Where are you from?
I’m originally from Leyton in east London. I’ve been in the Middle East for almost seven years and I’m loving every minute of it.
What sort of music do you play?
I’m a party DJ and have been for ages. I play good old fashioned fun music that you can jump around like a nutter to. I think deep down most people want to have fun, and for me hip-hop/R&B just doesn’t work at Heroes.
What is the guaranteed tune to get the crowd going?
It really depends on the crowd, I have a few songs in my cupboard that are guaranteed to get people jumping. At the moment the one that works is Scissor Sisters’ ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancing’, but you can’t beat the classics like Bob Marley’s ‘Could You Be Loved?’ or The Proclaimers’ ‘500 Miles’.
Where else have you had residencies?
I’ve worked at Rock Bottom and Warbler in Bahrain, Illusions in Abu Dhabi, and for the past four years I’ve been the resident DJ at Heroes (I think I’m the longest serving DJ in one outlet).
Which DJs have inspired you?
To be completely honest I’ve been doing this for over twenty something years, and when I started there was no such thing as superstar DJs. I like DJs who know their crowd and play music accordingly. I have a lot of respect for DJ Justin at PJ O’Reilly’s, Mike Greeves, DJ Chris Smith from Apres/Pasha, Josh Anderson from Radio 2 and DJ Andi Mavis, they are not famous, but they do their job well, and that’s good enough for me.
The last time you got excited about music was…?
Every time I hear a cool new track. It doesn’t matter what genre it is as long as it is funky.
What was the first album you bought?
One Step Beyond by Madness.
What was the last track you downloaded?
I don’t download music, it’s illegal and the iTunes store just doesn’t do it for me. But if you are asking, I just downloaded Mary J Blige’s new album, Growing Pains.
Your favourite producer at the moment is…?
Jerry Bruckheimer. The Rock and Con Air. Classics.
Do you take requests?
Of course I take requests. What DJ worth his salt wouldn’t? Although to be fair I have the memory of a goldfish and have usually forgotten as the person walks away.
Have you got any Spandau Ballet?
Yup, but I’m not telling you which ones.
Where do you go on your night off?
I like Filipino bars. There’s a lot of energy, and the Pinoy crowd really know how to have fun.
The best night to come down to Heroes is…?
Thursday night. We all put on a good show and the crowd really respond. Heroes can hold around 250 people and it’s a buzz when it all falls into place.
What are your DJing career ambitions?
I love to play huge venues, but I’m a bit long in the tooth, so for now I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, and while I have a good following I see no reason to move on. The Crowne Plaza has been very good to me, and it’s great to be a trusted part of the family.
Chunky G plays at Heroes (02 621 0000) at Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi.
