Radio Frequency

carlos

Way back in 1983 when I was just a small boy in smaller trousers I was into the breakdance scene. My love of music had spanned my whole life and now here was something that felt different, it was a music created for MY GENERATION, but we felt that way over there in the suburbs of New York they were making music just for us. I couldn't dance, but was handy with a spray can and the only one who bought any records, so that got me into a crew. Naturally I attempted to windmill and all the rest of it, but I usually looked like someone having a seizure on a piece of off-cut lino rather than a skilled and cool b-boy. Using one turntable and a tape deck I used to cut and paste sections of tracks together to make mix tapes for the rest of the crew to do their stuff to – this eventually expanded to doing it live with two turntables and my career as a DJ was launched.

I played at a few battles and house parties and then got the chance to DJ on a Saturday afternoon in Leeds City Centre, in a club for 13 to 16 year olds (I still have the tape!). From here on I knew I was destined to spend my days in nightclubs behind the decks making people dance – rather than attempting to do so myself and looking a complete tool in front of them!

In 1988 I visited the Hacienda in Manchester and experienced my first proper club experience on the house scene – it blew me away and it took a while to realise why everyone was so happy and friendly (doh!). This prompted me to buy some proper decks and mixer and try and make my mark on the scene – within a year I had played the Warehouse in Leeds and had met the likes of Nightmares on Wax, LFO, Utah Saints and the majority of the underground music and pirate radio scene in Leeds.

Carl Whitehead - NYE

1991 saw a little pirate radio station in York called Power FM come calling and they asked me if I could do a show for them. I accepted and was soon blasting out the rave sounds to North Yorkshire every Saturday afternoon. Dream FM in Leeds (arguably the most successful pirate radio in British history) was just starting out and they asked if I could do a show for them too. Eventually, after various shows at various times on Dream, I migrated away from Power FM and settled down to the 4-6pm slot on Sunday afternoons where my show (the fantasy xone) stayed for over 3 1/2 years until Dream FM finally ceased broadcasting. During my radio days I played at many clubs throughout Yorkshire, and with some of the biggest named DJs in the world, including Carl Cox, Pete Tong, Danny Rampling, Jeremy Healy, Sasha, Allister Whitehead (no relation), Tony Walker, Lenny Dee, Scott Brown, DJ Seduction and loads of others too.

A highly successful range of mixtapes were on sale all over Yorkshire. With 35 titles in total, they also saw me spread my musical wings into Gabba, Hard Trance, Happy Hardcore and Techno, which led to DJ work under the names of DJ Maniac (Gabba) Eternal Optimist (Hard Trance) and Sir Carl (Techno). I even had the chance to play at one of Berlin's top venues at an after party of the Love Parade in 1999 with DJ Sugarcaine but I foolishly declined the offer – something I regret to this day :(

My debut at the Leeds Gallery was at a Bank Holiday special with Steve Luigi, Richard Simpson, DJ Sy, MC Fox and a live PA from Dream Frequency – what a way to lose my Gallery cherry!!! Shortly after this, Steve Luigi offered me a residency at the club due to the good response I had received from the G crew. Playing at the Gallery was a tough one to do – trying to get through a packed crowd of ravers with two record boxes and a bag on my shoulder, then up a ladder and through a loft hatch into the elevated DJ booth, then coming on and doing a three hour set after one of the top DJ's around!! The Gallery was a great place to play, I have made many good friends through it and still get a tingly sensation whenever I listen back to my old tapes recorded live from there. After the Gallery came the Powerhouse in Mirfield, Planet Earth in Leeds, Warehouse in Doncaster, Diztruxshon in Howden, Nato, Pleasure Rooms, Music Factory and the Corn Exchange in Leeds, Music Factory in Sheffield with Love to be, Wigan Pier and loads of other one-offs and appearances.

carlos

In 2000, after having a couple of years off, the Leeds Love Parade saw me returning back to the decks for a club classics set at one of the many festival after parties. This also saw the launch of a whole new scene in Leeds – Funky House was about to go big style!! Glamourpuss (Sat nights) Kahuna (Saturday after hours) both offered me residencies and along with regular DJ work in various bars on Friday and Saturday nights this saw me working my ass off!! Bar Seine (or Cafe Insane as it was known) wanted to re-launch and re-brand and offered me Friday and Saturday nights doing four hours at a time playing funky house, club classics and whatever else took my fancy – this was a massive success and the bar had to employ four extra bar staff to cope with demand – offering a waitress service to customers outside who couldn't even get in the place (it was summer after all)!

The scene seemed to be getting bigger and better, and with bars opening later more DJ work was available. Sadly this seemed to have had an adverse effect on the clubs, as fewer people were willing to pay to go in them when they can see the same DJs playing the same tunes in a bar for free! So club DJs' wages became lower and bar DJing looked like the way forward – but I decided that after working a 45hr week, then working all Friday night, Saturday day, Saturday night and at after-hours clubs too for the past three years without a holiday or a day off – enough was enough and I called it time. I was losing my love for it (and hair!!) and my health suffered too, resulting in a complete overload and I had to take eight weeks off from doing any kind of work (most of which i slept!!) to recover. After that I limited my DJing in clubs to about four times a year, doing club classics sets at special events and guest appearances etc, which re-energised my love for the whole scene and I realised just how much I loved and missed it ;)

2009 now brings us up to date and I have gone full circle – back on the airwaves with my new radio show on Radio Frequency every Saturday morning, playing club classics and back in the clubs with a new monthly Saturday night residency at Leeds Rio's (Old's Cool, main room, club anthems). Who knows what will happen next – fingers crossed I might make some money this time round!!! :D

peace and love

Carlos x

Carl Whitehead

RADIO - Saturdays 9-11am