Counting Bars with Andy C

There are many legends in dance music and non more so than Drum & Bass leader Andy C.  Boss at Ram Records, global headliner for decades, pioneer for Drum & Bass and responsible for some of the greatest one man DJ shows on earth.

Having just sold out his latest All Nighter at Alexandra Palace on his own for 10’000 ravers, Mixmag writer Dave Jenkins grabbed a few words with the D&B don. There are a few particular answers we wanted to share with you all regarding his DJ technique: Counting Bars.  It’s something we stress time and time again in our 1on1 lessons and what better person to punctuate the importance than Andy C.

Is there a special Andy C formula, or a science to double-dropping?

Keys can’t clash, keep your EQ tight and keep counting. It’s all in the bars. I’m constantly counting bars, all the time. It’s an in-built metronome, constantly ticking at 174 BPM. I run off for a toilet break and I’m counting down bars knowing how long I’ve got left until the next mix-point.

Have you ever had one of those really long pisses and almost missed a mix?

Absolutely! Last time at Brixton Academy. I must have over-indulged in the first hour or so and it just went on and on. I was thinking ‘Shit! I’ve got five thousand people out there, I’m going to miss my mix!’ I just made it back in the last eight bars. It was a bit like the nightmares I have in which the tune runs out, I haven’t found the next one and everyone’s booing. People have sent me a joke picture of a DJ booth with a urinal underneath. Might have to request that on my rider.

Read the full interview here on Mixmag

ANDY C – ALL NIGHT @ ALEXANDRA PALACE