Brooklyn Boro

Life on Tour: England’s hottest DJ talks Brooklyn

January 18, 2017 By Scott Enman Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Internationally renowned DJ Hot Since 82. Photo by Mitch Payne
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For internationally renowned DJ Hot Since 82, born Daley Padley, life on the road can be demanding. As one of the most sought-after artists in the world with gigs in a new country every day, life on tour can be arduous, but for the London-based musician, Brooklyn feels just like home.

Between the lack of sleep, sparse nutritious food options, jet lag and the many temptations that present themselves in the nightlife industry, it can all become a blur. Having performed at roughly 100 shows across five continents last year, a stop in Brooklyn always provides the producer with a moment of relaxation from his peripatetic lifestyle.  

“[Brooklyn] is very European,” Hot Since 82 revealed to the Brooklyn Eagle before a recent show at the enigmatic Williamsburg nightclub Output. “I do feel at home. It’s a massive bond of culture just like it is in London, as well. I don’t feel out of place, I feel at home.”

Hot Since 82 is no stranger to our fair borough, having performed here several times at Output and at the recently shuttered Verboten. He also hosted a party in 2015 called “Taken,” where a group of fans were blindfolded in Manhattan and driven to an unknown Brooklyn warehouse for an all-night party — a nod to the old illegal rave days.

And while many musicians do not have the luxury to explore the cities they perform in, Hot Since 82 always makes sure to spend a few extra days discovering Brooklyn, shopping and having dinner and drinks with his friends that live here.  

Despite his hectic tour schedule, Hot Since 82 took the time to sit down with the Eagle to talk about his music, his impressions of Brooklyn and what makes playing in this city so special.

Eagle: You always seem to end up in Brooklyn, don’t you?

Hot Since 82: Although many people don’t know this, I’ve actually been coming to Brooklyn for 12 to 13 years to play music back in the day in 2004 under my own name, Daley Padley. I did some after hours clubs with Rob Fernandez, so he has a very special place in my heart. When I got here today I was like, “Oh, I’m in New York,” and it just has something and a rich history of electronic music as well, so it’s a pleasure to be here.

Eagle: Why is Brooklyn, and New York as a whole, unique from other cities that you play at?

Hot Since 82: It has a rich history of dance music: Twilo, Sound Factory, Paradise Garage — all of those — so it has the roots. People know the music here. The sound systems are always good. The [DJ] booths are always good. I have friends here. The shopping is good. It’s very European as well, of all the major cities that I’ve visited in America.

It’s very European. I do feel at home. It’s a massive bond of culture just like it is in London as well. I don’t feel out of place, I feel at home. So I kill two birds with one stone: I play a show, I see friends [and] I have a good time, so I’m a lucky boy.

Eagle: More specifically, when you hear “Brooklyn,” what comes to mind?

Hot Since 82: I was a big Biggie fan back in the day. Originally when I was booked by Output in Brooklyn, I was like, “What the hell is going on here?” Not to cliché it at all, but I was like do I need a bulletproof vest? All we know stateside is what we hear from the hip-hop songs. Obviously that was 1993, but we’re not so educated on what’s going down, what’s good and what’s safe out here, but it’s a great place.

Just driving in here today, you can see how much it’s grown just from the last four years that I’ve been coming here. As well as it’s a hipster hub, a really artistic place, and Output has really put Brooklyn on the map. As well as the artistic side as a club, I would imagine that it has done wonders for the borough. They do a great job here and the artists are always good, the system is good here and it’s probably the best club in New York now, so it’s a humbling and modest feeling to be coming here with my name above the doors. It’s a blessing.

Eagle: Would you say the English feel similar and think of Brooklyn in the same way?

Hot Since 82: Yeah, it’s hard to say that. As Sting would say, we’re “Englishmen in New York,” so we’re not too educated on what’s going on, just as if you came to a borough in England as well. I mean for anybody that’s in the know, they know it’s a hipster area.

I have a friend who visited who might say it’s a little bit “ghetto,” if that’s the right word. I don’t like to use that word. They don’t know that it has turned around as much as it has!

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