Dj Flight

A little lady with a big Curriculum Vitae, Flight has come a long way since her south London schooldays spent swapping jungle tapes at lunchtime. Now resident at Swerve and with her own show on 1Xtra, her mum has stopped telling her off for giving up graphic design to pursue the gentle art of the disc jockey. And we've got South Wales to thank for that. "I started a degree at Newport but I only lasted one term because I missed going out so much," she chuckles. A regular face at nights such as A.W.O.L, PM Scientists and Metalheadz, it was seeing Kemistry & Storm play that inspired her the most: "They just blew me away, so I approached them one night and gave them a tape." Encouraged by their feedback, Flight moved onto pirates Flex, Rude, Rinse, Pressure and Kool FM: "If you're on a good station it keeps you on the ball. Plus you get loads of feedback on text messages." Any flirtatious ones? "I got called 'buff' once which was quite funny, but I haven't got any dates out of it," she sighs. "Well, not yet anyway." Kemistry & Storm kept a keen eye on their protégé's progress, and in 1999 they gave one of her mix tapes to Goldie. "He was looking for a new girl to join the Metalheadz roster and brought me in. Then six months after that Fabio got me on board at Swerve." This was a dream come true for Flight. "I prefer smaller clubs like Swerve because they're a lot more intimate, there's less competition to tear it out and the crowd is more up for hearing different things." She applies the same philosophy to her 1Xtra shows. "You'll hear stuff on my show that no-one else plays - more laid-back, experimental stuff. Plus it's a great way to test tunes without emptying a dancefloor!" However, with no MC to hide behind, she's finding the Smashy & Nicey side of things more challenging. "On pirates I never had to get on the mic, so it was a bit daunting at first, plus I hate the sound of my voice. I'm getting into the swing of things now." Still only 24, Flight has well and truly taken-off. So what are her tips for budding young DJs? "You have to know the right people to give you the breaks that you need. Make sure you're seen around the club scene, talk to people and show real enthusiasm." So, next time your mum tells you off for going clubbing, you can tell her it's homework. Catch Flight DJing at Grace @ Herbal, Fabric Live, Movement and Swerve @ The End and on Defunked's forthcoming compilation 'Mind Body & Soul' as she's mixing the CD.