Mickey Finn, real name Michael Hearn,
was born in East London on the 3rd December 1966. He went
to Woolwich Polytechnic before getting into trouble for various
offences and spending spells at his majesty's pleasure in
prison. It was during the last of these that he decided to
make something more constructive of himself and was inspired
to learn to DJ.
"I've always liked music and always
used to tape music off of the radio, but I got pissed off
with the DJ talkin' in between records. So when I was twenty-one,
I went and saw Eric B and that just topped it. I really like
wot Eric B was doin' when I saw him, 'cause he just intrigues
me.
"It was that year -1987- that I
first discovered 'Ouse. A friend of mine took me out to a
club in the West End called Future, where Paul Oakenfold and
Nancy Noice was playin', which was one of the first clubs,
next door to Spectrum and I've never looked back since. I
fought it was really good, a different dimension."
"House hit big here, in early 1987.
I mean Colin Faver was playin' 'Ouse since 1986, but it was
put straight down as gay music, so people weren't really into
it. But I fink once the scene started comin' over with Shoom
and Future, a lot more people started acceptin' it, although
it weren't just the 'Ouse-you 'ad a different variety of music
then, but still underground."
"What type
of music do I play
I'd Just label it Dance music really.
I've never like the words Jungle of 'Ardcore, I don't really
use 'em. I just try and play good dance music, and my set
can go right across the board, from breaks with pianos in
or reggae sample in it with deep bass lines, or I could go
for stuff with straight 909 stompin' Kicks, which some people
would say is Techno, but I wouldn't say it's Techno."
"I've never really looked at it
on that side of it - I'm not really that way inclined. I ain't
into grabbing no limelight. I just see it as being up there
playin' music for people, and I enjoy seein'' 'em enjoying
it. I don't really take it no further'n that. Just because
you're a DJ, you ain't a step above anyone else, but some
people seem to fink they are. Some people fink, 'Oh I'm a
DJ and I've got time for who the fuck, I fink I've got time
for'. But that's bullshit-you're no different from a bricklayer.
Just because you stand in front of a crowd of people and entertain
'em, wot's the big fing The only buzz I get is seein' that
wot I'm doin' is making people enjoy 'emselves."
Do you have any
other plans outside of DJing
"Well I'm trying to build a studio
now, but I've never ever come the the decision that I don't
wanna be a DJ. But you get older and you change. Wot I would
like to do is get into writin' film sound tracks and music
for adverts and 'fings like that. But so long as the demand
is 'ere, I'm 'ere."
Which parties
have you most enjoyed DJing at
"It'd have to go between a couple.
I'd say Techno Drome in Scotland for atmosphere and seein'
people doin' wot they wanted to do-like dancin' in the mud
with no shoes on, and seein' trainers wounded at the end of
the gig where people couldn't be bothered to fish 'em out
of the mud.
"Sunrise festival I fought was
one of the best fings I've been to as well, and Livin' Dream
at Hackney I fought was a good gig. The way I look at a good
gig is not just for me, I look at it all round for the people
as well: the sound system, the lighting , the line up, the
way the music went all night and all that. I look at it for
their value for money - whether the people are gettin' ripped
off or not. For a gig to be one of the best gigs I've been
to, I take into consideration the whole fing."
Where did you get
your DJ name
"When I started off doin' this,
I done it 'cause I liked it - I didn't fink about preparing
myself with a name and all that 'cause I didn't know how far
I was gonna go. Well how it all started off was I got the
residency at the Tunnel Club which was on the south side of
the Blackwall Tunnel, and me sister used to run a night down
there. She said 'I'm gonna give you a name, 'cause you ain't
gonna get noticed if you don't give yourself some fing that's
gonna catch peoples minds'. And since she used to take the
piss out of me because I was skinny anyway she called my Micky
Thin, but with an F. I later found out it meant others fings
to do with a drug from years ago. You hear it in old films,
people saying 'I slipped him a Micky Finn', but I never knew
that it had any fing to do with drugs, and if I did I would
have never been involved, but I'm stuck with it now."
Mickey Finn started to release his own material in
collaboration with Gavin King (known as Aphrodite), under
the name Urban Shakedown and released the hit "Some Justice"
with samples from Ce Ce Rogers "Some Day". He has
also had a prolific career as a remixer. He is now involved
with a label call Urban Takeover which he owns with DJ Aphro.
Now in the late nineties Mickey travels the world
and throws down his vibe in countries like Japan, USA, Australia,
Holland, Ibiza, Germany, Finland, Israel and France to name
just a few.
Artist's Web Links
| Old Skool Drum &
Bass Compilations :: Mickey
Finn
