All White on the Night

I’m standing in packed smoking area of The Old Fire Station while groups of friends keep the chill at bay, huddled like penguins puffing away in the cold night air. Waving me over from the far corner is a drained but delighted face which tells the tale of a man, who through all the stress and backbreaking labour, has managed to pull off the biggest night of his career without a hitch. At the mammoth Ram and Critical night, we grab ten minutes to talk to the ever friendly Enter promoter Whitey about DJing, new releases and the highs and lows of promotion.

Bournemouth based Whitey has a reputation for being a little shy but you would of never guessed this tonight. He seems to know everyone, and anyone he doesn’t know wants to know him. We’re interrupted about a dozen times, as friends and fans, more than likely a little tipsy from the night's tipples, congratulate him on his success. He doesn’t mind, Whitey still regards himself as a 'punter', and it's because of this mutual respect with regular ravers that his events fresh and enjoyable.

How’s your night going?
"Yeah very, very well, absolutely over the moon, this is one of the biggest nights I’ve ever been involved in. I can’t really say anything negative to be honest, vibes all the way!"

How long ago was it that you started Enter?
"We started in 2008, on a Wednesday night. Basically we approached the venue and they said they didn’t have any weekend dates so we were like, "fuck it, you know what let’s do a Wednesday and see how it goes!" We had one headliner who was G Dub, all the way back when G Dub were together. The night was actually vibes for a Wednesday and it’s just rollercoastered. After we did a couple of Wednesdays, we did a Friday with Ed Rush and Skibba, and that’s how it all started really and since then, well I hope... well, yeah it gone from strength to strength really. Ram tonight, this for me is what I’ve been building up to all this time, you know. Ram is the biggest label, they’ve always been something that I’ve bought tunes from, I’ve always followed them."

But it’s not just Ram is it? It’s Ram and Critical.
"If I’m honest we tried to make the night look like it was a proper Ram at Fabric line-up, we wanted people from around the UK to be like “d’you know what, I’ve gotta go to that”. Even if they weren’t form Bournemouth we wanted people to be intrigued by it. So we really needed a good headlining label to host room two as well. I think it’s happened, because we’ve sold tickets from Bristol, from London and Birmingham tonight, and I think people have enjoyed it and been open to Bournemouth and seen what Bournemouth’s about.

Are you hoping to expand to different cities as well?
"That is the long term goal. But not being bias to Bournemouth, it’s really got a vibe that’s quite hard to touch, I have a lot of artists come down here that are like, “I just wanna stay here, I don’t wanna go to my next gig” ,and I think are they just being nice because I’ve booked them, but then they go away and they still get in touch and say, “mate I still can’t get that night out of my head” and you know for me that’s what it’s all about. I’m just a bit speechless at how well it’s all going, it didn’t sink in until I looked out to the crowd and was thinking, “fucking Hell! This is actually a Ram night.”

It’s all a bit much to take in?
"Yeah it is, to be honest. I’ve got to say a big shout out to Judda though, obviously it's not just me, he was pretty much looking after the Critical night, that was all him, that’s his thing, not that I’m not into the sound."

So DJing wise what you up too?
"I'm always DJing out and about but right now I’m in the studio as well, looking to finish some tracks, ready to master soon."

How you going put them out?
"I’m not gonna give them out until I’m fully happy with them, I’m not even playing them out myself yet. I’ve been testing them at home and on the set ups, I’m not trying to rush things and 2012 is the sort of target to approach labels and see where it takes me really. I know these days to make it as a DJ you’ve got to be a producer and vice versa, but like I said earlier I’m a DJ at heart, if I could just play everyone else’s tunes and get paid for it, I probably would do that. But I have to say there is a definite certain vibe about getting a reaction from a crowd for your own tune and not just somebody else’s."

What kind of sound are you going for?
"I’m trying to represent what I play as a DJ, I’m across the board, I don’t just like one style I’m into all styles of drum and bass. I’m trying to educate people and show them it’s not just about hazard and jump up, or it’s not just about Ram, so I’m kinda trying to bring that out in my line-ups and my sound.

"First and foremost it’s about everyone else, making sure they’re happy and having a good time. We do take on negative feedback and do what we can to please people. We have taken Bournemouth on a positive move, Judda does Drumfunk which handles the deeper stuff, while with Enter I try and represent everything."

Catch Whitey and Judda at Enter Vs Drumfunk on the 27th of January at Sherbet.

And here's a special guest mix treat for you...

Phace & Misanthrop - What's Wrong
Dillinja - All Aboard
Subfocus - Stomp
Phace & Rockwell - No!
Heist - Free Texts*
Break - Framework
Original Sin - Move
State of Mind - Ronald Reagon
Siren - Snorkel
Crystal Clear &  Zen - Bullet
Kasra & Jubei - The Rift
Wilkinson - Tonight
Ulterior Motive - Sticky Tape
Who is it - Bladerunner Remix
Krakota - Untitled*
Sato - Clap ya Hands
Break - Hot Love
Calibre & ST Files - Falling Down
Rene LaVice - Headlock
Octane & DLR - Back in the Grind (Cern & Dabs Remix)
Zen - Bass Invaders
Harvest - Prophecy
The Sect - Cybermen (Break remix)Dub Phisix & Skeptical - Marka

Words: Whisky Kicks