“Hell yeah. I’m gonna smash out some vocals to my bitch’s set, aren’t I Tara?” Shaz bubbles from the back seats, pulling herself forward between me and Baz in the front.
“That you are, babe. If we are going to work for our friendly rivals at Epic Records then the least we can do is put on a proper show and prove that we are worth every penny they pay, and more besides,” I laugh and Shazza hits me with a high five.
“Look, girls, I’m not one to wreck the party but I don’t want a fiasco tonight. Can we please refrain from dancing on the equipment? I know you get caught up in the moment,” Baz nags, his eyes pleading with us to behave tonight. We are known for sometimes getting a tad too hectic during a set. “Please, just keep your feet on the floor and your tits in your tops?”
I punch his shoulder and roll my eyes. “I have never popped my baps out whilst working.”
“That last part was aimed at Shazza,” Baz mumbles and a burst of laughter emits from the back seats which makes me smirk and it seems Baz isn’t immune.
“Come on! I have nice tits! Nobody complained and it was only the once!” Shaz exclaims.
We soon arrive at Sphinx and Baz escorts us past the queue of clubbers waiting to get inside. The line is so long I doubt half of them will get entry before dawn. Baz has a quick word with security on the door before we are escorted through a private door which leads us up a staircase to the upper floor. I’ve played at Sphinx numerous times and know my way around the building pretty well so once we get to the top floor and the double doors open I know exactly where the VIP lounge is situated.
The arena is huge, as big as Xtreem’s resident night club, Wonderlust, but our big rig sound system is slightly better. That said, you can’t take it away from Mark Hardy, Sphinx is definitely one of the places to be seen at the weekend and they host an amazing night. I sit in the elevated VIP box at the back of the arena, right next to the bar with its own private restrooms, and survey my gig for the night. The dance floor is huge with raised podiums for dancers and the stage at the back of the room is ablaze with lighting and smoke machines. The paid dancers are popping out their moves on the stage, the DJ can barely be seen behind the decks from this distance. The quality of DJ’s that play here are always the cream of the crop and the amazing hard house tunes being blasted over the huge speakers get right into your being. You have no choice but to absorb the drilling bass line that thuds in your chest. The place is heaving and the dance floor is rammed to capacity. It looks to be a great night by any standard and already I am itching to get behind the decks, or at least get up and dance. The euphoria of the music lifts you and definitely ignites that clubbing mood.
I pick up the flyer for tonight that has the set times on and I see that Dean Grotz from Xtreem is playing in an hour, then Dayton Scott for Epic and finally me. It’s good to see Grotzy working here tonight. It shows a united front. A tray of vodka shots is brought to the table and Shazza wastes no time in downing a couple. There are some of the regular faces in the VIP lounge and we are soon joined by Epic Records resident DJ, Dave, or DJ D as he is popularly known.
“Ladies, it’s nice to see you again. It’s been a while.” Dave grins before lowering himself into one of the leather tub seats opposite us.
“It has been a while, Dave. How are you, gorgeous?” I smile. Dave is a natural flirt and we share lots of playful banter but he knows it’s just that – banter. There is nothing romantic between us and never will be.
“I’m all good, baby girl. Your latest track was immense by the way, top work ladies.”
“Cheers, mate. I saw your candidate was hot on our tail for second spot the week we released it. Nice try.” I tease and Dave laughs, helping himself to a shot glass and downing it in one.
“That was Dayton’s track, wasn’t it? Competing in the charts with you, Tara?” Shazza asks and I nod. I’ll give the guy kudos, it was an amazing track and I am guilty of buying it and mixing it. I just waited until I’d hit the top of the charts first before buying a rival track.
“Speak of the devil. Oi, Dayton,” Dave calls to Dayton who just entered the lounge with his girlfriend, Alannah, on his arm. Dayton saunters over and takes a seat next to Dave, pulling Alannah into his lap. “Evening folks. How are we doing tonight?”
“All good, thanks, Day-day.” Shazza grins before waving to the tray of shots. “Help yourselves.”
Alannah throws me a polite smile. I’ve met Alannah and Dayton on numerous occasions before and they’re a great couple. They steer clear of the drama and rumour mill of the industry, quite happily floating along in a blissful loved up bubble. They are a gorgeous couple, the Posh and Becks of the DJ world if you wish. I think Dayton is one of the few in this line of work that was genuinely talented spotted. Everyone else wasn’t as lucky and had to fight to get their time in the spotlight. In all fairness, Dayton deserves his residency, he is one talented guy and was going to waste in Manchester.
“Alright, sweets?” I ask Alannah.
“I’m brill, thanks, Tara. You?”
I knock back another shot and Baz flashes me a warning glance from the entrance to the VIP lounge. I wink at him before turning back to Alannah. “Yeah, I can’t complain, cheers. Looking forward to Xtreem’s birthday bash next month. Are you coming?” I address the rest of the table.
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Dave grins and I see a look pass between Dayton and Alannah before Dayton clears his throat and shifts in his seat and squares me with that look.
“I thought maybe Jimmy at Epic HQ would have contacted Pops actually, Tara. I was wondering when you plan on announcing the line up?”
I see Shaz look from Dayton to me, curiosity making her lean in. She suspects, as well as I, that someone is about to call in a favour. I smirk and shrug. “I don’t know, Dayton. Why? Are you avoiding someone?” I snigger and Dayton laughs loudly.
“Not at all, just hankering for a slot.” He winks at Shazza who raises an eyebrow that gives nothing away. She knows as well as I do that almost all of the gigs DJ’s land themselves are usually bartered at after parties, pre party warm ups or in VIP lounges. In this industry it’s not what you know, it’s who. A friend of a friend can often get you a slot, if you have the right friend.
“Well, I’m sure Pops could fit you onto the line up.” Or I could. I don’t make him privy to this information though. “Maybe if you show a little gratitude to the label Pops can be talked around?”
“Like what? Releasing one of my tracks on Xtreem?” Dayton asks before taking a shot glass from Alannah.
“How about playing us a radio slot?”
“Pre-recorded?”
I shake my head. “Sorry, buddy. It’s got to be live. I’ll make it a Friday, an early one so you can still work any other club commitments?”
I know I’m pushing my luck. A live set could mean turning down a gig at a club, but it would only be a Friday slot, he could still work Saturday. Plus he would be on the line up for our birthday bash. A chance like that doesn’t go to just anyone. I guarantee our gig will pay double any Friday night work is worth and the exposure is invaluable to his career.
“When?” Dayton looks unsure and I shrug.
“I’ll check the calendar. Here.” I toss my phone at him. “Stick your number in there and I’ll ring you in the next few days.”
He passes the phone back over a minute later and I pass out shots all round. “Here’s to a wild night, ladies and gentlemen.” We all grin and raise our glasses before downing the last of the shots. Damn, that tray went fast. I signal to Baz for another tray and he rolls his eyes before stopping a passing waitress with our order.
“Who wants to dance?” Shazza jumps up, grabbing my elbow and prising me from my seat. I quickly catch Dave’s hand.
“Come on, DJ D, let’s show these clubbers how to really tear up a dance floor.” I grin, pulling him out of the VIP lounge with me, led by Shaz.
Two hours and two trays of shots later I am totally in my element on the da
nce floor, swept up in the energy of the crowd, the euphoria and beat of the music. Just the whole atmosphere of the club gets me hyped up. I’m letting myself go and popping out my best moves with Shaz and Alannah on the heaving dance floor when I’m suddenly gripped by the elbow and spun so fast that the strobe lights almost blind me and I’m thrown off balance. I make a grab for anything within reach to stop myself face planting the floor and manage to grab Shaz by the shoulder. I feel a sharp snap and a sting against my knuckles.
“Fuck! What the hell, Tara?” I hear Shazza bite and before I know it I’m having a phone shoved into my hands. I frown and look up to see a young guy with spiked blonde hair and pinned pupils.
“I want my photo taken with you, Dis-Diva.” The very stoned looking guy demands.
“Here’s some invaluable advice for you, limp dick. Next time you approach me you greet me and ask for a picture. Anything other than that will win you nothing but a kick in the bollocks.” I am just about to throw his camera phone at him when a huge paw of a hand rips the phone from my grip and it gets shoved into the young lads face.
“You have exactly three seconds to fuck off before I cram this phone so far up your arse you’ll be shitting photos of your insides,” Baz growls. I choke on my own laughter. Shaz is busy inspecting the damage to her bra which is obviously snapped.
“Ah, shit! Well done you complete numpty!” Shaz whips the remains of her bra out of her sleeve and growls. The stoner guy looks like his dick has shrivelled substantially and is backing away from Baz like he has just met his maker. I bite my lip to stop my smirk but when I make eye contact with Shaz she spots the twitch at the corner of my mouth and she sticks a finger in my face.
“I’m daring you to laugh.”
Alannah looks incredibly nervous and shuffles on the spot but I know Shaz is a pussy cat really and when I look back to her she is struggling to suppress her own laughter.
“You have a great excuse for Baz if your tits do fall out on stage tonight,” I giggle and Shaz breaks out in a fit of hysterics. Baz rolls his eyes and shakes his head, happy that our dancing perimeter is once again safe he backs away a little. Shaz throws her arm around my shoulder, laughing hysterically which only sets me off, much to Alannah’s relief. I wipe away tears of mirth and cannot shake the mental image of Shaz flashing at the huge crowd out of my mind’s eye.
“Ladies, you’re up in ten minutes.” Baz tells us and I give him the thumbs up, pulling Shaz in the direction of the ladies’ room, Alannah tagging along.
In the rest rooms we are still coming down from our fit of hysteria while we use the amenities. “Christ, I thought your security was going to rip that guy a new arsehole just now. Is he always so quick to interject when clubbers ask for pictures?” Alannah asks from the cubicle while I reapply my eyeliner and lipstick.
“Nah, Baz is lovely really. He can just spot someone off their face on drugs from a mile away. He’s worked in security for years, it’s all intimidation tactics really.” I smack my lips and narrow my eyes at my reflection.
“I’m glad Dayton doesn’t need personal security. It would get very uncomfortable being part of a threesome,” Alannah giggles while washing her hands. “Doesn’t it.., get in the way, you know, if you pull a hottie?”
Shaz giggles and raises an eyebrow at me, silently asking if I want to explain why I’ve never had a problem having Baz about. I give her a warning look before meeting Alannah’s gaze in the mirror. “I choose not to bother with guys. I’m having a love affair with mixing and I’ve yet to find anyone who wants to make it a threesome.”
“In other words it’s all work and no play for DJ Dis-Diva.” Shazza rolls her eyes at Alannah.
“I’m perfectly happy to do all my playing on the decks, thanks. Speaking of which, we better go give Dayton a break. It’s time to take the roof off this place.”
Baz escorts us through the throng of clubbers, randomly stopping to have pictures taken and sign flyers. We finally get to the stage and Dayton looks up and smiles when he sees me open my wallet of CDs. “Ready Dis-Diva?” His boyish smile makes me grin and I nod, hitting him with a high five. Already the crowd are jumping, fist pumping and snapping pictures left, right and centre. We indulge them and pose for photos. I grab his face and plant a firm kiss on his cheek as Shazza picks up the mic and moves to the front of the stage with the dancers.
“Let’s hear some noise for your resident DJ, Dayton Scott,” Shaz shouts over the mic. The crowd go wild, all hands in the air and Dayton takes a modest bow before handing over the headphones and I load my first track into the Pioneer deck. “I wanna hear you all welcome to the stage, your headliner for the night, DJ Dis-Diva!” Shaz bellows and the crowd go wild, whistling and cheering. The buzz of static electricity glides up my arms right from my fingertips on the mixer throughout my whole body.
There. Right there. That is my drug, my addiction, my passion. The bass line of my track kicks in hard and deep and the clubbers fist pump to my work, getting that rush that I’m raping back from them. I fist pump right back, biting my lip and pulling what I can only describe as my bass face. It’s that moment when the bass and the energy of the music hit you and you get that blast of adrenalin that gives you no option but to dance and let the music take you.
Dayton pulls out his phone and taps my shoulder. “I’m gonna be a total fan girl and ask for a selfie.” He grins cheekily. You’ve got to love Dayton, he is so grounded and just a thoroughly likable person. I wrap my arms around him and we turn our back to the crowd so they are all in the background, beyond the decks. He snaps the picture and kisses me on the cheek. “Thanks, babe. You ladies have a good one.”
I mix in my second track, one I recorded with Shazza and she takes to the stage again with the mic and the crowd cheer, knowing they’re in for a live performance from the vocalist on all of the top hard house tracks in the charts. I love the fact that Shaz can belt out vocals that could put Adele and Ellie Goulding to shame but she is faithful to her love of hard music. She laughs in the face of anyone who even dares to suggest she tries out on the XFactor. We really are two girls who, although our upbringings couldn’t be more parallel, are cut from the same cloth.
I hook my headphones on the back of my neck and take a minute to admire the way she owns the stage and comes alight like the star she is. I stick my fingers in my mouth and whistle as loud as I can, winning a thankful grin from my best friend. When she turns back to the crowd I savour the sea of ecstatic faces in front of me, then a solo face jumps out at me.
I freeze when I see Dominic stood to the right of the stage, the only one not dancing. His piercing gaze grabs me, even from a crowd of hundreds of clubbers. When he realises I’ve spotted, and obviously recognise him, a sexy one sided grin spreads over his oh-so-kissable mouth.
What the fuck is he even doing here?
I realise he is with Grotzy and I force myself to look away, giving myself a mental slap.
You are here to work, Tara. Get your head in the game!
The vocals in the track start to play and Shaz really lets go, singing for all she is worth and I smile, giving her a thumbs up as she works the stage, interacting with the crowd. Baz is stood to her left, mentally cutting down everyone who even dares to reach out to touch Shazza. I smile to myself, this is what I live for, savouring moments like this. My smile wavers when I feel the blazing stare of Dominic from the front row. I purposely don’t look at him, going back to work cueing up my next track. I play another crowd pleaser tune that never fails to keep the crowd stomping. My mix is timed to perfection and faultless. I nod my head in time to the music, getting goose bumps all over my body from the rush.
Like a pro, Miss. Powers. Show him how it’s done.
Him? Why him? Do not turn this into a personal performance, Tara!
I take out the CD I’ve finished playing and slip it back into its sleeve, shaking my head to try and throw off the unnerved feeling that has settled over me. Why does he unsettle me?
&nb
sp; Because I wanna fuck the ass off him?!
I curl my lip at the thought and load my next tune and frown to myself, pulling my headphones on. So what if he’s hot, you’ve had thousands of hot guys throw themselves at your feet, he’s nothing special.
First mental slap of the night, just concentrate and mix, don’t look at him, pretend he’s not there. Ignore the arsehole.
My eyes totally disobey my brain and zoom in on him again, he’s still smirking at me! The bastard knows he’s unsettled me. I scowl at him and mouth at him to fuck off, which only makes him laugh and angers me further. I adjust the pitch and hit the cue button a few times and wait until the perfect moment then I hit play. I adjust the jog wheel on the deck and force myself to keep my eyes down. I risk a glance to Shaz and she is popping out her best moves with the skimpily dressed dancers. I smile before using the mixer to drop the gain and the bass, waiting for that perfect moment to whack the channel up and bring in the next track.
I see Baz approach from the corner of my eye and offer him a smile, slipping one headphone off. “Everything okay, Tara?”
“Sure, Baz. Shazza is killing it tonight.”
“That she is. You just seem distracted. You sure you’re okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?” He seems genuinely concerned and I’m gutted he’s spotted my discomfort.
“It’s all gravy, baby. No problem here.” I assure him. With a silent nod but a questioning frown he goes back to his spot on the side of the stage.
I bring the next track in, finding that sweet spot to whack the channel up. I increase the gain gently, then flip the bass, bringing the tune in like a pro, leaving an epic offbeat. The crowd go wild and I fist pump the air, getting another blast of adrenaline from them.
The rest of the set runs smoothly, Shazza singing to numerous tracks she has recorded with numerous producers. We make an amazing team and the set goes down a storm. It’s evident in the reception we get from the crowd when we exit the stage. Baz is joined by three more members of the Sphinx security team. They save us from being mobbed as we are quickly ushered towards the private stairwell and down to the waiting Range Rover. The vodka and the rush from working leaves me dizzy and my tiny little frame is jostled around until we exit into the fresh early dawn air. There is a light drizzle and after the heat of the lights from the stage it’s a welcome coolness I want to savour for a few minutes.
Disrespectful Diva (DJ #2) Page 2