MARCH 16TH, 2022

It Shouldn’t Happen to a DJ!

Ah, the life of a DJ – all glitz, glamour, cool clubs, adoring crowds and epic dancefloor moments, right? Well… not always. DJing is a dream profession, for sure, but it’s not without its hazards. Sometimes, DJ sets go pear-shaped at the worst possible moment and in the craziest of ways. Here, some of our Ibiza Global Radio UAE family share their DJ disasters. Remember kids, it shouldn’t happen to a DJ!

Xavi Emparan

It shouldn’t happen to a DJ: I was DJing in the dungeon of a castle and my set was being broadcast live as part of the International Radio Festival, in Zurich. All the radio stations were connected together, broadcasting simultaneously worldwide. Suddenly, one of the listeners, who’d been on the dancefloor, jumped into the DJ booth to say “hi” and to give me a hug. He accidentally stumbled and the drink he was carrying spilt all over the mixer. There was a lot of liquid, all dripping down inside the mixer, inside the fader, everywhere. I started flipping out. At first the sound kept going as normal. But suddenly the mixer started to make an awful noise – like a fizzing sound. The dancefloor went crazy thinking it was a new effect! But then the music stopped, the broadcast stopped – it was crazy. We had to play some back-up music and change the mixer really quickly. One of those heart-stopping moments!

Catch Xavi DJing at the Ibiza Global Radio UAE Beach Festival, on Saturday 19^th March. And tune into his Day Break show, weekdays on 95.3FM.

Jon Besant

It shouldn’t happen to a DJ: It was my birthday. I was DJing at 2 Risqué in Manchester. The club was packed; all my friends were there. I’d gone out for dinner before my set and was a bit liberal with the birthday beverages. I never normally drink. By the time I turned up at the club I was, let’s say, well-oiled. So well-oiled that I played the same record three times within half an hour. It’s the only time in my life I’ve been kicked out of a DJ booth.”

Looking for the perfect pick-me-up to boost your weekend? Look no further than Jon’s Live For The Weekend show, every Saturday at 11am, on Ibiza Global Radio UAE. Tune in for a platter of vocal house and old school classics, nu disco and floor-filling anthems.

Fizzo & Jay

Fizzo (Fizzo & Jay)

It shouldn’t happen to a DJ: During the height of Covid, with clubs and nightlife closed, lots of DJs video recorded sets for social media as a way of staying relevant. We were asked to play on a ship that looked like something straight out of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. It was very strange but a great opportunity to record a set. We were sailing around, recording the set, with cameras all nicely set up and everything. About 40 minutes into our set, some genius unplugged the main power to all the DJ equipment. We had to start all over again. It turned out to be a long night.

Jay (Fizzo & Jay)

It shouldn’t happen to a DJ: A friend asked us to DJ at their art instillation in Dubai Mall and we agreed. We were playing on a raised stage in the Fashion Avenue and a crowd started to gather. A little kid seemed very interested in what we were doing but was very shy. So I went over and helped him onto the stage to come and have a closer look – just to make his day. It’s the worst decision I’ve ever made. The public thought this was an invitation for all of them to join us on stage. An intense amount of people swarmed all around us – jumping, partying, pulling things, touching the decks and taking the headphones from us! Fizzo tried to hold onto the decks and table to keep the music going, while I tried to push people back. The security couldn’t handle the situation either. They told us to cut the music, stop the whole thing all together and run backstage. We laugh about it now but it wasn’t the most comfortable situation in the moment. We might have some kind of PTSD from it, as we don’t fully trust people being in the DJ booth with us most of the time.

Fizzo & Jay will also be dropping dope beats at Ibiza Global Radio UAE Beach Festival. Catch their Fabrikated Junk show, every Wednesday, at 8pm.

Clint Maximus

It shouldn’t happen to a DJ: I was MCing in a club in Beirut. Sander Kleinenberg was headlining. I was backstage chilling out when I was asked to introduce Sander. I was having problems with the crown of my tooth at the time; an abscess was developing and I was in a lot of pain. Anyway, the crown kept slipping off, so I pushed it in, jumped on stage and gave Sander a hug because I know him pretty well. Switching on the mic, I said, “Welcome to Strange Fruit…” When I said ‘fruit’ my tooth flew out of my mouth and went flying onto the turntables. Sander had no clue what it was so he flicked it and it went soaring off into the crowd. Me and the security guys searched for ages trying to find it. I ended up with a stump of a tooth, my abscess developed and I had to have surgery to get it drained before my new crown was fitted. All because of a club called Strange Fruit.

Hear Clint’s slick tune selection when he DJs at the Ibiza Global Radio UAE Beach Festival and slip into weekday evenings with his Sunset Sessions, from 4pm – 8pm, on 95.3FM.