DJ Mickey Finn
Mickey Finn, the slim destroyer, has definitely made
his mark on the raving masses since his debut in 1988 at the Tunnel
Club in Greenwich. Now recognised as one of the best in the land, we
caught up with the man called Mickey at his South East London home
to find out more about him.
Is Mickey Finn your real name?
No, my real name is Mickey Hearn.
How did you get the name Finn?
Well I’ve never really been into limelight grabbing and I was happy
with my real name, but my sister was dead set on giving me a DJ
name. So, she always took the piss out of me by calling me skinny,
so she decided to call me thin, Mickey Finn.
How old are you?
I’m 26.
What influenced you to become a DJ?
Eric B. I went to see LL Cool J, Eric B and a few others, when I saw
Eric B I was fascinated by what he was doing on the decks and this
gave me a the desire to get into DJ’ing.
How long did it take to get your first break at DJing down at the
Tunnel Club?
About 4 months after I bought my first decks and mixer. It was
quick, but I think if someone’s dedicated to something they can
learn it quickly. Also I had an advantage because I liked music and
I understand it, which made it easier to mix.
Understanding music, do you have a desire to play any other types of
music?
Yeah, like the other week when I was down at AWOL in Islington on a
Saturday night and I said to the promoters that I wanted to play in
the garage room after my hardcore, but they said no because they
didn’t think I could play that type of music. At the end of the day
what’s garage now was being played years, but it wasn’t called
garage then. I like and buy garage stuff but I don’t play that out
anywhere now.
What other types of music do you like then?
I like a wide variety of music. For example Marvin Gaye, Floyd,
Reggae, Lovers Rock plus lots more.
What do you do other than DJ and do you have any hobbies?
Well there’s no relaxing. If I am not DJing I like to get down to my
record shop in Gravesend, Bitting Back Records. I don’t really have
any hobbies, but I love watching television and videos.
What’s your favourite TV programme?
For Australian stuff it has to be Cell Block H and Lizzie the
Tortoise. I also like Beadles About, but the best thing on at the
moment has to be Absolutely Fabulous with Jennifer Saunders and
Joanna Lumley.
Why do you think you have been successful as a DJ?
I’ve never really thought about it. I don’t think about things like
that. I never think oh look where I am. As far as I’m concerned I am
a normal person who plays records to people. I get great enjoyment
out of seeing people buzz to what I am doing. I’ve put in a lot of
hard work and it’s Birmingham and the Midlands that I owe my success
to. Respect to the Midlands.
How many records have you made?
Believe it or not, I’ve only actually made one record and all the
rest have been remixes. The only record I made was 2 years ago
called ‘She’s Breakin Up’. This was released with an American
company and came over here as an import, which does quite well. I’ve
done around 12 to 13 remixes.
Do people approach you to do remixes?
Yes, I think the one that got me on the remix tip was when I went
and worked with Urban Shakedown on the Some Justice Track, then
after that the work started rolling in.
Have you got any records planned?
Yes, me and an excellent up and comin DJ Darren J are going to put a
tune together before Xmas on white label. We have loads of ideas.
What about remixes, have any of these planned?
I’ve just done a remix of Pennywise.
Do you think rave music has progressed well and what do you think of
the music being put out at the moment?
The Euro stuff, it didn’t seem to progress. There was some good Euro
tunes coming out, but if it doesn’t progress then it becomes to
sound all the same. Me personally, I like the music at the moment
because firstly, I like the saxon element which is coming out now.
Also I like breakbeats and deep base. It’s all thrown together and
it’s fast, I like all this in a tune. I am very happy with the way
it’s progressed in this country with people trying different things.
You can never say where the music is going next, like 2 years ago
nobody would have said that everybody was going to be playing
breakbeats with raga samples and heavy basslines.
How do you feel the ravescene is going at the moment?
I wouldn’t say the scene is struggling over all. For example,
Vision, there was between 30,000 to 40,000 people there. For all the
people that are getting bored with it, you’ve got loads of new
people joining it who’ve never been before who experience it and
love it.
What DJ’s do you think are doing it at the moment?
It has to be Groove Rider and Fabio mostly because they’ve always
played their individual styles of music and the way they play it.
Saying that, no one can touch Carl Cox technically, his in a class
all by himself.
Do you do planned sets at all?
No never. You can never tell what mood the club is going to be in. I
take out around 150 records and I love playing to what the crowd
want.
Where’s the best event you’ve ever played at?
Most probably the Technodrome in Scotland where it was amazing. You
could see 20 to 22 thousand people in a mass under one roof.
Everything was brilliant, including the sound and lighting. In
London AWOL at Paradise on Saturdays has to be the best club.
Have you ever played abroad?
Yes, I’ve been to many places over the last few years including
Japan, Magaluf, France and Switzerland.
Do you have any plans to go abroad again?
Well, I was asked to play down in Australia on New Years’s Eve, but
I turned it down because I wanted to be with the English ravers.
Next year I may be going to Germany, but we will have to wait and
see about that.
What advice do you have for up and comin DJ’s?
You shouldn’t go out and copy peoples styles because you don’t get
the justice you deserve. You’ve got to have your own style to be
recognised. Like all the people that are there at the moment all
have individual styles which is good. Also you’ve got to keep at it
and keep going.
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