Kiss History

JEZ WELHAM 27 July 2010

How long have you been at Kiss?

I’ve worked at Kiss now for 16 years, quite a long while! 

How did you get into presenting?

I started as a dogsbody. When I was around 18, 19 years old I literally phoned up a guy who was on air at the time and said ‘look, im a little DJ for things like weddings and discos, I’d really love to come to the studio to see what you lot do!’ I wanted to find out how music ended up on my speakers. So he invited me to come along and just watch how things were done. So I went in, and it just so happened that one of the guys who did record logging and grabbing the adverts was off sick. It was your classic ‘have you ever done this before?’ where I just nodded and blagged my way through it! It was bizarre because you think ‘I listen to this everyday, wow – this is how it’s done’. So the next week they had me in again and it just went from there and I ended up working there for free for two years, making tea and coffee. I then became that DJ’s producer, then it turned out they were looking for someone to fill some early morning breakfast show slots so they asked me to do a tape. I did three before they let me on the air, and that was the door that opened.

Did you have any favourite DJs back then that inspired you when you were first starting out?

I have but they’re all really, really old! Someone called Robbie Vincent, a guy called Mike Allen who was a hip hop DJ, and the guy who I came on board with at Kiss, Trevor Nelson who was the guy that I phoned up.

What do you think makes a good DJ?

I think they’ve got to totally understand the audience. I think it helps if you either live the lifestyle of that audience, or you understand it. If I didn’t work here I’d listen to Kiss, so it’s a big part of my life. I’m not doing brain surgery; I’m just doing what I think my mates would want to hear. It’s very, very important that all DJ’s should be themselves.

How would you describe your show on Kiss?

My show is music-driven but I kind of put ‘me’ in it. People in the morning want that kind of kick up the bum, but, especially in London between 3 and 7pm, people just want tunes, because they might be stuck in traffic, might have had a crap day, might not have had a pay-rise. A DJ trying to be crazy and wacky and talking for ten minutes would probably drive them mad.

How helpful do you find Facebook for connecting with listeners?

Extremely helpful. It’s so immediate, I can sit in the studio and write something along the lines of ‘what you all up to?’ and I’ll suddenly see 500 comments. Without realising it, I’ll have done my own survey and I’ll be able to work out that everybody’s tired of exams for example, so I know where their heads are at.

Do you prefer Facebook or Twitter?

I find them totally good for different things. Twitter is really good for me and my friends when we all want a rant. I’m well known for tweeting during ‘Question time’, people in the office love it! I fell so out of love with Facebook last year but now I’m back in it.

Who do you follow on Twitter?

A lot of artists and DJs some of whom follow me, and also regular friends.

What’s your favourite thing about your job?

There are two things: not having to get up in the morning and working with what I love which is music.

And your least favourite thing?

Maybe the pressure to perform. But if I’ve had a bad day, I just have to remember that this is my job. The audience have put Kiss on to hear tunes with a bit of chatter.

Who’s your favourite artist at the moment?

I’d have to say ‘Scorcher’ who’s just signed a deal. He’s a little kid from Enfield who supported Snoop Dogg on tour and played at Wireless when he wasn’t signed.  He’s gonna be the one this year. I think he’ll eclipse Tinchy, Tinie and Chipmunk. He’s already got his own clothing line!

Are you a fan of gigs then?

I absolutely love gigs. Kiss covered Snoop Dogg the other week, and Wireless. It’s great because you get to go to a festival as well as do coverage. The great thing about my job is that you get to know a lot of the artists and then see them perform.

What else do you do in your free time?

I fly a lot, I’m a pilot. Other than that, Play station 3, and I probably party a bit too much. Weird mix I know!

Who has your most memorable interview been with?

N-Dubz always give the best interviews, every time. They’re a real volatile mix and even though they’ve made it big, theyre still so raw and refreshing.

What’s your favourite track of all time?

I’d say Notorious B.I.G – Juicy. The lyrical content is just so well written and his references in this song were so way ahead of his time. The video is also great.

What’s your favourite track at the moment?

Robyn – Dancing on my own, which you probably wouldn’t have expected me to say there, but there’s so much going on in that video which you don’t pick up unless you really watch it. You can tell that when she sings that song, she feels emotion, sort of like the way Mary J Blige sings.

Tell us about when you worked in New York!

Yeah it was when I was doing a Saturday daytime show on Kiss, I used to spend the week in New York working at ‘The Beat’ Radio Station which is on the Sirius Satellite Network out there. It all started when I was just out in New York and one day a friend called and suggested that I meet his friend who worked at a station. Then I went back to New York again on holiday around 2 years later and got in contact with him again. He was then working at ‘Hot 97’ so I went down and met the street team and ended up hanging out with them the whole week long - they were like the Gods of music for me! A few months later I got a random email from him about a new network launch. So, I went to work at a new station with him where I played euro ‘dancey’ stuff, they loved my English accent. Those two years I worked there were so fast paced, I didn’t have any time to sit back and actually appreciate what I had. Now I’d be like ‘pinch me man!’