperson with absolutely no fear of reprisals… Who would you "hit"?

No-one, sorry but I don't believe in killing people, what a strange question.

You obviously get asked this question all the time, so it's hopefully one you'll have a pretty good answer for, obviously DJing is mainly a male profession so what did you have to do differently in the early days of your career to stand out against male DJs?

Yes I have been asked this a million times... yawn... ha ha... to be honest I didn't have to do anything differently; I just did what I loved doing and made sure I did it well. I guess I stood out because they were not many female dj's back then and the guys expected me to be shit and I wasn't so they took notice I guess. I would say it would be harder to stand out now as there are so many women behind the decks. I just don't know what the big deal is anyway you don't need a dick to dj!

You're a very good looking woman; you have a distinctive style and a beautiful smile. Who would I have to be to stand a chance of getting a date with you out on a midweek night, and how good would I have to be to stand a change of getting a kiss on the way home?

Thanks for the compliments but I have a boyfriend so I would not be going on a date with anyone I'm afraid.

Club Nude is the follow up to Nasty Dirty Sex Music, a night very popular with DSI’ers and clubbers, and we've read in an interview that you'd like it to be an "anything goes" kinda night… What kind of "anything goes" behaviour would you yourself most like to get involved in?

Anything goes means anything goes; wear what you want, do what you want, we encourage all types of people to come to our parties and express themselves in whatever way they choose. Some do come naked actually, naked guy has been to a few of our parties but also very flamboyantly dressed people too, our performers are the ones usually to crazy.

Again, with regards to your music you seem to play genres of music that some dance music fans have felt have fragmented the scene, such as deep house and the dirtier techno strains. What would you say to people who argue that too much fragmentation is ruining dance music?

I would say they are talking utter rubbish, deep house and techno were the first forms of "house" music anyway so how can that fragement the scene, I would say the need for some people to label music is where the confusion lies.

How did it feel to be the only female DJ to win DJ Magazine's DJ of the year award, and do you feel that the competition has now become meaningless with the internet orchestrated vote rigging and other scandals that seems to surround the competition?

It felt really good and a bit unreal at the time, I had only been dj-ing for 1 and half years so to win was amazing. The way the awards are organised now has changed it alot as you say, it is more like who can get all their mates to vote competition. I feel it is unrealistic to call it the Top Dj, as in who is the best, it should be the Most Popular Dj as usually alot of the best dj's are very low down or not even it in at all, trance dj's will always place higher as generally they play to bigger crowds and our more mainstream… maybe they should spilt the awards and have an underground scene award as well.

Do you think the internet has become an important part of dance music promotions? I can see you have a myspace profile for both yourself and club nude. I see you have an account for yourself on Dontstayin.com but it's not really been used that much. What do you think of the website, and what power do you think it can give to the dance music scene?

Yes it has and it's a great tool for reaching out to as many people as possible and a way to connect with clubbers. For Dj's and labels it has been and excellent way to get music quickly and cheaply and for promoters a easy paper free way to promote their nights. I love myspace as it's so easy to update and keep people aware of what you are doing. I can see what other people are up to and it's also fun as well. I was on DSI for a while but as we slowed down on our events I have not gone on as much as I used to. DSI is a great place for clubbers though, I think it's the way forward, it also give clubbers a voice.

Many people have said that the clubbing scene has progressed from an "us" culture to a "me" culture over the past 15 years with concepts such as peace, unity and respect being traded for more personally fulfilling ideals. What effect do you think this has had on the scene as a whole over that time period?

I am not sure about the whole ‘me’ thing? I think people still gather together to club as one and be around others. I would say drugs like Ketamine has had more of an effect on the scene than anything - the happy dancy vibe has been replaced with a room full of zombies , staggering around instead! It has also changed some of the music to cater for the Ketamine crowd, repetitive bleeps and noises over a beat… actually that kinda describes some of the tunes I play… ha ha… DOH!

You're playing the opening party for Space Ibiza at Sankey's in Manchester in the UK. I understand you've played for clubs in all four corners of the globe, so which club would you most like to play in again, and what kind of set would you play there?

I would like to play at Warung/Made in Brazil again as it is the most spectacular location by the beach and at the edge of the jungle. When the sun rises it comes through the huge glass windows making the place surreal, the crowd are gorgeous and clued up musically. I didn't play my best last time as I was jet lagged, tired form a 2 weeks tour and had food poisoning so I would like to go back and rock it properly with some deep melodic grooves.

In Bed With Space takes place this Sunday - get your hands on tickets at our Sankeys Tickets website.