SUBJECT TO THE SEB

Following in the footsteps of his DJ mother, British DJ Seb Fontaine dropped out of school early to spin at the turntables and he hasn’t looked back since. With his skills on the decks, Seb garnered accolades and loyal fans as he secured residencies at world famous British nightclubs like the Fridge and Cream. CATALOG caught up with the seasoned turntablist for a little Q&A.

For someone who’s been a DJ for a long time, do you find it as intensive as time goes on?

I’ve adjusted. I’m an old man so I have to slow things down… Nah, kidding. I’m often the last guy standing so I don’t find a problem with my workload.

How do you keep it fresh then?

As long as you enjoy it, I don’t see it as a problem. You know, what I quite like now? I split my time doing these two things: big bands like the Black Eyed Peas, Jessie J, Beyoncé and big sports events like the Royal Ascot, these amazing parties at Monaco and the Grand Prix. And on the flipside, I would do those rotting, nasty warehouse parties where people are leaving at mid-day.

Sipping champagne from a yacht in Monaco and spinning at a nasty warehouse… that is what I love. I love them both. I think that’s my balance.

How do you prep for a gig?

I’ve got to be open-minded; I need to see the people entering, get a look at their attire, just to get the feel of the audience. From then on, I kind of know who my clientele are.

We heard that when you were in Singapore in 2009, you almost died from heat stroke.

It was September, a really hot time and I was on stage before Beyoncé. She had all these fans prepared so when she comes on stage, her hair would go nuts and crazy.  I asked the stage manager whether he could turn the fans on and he said, “no fans. They’re Beyoncé’s fans.” I’m like, “it’s not a fucking drum kit. Just turn the fans on, I’m dying!”

Beyoncé herself, later said I could have the fans on but the stage manager still said no, “we need the fans. It’s to make Beyoncé’s hair wild and crazy.” I thought I was going to die. I put my head in the ice bucket.

Wow. The story that was going around was that Beyoncé was being a diva…

No, no, no. She was nice but the stage manager said, “it’s my responsibility that when Beyoncé comes on, she should look like she’s in a perfume advert.” He said, “no,” and she said, “yes.”

Thanks for clearing that up and setting the story straight!

There you go. You got it from me. Beyoncé was lovely.

Who did you look up to when you started out as a DJ?

Norman Jay. He’s a good friend, one of the nicest DJs on the planet and he’s one of the DJs I respect the most because he’s never about, “I want to be the biggest DJ, I want to see my name in lights, I want my own trainers, I want this, I want that…” Norman is just cool. He plays good music, he does what he does and he does it well.

He must have been a defining influence on you.

He said this to me once; you’re not a good DJ unless you do an acid house rave on a Friday and a wedding on a Saturday. And it’s true, you need to have a vast knowledge of music.

Interview and images courtesy of HTC.