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DJ Promo interview: 100 Hour Party Person

Author: Laura J. Snook
Friday, May 12, 2006
Next month, British Bad Boy of the Decks, DJ Promo, will attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the longest DJ set in history by mixing continuously for 100 hours - without sleep or illegal stimulants - in a bid to raise vital funds for two Australian charities. Tranzfusion caught up with him between workouts and shots of wheatgrass.

1.Are you congenitally insane-!

No, not in this life or the others! And should you be talking about my genitals like that-

2.What inspired you to do this-

A long-term dream; madness never took a part in my decision. I've always been the last person standing at parties and function very easily on very little sleep. I love playing long sets and, as I've said many times, it doesn't get much longer than this. There's also a feeling that my life was losing direction and that I was going round in circles. This will hopefully put me back on track.

3.How are you going to stay awake for so long- Are you one of life's insomniacs-

I'm certainly not an insomniac and wouldn't envy anyone who is. I don't sleep much, though, that's for sure. Staying awake has always been easy for me. If I have to work, I stay awake. Sitting is bad for me. Stick me in a chair in front of the TV when I'm tired and I'm asleep before the credits come up. I've trained very hard for a long time for this and, with a careful diet and regular stretching during the 100 hours, I'm very confident I'll reach target. I can also take certain natural stimulants such as caffeine, Guarana, taurine, etc.

4.You say you're undertaking this challenge drug-free to promote a more positive image of clubbing - and yet you lived the typical clubber's lifestyle for years. Why the change of heart-

There comes a time when everyone needs to make a change in their life. Mine is now. This is not about what I've done before, but what I'm doing now. I'm raising money for two charities: Challenge, which supports children living with cancer and life-threatening blood disorders; and The Big Issue, which helps the homeless and long-term unemployed take basic steps towards self-reliance. Neither charity would benefit from what I'm doing if I used drugs to achieve the target. Besides, would I really achieve anything if I used drugs to reach the target- I believe I can do this naturally and have set out to prove it.

5.Is there anything you miss about the old lifestyle-

I miss DJing regularly. Even when I wasn't working much, I was still playing a couple of times a week. I miss rushing from one gig to another. I miss all the record shops in London with all the hot promos. I don't miss drugs or alcohol, if that's what you mean. I'm loving going to the gym and all the training, even though it's really hard work.

6.Have you ever attempted anything like this before-

Not on this level. I've always loved playing long sets, but it's difficult to find an audience to do so. Ten to fifteen hours is all most people have in them. Even house parties don't last much longer than that and at the end you're playing to what looks like a battlefield - and the other side won! On a promotional level, I've never attempted to stage an event on this scale and with such high running costs. If this wasn't a charity event, with the majority of companies involved giving their services for free, it would easily cost over $200,000 to put it on the way we're planning it.

7.What sort of training have you had to do to prepare yourself for the attempt-

First was self-sacrifice: no alcohol, no smoking, no Guarana, no caffeine, and sensible eating - including plenty of food I don't like, such as porridge. Then came the physical training: walking after every meal, joining a gym, getting a mountain bike. That was followed by the power training (weight-lifting with ever heavier weights); then there was the endurance training (cardiovascular exercise, kickboxing, lots of cycling); and finally, the stamina
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