Why I... DJ
"I still smell the record when I take it out of the sleeve for the first time."
My love of DJing and house music started when I went to Ibiza in 1992, aged 17, and didn't want to come back.
I used to go to all the clubs in Glasgow, a city with a rich history of house music. That got me into buying the records and I bought my first set of decks with my Student Loan at university.
I didn't have the skill to make it on the nightclub scene so it became more about collecting the vinyl – limited editions, first prints and so on. But I did gigs at parties and charity nights.
The reason people value vinyl over digital is you get the 12 inch sleeve, the art work, the notes and the smell of the record. I still smell the record when I take it out of the sleeve for the first time. I've never thrown a record away, whereas digital music is disposable.
One time, I was playing in Reykjavik. The bar was going on until 6am and I needed to go straight to the airport. So I had to leave the last record playing as I dashed for my taxi. The crowd were going crazy and applauding me as I left with my record bag. That felt pretty good.
If you're playing at 2am, there’s a good chance you'll have had a couple of drinks. Sometimes you've nailed a perfect mix and you go to take the record off that's just finished and you accidentally lift the one off that's just started. It’s pretty obvious that something's gone wrong when that happens.
I have over a thousand records. Some are worth a lot – especially the limited release ones – they increase in value. Rather than spending £5,000 for a picture on the wall, I have maybe 50 records that are worth that kind of money together.
My tastes have changed as I’ve got older. The beat gets slower as your heart rate slows down. I listen to some of the tunes I used to listen to when I was 17 and I just want to cry and turn it off.
My children are only seven and four so they haven't yet found their musical journey. I would never force my music on them. My wife likes musical theatre, which couldn't be further removed – there's very little common ground.
I work with young people who work in cool industries. It's a good way to connect to them. I was at a guy's house last month doing his pensions for the tax year and we had a couple of rums and then went up to his music room and we played a couple of records. I have a few clients like that.
As all IFAs know, everything in financial advice is structured, every minute of your day is accounted for. There's little room for creativity. We work within the confines of the FCA and HMRC. So DJing is an outlet for creativity. I can't draw, I can't dance, I can't sing – it's my one creative outlet.