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This week has truly been an honour. I got to catch up with the gorgeous and most friendly DJ around the lovely Lisa Pin-UP. This woman literally exudes positive energy behind the decks, if her presence wasn't enough to get you going then tracks such as Party Tonight (released on Pin-Up Records) certainly will. Lisa is not an unknown to the scene having been gracing venues in and around the UK for the past 8yrs. She's seen it, got the T-Shirt and experienced a fair few thrills and spills along the way. With bookings alongside names such as Boy George and Tony De Vit in the early days to where she is now, you can't help but feel she is a bit of an inspiration. In advance of one of the biggest events to break this year, I caught up with Lisa to talk production, mixing and just how much she is going to rock the massive Brixton Academy for Future on Saturday 25th June. CL: Hey Lisa, how you keeping? How have the last couple of months been for you, I hear you returned to Passion at Coalville after one and a half year's, that must have been fun? LP: I used to play at this club right at the start of my career for Passion around 8 years ago and it is still a fantastic venue to DJ at. I have not played for Storm for a while as they did change their music policy, but now under a new promotion team they are moving more back to their original style and I am back on board. As I pulled up in the car park it did bring back loads of great memories of partying and DJ-ing at the club, and when I walked in, wow! The club was rammed with up for it clubbers. I had the most amazing time, think it was one of the best crowds I have ever seen at the venue and I can't wait to come back and do a return set. CL: You've recently launched a new label Pin-Up Records. How is this going? LP: Yes it's my brand new label where every track on the label will be produced by myself with up and coming artists on remix duties. The first release was out in January and is called 'Party Tonight'. All vinyl copies have now sold out, but I have just done a deal with Tidy Trax for this release and future releases to be downloaded from their web site. If you would like to listen to a sample and download this track please go to www.tidydigital.com CL: What plans have you got for your other labels Rock Hard Recordings and Cuttin Soundz LP: I thought it was time for a change, so have put these labels on hold while I concentrate on Pin-Up Records, but you never know, they might be brought back in the future, we will see. CL: Do you intend to sign up and coming artists to the new label or will it be purely for your own productions? LP: As said the label is mainly a place for me to channel all my own productions but I will be on the look out for up and coming remixers to provide the remixes for me. CL: With the new label, does this see the end of releases on the Nukleuz label or will you be working with them in the future? LP: I still have strong ties with Nukleuz Records and have a new release coming out with them on May 23rd. I can't believe it but this release will bring the total of my tracks on Nukleuz to 16! It's a double a-sider called 'Machine Gun Madness' and 'Really like Cocaine'. The first side is more funky and uplifting with a vocal about a machine gun and even a machine gun sample. The b side is a hard as nails track but still with the Lisa Pin-Up trade mark twist, and has a really naughty vocal 'wow you really like cocaine!" CL: It's not the first time you have played at the mighty Brixton Academy, what do you love most about the venue? LP: I personally love the layout of this club, the fact that you are facing the whole dancefloor and can see everything that is going on, it makes you just really feel part of the crowd. When standing up there on the stage banging out those tunes I don't think you can get a better buzz. Also if I was a clubber I would find the whole venue amazing, it is just so interesting and a very beautiful club to be in. CL: What can we expect to hear from you at Future? Do you have any new tracks to release on the 4500 capacity crowd? LP: Well I will definitely be banging out my new two tunes on Nukleuz which are not yet out on vinyl, make sure you listen out for them. Also I always manage to get my hands on those elusive tunes that I need to fit into my set, anything that is uplifting but still banging. CL: It's not the first time you have worked with Wildchild and Frantic. What excites you about these promotions most? LP: Both promoters are very similar, they just work so hard behind the scenes on their promotions that the clubbers are always guaranteed a really good party, which always makes it a pleasure for me to DJ at. CL: What got you into the scene and when did you decide that DJ-ing and production was the route for do? LP: I always went to clubs like the Wag Club in London since I was 16 but discovered the dance scene when I was around 21. As soon as I discovered it I became totally obsessed and being able to spin two records together for me was just another way for me to get closer to the scene. I bought the records I heard at the weekend anyway to keep as memories, so the next step was to buy some decks. As for production, after a while playing other peoples tunes this was not enough for me, I wanted to be able to spin my own tunes so I started to write my own music. It is just the best feeling ever to be able to put one of your own records on the decks and see the crowd go wild to it. CL: What would you be up to now if you weren't a DJ or producer? LP: I was a model before becoming a DJ, I would be working as an advertising model for commercials and adverts (what I was doing just before becoming a DJ). CL: You always look like you are having a rocking time behind the decks, it's great to see and personally makes the whole experience more enjoyable if you see the DJ also having it. Will you be gracing the dancefloor and checking out anyone else after your set? LP: I will also be DJ-ing in Cardiff that night so don't yet know what time I will be arriving at the venue. I may or may not have time after my set to go down on the dancefloor, but one thing is for sure, I will definitely be kicking up a storm while I am DJ-ing, I can't help but dance when I hear the music and will be having one hell of a party behind those decks! CL: You are part of a unique group of female DJ's, with more and more lovely ladies coming onto the scene and shaking dancefloors who would you say is someone we should keep an eye out for in the future? LP: There is just so many good girl DJ's coming up to mention, hopefully soon there will be the same amount of girl DJ's as boy DJ's which I can see happening very soon. CL: After years and years of stomping in clubs and being involved in events I have decided to learn how to DJ, what advice can you give me? LP: If you come from a clubbing background that is a great start, I think you have to live it and breathe it to be part of it. Obviously you have to be good at mixing, which is just practice, practice, practice. Then you just need to get out there, make your face known and hand out those mixes. CL: You've been DJ-ing for 8yrs now and have seen the scene change, how would you compare the scene now to when you first started? LP: I suppose there have been loads of things, but what makes me laugh is at the start there never used to be hard house nights or trance nights, all the DJ's used to be on the same bill. At the start I would regularly DJ along side DJ's such as Boy George, Tony de Vit, Judge Jules or Seb Fontaine I even took over from the Dream Team once who at the time played garage music! CL: You recently signed to an agency called Mainstage, how is this working for you and have you any international bookings coming up soon - how will you cope with the flying? LP: Yes I have now been there since January and have a very happy working relationship with them as they have a great team of people to look after you. It's a fantastic agency that's growing fast with Fergie and Tall Paul just signing up to an already huge roaster. As for travelling, I have not done much in the past as I hated flying but recently started to get used to it. So far this year I have been to Dubai and I have loads of other projects in the pipeline which I am really excited about. CL: You really interact with the crowd at every event its an absolute pleasure, what were you like as a clubber before DJ-ing and has any one person been your main influence/inspiration? LP: I was a bit a mad clubber and used to be literally the first clubber on the dancefloor at the beginning of the night, right to being the last to leave, so now I am just enjoying myself as much as I did back then but now getting paid for it! Part of going clubbing to me was always meeting loads of interesting people that had the same interests as me, well that has not changed; now I just get to dictate what music is on while I am having a good time! CL: You are renowned for preferring to do things on your own rather than b2b's and co-producing. Could you see yourself doing something along the same lines as Tiesto but aimed at the Hard Dance scene? LP: All it is, is that I am a bit of a control freak and like things mostly my own way! I recently did a b2b set with Rob Tissera which I must admit I did really enjoy and will be soon doing one with Andy Whitby. I am still a bit reserved though when deciding to go b2b as think I need to play alongside someone that has a compatible style of music to mine, some combinations might look good on paper but if we are totally different I don't really want to do it as I don't think it would work and I might not enjoy it. As for producing, I just like to have everything my own way in the studio, and that way you also get to keep all the royalties as you are the sole writer of the record. CL: Your married to the lovely Peter, how does your DJ career fit into your married life and do you let your man mix with you? LP: Peter comes everywhere with me. The reason being if he did not it would seem like more of a job than just going out having fun. I knew Peter before I ever dreamt of being a DJ and we would go out clubbing and get canned together as he was hooked on it as much as me. So now it just feels like we are carrying that on just doing the same, so far out of the 8 years I have been DJ-ing he has only not been able to make it once and I did not like it at all! CL: You will be playing at Pontins Hemsby for the Tidy Summer Camp. I worked there when I was just 18, please say hi to all the staff and tear the roof off The Queen Vic, the Fun Factory and the Lunar Bar!! Thanks for your time and see you on the 25th! I don't know my set time yet but I will be in my DJ room 3/4 hour before my set hanging around the bar area to just say hi to everyone as so many people I know will be there. So anyone out there that does want to meet me do come and say hello. Also anyone that wants to chat to me about this event or others you can contact me through my web site www.lisapin-up.com Thanks to M8 Magazine for pictures.